
What happens if Congress fails to pass a climate or energy bill in 2010? Even without a federal carbon policy, the United States could move from the "business as usual" status quo to a dramatically cleaner and healthier approach to meeting its electrical power needs, according to a major new report from the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute think tank. The report was prepared by Synapse Energy Economics of Cambridge, MA.
The CSI/Synapse report outlines a "Transition Scenario" that would step up energy efficiency and the use of clean, renewable energy, allowing the country to retire all coal-fired power plants, and over a quarter of existing nuclear reactors. The overall cost of the plan would involve modest near-term costs over a "business as usual" (BAU) scenario, but result in savings by 2040. The good news is that America can get the job done without a deeply flawed climate bill that creates more problems than it solves.
To get the facts, start here.
A new ground-breaking report from CSI and Synapse has clearly demonstrated that our energy future can be free of Coal and Nuclear Power. The report is a game changer, one that will immediately affect the conversations and business-as-usual approach surrounding current energy and climate legislation efforts.
Does the fact that President Obama held a news conference to announce a loan guarantee for nuclear reactors in Georgia mean that the industry is on a roll again?
Does the U.S. nuclear industry now have a reactor design in hand that addresses the manyproblems - including runaway costs, radiation exposure and proliferation dangers - that are troubling the industry?

Dear CLEAN Activist,
We need your help. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering rules that would finally set federal standards for the toxic ash that comes from burning coal. It contains concentrated amounts of many toxic heavy metals that threaten our health and environment. Coal-fired power plants in the United States produce about 130 million tons of coal ash per year. Up until now, coal ash has been entirely unregulated by the EPA, and lax state laws have resulted in this toxic waste leaching into our groundwater from unlined landfills, blowing in the wind from dry ash dumps, and being used as fill material on construction sites and even as fertilizer!
Dear Clean Activist:
As if the eco-disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (we refuse to call it an oil spill) and the mining disaster in West Virginia weren't enough, Senator Lisa Murkowski (Republican, Alaska) wants to neuter the power of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). She has introduced a resolution in the Senate that would severely curtail the power of the EPA to do its job.
Dear Clean Activist:
We strongly urge you to contact your Senators to ask them to vote "NO" on the newly-released American Power Act, introduced by Senators John Kerry (D, MA) and Joe Lieberman (I, CT). As of this writing it is unknown when this legislation will come to the floor of the Senate for a vote.


For those who think that natural gas is a bridge to a clean energy future, check out the film now showing on HBO, "Gasland". We have all seen the scenes of blackwater running from the taps of people in Appalachia who live daily with the effects of mountain removal and sludge and slurry ponds toxic legacy leaching into their streams and wells. "Gasland" looks at the drilling and 'fracking' process used by oil and gas companies to tap the rich natural gas reserves across Pennsylvania and the state of New York and out west in my own state of Colorado.
By Bob Herbert, NY Times
We were told by oil industry executives and their acolytes and enablers in government that deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico would not cause the kind of catastrophe that we've been watching with an acute and painful sense of helplessness for the past three months. Advances in technology, they said, would ward off the worst-case scenarios. Fail-safe systems like the blowout preventer a mile below the surface at the Deepwater Horizon rig site would keep wildlife and the environment safe.
By Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune reporter
Sold on a promise of cheap, clean electricity, dozens of communities in Illinois and eight other Midwest states instead are facing more expensive utility bills after bankrolling a new coal-fired power plant that will be one of the nation's largest sources of climate-change pollution.
Read the 09.02.10 news release here ...
Read the analysis here ...
Listen to the news conference ...
Read the 07.28.10 news release here ...
Read the regional analysis here ...
Listen to the news conference ...
WHAT IF THERE IS NO CLIMATE/ENERGY BILL?
CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE REPORT FROM SYNAPSE
SHOWS CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE STILL POSSIBLE FOR U.S.
With Uncertainty Mounting About Climate/Energy Bill, Major New Study for CSI Details Path for Breaking Away From "Business As Usual" in the Electric Power Sector.
As predicted based on a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) for the nonpartisan and nonprofit Civil Society Institute, the vast majority of Vermont Town Halls deliberating this week the fate of the Vermont Yankee came out in support of closure of the controversial nuclear reactor by 2012. The final tally of Town Halls in Vermont opposing the relicensing of Vermont Yankee was 14-1.
