Green Options

Worldwide there has been a growing solidarity with the people of Iran, and their brave local activism protesting against their increasingly repressive government. This photographic tribute to the Iranian people is accompanied by a partly Farsi cover of the Ben E. King classic “Stand by Me“; it was recorded by

Tomorrow in the U.S. is the eventful day where our president-elect becomes our 44th president. Being lucky enough to live in Washington, D.C. I plan on braving the crowds and the cold to participate in history.

One thing that has taken hold throughout this historic campaign is the slow rise of political art. Remember the McCain earrings and all the amazing DIY that was found at the DNC?

Art has played a huge role in the president-elect’s campaign. You only have to look at Shepard Fairey’s now ubiquitous Hope poster to see the affect. Political art and craft is just one way to stump for a cause, or show support for a president-elect.

Obama paraphernalia has been popping up all over the city. It is mostly cheap t-shirts and buttons and pins with the likeness of Obama and his family. But, I happened across this great “That’s my DJ” t-shirt. It is hand printed and designed by Sound College.

To believe, or not to believe? That is the question of many on the far left and the fringes of the environmental movement. We cannot simply hope that Obama follows through with his promises, we must act to guarantee that he does.

Nothing represents this dichotomy more than the mixed feelings I have about the election of Barack Obama.

I walk a fine line between radical and liberal—between wanting to smash a failed system and fix a broken one. I consider myself an anarchist, yet I proudly voted. And I voted for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, yet I fought back tears of joy as I witnessed Obama give his acceptance speech in person in Grant Park.

Obama has great potential to be the most liberal, open-minded president of the last century. Dare I say, he could be a catalyst for change.

What does this mean for those of us who view species extinction and global climate catastrophe as more than just back-burner issues? This represents an opportunity that the environmental movement has never seen, and we would be foolish to pass it up. So here are four steps to help ensure that Obama keeps his many bold promises to us.

Like many of my fellow citizens, one of my first thoughts after hearing Sen. Barack Obama declared the winner of Tuesday’s election was “I am so proud to be an American.”

Yes, my guy won. Yes, the United States elected it’s first African-American president (and that’s an incredible step forward). Yes, the issues that matter to me (and likely to you) will receive much more attention than they have over the past eight years. All of these are reasons to celebrate.

But, even more important, and more critical to our near- and long-term future: hope won.

While that sounds like a nice, abstract, feel-good statement, I don’t think we can underestimate the notion that Tuesday’s election came down to a choice between hope and fear. Let’s face it: the choice of Obama to lead the country for the next four years was risky. He proved his intelligence, eloquence and resolve during the campaign, but he’s still a relative newcomer to the national stage. He faces Herculean challenges upon entering office: a financial and economic mess, two wars, and, yes, monumental environmental threats… to name a few of the most pressing issues. And, of course, he has critics ready to pounce hard on the slightest perceived misstep.

Americans knew these things as they entered the voting booths on Tuesday… and yet the majority still chose Senator Obama over the much better-known Senator McCain. And while we can parse decisions and actions made by each candidate and his representatives, I really want to believe that what Americans voted for wasn’t simply a man, a party, or a governing ideology, but rather the spirit embodied in the exclamation “Yes we can.”

Our favorite environmentally-friendly Titanic Star, Leonardo DiCaprio, is the force behind the recent (ironic) “Don’t Vote” PSAs starring Eva Longoria, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen, Ashton Kutcher and more!

With Election Day less than 24 hours away, Leo wants you to know that now is your chance to vote (the environment).

A television ad released yesterday by the McCain Campaign features Barack Obama stating that McCain’s Global Warming Proposal is “good for the environment.”

While campaigning in Iowa this week, John McCain offered a glimmer of new support for the ethanol industry that he has long been opposed to.

Who do you want to be the next President of the United States of America?

(A) An unbranded cow.

(B) A politician who doesn’t listen to his/her associates (AKA “The Decider”).

(C) A tool of war.

(D) None of the above.

Image credit: maverick. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved October 28, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maverick

I got an e-mail today from an unknown author that is worth passing on.  Parts of it are copied here, alongside my own personal thoughts.

I don’t know how much you know about the Law of Attraction or if you’ve ever heard of it. But surely you’ve heard of the phrase, ‘What you resist, persists.’ The more we don’t want something, the more it finds us. For example - the more we resist forming relationships with a certain type of person in our lives, the more we attract that same kind of relationship over and over again.  The more we resisted President Bush, the more he stayed in office.  I truly believe that the reason he won two terms as President is because everyone from all sides was so intently focused on him– Democrats with negative energy and Republicans with positive energy.

Even with yesterday’s stock market rally, we’ve all got the economy on our minds… and, for the most part, we’re worrying about it. Our retirement accounts are shrinking, our jobs are less secure, and buying or selling a home seems like a fantasy. An injection of cash into the markets is welcome; an injection of new ideas is absolutely critical.

As I’ve noted in previous [...]

Just over two weeks ago, we announced the Red, Green and Blue/ReframeIt scavenger hunt for details and background on Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s energy and environmental policy proposals. Then the economy went to hell… so we’re offering a little economic stimulus of our own.