DNC Carbon Offset Scheme Raises Tons Of Cash $18.34

Epic. Fail.

Attendees at the "greenest convention ever" obviously couldn't be bothered to raise some real green--money--to offset their carbon footprints:

Results of a program using Aspen’s Canary Initiative to sell carbon offset credits to Democratic National Convention attendees are a little underwhelming.

The program, set up by the DNC Host Committee through the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau and rolled out about a week before the convention started, raised a total of $18.34 worth of Canary Tags, offsetting 0.9 tons of carbon emissions.

The offsets were aimed at DNC-goers other than the official delegates, who had a separate carbon offset program through Vermont-based Native Energy. That program, set up in January through the Democratic National Convention Committee, was utilized by 65 percent of the DNC’s 4,440 delegates.
. . .
Peterson was hoping funds raised through the host committee for the DNC could be used for a signature project. But that will not be possible, as less than $20 was raised.

“Here’s three (compact fluorescent) light bulbs for the office,” Peterson said.

This story, not unsurprisingly, hasn't appeared in the local Denver MSM yet.

Targeted at thousands of DNC-goers other than official delegates, some of whom are presumably at least vaguely sympathetic to the Democrats and their causes (like the media), they still couldn't muster a crisp $20, let alone a few Benjamins? Money that would make evident the imperative to tackle global warming/climate change, and dispel accusations that the "green" effort of the DNC and the policies of the limousine-liberals in the Democrat party are nothing more than lip service to one of their signature issues?

Of course not. The delegates themselves managed a measly 65% participation rate. Either even dyed-in-the-wool rank-and-file Dems don't believe the global warming hoax, or it just hasn't been raised to a level of crisis high enough for action.

Or more likely, Democrats believe that any crisis is best solved by throwing more government money at it--but certainly not their own.

Democrats--putting your money where their mouth is for decades.

Even "The People's Republic" Of Boulder, CO Can't Meet Kyoto Goals Using Heavy Carbon Taxation

"The bottom line is even if all the developed countries fully complied with the Kyoto Protocol, the effect would be minuscule. It's a completely negligible amount of global warming"--Kevin Doran, Center for Energy and Environmental Security at the University of Colorado

More evidence the moonbat plan to use carbon taxes to help reduce greenhouse gases in order to achieve the rather modest Kyoto goals (modest compared to all the new plans for "climate change" solutions) will fail across the country and present a financial boondoggle to boot--they can't even succeed in the Berkeley of the Rockies--Boulder, Colorado:

The way things are going, Boulder will only make it about halfway to its goal of cutting enough greenhouse gases to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, according to a memo released by the city staff Wednesday.

The Office of Environmental Affairs is requesting a 53 percent increase in funding, which would boost its budget from $875,177 to $1,343,133. Even if the City Council approves the increase, which would translate to a higher carbon tax, Boulder would still meet only 85 percent of its Kyoto goal.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone," said Sarah Van Pelt, Boulder's environmental sustainability coordinator. "We knew we were just starting at the lowest tax rate and slowly phasing in all the programs."

When voters approved the Climate Action Plan tax in 2006, they actually gave the OK to a range of possible taxes. Now, electricity users are taxed at the lowest level, and the new proposal would up the taxes to about midway through the possible range. Van Pelt said it has always been part of the plan to increase taxes as time went on. Residential users now pay an average of $13 extra a year in carbon taxes. The new proposal would increase the average to $19.

The Kyoto Protocol calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to 7 percent below 1990 levels. Locally, that means reducing emissions, from 1.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide -- the amount Boulder residents were responsible for in 2006 -- to just under 1.5 million metric tons by 2012.

Well, 85% isn't too far off, so how will they get there? They could always deploy "greenshirt" youth to, um, "encourage" their neighbors to switch their lights off . . .

So far, the city's approach to emission reduction has relied heavily on marketing and subsidies -- most of which are offered in conjunction with Xcel Energy or Boulder County -- to convince people to take voluntary actions, including retrofitting their homes, driving less and buying wind-power offsets. The Office of Environmental Affairs would also dump the majority of new money into reducing greenhouse gases through energy efficiency.

"I feel like it's very possible that the community can meet the Kyoto target," Van Pelt said. "We just have to decide to do it."

To meet the Kyoto Protocol, city staffers project that they will have to come back to the City Council and request more money in the near future.

Of course--more money!