72% FAVOR ENDING "TAX HOLIDAY" FOR OIL & GAS PRODUCERS, 7 OUT OF 10 FAVOR FREEZE ON COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS
Strong Support Seen in State For Moving Ahead on New Energy, Climate Solutions; Coal-Fired Power Plant Moratorium Is Significant Since MT Has One of Largest Number in the Works.
Dear Clean Activist:
On February 16th, President Obama announced conditional approval of an $8.3 billion loan guarantee for the construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle site in Georgia.
This is part of the Administration's proposal to triple the loan guarantee program for new nuclear reactors in his 2011 budget and would raise the amount of loan guarantees to $54 billion.
US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has committed to issuing a decision on Cape Wind in the next several weeks. But before he does, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is accepting public comments now through February 12. We need you to offer your comments to MMS to help demonstrate the overwhelming citizen support for Cape Wind.
Dear Clean Activist:
The Washington establishment thinks we're stupid. It's the only explanation left for their behavior.
They think that if they just add the word "clean" to something then we and the rest of America won't figure out what they are really up to. In this case: giving even more of our taxpayer money to the same people who brought about both the economic crisis and the environmental crisis.
Clean Power Now is a grassroots organization based in Hyannis, MA, whose mission is to inform and empower citizens to support viable renewable energy projects and policies and to secure their local and regional benefits. CPN is currently working to support Cape Wind, which will be America's first offshore windfarm. With the project in the final phases of permitting, Clean Power Now's advocacy is essential in moving Massachusetts and the U.S. towards a clean energy future.
The Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) is a coalition of locally organized groups fighting the climate crisis. We do this by promoting carbon-reducing practices in our homes and communities; supporting MCAN chapters and allied organizations to grow a focused statewide movement; and communicating policy to members and leveraging our collective voice at the state level. In addition to organizing a yearly conference bringing together activists for workshops and panels, MCAN is also promoting the Cool Mass Campaign - a ground-breaking new program that brings the strength and determination of Massachusetts residents to the fight against global warming. Cool Mass enables households across the Commonwealth to act boldly to reduce their carbon footprints.
Students for a Just and Stable Future (formerly Mass Power Shift) is working to mobilize our campuses, communities, and state to raise climate change to the top of the political agenda and stimulate state, national, and global changes necessary to protect the ecosystems that sustain life. They seek to make Massachusetts a leader in the transition to a society no longer dependent on climate-destroying practices. Right now, they are refusing to sleep in their homes and dorms that are powered by dirty electricity as part of an action called Sleepout. They demand that Governor Patrick introduce a bill that will power Massachusetts with 100% clean electricity in 10 years.
The mission of the Global Warming Action Coalition – Lexington is to educate and to raise awareness about global warming and climate change, and to promote actions on the part of individual citizens and our town government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop sustainable practices throughout the town of Lexington. Lex GWAC hosts speakers, educates citizens, and organizes an annual energy fair in the town.
HealthLink's mission is to protect and improve public health by reducing and eliminating pollutants and toxic substances from our environment, through research, education, and community action. Through public education, links with renewable energy committees, targeted media, and engaging with local agencies and corporations, HealthLink is working to keep the public informed and active in their energy choices.
The Husky Energy Action Team (HEAT) is a student group working towards environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality at Northeastern University. Currently, dozens of Northeastern students are participating in the Leadership Campaign's Sleepout and refusing to sleep in their homes and dorms powered by dirty electricity until Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick implements a plan to move the state towards 100% clean electricity.
The JP Green House is a zero carbon demonstration project, sustainable urban model and hub for 350.org climate action founded by Andrée Zaleska and Ken Ward. They are rehabbing an abandoned, 100 year old, former neighborhood store located on the line between Jamaica Plain and Roslindale in Boston, Massachusetts. Their aim is to achieve passivhaus standards, win substantial independence from grid supplies of water and electricity, and supply a large portion of our food on a modest income.
Advanced Biofuels USA is working to educate about and advocate for the use of truly sustainable transportation biofuels. They are currently working with the National Energy Education Program to help develop K-12 curriculum that will provide materials to guide discussions about advanced biofuels. The organization is also working on a program called Biomass-to-Transportation Advanced Biofuels that seeks to bring together experts in different fields dealing with biofuels to find opportunities for communities that are not located in traditional farming regions.
Nuclear Information Resource Service (NIRS) is the information and networking center for citizens and environmental organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues. NIRS works to keep the nuclear industry in check by looking closely at legislation that could help boost a nuclear renaissance and informing the public when our legislators need to be told that nuclear is not a clean or safe form of energy and we should not be spending taxpayer dollars on the unsafe technology. NIRS engages its membership by organizing call-in days, local actions, and letters to Congress and the Department of Energy.
