Launch of the Electrification Coalition

The report:

The Electrification Roadmap

The Discussion:

A distinguished group of CEOs (Nissan, FedEx, more), congressmen (ND, EPA), and the like - Tom Friedman of NY Times directs this roundtable discussion regarding the issues involved in changing 250 million internal combustion powered cars over to electric vehicles.

Analyzing a Photographic Advertisement for its Message Content

     In a world where “the majority of people are increasingly passive and depoliticized as a society of spectacles” (Wells 195) and where “spectacle presents itself as a vast inaccessible reality that can never be questioned” (Wells 196) it is to capitalism’s complete and total disgrace that the tactics that have been perfected through elaborate research analyzing attitudinal change and influencing sustainable behavior modification for the purpose of consumer consumption in pursuit of profit must now be utilized to steer the masses to an acknowledge that the current lifestyles we enjoy are a threat to our very existence: the crisis that is global warming, the context of this advertisement.
In analyzing the above advertisement, the viewer is confronted with the linguistic message in the text that serves the function of anchoring the viewer to “the correct level of perception” (Barthes 118) thereby ensuring the viewer stays within the interpretative frame of reference intended by the creators of the message. The linguistic message in this advertisement is “IS YOUR WORRYING GLOBAL ENOUGH” continued with “FACE THE PROBLEM BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.” The linguistic message directs the viewer to the signifiers of the cracked head, the small lines about the eye, the jar of cosmetic cream, and the man looking at himself in the eyes in the mirror. By anchoring the message with linguistics, the creators repress the viewers from interpreting an undesirable message. The creators of this advertisement want the viewer to imagine him or her self to be a crack head, the signifier of the first iconic message. This is supported mainly through linguistic text “FACE THE PROBLEM BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.” The linguistic text “IS YOUR WORRYING” is referring the signifier of the man looking at himself in the mirror in the eyes. This is the second iconic message and reinforces the first iconic message of a crack head. The linguistic text “GLOBAL ENOUGH” lead us to the signifiers of the jar of cosmetic cream and the small lines on the face about the corners of the man’s eyes thus tying this third iconic message to the meaning of the second iconic message.
     The denoted message is that of a man worrying about the small lines that typically fantail from the corner of one’s eyes. This is supported by the jar of cosmetic cream that is on the basin. The rhetoric of this message (the connotative meaning) within the context of the image (global warming) is recorded as “you aren’t worrying enough about the whole problem, you are applying only superficial solutions and you are cutting corners.” The denoted message behind the image of the cracked head is that global warming is drying up the available water that is available for consumption on this planet. The connotative meaning is that “you are a selfish addict, and the worst kind – you’re a crack head. You are taking from others what they need to survive in order to maintain this lifestyle you chose.” The denoted message of “looking in the mirror to see what appears wrong with you and using cosmetics to fix it” directly applies to the connotation that crack heads or any person with substance abuse problems are normally not able to look themselves in the eyes, they are unable to face the problems they are causing and see what needs to be fixed.” Therefore, the connotation reads “how are you able to look yourself in the eye, knowing what you already know about the state of the planet. You are seeing what is wrong with your physical self yet you do not see what is wrong with the entire planet. You see what you can fix with your physical self yet you do not see what you can do, yourself, to fix the global problem,” the third iconic message.
     The dominant message is that global warming is a problem and that small fixes are not sufficient as a solution to the problem. The oppositional message is that the viewer is a crack head. This applies to the society as a whole as individual measures are no longer enough to curtail the damage that is already done to our climate. The negotiated message is to face the problem before it’s too late. The significance of this message is that it is an intervention. It is designed to impact the viewer most uncomfortably. Most all in today’s society know that there is a problem with the planet and it is global warming. Most all are taking individual measures to change their lifestyle to reduce their personal impact, their carbon footprint, on the climate. This advertisement is letting the viewer know it is not enough to be considered a solution to the problem. The problem is much larger than individual changes will correct. Societal changes are necessary to combat the problem of global warming.
     Different viewing audiences will respond in a variety of ways to this message. The older generation (seniors) and the elite will disregard it out of hand. They will narrow-mindedly put themselves above the problem as it is connected to the dregs of society. These people have the wherewithal to take care of themselves without the infrastructure that the majority of our culture relies upon to conduct the daily business of making a living. In the case of seniors it is social security and retirement homes. In the case of the elite it is money. Middle class people are going to acknowledge the problem and rationalize it one of three ways. One, with the attitude that government makes the changes and that government will see to their needs. Or two, that government runs the country and that they vote does not matter, that government is run by big business and one voice won’t make a difference. Or three that they have to make a living no matter what might happen in ten to one hundred years. Government is responsible for infrastructure changes and they will make the change before it’s too late. Younger people are also going to react in a variety of ways. One way is that they will be catalyzed to join forces and make the differences in local and state venues, demanding through the power of their consumerism the choice of sustainable energy, green design, and transportation infrastructure that is affordable and will not damage the environment. Young people might be overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and lose hope, give up, and agree with the advertisement. Or the young people will not recognize the global warming problem at all on the scale that it needs to be dealt with due to the vast programming that advertising and marketing have accomplished through their manipulative tactics to promote consumerism and make a profit.