But change by the tried-and-true "incremental" approach won't even have much of an effect anyway, as the Kyoto Protocols "don't go far enough":

Even 100 percent compliance with the Kyoto Protocol doesn't go far in the battle against climate change, according to some researchers.

"The bottom line is even if all the developed countries fully complied with the Kyoto Protocol, the effect would be minuscule," said Kevin Doran, who works with the Center for Energy and Environmental Security at the University of Colorado. "It's a completely negligible amount of global warming."

Doran said Boulder isn't alone, and he estimates that most of the 800 cities that have signed on to meet the Kyoto demands will fall short.

"A lot of them rely on activities and reductions that are outside of their zone of influence," he said.

The real "bottom line" won't be the negligible effect these measures will have, but the tremendous costs incurred trying to achieve them.

But what's a global warming/climate change article without a scientist--I mean, where's the consensus . . .

Roger Pielke Jr., who works for CU's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, wasn't surprised that Boulder is challenged to meet the Kyoto Protocol. He published an article in the journal Nature this week that says it will be more difficult to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than society has been led to believe.

"This is a perfect example of the challenge," Pielke wrote in an e-mail from the United Kingdom. "Even with the best of intentions and strong political support, a tiny step like meeting Kyoto proves extremely challenging for Boulder under current conditions. ... If Boulder can't meet the very small step of Kyoto, why would anyone think that the world can do something much, much more difficult?"

Takeaways?

More action, now! 'Cause if Boulder can't do it, no one can!

Wait, that isn't right. But it's the gesture that counts.

MSM Columnist Praises Earth Hour Youth Going Door-To-Door In Denver To Enforce Lights Out

Yes, I'm serious--brainwashed elementary school kids pounded the pavement on behalf of Earth Hour, encouraging guilting harassing their nighbors into darkness by insisting that lights be switched off in their neighborhood (h/t Drunkablog, who has included several "photos" purported to be the children in question):

This column came knocking at 8:10 p.m. Saturday.

"It's Earth Hour," said one of a gaggle of seven young neighbors holding candles on our front porch.

"Why are your lights on?" asked another, eyebrows furrowed, glaring at me with 120 watts of disappointment.

These were the children of the 500 block of High Street, a plucky bunch of grade-schoolers whose games and laughter grace our neighborhood even more than the tall trees.
. . .
The troupe went global Saturday.

When the clocks struck 8:00, they mobilized to save the planet by knocking loudly on neighbors' doors with a metal key — a technique one of the older boys learned selling tins of caramel corn for Boy Scouts.
. . .
Most of our neighbors' homes also darkened, one by one, after visits from the little organizers.

Ah the young--they grow up so fascist fast.

The "greenshirts" were just doing their part to save the planet:

"We need to save all the juice in the earth so there will be some left when we're old," said 8-year-old Dara Pasquino.

"Just this hour of darkness is saving, like, trillions and trillions of gallons," added her brother, Dante, 10.

Nine-year-old Daniel Scher expounded on the need to "reduce, reuse and recycle" and "plan for sustainability."

"We're teaching grown-ups not to be wasters," added Juliana Pfeifer, 6. "Besides, firelight makes you sing songs and tell stories. Candles make everything more wonderful."

By 10 p.m. — well past their bedtimes — the tired firebrands smiled when they realized most of the block was still dark even after Earth Hour was history.

They had changed their world, at least for a few hours.

Then, at the prodding of their parents, the kids of High Street headed home to bed, skipping into the balmy night, triumphant in the darkness.

Triumphant in their moonbattery at the age of SIX.

Of course the lefty Post columnist sees nothing wrong with this situation. The children were accompanied by their parents after all, no doubt encouraging them to continue their efforts, and perhaps verbally scolding those on the block who were non-compliant.

These kids have been doubly abused--through the indoctrination they have clearly received from their parents and most likely also from their schools, and because they have been taught that argument, debate, and persuasion are to be avoided in favor of "collective action," guilt, and groupthink. Rather than using logic, they have been taught to "feel" their way through the situation.

They have certainly not been exposed to the other side of the debate, and that is a shame.

But as is usual for the left, feeling and doing outweigh thinking.

"Earth Hour" Futility, Google Hypocrisy Revealed

**Update--Earth Hour Denver timelapse and video:


As you can tell, not much was turned off. About the only participants in Denver were the Hard Rock Cafe and the Denver Convention and Performing Arts Center:

The Hard Rock dimmed lights inside and out. It was joined by the Virgin Megastore and Lucky Strike Lanes, which turned off their huge neon signs. Meanwhile, the marquee of the nearby Paramount Theater shone bright.