The Interreligious Eco-Justice Network works to educate congregations about climate issues and support clean energy and conservation. Right now, they are holding energy audit classes for congregants to learn how to reduce their energy impact and learn more about the return on investment from efficiency - a program for which the organization received a Climate Change Leadership Award from the EPA. Additionally, IREJN is working to plan a conference linking Food and Faith and is supporting a strategy to tackle federal legislation on toxic substances.
Project Laundry List is a grassroots organization that is working to make air-drying and cold-water washing laundry acceptable and desirable as simple and effective ways to save energy. In the last few months, Executive Director Alex Lee finished a "Clotheslines Across America" tour, which is being filmed by a documentary film maker, and the organization is advocating for Barack and Michelle Obama to lead by example and hang a clothesline at the Whitehouse.
The Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) is a coalition of locally organized groups fighting the climate crisis. We do this by promoting carbon-reducing practices in our homes and communities; supporting MCAN chapters and allied organizations to grow a focused statewide movement; and communicating policy to members and leveraging our collective voice at the state level. MCAN is currently working to promote its Cool Mass Campaign - an initiative that brings the strength and determination of Massachusetts residents to the fight against global warming. Cool Mass enables households across the Commonwealth to act boldly to reduce their carbon footprints.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Maine is a community of physicians, health care professionals, and community members committed to nuclear disarmament, environmental health, and the reduction of violence and its causes. PSR is the U.S. affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for its pioneering disarmament initiatives. Currently, PSR Maine is participating in the Maine Cool Communities program and is working to get the hospitals in Maine to cut their significant emissions.
Concerned Residents of Portland and People Like Us (CROP PLUS) is an organization formed out of a concern of how coal ash waste was affecting the water, environment and health of Portland, NY. CROP PLUS is currently working to conduct more testing of the surrounding water and soils and is keeping an eye on the practices of the nearby coal-fired power plant.
We work for justice at home and abroad, connecting our local struggle for democracy with the global one and live by the principle that as working and poor people globally, we have the right to control our lives and resources.
Women Protesting Chicago's Coal plants
LVEJO fighting coal
Even cuteness is a weapon against coal!
Indiana’s oldest and largest consumer and environmental rights organization. Hoosiers working for Hoosiers.
Need to contact Cory Kern for details
We at Grassroots Green believe the energy and environmental challenges we face are enormous and that vigorous, creative and widespread action is both essential and urgent.
Grassroots Green founders John and Pamela Steinbach
Grassroots Green is working to make Fort Wayne, IN a green city
Heartwood is a regional network that protects forests and supports community activism in the eastern United States through education, advocacy, and citizen empowerment.
Typical day in the 'office' of Heartwood
LEAF is the only non-profit environmental law practice in Indiana. LEAF provides legal support to environmental activists and groups seeking to protect Indiana's natural heritage. Through legal advocacy, LEAF empowers Indiana's citizens with the tools they need to hold government and corporate polluters accountable.
Attendees of LEAFs Green Drinks events. Encouraging discussion of politics and environmental issues over a few drinks.
Save Maumee Grassroots Organization was formed to create awareness about the conditions of the Three Rivers in Fort Wayne, IN, while facilitating ecosystem restoration projects to help the entire Great Lakes Watershed.
Two rivers flow into one to create the Maumee in Fort Wayne, IN
Founder Abby Frost cleaning up river garbage during an Earth Day event.
Volunteers face paint the little ones during an Earth Day event
Valley Watch, Inc. formed in 1981 to "protect the public health and environment of the lower Ohio River Valley."
The largest concentration of coal plants in the world!
The Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew) is a membership-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to educating Iowans about renewable energy.
Board members of IRENEW taking a break in 2007
Handmade wind turbine example at their energy fair
Our mission is to reach out to the youth with the least amount of exposure, and help to educate them on the aspects of the Green Economy, and the Sustainability movement.
Members enjoying a music festival hosted by Green Nation
Green Nation at Save the American Drean rally posing with Jesse Jackson
Involve communities of faith as stewards of God’s creation by promoting and implementing energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and related sustainable practices.
The mission of CURE is to focus public awareness on the Upper Minnesota River Watershed and to take action to restore this area of the river's water quality, biological integrity and natural beauty for the benefit of all.