Subsidize Solar Energy

I'd like to encourage you to get our government to support subsidizing solar panels. This technology has been around for over 30 years. With solar energy, communities are able to generate their own electricity thus decreasing the need for coal plants, and the high voltage transmission lines that are known to cause cancer and other health issues. With the oil running out (estimated between 2020 and 2050) we are forced to find a way to affordably generate power, for all citizens - not just those who can afford it. Residential rate increases are to the tune of over 22.5% this year (2009) in the piedmont region of Duke Energy's territory and we just don't need this type of power production any longer, so why are we forced to pay it? Our states (notably North Carolina) are the ones who are backing these types of "revenue builders." I see nothing in revenue that comes from the people's pocket as a necessity bill. Think of the economic stimulus package if we, each and every one of us, would put our electric bill money back into the free market circulation, and not some stock holders pocket. The subsidy will pay for itself within the first year. This is our paradigm shift. This is how we will survive the coming decades of continued atmospheric carbon overload while we change our technologies and the way we do business. Let's make a choice for climate survival. Let's make a choice to subsidize solar, for all of us.

Green Job Money Being Used for Health Care

Greetings all,

I signed in to the webinar hoping to learn points of contacts within the renewable energy field in order to implement Phase IP (P for paperwork) of my pet project to hook solar parking lots with training homeless veterans and others in the solar installation field and get the cost of solar panels, the techology of which has been around for 30 years without any subsidy, lower and more affordable for all working class, middle class, even upper class folks. (This way the 18% residential rate increases won't hurt us and we don't even need their dirty coal plants anymore!)

Well. Apparently, the Green Jobs money is also targeted for Health Care Reform - I told ya'll that was a distraction for the masses! And for sales. Guess we need to burn some more gas and put change the chemical composition of our atmosphere even more, huh?

The webinar was put on by the Urban Sustainability folks out at Pinellas County. I honestly didn't hang around. There was no substance to the information, just a sales pitch for Health Reform to go get Green Jobs money (weatherization and other programs that have been around for years) and sales. Sales. With the economy in the state it is in, they are going to fund sales positions. Get a grip.

Obama = #fail

350 ~ Church Bells ~ Oct 24th

Greetings All ~

I was perusing the 350.org website for information to blog about, speak about, and images for post cards to send out to churches asking them to ring their bells on Oct 24th and came across this video:



The Sound of 350 from 350 Faith on Vimeo.


Looking for a 350 event in the Tampa Bay area, I found that the St Paul Lutheran church at 5103 N Central Ave in Tampa will be ringing their bells on Fridays in addition to 5:55 pm EDT on Oct 24th. I fully support them and hope to get all the churches in the Tampa Bay area to join in. In fact, I guess I'm going to church tomorrow... mainly to see if they'll help me get ALL churches in the Tampa Bay area ringing their bells! Using GIS data I have the addresses to all 1934 churches in Hillsborough County and if I can find where the DOR code of 7153 (churches) is on the Pinellas County parcel data I'll tell you how many churches are in Pinellas County (and have their addresses too!). [The format of GIS data is subject to the whims of government, and don't we ALL know that one in one way or another!]