The Paramount wasn't alone, as businesses up and down the mall, both big and small, kept lights blazing, operating in the dark when it came to Earth Hour.

However, nonessential lights were turned off in the City and County Building, the Wellington Webb Municipal Building and the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

And at the Northfield Stapleton shopping center, some restaurants planned to serve customers by candlelight.
. . .
Power savings in the Denver area were expected to be modest. Xcel Energy said that lighting accounts for about 7 percent of home energy use, so that savings from people turning off lights will be only a portion of 7 percent, depending on how many households participate.

That'll stave off climate change. But it's the gesture that counts, right?

As I read on another blog (and can't remember where), we each voluntarily perform "Earth Hour" every night--by going to bed and turning off the lights and electronics inside the house.

This pathetically empty symbolic gesture achieves nothing more than assuaging global warmenist guilt. If it were really that important, these measures would become mandatory. How long is it before "Earth Hour" observations become energy controls, with fines and punishment for profligate consumers (except the limousine liberals, of course)?

Wait. I shouldn't be giving them any ideas . . .

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"We applaud the spirit of the idea, but our own analysis as well as that of others shows that making the Google homepage black will not reduce energy consumption. To the contrary, on flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually increase energy usage. Detailed results from a new study confirm this"--Google, on turning its screen black, which it is doing once again for "Earth Hour"

Earth Hour's site is currently running slowly, no doubt due to traffic:



Moonbattery highlights Google's hypocrisy and black-screen futility--the color change saves no energy, as Google itself admits:

Reducing climate change by saving energy is an important effort we should all join, and that's why we're very glad to see the innovative thinking going into a variety of solutions. One idea, suggested by the site called "Blackle" (which is not related to Google, by the way, though the site does use our custom search engine), is to reduce energy used by monitors by providing search with a black background. We applaud the spirit of the idea, but our own analysis as well as that of others shows that making the Google homepage black will not reduce energy consumption. To the contrary, on flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually increase energy usage. Detailed results from a new study confirm this.

The Drunkablog has a fun bunch of links to Tim Blair (from down under, who is tracking the event around the world), who is combatting "Earth Hour" moonbattery with the "Hour of Power", and a roundup of local MSM cheerleading coverage.

Ed Morrissey has much more on Google's hypocrisy at Hot Air.

Earth Hour's "Ten Things to do in the Dark" (annotated):

Host a Green Party

Get your friends together for an Earth Hour eco-party. Fire up the flashlights and battery lanterns, serve organic food, avoid the disposable utensils, use natural décor (like flowers and hanging plants) and have a friend provide acoustic music. Talk to your guests about how you’re each reducing your environmental footprint and share ideas and solutions for saving more energy, money and carbon dioxide.
--Yes, have all of your friends DRIVE to your EH eco-party. Be sure to have them charge those batteries ahead of time--you are using rechargeables, aren't you?

Give Yourself an Energy Makeover

Use Earth Hour to make your home more energy efficient: Replace your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; install power strips (so you can turn computers and electronics on and off more easily); and change your air conditioner filters. Or go one step farther and install one new energy-efficient item, like an EnergyStar qualified DVD player. And on Monday, call your local utility and sign up for green power—like wind, hydro or solar.
--Replace incandescents with CFLs--and don't worry about all that harmful mercury. Make sure to find the most expensive alternative source of energy--you are committed, aren't you?

Go Green with Your Kids

Earth Hour is a perfect time to talk to your kids about the environment and why we need to protect our planet from the dangers of climate change. Check out books on the environment from the library and read by flashlight, or head into the yard and have a night picnic. Or how about a night of board games? There are even Earth Hour kids’ activities you can download at www.earthhour.org.
--Indoctrinate the future polluters Educate your kids, and make sure they properly fear climate change. Al Gore says so.

Do a Recyclables Scavenger Hunt

Get your flashlights and scour your cabinets and shelves for cans, bottles and cardboard (like cereal boxes) that you don't normally recycle. Make a list of all the non-recyclable containers you’re using now (like plastic shopping bags and butter tubs), and figure out ways to reduce your consumption of items that end up in landfills. One easy tip: get reusable grocery bags...and reuse them!
--Recycle, recycle, recycle--make it your mantra! Find more expensive, organic alternatives for all of your consumption. Or ELSE.