Memebrs enjoying the Minnesota River
Everyone lends a helping hand to collect garbage
A network of Indigenous Peoples empowering Indigenous Nations and communities towards sustainable livelihoods, demanding environmental justice and maintaining the Sacred Fire of our traditions
Global Climate Justice Project
Read the Carbon Supermarket at IENearth.org
Missouri Coalition for the Environment works to preserve, protect, and enhance an environment that is livable, healthful, and sustainable through a comprehensive program of education, citizen action, and legal defense.
A main focus on water quaility
What we are all fighting against.
The mission of Missouri Renewable Energy train and educate the general public to use renewable energy and to live more sustainably
A mid-America renewable energy center
Efficient and renewable gadgets at a MORE workshop
The annual MORE renewable energy fair is a free way to get educated
By implementing renewable energy and efficiency polices that are succeeding in states across the United States, we can decrease polluting emissions, improve public health, and spend less on our energy bills
RenewMO helped organize solar installers to form the Missouri Solar Energy Industry Association
Promote sustainable renewable energy practices through net metering legislation in Nebraska
Meigs Citizens Action Now works for healthy kids, safe jobs, renewable energy, and a locally owned economy that keeps profits local
Playground next to a coal fired power plant
View on your way to school in Meigs County - the most coal plants per county in the world!
Counter Coalture Coalition works to raise awareness about the social impacts of coal mining, washing, burning and disposing upon the people who live near active mines and facilities.
Gardens planted to help counteract the effects of coal plants
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association was founded in 1990, with a mission to promote renewable energy around the Midwest.
A MREA promotional logo on a Prius
At the Earth Institute, renewable energy and efficiency projects are on display for education
Cook Inletkeeper is a community-based nonprofit organization that combines advocacy, education and science toward its mission to protect Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains. Inletkeeper’s monitoring and science work builds credibility with scientists and resource managers, its education and advocacy efforts enhance stewardship and citizen participation, and together, these efforts translate into Inletkeeper’s ability to effectively ensure a vibrant and healthy Cook Inlet watershed.
Alaska Conservation Solutions was founded in 2005 to draw attention to the pervasive consequences of climate change in Alaska, and also to pursue solutions to the problem.
Cook Inletkeeper is a community-based nonprofit organization that combines advocacy, education and science toward its mission to protect Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains. Inletkeeper’s monitoring and science work builds credibility with scientists and resource managers, its education and advocacy efforts enhance stewardship and citizen participation, and together, these efforts translate into Inletkeeper’s ability to effectively ensure a vibrant and healthy Cook Inlet watershed.
The mission of Biodiversity Conservation Alliance is to protect wildlife and wild places in Wyoming and surrounding states, particularly on public lands.
The Okanogan Highlands Alliance’s mission is to encourage and support public education and participation in decisions involving the integrity, sustainability and prosperity of our community and the environment, and to provide a framework for ensuring environmental protection. OHA will guard against environmental degradation by taking decisive actions whenever necessary.
In 1983, John Osborn, then an intern at Sacred Heart Medical Center, decided something needed to be done to protect the land he called home. A group of area physicians, concerned about the environment's effect on people's health, agreed. And thus The Lands Council, a local grassroots, non-profit dedicated to protecting the quality of life in the Inland Northwest, was born. At first, Dr. Osborn ran the organization out of his apartment, but today we are the leading conservation voice in the Inland Northwest. Since our humble beginnings, The Lands Council has protected thousands of acres of public land, and in the process worked to preserve the forests, water, and wildlife we all depend on for life.
Sevier Citizens for Clean Air & Water (SCCAW) was organized to prohibit the construction and operation of a proposed coal-fired power plant in the heart of Sevier Valley, and adjacent to 183 homes near Sigurd, Utah.
Citizens for Dixie's Future (CDF) is a grassroots coalition of local citizens committed to protecting the natural resources and quality of life in Washington County through Smart Growth planning for the benefit of present and future generations.
DRA is a grassroots family agriculture and conservation group that organizes South Dakotans to protect our family farmers and ranchers, natural resources and unique way of life.
We are working to promote social justice, agricultural and economic sustainability, and stewardship of the region's land, air and water.
Focus the Nation accelerates our transition to a clean energy future by empowering and supporting young people through education, engagement, and action.
Members of Dakota Resource Council use grassroots actions to influence public opinion and shape public policy to protect agriculture, natural resources, livelihoods and community well-being.