In fact, the Hillsborough County GIS data puts the paved parking in with the building for the parcel and then the parcel is identified by owner - I haven't yet found a building footprint layer or a paved parking layer, perhaps they have those features in a geodatabase they'll be willing to share.... Otherwise send me a Trimble and give me a job! And what a job that will be! Identifying all the paved parking in the Tampa Bay area?! I want the Trimble it to survey the lot to put a lid on it ~ a solar panel top that is! With the new Electric Vehicles coming out, the outrageous increases in electricity rates (18% for Duke Energy residential customers - watch out the rest of you!), and the predicted 10 degree temperature increase (which will have our A/C units running even more folks!), WE NEED SOLAR AND WE NEED IT NOW! Forget subsidizing the dinosaur car industry - we'd better take care of ourselves and that means taking our government back and getting what we need. Health care? Yes, I care about my health, and my health will be dependent upon solar energy otherwise I don't know if I'll be able to afford electricity --- the planet sure can't afford any more coal plants providing us our electricity, that's for sure. Ok, way off track here.... Ah, Trimble, then back to churches, bells, and 350.

Trimble - to determine the exact measurements or coordinates of the parking lot to install a solar array. Only $5700 used, capable of outputting a CAD-ready schematic for construction/installation though, and then on to the local government for property appraisal and updating that GIS parcel data! I'm hoping the Churches will be first in line on this new deal.... Perfect for shade, free electricity (especially considering how much they're open! *grin*), increasing the property value (oops, do churches want to increase property value?), providing green jobs and green training, putting that electric bill money back into those good works that churches know how to do so well. ROI is under 5 years at today's solar energy prices. Get that solar energy subsidized for all of us, and in 5 years imagine what kind of economic stimulus package THAT will be! Let's see, parcel data for Pinellas County is 316,777. Now without me going in and subtracting all the vacant lots, we'll just use 300,000 (I can't find a building footprint GIS file from their data either or a paved parking by itself - that's ok, I need to be busy [pay please... anyone?]). 300,000 buildings at $100 a month = $30 million dollars... a month. Just for Pinellas County. So, what is a solar panel? Something that will stimulate the economy by providing jobs with its manufacturing, provide jobs with its installation, and will stimulate the economy recurrently by replacing the electrical bill for each and everyone of us. Oh yeah, with proper storage (battery bank) it will also recharge your new electric vehicle.

Churches - and their lovely bells.... So I figured up the number of churches in Hillsborough County (and got their addresses) [will do the same for Pinellas County when I get an email back from their GIS gurus] and want to contact them all to get them to ring their bells like St Paul's Lutheran Church in Tampa is doing (and many others too as the video describes) but really to get them ALL to RING OUT on Saturday, October 24th at 5:55 pm EDT (that's 11:55 pm CET, the time 350.org is sync'd for). Now I've got to find the money for postcards and postage ---- within days... gesh.... 5000 standard sized post cards are $359.99 and postage at a non profit rate with permit (which some nice church will provide I'm sure) is $335 (actually that's for oversized post cards, didn't see a rate for regular sized on that website). Of course, I'll put on the post card to PLEASE send their email for this brand new BELL-BASE (database of church bells *grin* ) and I'll avoid all that yucky cost stuff in the future and the Tampa Bay Faith Community will have a complete email list of all Faith-like places (and their bells!).

350.org is also asking radio stations and tv stations to send out a 350 Hz signal at that time --- 5:55 pm Oct 24th. All musicians, plunk out that F tone as it is reputed to be closest to the 350 Hz signal tone. (Boy, I'm gonna get all the remote sensing data I can for that time, can you imagine what a significant tone will do to any localized weather pattern? or even on a mesoscale? *geeksrus*grinning4days* ). [Dang, I need that new computer so I can do some WRF modeling!]

Ok, peeps, pass the word & ring out at 5:55 pm (EDT) on Saturday, October 24th! And please, send me your church's email address! [Ah, the cost of printing and postage will be gratefully appreciated too! Let's save the trees though, and everybody call 5 or 10 churches in your area and ask them to RING OUT (350 times now!) at 5:55 pm (EDT) on Saturday, October 24th. Send me the email address & I'll get up the BELL-BASE (database *grin* ).

