10-Step Carbon Addiction Program

Action for Month of June

2010-05-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

The 10StepCAP focus for the month of June will be WATER, and to deal with our sadness and devastation about the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill we will organize Water Soundings as our action for the month. The instructions below are posted on the official 10stepcap.com website.

Organize a Water Sounding
Register it as an event on the Blog and/or on Facebook 10StepCAP Group
How to organize a Water Sounding: Gather friends, family, neighbors, and strangers, in a circle by a natural body of water. Open with words of welcome, a poem or other reading. Speak of the water and center yourselves in the space and moment. Listen in silence to the water and its surroundings. The silence may be longer or shorter as you wish, but don't short-change yourselves. If you have time, you may scatter and each person may spend some time writing or drawing, or making nature art in any way they wish. Come back together to share your reflections and images. You may use any props you have - bells, sage, cloths - but all you really need is yourselves.
It would be desirable to avoid using gas powered vehicles to go to the Sounding, If possible, walk, bike, canoe or skate. Taking the bus beats driving. But you know what you must do - simply pay attention.

Carbon footprint results

2010-05-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Bete reports from São Paulo, Brazil:

Hi, I just calculated my carbon footprint. It came up to 8.71. The English website works well for Brazil. It said the average for industrialized countries was 11. Does that mean that the US is double that average? I am of course way above Brazil's average. But need to work a lot to get to the global target.
This is very interesting. Bete

Greta reports from Bethlehem, PA:

I calculated my footprint with the US version of carbonfootprint.com, the short test, and scored 11.37, which is low for the US but high for the rest of the world. Yes, Bete, the average US carbon footprint is double that of the other industrialized countries.

I hope to use a couple of the other tests to see if there are significant differences. I plan to do so before the end of the month.

Anyone else ready to report?

Don't go away - it's time to try harder!

2010-05-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

My, oh my - it's already May 10! I've been negligent about communicating with anyone who's checking this blog. Most of my energy is going into the Census work I'm doing for eight or ten weeks - I'm starting my fourth week today.

Sometimes it feels as if the Climate Change issue has gone away. Do you get that sense? But maybe like me you get email notices, articles, requests for signatures and calls to your representatives - and you're aware that the ice is still melting, islands are drowning, weather patterns are shifting with major flooding and wind storms in some areas and long droughts in others. Usually it the vulnerable populations are already victims of poverty and injustice, living in shanty towns on slopes that sustain mudslides, or trying to eke out a living in dry, windswept areas. People whose lives have depended on the bounty of the water find that the fish are disappearing, just as other wildlife is affected by the changing climate.

Two big issues - Water and Peak Oil - weave in and out of the Climate Instability situation, threatening humanity with a triple whammy that could mean immense suffering and violence. The rush for fossil fuels is not abating, despite the information on carbon emissions (the increasing levels in the atmosphere, close to 400 ppm), and in spite of the major accidents with coal (loss of miners' lives), oil (the terrible spill in the Gulf of Mexico) and natural gas (the depredation of the water table and the explosions). Nuclear disasters are waiting to happen around the world, and the problem of disposal of spent uranium has not been resolved.

So our efforts must continue - as people who acknowledge our place in this culture of addiction to fossil fuels we need to serve as examples in any way we can, and we must spread the word, letting others know about our actions.

Tomorrow I will highlight in a new blog entry some of the actions 10-steppers have shared with me. I'm trying to let everyone know that I've designated May as the month to focus on our carbon footprints. So tomorrow I'll also share a bit about the carbon footprint tests we can use.

Check in again tomorrow!

10 Steps for Children

2010-04-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is what the children are saying:

“I’m going to help the earth by recycling more and planting trees.”

“The first thing I will do is to help my family save water.”

“I am extremely happy to be in the 10 Steps Program because I love and care for the world.”

“I will try to help you, but I can’t promise that everybody will help… I will tell my friends and family about your blog!”

“I will try to make people participate. I just LOVE this idea.”

“Our planet really needs help and I appreciate that you care about it.”

“”The first thing I’ll do when I leave the school is that I’m gonna recycle more and use less energy.”

“I love this idea, I always liked the idea of helping the planet. Now I have the opportunity.”

“I eat fruits and vegetables from my farm, we have lots of trees and flowers. I really like thinking that I can do a part by helping the world.!”

“I always thurn off the television when it’s not in use.”

