Entergy, Pew Center on Global Climate Change Launch New Web Site

NEW ORLEANS, July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Entergy (NYSE: ETR) and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change today launched a new Web site (www.entergy.com/makeanimpact) that is designed to help visitors take action in reducing their carbon footprints. The Make an Impact Web site offers customized tools for employees, customers and communities to better manage their individual impact on the environment, reduce their energy usage and become part of the solution to global climate change.

The Make an Impact Web site features:

* A custom-built carbon calculator that offers a personalized CO2 footprint analysis and action plan.
* Profiles of Entergy employees who are making an environmental difference in their own unique ways.
* A user-generated list of local environmental resources.
* A kids section with environmental tips, resources and games.

"We're honored to be partnered with the Pew Center on this important Web site," said Kay Arnold, Entergy's vice president of public affairs. "An increasing number of our employees and customers have recently asked what actions they could take to offset their carbon footprint, and how they can best teach their children about making smart energy and environmental decisions. Therefore, we feel it's important to provide them with the tools to understand and manage their environmental impact because energy efficiency is both an easy way to reduce energy cost and the quickest route to lower CO2 emissions."

"Along with business and government, individuals have an important role to play in developing a solution to climate change and lower energy costs," said Pew Center President Eileen Claussen. "Through our partnership with Entergy we hope to empower people to make changes, small or large, in their daily lives because individually we can make a difference - and together we can make an impact."

The Make an Impact Web site was funded by Entergy through an environmental stewardship grant to the Pew Center. The Web site complements Entergy's comprehensive environmental actions including the company's voluntary efforts to stabilize CO2 emissions, restore coastal wetlands, promote energy efficiency, improve communities and encourage recycling.

"The Web site is only the first phase of the Make an Impact program. A second phase will be announced in the fall," said Arnold.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $13 billion and approximately 14,700 employees.

Entergy's online address is www.entergy.com.

Robert Redford: Why We Need a Bold Vision for Preserving Our Wilderness

I came across this article by the actor and activist Robert Redford on the Huffington Post. I thought it should be shared.

Robert Redford: Why We Need a Bold Vision for Preserving Our Wilderness

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How Green is Your University?

Green college honor roll announced
The Princeton Review has named 15 of the nation's universities to the 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll.

Every year, The Princeton Review publishes its list of the best colleges in the nation. As part of the list, the nation’s top green colleges are recognized and named to the Green Rating Honor Roll. Fifteen post-secondary institutions, including seven public colleges, made the 2010 honor roll.

Binghamton Univerity made the cut, and to find out if your college did - Click Here: Green College Honor Roll.

Green Carnivory...a lighter post for summer

While perusing the internet to understand more about green living ideas and tips, I came across a fun little blog post about how you can be green by eating roadkill. Ironically, my dad had a friend in Michigan who used to get roadkill deer meat from the scene of a car+deer accident delivered by a police officer friend. He'd make the most awesome jerky and sausage out of roadkill deer meat! I always thought that was just part of being in a rural community...who knew it'd be so posh someday?!

Read the blog post here!

Activism in Ithaca

PRI and the Museum of the Earth have a responsibility to explain the science behind issues of political controversy, such as evolution and global climate change. Scientifically, the evidence is there, we know human-made climate change is really occurring today and the effective means of curbing additional change in the future. Politically, we cannot offer advice about what choices you should make as an individual.

However, in places like blogs and in the Ithaca Journal, we are able to highlight occasions and groups where you can become informed politically, or become active in your chosen ideals. Climate change is a real scientific phenomenon. How, or if, you choose to address it is your decision, and on July 23rd you can chat with some local activists to see what your choices are politically. Below we've highlighted an event happening this week in Dewitt Park, right here in Ithaca. For or against government involvement in climate change solutions, this is the place to discuss it!

There will be a demonstration on Thursday July 23rd
at DeWitt Park at 5pm in support of a
STRONG and CLEAN energy bill. The local
MoveOn council has planned this demonstration primarily to encourage Senator Gillibrand
to keep the Clean Air Act intact in the Senate version of the bill. Please help spread the word.


Senator Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee, which puts her in a powerful position to influence the
bill. The Energy bill (ACES) is being
considered in the Senate now, and there are forces working to reduce its reach
and effectiveness. The version of the energy bill passed recently by the House
exempts coal-burning plants from the Clean Air Act?s regulation of carbon
emissions. But there is still time to influence the Senate version.