Thanks ya'll. Know I can count on you!

many smiles~
Joy

ps - My friend, the retired engineer, has already designed - to code - the solar parking structures (and priced the materials minus the solar panels). Just let me know, and I'll be right over to measure your parking lot, figure out how many panels you'll need to cover your parking lot, how much of your electrical load the final array will cover, and let you choose your photovoltaic panel preference!

Analyzing Paved Parking Per Town or City

I'm working on a personal project that I'm quite passionate about! I'm analyzing paved parking per town or city. I'm targeting churches primarily because I want to raise people's awareness as to the viability of generating electricity via solar arrays from these digustingly extensive areas laying about doing nothing but burning our bare feet and heating up our atmosphere.... plus the net metering laws in most states serve to protect the utility industry's profit and need changing. I was out in Greensboro NC yesterday (where I attend UNCG) taking pictures of parking lots to include with the maps. Seems rather boring, but I'm hoping they will make a big impact. Especially when you consider that church parking lots sit empty all week long. There are 991 church properties in Guilford County NC. I'm working on doing a spatial join so as to get the specific areas of the paved parking planimetric data that belong to the churches... hard because I don't have a field in both attribute tables that is the same with which to accomplish a join or a relate. Getting professional help on that one - thanks Chris F.! I'll be in touch soon! I'm also hoping to target a few more select cities (Greenville SC, Jacksonville FL, Winter Park FL, Knoxville TN, and somewhere in AL and somewhere in MS) and do the same for them. The annual SEDAAG (Southeastern Division of Association of American Geographers) meeting is Thanksgiving week in Knoxville TN this year and being the environmental activist I am, I'll be laying these nifty informative flyers all around! Plus posting on my blog. Plus I hope to have some sort of a business card printed up within the month and attend concerts just to hand them out.... you can reach LOTS of folks by hanging out at the entrance of a concert! Busy, Busy! Gotta scoot! btw..... Happy Birthday to me!

Note added Nov 5, 2009 -
Well, plans change.  Didn't get to SEDAAG this year and have been too busy to do any paved parking analysis this term.  Hopefully soon.

Found a great blog on SketchUp

Greetings all,

The semester is in and I've been busy getting my projects lined up, hence the absence of late. I found a great blog (thanks to SketchUp on Twitter) on (of course) SketchUp that I'd like to share: http://sketchupisland.blogspot.com/

As I have ideas of getting this solar parking lot movement going on, I analyzed the paved parking of Greensboro NC last fall. Total and also all churches as identified in the city's parcel data. There are over 900 properties defined as churches in Greensboro. Covering up all those parking lots with solar panels will be a definite foot in the door for solar power here in North Carolina! And it will also raise the awareness of the people as to the need to change the net metering regulations here in this state. As of now they protect the utility's profit margin: renewable energy devices are allowed to connect only until that utility company's net profit of .2% is reached - at peak load. Talk about money talks and politics walks that talk! So, I figured that the best way to get renewable energy going on in this state (which happens to necessarily import ALL of its energy!) is to get the church folk aware of the benefits of solar parking lots! (Plus, they're the ones with the money in this bumbling recession!).

I hope to start posting pictures of the churches in Greensboro and was going to actually make them into a 3D model for Google Earth using SketchUp, however I'm busy this semester with my favorite subject: weather & climate! I have another plan and will use an idea from the above blog - just pull up a shape in the form of the church and then post the statistical data on the walls of the church. Hopefully, the pictures will also have the GPS coordinates right on them (still pricing cameras!) so that interested folk may know exactly where I'm talking about!

Ok, confessional here: I'm also going to put a PayPal button on my blog in hopes of donations for my endeavors..... (had to admit that!)

SketchUp is great and I found a link (www.3dvinci.net) that publishes SketchUp student books and books for K-12 teachers too. I'll be purchasing one for my son's upcoming birthday and will let ya'll know how it is later on in September.

