From October 2009: Climate resolve issued by our mayor!

Oct 14 2009: Rockland Supports Climate Awareness with a Resolve!

October 14 was a long time ago... I still need you to keep calling the Senators

Tell them to vote for legislation that supports climate change reduction and promotes green jobs.

• Senator Snowe, toll free in Maine: (800) 432-1599, or her Washington Number: (202) 224-5344
• Senator Collins, Washington, D.C. Office (202) 224-2523, Augusta Office (207) 622-8414,
• Bangor Office(207) 945-0417

My favorite part of being a councilor is regular meeting, because people come! I especially love it when I know that I am a part of what is going on: that my choice to be in public office is worthy, because people have called me, they are at the meetings with legislation in hand, ready to take part in our democratic process.

On October 14, my former gardening co-worker, friend, and friend to the environment, Annette Naegel, came and asked council to support a resolve declaring October 24 Climate Awareness Day. She was taking part in a worldwide Climate Awareness Action sponsored by 350.org Do go to the website to see all the creative ways that people made the number 350, all over the world.

Why 350? What's the significance? 350 is the most important number in the world--it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Right now, mostly because we’ve burned so much fossil fuel, the atmospheric concentration of co2 is 390 ppm—that’s way too high, and it’s why ice is melting, drought is spreading, forests are dying. To bring that number down, the first task is to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere. That means a very fast transition to sun and wind and other renewable forms of power. If we can stop pouring more carbon into the atmosphere, then forests and oceans will slowly suck some of it out of the air and return us to safe levels.

Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.