Edwards goes carbon neutral

Setting a standard for other candidates, perhaps?

Posted by Kate Sheppard at 5:01 PM on 14 Mar 2007

Read more about: John Edwards

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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced this week that his campaign is going carbon neutral.

"Global warming is an emergency and we can't wait until the next president is elected to take action," said Edwards in a press release. "Each of us can take responsibility in small ways to make a big difference. I encourage all Americans to conserve energy in their own homes and workplaces and help fight global warming."

According to ABC News' Political Rader:

Edwards has been approached about running a carbon neutral campaign before, but had dismissed it as infeasible. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" in December of 2006, Edwards responded to Vice President Al Gore's commitment to carbon neutrality by saying, "He's better than me. It's hard to see how you could do it in a presidential campaign."

Apparently, Edwards has since found a way.

Since finding a way, Edwards will be offsetting the carbon spewed by his private jet as well as:

Organizing a "One Corps National Day of Energy Action" in January to get supporters involved in the fight against global warming by working on community service activities including weatherizing homes and distributing energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

Using timers and motion detectors to control lights and shut down office equipment when not in use and turning off computers, televisions, and lights when not in use.

Online monitoring and management of heating and air conditioning to conserve energy.

Buying 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and other recycled paper products.

Recycling paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, and other products.

Encouraging staff to adopt energy efficient practices in their office and homes. About a quarter of John Edwards for President headquarters employees walk to work.

Tom Vilsack was the first of the Democrats making a bid for the White House in '08 to go carbon neutral, but then he bailed. So Edwards is the first-still-a-candidate-and-will-probably-be-for-awhile candidate to declare carbon neutrality.

Let the nitpicking and misrepresentation begin!

For story: Edwards goes carbon neutral
6 Comments | Post a Comment

Cool

He's a politician so of course it is spin, but I'm okay with that. I'm just happy when they spin in the right direction for a change =)

by Shawn at 7:59 AM on 15 Mar 2007

Tom Vilsack

Well, why shouldn't Edwards play up to the Iowa caucus? He did well there in 2004, and has recently been polling at or near the top in that state. (Hillary is also well placed there.) I received his "carbon-neutral" letter yesterday, and was indeed impressed by his praise of Governor Vilsack, for being the leader in this matter.

Edwards has already come out with a serious, detailed plan for health care reform which has won him a lot of praise. I am not at all surprised that in the time following the interview with George Stephanopoulos (and note the humbly appreciative praise of Al Gore, also a good move for a Democratic candidate right now), Edwards has done a fair amount of thinking about global warming, and about the responsibility of those in positions of leadership to lead the mitigation effort.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 8:48 AM on 15 Mar 2007

CO2 -- Fuel of The Future

Why are Dems throwing away a precious fuel such as CO2? That's right a fuel, as reported by New Scientist:

A new catalyst that can split carbon dioxide gas could allow us to use carbon from the atmosphere as a fuel source in a similar way to plants.
"Breaking open the very stable bonds in CO2 is one of the biggest challenges in synthetic chemistry," says Frederic Goettmann, a chemist at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. "But plants have been doing it for millions of years."

Catalyst could help turn CO2 into fuel

by jabailo at 11:39 AM on 15 Mar 2007

CO2 Fuel of the Future

As usual Tex, you're jumping to conclusions that fit your agenda. Read the article you quoted. Most basically, its a long long way from here - early promising research - to there - a mass scale method for "fixing" CO2 from burning fossil fuels in a relatively energy efficient full cycle process that also ties up the CO2 (i.e. keeps it out of the atmosphere) for very long periods of time (>1000s of years).
By the way, are you able to charge more for your services by calling them "memetics" than the more common terms "public relations" or "propaganda?"

Steve E. Whidbey Environmental Action Network

by paintbrush at 12:16 PM on 15 Mar 2007

CO2 Fuel of the Future

You argued:

(1) As usual (2) Tex (3) your agenda

(1) As usual what?
(2) Not my name...stop insulting me directly because of my ideas
(3) My "agenda" is to decrease ad hominem attacks and increase intelligence in the global warming debate.

Most basically, its a long long way from here

As for many alternative fuel technologies...but I think what's fascinating about it is just the change in perspective...seeing a 'waste' as fuel...that's the very basis of sustainability.

are you able to charge more for your services by calling them "memetics" than the more common terms "public relations" or "propaganda?"

Memetics is about, in part, changing the perspective of people...trying to get them to see things 180 degrees around. That a waste can be a fuel, for example.

by jabailo at 12:28 PM on 15 Mar 2007
[ Parent ]

picking the RIGHT carbon offset provider

Kudos to Edwards for making his carbon neutrality mean something. The carbon offsets he purchased are actually meaningful--he bought from NativeEnergy which provides offsets from renewable energy projects that wouldn't be able to happen without offset revenue.

Contrast that to a provider like TerraPass who uses renewable energy sources that would exist anyways, without offset revenue (read: your dollars aren't doing anything special!). Check it out in this BizWeek article debunking TerraPass in particular. And again, good for Edwards for being a conscientious purchaser!

by ltlf653 at 7:40 AM on 16 Mar 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

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