“And yes, I’ll use less make-up, cause it uses petroleum! It will be fun being a more ‘green’ person.”

“The first thing I did to reduce the plastic bags I use was to buy cloth bags so I can re-use them.”

“Ways I will help: 1. shorter showers; 2. share ‘going green’ with others; 3. Go blue, also help save water; 4. avoid plastic cups; 5. dance the RE-USE RE-DUCE AND RECYCLE! jingle; 6. make earth day a daily habit.”

“This weekend I talked to my parents about the 10 Step CAP!!!”

Walking for the Climate - Saturday, April 24

2010-04-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Once again we will be walking for the Earth's Climate, for all our grandchildren, for the animals, and for all the vulnerable people who are first in line to suffer the consequences of the Climate Instability. Everyone is invited to join the walk for the whole 6.7 miles or for any portion of it.

A new group, Gas Truth, convened to deal with the calamitous threat to groundwater in many parts of PA and elsewhere, due to the Marcellus Shale drilling, will walk with the Climate Walkers organized by Greta.

We will meet at 10 am this Saturday, April 24, at 5th and Hamilton Streets in Allentown. Our route will take us along Hamilton, Hanover, W. Broad, Main, and Church Streets, then down across the New Street Bridge to South Bethlehem. We will end at the Wildflower Cafe around 1:00 pm, still in time to enjoy the festive spirit of Spring on 4th and the annual Chili Contest - Wildflower's Michelle makes a great vegan version.

The Official Launching of the 10StepCAP will occur soon after we arrive at the Wildflower Cafe. It would be wonderful to have many 10StepCAP members present. We now have 25 members, 16 of whom are from the Lehigh Valley. The others are: Massachusetts, 1; Texas, 4; New Mexico, 2; and Brazil, 2. Hopefully there will be others soon as this is the week we go public and at least two of our members have sent out notices to their contacts. I hope to put the Program out on Facebook yet this weekend.

For the Earth,

Greta

A new website for 10StepCAP

2010-04-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have created a website for 10StepCAP in anticipation of going public on April 24th during an Earth Day event here in Bethlehem. The website is still under construction and open to creative suggestions. Please check it out at 10stepcap.com. There's a blog on the site - leave a comment if you have time.

Thanks, Greta

Count up to 22; 78 to go

2010-03-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Two new signees are listed on the list in the left column - check it out!

Can anyone help invite new signees so that we can reach the magic ONE HUNDRED by April 22?

Too busy to participate?

2010-03-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Paul in Texas, explaining why he was too busy to check the blog as I requested in an email:

Too many of the following--R/r/recycling meeting, Earth Day survey, Grow Local Festival, Southern Plain soils conference, community garden projects--on the plate right now.

As far as I'm concerned, that's as good as reporting in to 10StepCAP. Certainly fulfills steps 7, 8 and 9. Thanks, Paul.

Exciting news! Last night I got a phone call from Jim in Wilkes Barre. He'd received a copy of the Invitation to sign on to 10StepCAP and he found it inspiring, giving him a boost in his flagging efforts to lower his own carbon footprint. He wants to start up an effort to get 100 signees in Wilkes Barre, and I'm encouraging him to consider launching the program there at the same time it is officially launched here, on Earth Day. Jim's call was a huge boost for me! Thanks, Jim.

10 Steps for Children

2010-03-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Christina, a fifth grader from the Boston area, who added her comment to the last post on this blog. She followed my Climate Walk last year and often left comments on the Children's Blog. On her own blog she described a dream of hers where the Climate Crisis had been successfully resolved and President Obama was giving out awards to those who helped save the planet. In her dream I received an award for my Climate Walk. How inspiring!

I asked Christina if she thought we should start a 10 Step Program for children and she was enthusiastic. So I've drawn up a first draft and would love to have some of you help me get this going. I can imagine getting it ready to be launched along with our 10StepCAP on Earth Day next month. Please email me if you would like to help.

Also, please notice the two additional pieces that are now posted in the left column: a list of all the signees, and instructions for signing on. I also added the extra words to Step #2.

The first article about 10StepCAP

2010-03-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

One of our participants, Jeff from Bethlehem, wrote an excellent article about 10StepCAP for the Lepoco monthly newsletter. For those of you who don't live here, Lepoco is our wonderful peace center, that has been in existence since 1965, one of the oldest non-stop peace organizations in the country. To see the article, go to www.lepoco.org, and click on current newsletter (or March 2010), and scroll down to page 4, The Struggle Shared, where our 10-StepCAP shares the page with Howard Zinn!