The Los Alamos Study Group seeks nuclear disarmament, environmental protection and enhancement, social justice, and economic sustainability – goals which are closely interrelated, mutually reinforcing, and essential to one another
The American West...a place of dreams, of history, of drama, of soaring rocky peaks, verdant open plains and cactus-studded deserts given life by raging rivers and sinuous streams. Living in this diverse landscape is an array of wildlife from majestic bears, wolves and mountain lions to prairie dogs, sage-grouse, and desert tortoise. But the American West that lives in our imaginations is under assault by unconstrained growth and polluting industrial practices like logging, ranching, mining, and oil and gas extraction. Corporate special interests are poisoning our land and water, and endangering our unique natural heritage. WildEarth Guardians brings people, science, and the law together in defense of the American West’s rivers, forests, deserts, grasslands, and the delicate web of life to which we are inextricably linked.
The mission of the La Cienega Valley Citizens for Environmental Safeguards (CES) is to educate, organize and implement community grassroots committees and groups to take action that protects our environment, watersheds and cultural landscapes. We work to fulfill the public interest and welfare, as a conservation organization whose mission it is, also to conserve imperiled watersheds both in water quantity and quality issues, habitat, native species and their threatened habitat. Water conservation, green job training and green jobs will be a focus in the coming year to help make a difference in peoples lifestyles and better the community through sustainable economic development.
Our mission is to build collective strategic action among coalition partners in order to deepen democracy and achieve greater social justice in Nevada. PLAN uses research, public education, leadership development and grassroots organizing to build power and create more humane solutions to Nevada’s problems.
The Electric Auto Association is your Electric Car & Vehicle authority for Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, & Northern Nevada! We also encourage and support interest in all forms of alternative transportation options as well as renewable energy technologies and policies.
WORC is a regional network of seven grassroots community organizations that include 10,000 members and 45 local chapters. WORC helps its member groups succeed by providing training and coordinating issue work.
Northern Plains organizes Montana citizens at the grassroots to protect our water quality, family farms and ranches, and unique quality of life.
AERO is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to solutions that promote resource conservation and local economic vitality. AERO nurtures individual and community self reliance through programs that support sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and environmental qualit
Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) is a national organization that engages women to advocate for the right to live in a healthy environment. WVE seeks to reduce and ultimately eliminate environmental pollutants that cause health problems for women, their families and communities. To this end, WVE creates opportunities for women to influence environmental decision-making.
Our mission is to help Maui residents protect natural areas and open space for recreational and aesthetic value; promote ecologically sound development; preserve the opportunity for a rural lifestyle; and participate in community programs, seminars and other functions to help explore the best possible solutions to pressing problems
The Tallahassee Area Community (TAC) is in Fremont County Colorado and comprises a group of over 1,000 individual property owners in 14 Subdivisions, with over 500 year-round and/or seasonal homes. Our properties vary from 35 acre to larger parcels that many of us have invested our life savings. We are located North of the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River, ranging from 20-35 miles West/Northwest of Canon City, Colorado, bordered on the East by Highway 9 and on the South by Highway 50.
Sheep Mountain Alliance is a grassroots citizen organization dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment in the Telluride Region and Southwest Colorado. To this end, Sheep Mountain Alliance will provide education for and protection of regional ecosystems, wildlife habitats and watersheds.
EMLC is a non-profit lawfirm dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of energy development. EMLC is the only organization of its kind focused exclusively on mitigating or eliminating the impacts from mining, processing, disposal, transportation, and development of our countries' next generation of energy minerals--including uranium, coal, and synthetic/nonconventional fuels (/e.g./ oil shale and tar sands).
Western Colorado Congress (WCC) is a grassroots, democratic organization dedicated to challenging injustice by organizing people to increase their power over decisions that affect their lives. WCC's community groups and members work together to create healthy, sustainable communities, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship and a truly democratic society.
The goal of the nonprofit United GREEN (GrassRoots Environment and Energy Network) is to speed the transition to a sustainable future for all the people of San Diego. By sparking collaborations between key public and private entities, we nurture shared leadership and solutions to the sustainability challenges ahead.
PCL’s mission is to protect and restore California’s natural environment, and to promote and defend the public health and safety of the people of California, through legislative and administrative action.
ECOSLO strives to support and create resilient, healthy natural systems and life styles in San Luis Obispo County. We are committed to a sustainable future while working to improve our quality of life and economic vitality in our communities. Through education, advocacy, and community building, ECOSLO acts to protect the natural environment and environmental health on the Central Coast. It also supports renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency, sustainable agriculture, green building and the local economy to promote sustainable economic development, protection of agricultural lands and open space, social equity, environmental justice and protection of our natural environment.