Green That Workspace!

Working the night shift? Even if you can’t turn off all the lights at work, look around and see what you can unplug, turn down or use less of (like consuming less paper by printing double-sided). Every day millions of computer screens and speakers are left on overnight—shut ‘em off! And talk to your coworkers about what they can do to help make a difference too.
--Conduct surveillance on your wastrel colleagues and report them immediately! You can also afford to strain your eyes by turning off all those annoying lights.

Involve Your Local Leaders

If your city or town isn't already hosting an Earth Hour event, ask your local government to set up a community "green" discussion in a public building from 8 to 9 p.m. on March 29. Help organize attendance by reaching out to local environmental and community groups, and come prepared to ask your leaders what they’re doing to make your city greener.
--Enforce your views on your neighbors by insisting local government bend to your every demand. Make sure to eliminate all dissent. Shame those who dare to ask questions.

Clean Up Your Neighborhood

Grab a flashlight and take a long walk through your neighborhood, picking up trash and recyclables as you go. It's a great chance to do some stargazing too!
--Make sure to do it in the dark, so that picking up trash can turn into a game of "name that trash!"

Unplug and Chill Out

Most of our daily activities—like watching TV, shopping online and texting friends—require loads of electricity, but do we really need to do so much stuff all the time? Take one hour for yourself to just chill...turn off the screens, put down the handheld devices and just take some "you" time to reflect, read or talk to your family. After all, why do more when you can do less?
--Yes, read in the dark. It's easy if you try. Or better yet, sleep. Recreate the conditions of bedtime, when you normally turn off all the lights/appliances/electronics . . . um, yeah, basically do what you do EVERY night. That'll make it EXTRA symbolic.

Take Your Temperature

Your thermostat and your refrigerator are responsible for a huge portion of your carbon footprint. If you lower your thermostat by just 2 degrees and set your fridge to 37° F. and the freezer at 0° F., you'll make a big difference.
--Doable. It is Spring or Fall around the globe, and so you won't exactly freeze or swelter.

Make a Pledge for the Planet

Earth Hour shouldn't end at 9:01 pm—it's a chance to take a first step toward lowering your overall impact on the environment. So use part of that hour to make a personal pledge to do more—recycle, drive less often, remember to turn off or unplug electronics, and beyond. The only way we're going to stabilize our climate is if we make real changes in our everyday lives. That change begins with Earth Hour, and ends with a healthy planet.
--Rather than waste your time on symbolic gestures that accomplish nothing but make you feel really, really good about yourself, make a plan to actually conserve in a meaningful, sustainable way. We don't actually want you to return to the Stone Age, now, do we?

DNC "Green" Plan Unveiled; Climate Change Takes Another Hit

Drunkablog has an extensive roundup with all the necessary links--to the carbon footprint calculator, carbon advisor, and, of course, "tips."

New evidence doesn't support global warming or climate change fearmongering--Gateway Pundit has latest:

Satellite measurements available since 1979 show no warming in the southern hemisphere and the trend in the northern hemisphere appears to have waned since 2001.

Plus, Green Bay has record snowfall, there's so much snow in Quebec it has spurred "snow rage"--complete with guns and fists, and NOAA says that this was the coolest winter for the US and the world since 2001.

Then there's the snowpack--Colorado is doing quite well, as is the entire West, with almost all areas above 90% (green, blues, and purple--click to enlarge):

Weekend Blog Wrapup

Here are some random links that I never got around to blogging this past week (lots of school and a few new projects)--

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22-year-old human smuggler arrested for 15th time, having already been deported 14 times prior to his latest arrest in Colorado:

Two illegal immigrants were arrested for human smuggling in Eagle today. One of the men has been deported 14 times for human smuggling prior to today's arrest. He is 22 years old.

At 8:21am a deputy pulled over a silver Chevy Venture van in the eastbound lane of I-70 for a license plate violation. The deputy discovered 13 illegal immigrants inside the vehicle.

The driver said he planned on delivering the twelve adult males in various locations that included Denver, Iowa, and Georgia.

Omar Alaverez-Mecedo, age 22, was arrested and charged with Human Smuggling, a class three felony, and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license, a class two misdemeanor.

In the course of the investigation it was discovered that "Omar Alaverez-Mecedo's" real name is Israel Robles-Gaytan. According to ICE, Robles-Gaytan had already been caught and deported fourteen times; he gave law enforcement officials a different name each time.

Slime.