We urge you to join us at DeWitt Park
on Thursday 23rd to raise our voices in support of the Clean Air Act
and clean, renewable energy, bringing green jobs to our community. We will be wearing black with white dust
masks on our faces to symbolize our strong opposition to the weakening of the
energy bill. We encourage you to wear
green to symbolize the thousands of new green jobs that renewable energy will
bring.

Please come send a powerful message to Senator Gillibrand
that we support her efforts to strengthen the energy bill and keep it
clean! Bring signs, hard hats, drums,
whatever will call attention to the need for our senators to craft a good
energy bill. There will be petitions to sign, sample letters, contact information,
and concerned citizens.

MTV, EU Team To Fight Climate Change

How cool is this? When do you think North American MTV will follow suit?

MTV, EU Team To Fight Climate Change

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Fighting Climate Change with Patents

Today the Wall Street Journal posted an interesting article in their opinion pages about the link between patents on green energy technology and fighting climate change. The topic is one that is controversial - what do you think of what the author has to say? Click here to read the article.

PodCars in Ithaca?

There was a great article in this weeks Ithaca Times about a small group of individuals who want to bring "podcar" mass-transportation to Ithaca. Interesting stuff! I thought you might find it interesting: Connecting Ithaca.

A Big Week...

It's been a very big news week in regards to Climate Change. Talks at the G-8 Summit in Italy have generated a great deal of media stories. Below are two that came across my Twitter feed from NPR.

President Obama, who served as the chair of the energy and climate change forum at the G-8 Summit, has vowed that the days of US inaction are over!

"We also agree that developed countries, like my own, have a historic responsibility to take the lead. We have the much larger carbon footprint per capita. And I know that in the past the United States has sometimes fallen short of meeting our responsibilities, so let me be clear: Those days are over." - President Obama

To read more of this article posted on the NPR news blog click here:
Obama To World: Days Of U.S. Climate Inaction 'Are Over'

The other story that is coming out of these meetings is that the climate talks have ended with meager promises.

"International climate talks held in Italy this week ended with little progress. The rich industrial nations wouldn't promise to cut back their emissions in the near term. And China, India and the rest of the developing world wouldn't commit to cutting their emissions, ever." - NPR Morning Edition

To read more of this article click here:
Climate Talks End With Meager Promises

It seems like the news coming out of this summit is mostly good! What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.

Two Degrees...

The Associate Press reported today that the leaders at the G8 Summit in Italy have agreed to a limit on temperature rise:

"AP July 8 2008:Targeting global warming, President Barack Obama and other leaders of the world's richest industrial countries pledged Wednesday to seek dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to slow dangerous climate change. Setting a marker for success, they agreed for the first time that worldwide temperatures must not rise more than a few degrees.

However, their goals are nonbinding, and it's far from clear they will be met. The wealthy nations failed to persuade the leaders of big developing countries to promise to cut their own fast-spreading pollution, unable to overcome arguments that the well-established industrial giants aren't doing enough in the short term.

Obama and his counterparts from the other wealthy Group of Eight nations agreed that global temperatures should be kept from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, in the fight against weather changes caused by humans.

The results left some Western leaders cheering. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the group's statement a "historic agreement." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was "a clear step forward."

You can find the complete article here: NPR

Predictions for the Future

The New York Times recently reported on a U.S. study concerning possible consequences of global warming. These predictions indicate serious changes for Americans nationwide. Global warming has already affected human health, agriculture, coastal areas, transportation and water supplies. Follow this link to read more about the study’s conclusions:

Predictions for the Future

Composting -- Toilets?

I just came across this great article on NYTimes.Com. It's about how some cities are allowing for compostable toilets. I thought you all might be interested!

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/cities-contemplate-the-composting-toilet/

A Green Breakfast...

Earlier in the week we posted a link to an article from the New York Times about the carbon footprint that our breakfast creates. This morning I came across some recipes to make our own cereals from www.planetgreen.com.

This page provides recipes for cereals and granola bars. Cut out buying the cereal that was trucked in from miles away, that's packaged in plastic then cardboard and use fresh ingredients!

Check out the recipes here:

5 Awesome Granola Recipes

Michael Jackson -- Environmentalist?

I just came across this great article about Michael Jackson's ode to planet Earth, Earth Song, on the website TreeHugger.com.

"Michael Jackson was famous for his socially-conscious music, but "Earth Song," his big, bold environmental call-to-arms, is often overlooked. Still, by sheer dint of his reach, the song might have made Jackson (who bears no relation to U.S. EPA chief Lisa Jackson) a kind of super-sized Al Gore, a decade before An Inconvenient Truth."

Read More: www.treehugger.com.