Until next time....... :)

East Coast Governors Say National Transmission Grid Limits Local Energy | The New Rules Project

East Coast Governors Say National Transmission Grid Limits Local Energy | The New Rules Project

Shared via AddThis

Exec Explains Why Nissan is Betting on Pure Electric Vehicles | GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Exec Explains Why Nissan is Betting on Pure Electric Vehicles | GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Shared via AddThis

How to estimate future forest cover in a watershed

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: Looking at this as I am starting an imperviousness study (first NC, then on to other southeastern states). I'll use the output and compare with the EPA's 2005 Imperviousness Study for the Southeastern States. I'll be able to provide a growth factor and also ratios such as rooftops vs. parking lots, rooftops vs. roads, and commercial vs. residential changes over time. When the imperviousness study is done, I hope to match it with endangered species habitat studies and eventually even provide a model to predict the migration routes that need to be preserved due to the unfortunate occurrence of the rising sea levels.

How to estimate future forest cover in a watershed

View more presentations from watershedprotection.

Temperature Rise Predictions for Global Warming

Everywhere you look, it is being said that we must do this or do that to keep the predicted temperature rise within the acceptable 2.5 Degrees Fahrenheit. This frustrates me to no end.

In BBC's Documentary Global Dimming, a scientist (climatologist) in the midwest found out that right after 9/11, when the planes were grounded for 3 days, the temperature spike almost 3 degrees Fahrenheit. We're already over the limit, folks.

What he proved was that the chem trails from the airplanes are actually protecting us from the worst of global warming. What is scary is what will happen when the oil runs out. Even coal plants use oil to produce electricity.

As an advocate of solar energy, this is very frustrating to me. Watching the US Government, my government, bail out everything under the sun and then not give solar energy the subsidies needed to literally save our collective skins is like waving a red flag to a bull to any environmentalist. Or should be.

So where's the march on the government? Where's the march on the economy? Where's the Green Jobs and Renewable Energy Stimulus for each of our communities? Did it go to the "Big Businesses" again? And, yes, I classify state governments as "Big Business" as most are surely and heavily influenced by those "Big Businesses." Or shall we just wait for the epic pandemonium that will beset us once we run out of oil.

How it All Ends

As Mr. Craven mentions in his video from YouTube (see below), the temperature will increase thanks to global warming. Most model still predict a few degrees. There is another problem which most do not know about - Global Dimming. I'll let you watch this BBC documentary for yourself (you can watch for free on the internet, youtube, & I've uploaded it on my myspace.com/gdgrl828) - I'll just hit the highlights that scared the *%$@ out of me.

After 911, all planes were grounded. One climatologist out in the upper midwest got on the ball as, "the skies were too blue." His thing has always been chem trails and the possible harm that they do to our atm (atmosphere). He found that the temperature spiked over 3 degrees Fahrenheit in that 3 day period. That's over 1 degree Celsius. Therefore, the chem trails are actually protecting us from the worst of global warming. Also, when the oil runs out (10-20 years) we are in deep kimshee. If the temp spiked 3 degrees F in 3 days in September in the upper midwest (Canadian border area), what will the climate be like elsewhere in the middle of summer? As another one who is also studying climate, this news is HOT... this "few degrees" is astronomical from a climate perspective.

There is also other evidence supporting this phenomenon that is being called Global Dimming. Scientists from not only our guy in the upper midwest, but in Germany, Israel, the Maldives and Australia identified this phenomenon prior to 911. Watch the BBC documentary.... please. Then help us to change the net metering laws across the nation so that all may hook up their renewable energy devices (solar arrays on the roof, solar carports, solar parking lots, backyard wind turbines, or wind turbines lining the drive to the house) to the grid. Not only do we have about 10 years to change our climate around from an atmospheric viewpoint, we've also got about that amount of time (perhaps a little longer) before the oil runs out (that is called "Peak Oil" and there is a lot of information about it on the internet too).

There is a report called "Freeing the Grid" that rates each states net metering and interconnection regulations. You may find it here:

http://www.newenergychoices.org/uploads/FreeingTheGrid2008_report.pdf

North Carolina's grade is a F for net metering. The state's Utility Commission is obviously in bed with the Utility companies for the net metering regulations are set up to protect the utility company's profit margin. If, as a country, we are investing billions into upgrading our national grid, then that grid belongs to all of us, not the utility companies. (Plus didn't the government install it in the first place?)

Take action, ya'll. Get on those email action alerts and send in those emails. They DO make a difference. Make some noise! This is our life...........