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Coming soon, courtesy of global warming moonbats, to a city (like Boulder) soon (h/t SondraK):

GLOBAL WARMING IS a planet-sized problem, so policy solutions tend to aim for the grandest possible scale. The signatories of the Kyoto Protocol have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions at a national level, while laws in various countries and states seek to reform entire industries.

For individuals, the picture is very different. Environmentalism often boils down to small lifestyle choices, like turning down the thermostat and screwing in the squiggly light bulbs - gestures that can feel virtuous but futile. Some environmentalists even consider them counterproductive if they substitute for activism.

But a new wave of thinking suggests it may be better in the long run to address this global problem in a way that directly involves individuals. Several proposals generating buzz chiefly in the United Kingdom and Ireland operate on the notion that every individual has an equal stake in the atmosphere. The most provocative idea, personal carbon trading, would grant all residents a "carbon allowance," setting a limit on carbon dioxide emissions from their households and transportation. In the model of the industrial "cap and trade" system, guzzlers who exceeded their allowance would need to buy extra shares. People who conserved energy, meanwhile, could sell their leftover shares and ride their bikes all the way to the bank.

This is not just a fantasy floating around in the greenest reaches of the blogosphere. In 2006, the UK's environment secretary, David Miliband, endorsed the idea, and the British government has commissioned a study to explore the policy's feasibility.

Trading freedom for socialism.

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The nutty professor unemployed hack from CU, Chief "Shitting Bull" Ward Churchill himself, has unexpectedly "pulled out" of his April 2 debate with Victor Davis Hanson--apparently reading the writing on the wall (h/t Drunkablog):

April 2, 2008: Boulder, Colorado

Debate canceled until we find another opponent. Ward Churchill unexpectedly pulled out.

If you can't stand the thought of missing out on the Churchill's outstanding pedagogical prowess and intellectual insights, this semester's three and a quarter hour long "classes" are still on (h/t Drunkablog).

Carbon Offsets To Debut At DIA

Will there come a time when, in addition to taking off your shoes and showing ID, a flyer must also present "proof of offset" in order to make their flight?

You are now free to feel guilty about your travel:

Feeling guilty about the amount of carbon dioxide your upcoming flight will pump into the atmosphere?

Soon you might be able to fork over some extra cash at Denver International Airport to invest in projects intended to help negate your share of the environmental damage caused by air travel.

DIA is looking to become one of the first airports in the nation to offer passengers the ability to buy carbon offsets in its concourses. The offsets would pay for renewable energy and power-saving projects that help cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The airport is soliciting proposals from companies interested in setting up and running an offset program in all three concourses. The offsets could be offered through kiosks, booths, computer terminals or other means.

It's all part of the airport's renewed focus on the environment, which dovetails efforts by the city and state to implement energy-saving procedures and technology.

"Airports and airlines are under more and more scrutiny regarding greenhouse gas emissions and how they can offset climate change," said Janell Barrilleaux, DIA's director of environmental programs. "This offers a small step in the right direction to raise awareness and let people know that airports want to do the right thing."

The first DIA boondoggle--the spectacular failure known as the state-of-the-art baggage handling system that never saw a day in service and delayed the airport's opening for years.

The second boondoggle? Snake-oil Carbon offsets available in every concourse.

Who stands to benefit? Why, DIA is sure to get a cut:

DIA hopes to have the offset program up and running by August.

Under the plan, interested passengers would provide the details of their flights — such as the cities involved and the number of stops — to determine how much in offsets would erase their "carbon footprint" or amount of carbon emissions.

The offsets could be used for a variety of projects, such as installing solar panels in India or planting trees as part of reforestation efforts in Brazil.

An individual passenger could pay anywhere from a few bucks to more than $50 to offset their "share" of the carbon emissions of their flights.
. . .
The airport would get a share of the money collected: 10 percent of the first $1 million, 12 percent of the next $1 million and 14 percent of sales above $2 million, according to airport documents.

Seeing as blogging isn't paying the bills, perhaps SP and the faithful readers could set up our own carbon offset booth at DIA.

And why should any carbon offset profits go to build alternative energy efforts in India or Brazil? If the threat were truly grave, shouldn't the first priority be to get the profligate American abusers to give up their wasteful lifestyle?

Will there come a time when, in addition to taking off your shoes and showing ID, a flyer must also present "proof of offset" in order to make their flight?

For the global warmening, anti-human, Gaia religionists--it will only be a matter of time.