Citizens are mobilizing. In the United States and around the world, over 350 groups are now working on coal issues. Most of these are locally based organizations whose effectiveness is often overlooked. The mission of CoalSwarm is to assist this movement by building shared resources. Our CoalSwarm wiki, created in collaboration with the Center for Media and Democracy, provides a constantly expanding body of information that anyone can add to and utilize. CoalSwarm is a project of the Earth Island Institute, which was founded by environmental pioneer David Brower as an incubator for innovative projects in ecology and social justice.
The California Cars Initiative (CalCars.org) is a Palo Alto-based nonprofit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and consumers promoting 100+MPG plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Somewhat uniquely, we're ourselves a hybrid, focusing both on public policy and technology development, and harnessing buyer demand to help commercialize PHEVs. We're building demand among highly receptive markets to encourage auto makers to produce 100+MPG "no-sacrifices" high-performance, clean hybrid cars.
The Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment (OCICE) educates, raises awareness and empowers people to actively protect and preserve creation through responsible stewardship
Our mission is to promote clean air and healthy lungs through research, education, and technology.
Sky Island Alliance is a grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. We work with volunteers, scientists, land owners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region's unique biological diversity.
Idaho Rural Council is committed to preserving the economic well-being of Idaho's family farms and rural communities; to building a more sustainable society which will guarantee positive economic and social choices for present and future generations; to achieving good stewardship of humanity, land, air and water. We endeavor to educate, organize, and empower farmers and the general public to develop community and state leadership, to build coalitions and to employ only legal and ethical means, consistent with democratic principles to achieve this mission.
The Kentucky Solar Partnership (KSP) was formed to give voice to members of our community who want the use of solar energy to flourish in our state. Our goals are to: Determine and break down barriers to the growth in number of solar installations in our state; Generate informative resource materials; Educate community and students on the benefits of solar energy use; Demonstrate with appropriate, safe, code approved solar installations.
Hot water heating for an apartment building in Kentucky.
Lover's Lane Soccer Complex has PV panels that double as roofing.
http://kysolar.org/photo_gallery/photo?obj_uid=44
Our mission is to protect God's creation by mobilizing a religious response to global warming through conservation, efficiency and alternative energy.
Members gather at the Bluegrass Gathering in Louisville to share obstacles and successes.
CCA endeavors to listen to the voices of Appalchia, including those of the natural world; to inform its members of issues relevant to the Church’s presence in Appalachia; to support through annual meetings, newsletters and workshops, church workers and local organizations who work to address the causes of poverty in Appalachia; and, to promote justice and dignity in accordance with Catholic social teaching. These issues include, but are not limited to education, health care, labor, economic development, and the fostering of sustainable communities.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a statewide citizens organization working for a new balance of power and a just society. As we work together we build our strength, individually and as a group, and we find solutions to real life problems. We use direct action to challenge—and change—unfair political, economic and social systems. We are currently working to end mountaintop removal mining and build a sustainable economy for Appalachia, as well as fighting new coal-fired power plants throughout the state.
KFTC members table at the Black Gold Festival in Harlan, KY
Over 1000 people rallied at the KY state capitol on I Love Mountains Day 2008.
The University of Kentucky chapter of KFTC held a “silent auction” of school buildings in protest of the renaming of a dorm to the “Wildcat Coal Lodge.”
ASPI is a non-profit resource center advocating for sustainable development, responsible resource management, and informed personal choices. We use science and technology to benefit current and future generations, and the environment by promoting innovative ideas and appropriate technologies. We accomplish this through education, advocacy, research, consulting, and demonstration projects.
We're working to end mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia and help rebuild sustainable communities. Currently, we are fighting to stop the destruction of Coal River Mountain and to build a wind farm on it instead. In addition, our Sustainable Energy and Economic Diversification (SEED) Program will serve as a catalyst for sustainable, community-based economic development in the Coal River Valley. The SEED project has three focus areas: promoting and constructing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the Coal River Valley, promoting green small businesses, and launching initiatives for sustainable development outreach and education.
Gov Joe Manchin dances with King Coal at the Fossil Fools' Day rally at the WV State Capitol.
At a rally in Charleston, WV
An aide to Rep. Nick Rahall looks perplexed at the number of constituents who have come to meet with him about MTR!
The Student Environmental Action Coalition or SEAC is a grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups, working together to protect our planet and our future. Through this united effort, thousands of youth have translated their concern into action by sharing resources, building coalitions, and challenging the limited mainstream definition of environmental issues.