I've received three responses to my questions in the last post: there is some disagreement as to whether to change the wording of Step #2 or leave it as is, or was. I hope to hear from a few more people. Changes can easily be made before Earth Day, but after that I would be reluctant to keep changing the basic pledge. So if you can spend a bit of time in the next three weeks or so thinking about the pledge and the explanation sheet I would be grateful.

Thanks, Greta

New names plus 2 questions

2010-03-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Our latest additions - bringing us up to 20:

Sylvia - Texas

Paul - Texas

JR - Pennsylvania

Cathy- Pennsylvania

Adrian - Pennsylvania

Yesterday I met one veteran Green Party activist who remonstrated against the language of the 10 steps. I want to request your opinion on two questions regarding step 2, which formerly read: I understand that carbon emissions are a threat to life on Earth.

In response to the criticism I've added the word "excessive" before emissions. Is this a good change?

Should we qualify "life" in that statement, eg. "present life," "life as we know it," "current species"? Or is it unnecessary to spell it out? My original idea was to keep the steps short, and spell things out on a separate sheet.

While we're at it, are there any other comments, suggestions, criticisms of the language in the "Steps?" My hope is to have this material as clear and concise as possible by Earth Day.

Greta

Things are getting cool

2010-03-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

We have several new signees, and I hope to report more every day! We need an average of 2 new members every day between now and Earth Day to attain the 100 people that represents the critical mass to go public.

I will be on top of this now and will add the new names in my next entry. But I'm looking forward to your entries - comments. You can use the anonymous line for your comment and use your name in the text of the message if you don't want to go through the process of creating a google account to log in. Let's hear what you're doing, what you're thinking, what you'd like to see in this blog.

Love, Greta

Fifteen signees

2010-02-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to the newspaper article in New Braunfels - click here.

Our new member is from Houston. I'm now counting another person from the Lehigh Valley who hasn't filled out the paperwork but has signed on by saying so on the blog comments. Here's a list of all of us:

Bete - Brazil

Sofia - Brazil

ZH - Massachusetts

Tim - Pennsylvania

Guy - Pennsylvania

Greta - Pennsylvania

NB - Texas

SS - Pennsylvania

KH - Pennsylvania

EH - Pennsylvania

Jeff - Pennsylvania

MW - Pennsylvania

DL - Pennsylvania

G.. - Pennsylvania

NH - Texas

I would like to use people's names rather than initials. Some of you have already said you're OK with listing your full name. In case of those who need to keep a low profile, a nickname or code name would be fine. I'll try to reach everyone soon on this matter.

Back in business - February 24, 2010

2010-02-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends,

I've been away too long, hibernating, traveling, visiting grandchildren. Now it's time to gear up for Earth Day and the public launching of this program.

Today we got our 14th member. Tomorrow I hope to get additional signees at the Unitarian Universalist Society of New Braunfels, Texas, where I'm speaking about my Climate Walk and what we need to do to confront the Climate Crisis.

My hope is to get 100 founding members by April 10th. I hope to have a new website by that time with updated facts and materials. Suggestions are welcome at this point, and always. Please let me know what you're thinking.

Good energy to you,

Greta

We're growing

2009-11-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

Today a surprise guest came to my door as Guy and I were eating our dinner - vegetable curry over brown rice. Gary lives just a few doors from us, and we've met him before, once or twice. He stopped to turn in his signup form for 10-step CAP, which he'd found out about at the Wildflower Cafe. He joined us for supper and we had a delightful conversation with him. He recommended two books that I'll try to read soon: No Impact, about a couple that lived a very low-impact life in New York City; and Better Off, about a couple that lived on a Mennonite farm in the mid-west.

I think 10-step CAP is going to grow quickly now, and I encourage you to help recruit more people, not in a large way, not through the public realm of Facebook or the like, but from among your immediate friends and family.

New signees - now there are a dozen of us

2009-10-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

Over the 350-action-day weekend three new people signed on to the 10stepCAP:

KH - Allentown, PA

EH - "

JV - Bethlehem, PA

And today I recieved the first mail-in signup from:

MW - Kintnersville, PA

This brings us to a total of 12 people who are willing to participate in this effort to curb our joint addiction to carbon.