The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes

Greensboro Paved Parking Statistics

Using the spatial analysis tools and skills I am learning as a GIS student at UNCG, I recently totaled up the amount of paved parking within the city limits of Greensboro, North Carolina. The sum equals 10.27 square miles - yes, of paved parking within the city limits.

Using figures based on Envision Solar's solar parking lot models, I calculated that area's capacity for generating electricity when covered with solar panels. The figure was over 716,000 - homes that will be powered each and every year from the paved parking/turned solar parking lots in Greensboro. As I did not add in room between arrays, I normally publish the figure that over 500,000 homes will be powered by that area - each and every year (Greensboro only has a population of 247,000).
,
This summer, I am learning more about modeling in ArcGIS and am coming up with a model to specifically place the arrays in the parking lots (again, I am basing these calculations on the dimensions of Envision Solar's designs - namely as they are the only company I found raising solar parking lots when I had the idea myself a few years back). This is proving more daunting than my initial idea as I now want to incorporate steps to digitize the parking lot boundaries as well as calculate the power outcome based on the locale's solar irradiation.

ESRI and Solar Boston have a model to do the power outcome, I believe based on location, however their model is embedded into a website application and is proving difficult to get at. With ESRI, you need a separate web server to run mapping applications and this I do not have (as of yet). Any help in to get the model is gratefully appreciated!

Another obstacle in analyzing paved parking for towns and communities is that the parcel data does not always explicitly label paved parking. This is somewhat cumbersome, but as I have time, I re-contact those cities' GIS departments and ask for assistance. This is to bring me along into a Master's degree, after all! If you happen to work for a GIS department and have paved parking that may be separated into its own layer (gdb really, with attribute table) please contact me and send it along! The more statistics we publish, the better!

I fully believe that solar parking lots are a viable solution to our climate dilemma. Most all scientists are now stating that we need to reduce carbon emissions by 40% within the next 10 years. Let's get busy! We can put some people to work with this one!

HBO's Bill Mahr Takes On President Obama

Climate Change

I don't really get involved with the debates over this report or that. I know what I see before me when I see the fumes from the cars that are tangible in the air. I hear the noise from the high voltage transmission lines for the electrical grid. And I feel the heat from so much asphalt for roads and parking lots. I wonder if we will set our atmosphere on fire. I disagree with the way our American government supports the automobile makers yet won't subsidize solar energy - with solar parking lots at select, semi-permanent locations such as churches, schools, large malls (of which we Americans have plenty) we no longer need the high voltage lines (to me they are SO dangerous! I mean, gesh, we've already proved that living near them causes cancer, etc, yet they just seem to be getting bigger with more volts). Solar parking lots also provide an infrastructure for charging electric vehicles - at a time that is plausible and won't really affect the power supply on the grid (everyone is so worried about everybody charging up their EVs at night - brownouts, etc, well just charge them at work while the sun's shining!). Funny how the simplest solutions that provide the most positive outcomes (community-sustained and secure electricity, jobs, infrastructure for a much-needed change in our transportation system) get buried - and by whom? Profit-mongers (for lack of a kinder term). I was demonstrating at a sustainability conference at our state's capital about a year and a half ago, just showing my positive, glowing support for the cause, and one lady flat out told me, "I don't care how they do business" (talking about Duke Energy and the coal plants they were discussing) "as long as they get me my money." Whatever gives these companies the most profit is how they do business. You see it all over the planet now. At times I am so ashamed to be an American - and this new president says, "We won't apologize for our lifestyle." Over-consumption and grandiosity is not why our forefathers founded this country, and it’s not a lifestyle to which I subscribe. I am just grateful that there are many small movements that are gathering force within the communities of our nation. Community spirit is reborn and there are groups working together making lifestyle changes within the community. It is so inspirational, now, to walk about the streets, smiling at neighbors, playing board games at the coffeehouse, or just kicking back being comfortable amongst friends - much like some parts of Europe I visited when stationed in England back in the 1980s. Refreshing, it is. If I've somewhat lost hope in America as a nation, at least it is reborn within the people themselves - those of us who love life and live keeping thoughts of stewardship and sustainability in mind - and just be. Let's hope that we make that necessary climate shift within the time left to us to change the predicted outcome of this global crisis.