The philosophy of WV-CAG is that full-time citizen participation in the decision-making processes in our state is absolutely essential. Our main goal is to increase the voice of the average citizen in public affairs - to speak out in behalf of the consumer, to speak out in defense of a cleaner environment, and to speak out against governmental corruption. Our staff focuses its attention on regulatory agencies, the state legislature, the courts, and the news media. WV-CAG organizes coalitions on issues and gives a voice to those who have no professional lobbyists representing them at the state legislature. It prides itself on its original research reports.
The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy is working in vigorous opposition to coal mining by mountaintop removal. We believe that new rules for these activities are necessary, and existing laws need to be more vigorously enforced. We continue to defend our mining laws and work on other mining related issues like Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) which is destroying streams in the northern part of the state. WVHC is deeply involved in the current debate about the massive wind energy facilities now coming to the Highlands. These projects produce green energy on the one hand, but also seriously damage the ecology and aesthetics of the West Virginia Highlands on the other.
WVHC members on a trip to Kayford Mountain, WV to learn about MTR.
Christians For The Mountains is a network of persons committed to advocating that Christians and their churches recognize their God-given responsibility to live compatably and sustainably upon this earth God has created. CFTM is nondenominational and non-partisan, but does take a critical prophetic stance in advocacy for justice, righteousness, and peace for the land and its inhabitants. CFTM seeks to be respectful to all voices seeking truth. CFTM is working to abolish mountaintop removal mining, and to develop green jobs and a sustainable economy in Appalachia.
Protesting at Pettus, WV, where a billion-gallon slurry impoundment threatens an elementary school.
Members at the Capitol Climate Action in Washington DC, March 2009.
The blessing of Gauley Mountain, being destroyed by MTR.
OVEC's mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment through education, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership development and media outreach. Our current major work focuses on: Ending Mountaintop Removal / Valley Fill Strip Mining; Ending water Contamination from Coal Slurry Injection and the Danger of Coal Slurry Impoundments; Improving the Enforcement of Mining Laws; Establishing the Clean Elections System of Campaign Financing in West Virginia
OVEC board member and longtime activist Larry Gibson addresses the crowd at the United Nations. OVEC members were part of a delegation of coalfield residents there to talk about the impacts of MTR.
OVEC organizer and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Maria Gunnoe in the remains of her backyard, destroyed by runoff from a valley fill above her home.
OVEC members pack a hearing room as the WV state legislature addresses the issue of coal slurry contaminating water wells.
Appalachian Voices brings people together to solve the environmental problems having the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Our mission is to empower people to defend our region's rich natural and cultural heritage by providing them with tools and strategies for successful grassroots campaigns. Appalachian Voices is currently working hard to pass the federal legislation that would outlaw valley fills, a critical part of mountaintop removal mining.
Coal slurry impoundment.
A view from the air of a mountaintop removal site.
A blast goes off at this MTR site.
NC WARN is a member-based nonprofit tackling the accelerating crisis posed by climate change – along with the various risks of nuclear power – by watch-dogging utility practices and working for a swift North Carolina transition to energy efficiency and clean power generation. In partnership with other citizen groups, NC WARN uses sound scientific research to inform and involve the public in key decisions regarding their wellbeing. The continuing dire news on climate change drives our priorities: 1) to stop construction of Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal-fired power plant, and 2) to press for a sharp North Carolina turn to energy efficiency and green jobs via the NC SAVE$ ENERGY campaign.
Concerned residents protest against the proposed Cliffside coal-fired power plant.
Civil disobedience at the NC Governor's mansion, protesting against the Cliffside coal-fired power plant.
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards is an organization of concerned community members and their allies who are working to stop the destruction of our communities by surface coal mining, to improve the quality of life in our area, and to help rebuild sustainable communities. SAMS is currently working to stop a mountaintop removal permit in the town of Appalachia, VA and a new coal-fired power plant in Wise VA, and is holding Wise Energy Forums in the area to discuss these issues.
SAMS members and concerned residents get ready to present their concerns about the 1400-acre Ison Rock Ridge MTR permit.
SAMS members deliver to Dominion Energy a 1-mile long petition against their coal-fired power plant proposed for Wise, VA.
It is the mission of the AEC to protect Alabama's environment through advocacy, education, & preservation. The AEC is a solution-oriented organization that encourages industries, communities, and individuals to engage in responsible sustainable production and consumption. The AEC seeks to initiate action, promote leadership, and provide powerful grassroots support. Goals for climate change work include: Work to improve public policy addressing decreased climate change; Increase awareness of Carbon Footprint; Reduced auto dependence and increase mass-transit options; Partner with presenters to do Climate Project presentations and promote AEC membership.
The Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED ) Coalition is an alliance of individuals, businesses, and organizations advocating sustainable energy strategies for Texas, including the use of renewables and conservation. SEED also educates the public about the economic, environmental, and health benefits of a sustainable energy strategy. SEED tracks relevant policy-making and legislative processes and informs the public of opportunities to voice their opinions. Our major areas of focus include: the environment; health, safety, and public welfare; energy efficiency and sustainable energy; transportation; and telecommunication and information services.
Bexar Audubon is a chapter of National Audubon Society with a mission to serve species/habitat conservation while improving the environmental education of our community.
The mission of the East Texas Environmental Concerns Organization is to educate and unite the people, business, and government of East Texas in the effort to secure clean air, clean water, and a healthful environment for ourselves and future generations. We affirm that it is our responsibility as citizens to conserve our natural resources and to protect the biodiversity of the earth.
The Citizens League for Environmental Action Now is working to clean up the air we breathe and improve the overall quality of the environment we all depend on. We offer solutions to improve Houston's air quality that will benefit Houston socially and economically. We encourage the public to speak out on these issues.
Houston Climate Protection Alliance connects folks concerned about catastrophic climate disruption so we can learn together and lead Houston toward climate protection.
CORE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with membership open to all. As our name says, we are everyday "citizens" who have organized to protect our resources and environment. CORE is currently sponsoring a film series and promoting the local food movement.'
Alliance for Planet Earth is the student organization at the College of Charleston. Our purpose is to promote awareness of social and environmental issues relevant to the college community and encourage students to become active citizens in regards to the environment.
SOCM is a member-run organization that encourages civic involvement and collective action so that the people of Tennessee have a greater voice in determining their future. The mission of SOCM is to empower Tennesseans to protect, defend, and improve the quality of life in their communities across the state. SOCM is working for social, economic, and environmental justice for all. We are committed to the journey of becoming an anti-racist organization. Recognizing our interdependence, SOCM is committed to overcoming social and institutional racism and embracing our diverse cultures. SOCM is working on stopping mountaintop removal mining, acid mine drainage, and coal ash waste disposal.
SOCM members work for community empowerment!
Gathering signatures against a proposed coal ash dump on Smith Mountain.
The Southern Energy Network builds and facilitates an inclusive student- and youth-led movement in the Southeast that empowers communities, develops leaders, and promotes a clean, just, safe, and sustainable energy future. SEN is working to end dirty coal and get green energy on campuses.
SEN Carolinas chapters hosts their own regional Powershift conference.
Protesting against the Cliffside coal-fired power plant in North Carolina.
The Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference in Valdosta, GA
TCWN believes that water is the common thread that ties all life together. We believe that maintaining clean water protects the health of our families and provides numerous recreational opportunities while sustaining plants, animals, and aquatic life. We believe that Tennessee's waters are among our most precious natural resources. Since these resources continue to be polluted by toxic and other pollutants from industry, sewage plants, runoff, and other sources, critical aquatic ecosystems will continue to be lost or degraded, and the health of our children and our ecosystems remain threatened. TCWN will work to protect the water resources of Tennessee.
Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. Its current projects include restoring and preserving native habitat for birds and wildlife.
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light seeks to educate faith communities and individuals about the threat that global warming presents to Creation and Earth, and to engage communities of faith in promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy as a solution. The goal of the organization is to move Vermont's faith communities toward sustainable energy use and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while living out our covenant with the Creator.
Sustainable Energy Resource Group (SERG) promotes energy conservation, efficiency and renewables through the formation of town energy committees to help residents, businesses and the municipalities reduce energy consumption, save money, increase the sustainable use of renewables, strengthen the local economy and improve the environment.
Citizens for Clean Power (CCP) is a grass roots citizens coalition in Delaware that calls for regulatory action to significantly reduce emissions at the Indian River plant. CCP seeks to establish regulatory mechanisms that protect and promote public health and safety. The group has lobbied the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to set a more stringent timetable for reducing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury emissions. CCP’s efforts contributed to the cancellation of the proposed expansion of the Indian River plant and the recommendation by the Delaware Public Service Commission to negotiate a contract with Bluewater Wind for an offshore windfarm to meet the state’s growing power needs. Right now, the group is working to have a cooling tower installed at the plant (to help protect the fish), keep an eye on the coal ash disposal sites in the area, and call on the local government to implement more stringent air monitoring around the plant.