Tomorrow's a big day

2009-10-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the International Day of Climate Action. The Climate Walkers who helped me complete my Climate Walk from New Orleans to the Canadian border have organized with me a Walk from Allentown to Bethlehem as our participation in this important day that purports to show the world the significance or the number 350.

I hope to have some people signing up for the 10StepCAP tomorrow and then again on Sunday when I will be speaking at Lepoco, our local Peace Center, about my trip. So check back for the good news on Monday.

In the meantime, I'm pleased to record one more signee: GG in Bethlehem. He is our 8th member.

2009-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

From Sofia (posted as a comment):

Okay, I thought I'd share some of the ways that my lifestyle right now are earth-friendly.

1. I don't own a car.
2. The apartment I moved into has an A/C, but I don't use it.
3. I don't own a microwave.
4. I have a very small refrigerator.
5. I don't have a dryer (I hang my clothes to dry).
6. I am more aware than ever of turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use.
7. I use reuse plastic grocery bags.

4 new signers

2009-10-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Today three more people signed on:

SH from Brazil

ZH from the Boston area

SS from Coopersburg, PA

NB from Texas

Now there are seven of us. My question at this time is whether to use first names, first and last names or just initials. TC said he was comfortable with having his name out there. What about the rest of you?

2 more signees plus great sharing

2009-09-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today brought in two more signatures for the 10-Step CAP:

2. TC - Bethlehem, PA

3. GB - Bethlehem, PA

As the organizer of the Program, I, Greta, was challenged today to sign on - as a role model, and "why would you ask others to sign on if you don't?" For some reason, I'd thought I'd wait for five or ten people to join - I guess I think it's so important that I wanted others to have the privilege of being first. But I am now number 3, and I challenge you to add your signature to the growing list.

I have an amazing document from #2, TC, listing 16 ways in which he has reduced his Carbon footprint since 2002. This fulfills Step # 9: I agree to inform CAP of my progress for the sake of the public effort. A brief summary follows:

1. 2002 - bought shares in progressive Solar company.

2. 2003 - became a vegetarian.

3. Increased recycling, separating trash into all components, including Styrofoam.

4. 3 yrs ago - began keeping organic trash separate, and taking it to the compost center.

5. 3 yrs ago - started saving all plastic bags, wrap and miscellaneous plastic to take to a market that recycles them.

6. 2 yrs ago - started buying only organic safe cleaning products for laundry and cleaning.

7. 2 yrs ago - changed all light bulbs to compact fluorescent.

8. 2 yrs ago - bought a bicycle, really started using it this year.

9. Joined the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation (CAT), was certified in Road One, and increased use of public transportation.

10. 2 yrs ago - went on strenuous diet, lost 70 lbs. Bought only used clothes from thrift stores. When buying new, purchases only Fair Trade certified goods.

11. 1 yr ago - started unplugging electrical appliances and computer when not in use. When out of town, only refrigerator left on.

12. 1 yr ago - stopped buying bottled water. Uses eco-friendly container with a wedge of lemon and Stevia to make water more palatable.

13. This past winter - turned down thermostat, resulting in 20-30% fuel savings.

14. Adopted water-saving practice "When using toilet, if it's yellow let it stand, if it's brown flush it down."

15. No air conditioner this summer, reducing kilowatt consumption by 50%.

16. Drive 11 yr-old SUV on when necessary, consolidating errands, filling with more people on long trips. Change oil every 3000 miles, maintain proper air pressure. Drive at 60-65 mph. Refuse to buy gas from companies with horrible environmental records, preferring Citgo. Will buy electric or hybrid vehicle when able, or go without car.

Congratulations! What a role model for all of us. Thank you, TC -we need to hear from each other.

First signer

2009-09-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's official: our first participant has signed on!

Participants:

1. E.B., from Brazil

Go to the Climate Walk website - http://climatewalk.homestead.com - to join this exciting initiative. As more participants join we will plan a website just for the 10-Step Carbon Addiction Program. The trial stage will be complete when we have 100 signees, a website, and more complete materials and procedures for participants to work with. Your suggestions will be crucial during this initial phase.

Get on board as part of the Organizing Team (the Board of Directors, the Steering Committee, or whatever we call it). Let Greta - greta_browne@hotmail.com - know if you're willing to help direct the Program as it develops.

Thanks.

Launch - September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today we are launching the trial stage of a 10-Step Carbon Addiction Program.

This blog will be a place where participants can post their results and actions, and contribute comments and suggestions.