Hey Neergs--Enough is enough! I was so excited to read the headline on the Huffington Post today, "Scientists Fight Back." And I'm not talking about a headline on the green section--this is on the front page!! Two separate initiatives are being organized to combat the newly elected Republican officials proud to be labeled "climate deniers." One initiative involves the American Geophysical Union; they are planning to announce that 700 climate scientists will unite in speaking out on man-mad... Continue reading ...
No on Proposition 23: Spread the Word about the Koch Brothers
Posted by Wendy Wercion on Thursday, October 21, 2010,
In :
Breaking News
Hey Neergs--
I know I'm going a little crazy about this Proposition 23 ballot issue, but I need to make sure everyone knows this isn't just about California. This is a precedent setting vote. All eyes are on the outcome of this issue. Please see our homepage video with Al Gore. He breaks it down very simply. Big Oil is funding Prop 23, and this is all about stopping California's Global Warming Solutions Act. Big Oil wants to win in California and then move on to attack similar clean energy pl... Continue reading ...
Big Oil Can Be Beat
Posted by Ethan on Wednesday, October 20, 2010,
In :
Climate Bill
Hey Neergs--
Yesterday we learned how big industry won the "freedom of speech" right to spend crazy money on ad campaigns to sway public opinion and "buy" the votes of elected officials. We also learned that an informed and well organized advocacy effort can overcome deception. While it may be too early to celebrate a win, Californians are to be congratulated for rallying advocacy groups to defeat Proposition 23. If you'll remember, big oil companies, Tesoro and Valero, put Proposition 23 on ... Continue reading ...
Dirty Energy Money: Why Congress is Paralyzed
Posted by Ethan on Tuesday, October 19, 2010,
In :
Climate Bill
Hey Neergs--Okay brace yourself! Today's post may come off as a bit of a downer, but it's really meant to give kids a wake-up call and some valuable insight as to why big oil and coal will continue to have incredible power in stopping our efforts to slow global warming and create a clean energy economy. On January 21, 2010, our Supreme Court Justices ruled that corporations should have the same "rights" and freedoms of speech as individuals. This "freedom of speech" included being able to spe... Continue reading ...
What is Proposition 23?
Posted by Ethan Poole on Wednesday, October 13, 2010,
In :
Breaking News
Hey Neergs!
Have you heard of Proposition 23? It is a California ballot issue this November 2nd and its outcome could lead to similar propositions to undo legislation that protects our clean air. If passed, Proposition 23 will freeze current clean air laws passed to cut greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020 in California. This landmark and historic law is called AB32, and it was to start in 2012. But the big Texas oil companies don't want clean air laws cutting into their profits, so they a... Continue reading ...
The Climate Deniers are Coming, Oh my!
Posted by Ethan Poole on Tuesday, October 12, 2010,
In :
Climate Bill
Hey Neergs!
First of all I'd like to thank everyone for all your help supporting our Climate Change Legislation Petition. We have a long way to go and will keep our petition up through the end of the month. Please continue to spread the word and support our friends at 350.org. They did an amazing job rallying people all over the world--over 7000 events in 188 countries. Astounding and inspiring. And yet, we have a lot of work to do still.
If I've learned one thing, it's that kids are capable ... Continue reading ...
Death of the Climate Bill
Posted by Ethan on Tuesday, July 27, 2010,
In :
Climate Bill
Hey Neergs-Listen, I know this is complicated stuff, this proposed climate bill. In a nutshell, the bill would have placed limits on carbon emissions produced from power plants, refineries and factories that contribute to global warming. The limit would put a price on pollution making it expense for companies to do business as usual, meaning they'd pay for their carbon-producing ways! It would force these companies to invest in clean energy alternatives. Unfortunately, IMHO, our Senate, both... Continue reading ...
Obama Launches Ocean Protection Policy
Hey Neergs--Today, Obama announced a new national ocean protection policy. It will be a comprehensive plan for the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans. The administration recognizes that our coastal regions in the U.S. provide millions of jobs and support our economy. I guess the recent BP OIl spill kind of put a spotlight on how much we depend on our oceans. This new plan is about protecting our oceans and beaches and restoring what has already been damaged. I hope they work fast... Continue reading ...
Press Kept 65 Feet from Oil Spill Areas
Hey Neergs--Anderson Cooper from CNN has done an amazing report about the Obama administration banning press access (reporters and photographers) from being at the most important clean-up areas. BP had been the bad guy before (keeping the press away), but now the Coast Guard has announced their new rules. The press must stay 65 feet away from booms and clean-up vessels. Anderson says you can only get close if you get approval. If you don't, you could get a $40,000 fine or be charged with a... Continue reading ...
Unstoppable Leak?
Hey Neergs--Check out this video with Keith Olbermann from MSNBC speaking with Bob Cavnar from the Huffington Post who is an oil industry expert. According to this report, the well is failing and leaking. Believe it or not, letting the oil leak flow around the well head could alleviate pressure on the sea floor structure. The relief wells are the key to managing this disaster, so the race is on to complete construction. I think this is one of the best reports which explains the current statu... Continue reading ...
Get Mad and Do Something!
Posted by Ethan on Friday, July 2, 2010,
Hey Neergs-- I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel helpless about the Gulf disaster. Today I read about oil getting into crab larvae and other areas of our food chain like plankton feeders--the food of other fish that we eat! Scientists are saying that it is going to take more than months, likely years to fix this mess. I'm starting to wonder if it's even worse than the the experts say. Maybe they don't even know. What I do know is that crying about it isn't going to help. I do think ... Continue reading ...
Hands Across the Sand
Hey Neergs--Here's a great reminder that we are not powerless. If you haven't heard, there was a really cool protest held on Saturday, June 26th. Gatherings were held across the Gulf coast on beaches in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. At 12N, lots of people, including kids, joined their hands in solidarity to protest offshore drilling for 15 minutes and to support a clean energy future. Check out the cool photo montage. Peace Out-Ethan Continue reading ...
Johann Hari: Must Read in Huffington Post Today
Hey Neergs--
Please check out Johann Hari's article in the Huffington Post today. He presents some scary facts from NASA. We all know oil is spilling into our ocean in the Gulf, and is causing widespread devastation to the people and wildlife that live there. But did you know that oil spills also release lots of gases into the atmosphere when they burn? Johann says these gases add to global warming. He reports NASA's findings that we could have the hottest year ever known. Worse yet, his a... Continue reading ...
Federal Judge Overturns Drilling Moratorium
Posted by Ethan on Wednesday, June 23, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
Hey Neergs-Did you hear that a federal judge overturned the deep water drilling moratorium yesterday? Obama's administration plans to appeal. The judge felt that the decision to stop drilling was rash. He said that just because the equipment failed in one drilling operation did not mean it would fail elsewhere. He also said the impact on our American oil supply would be jeopardized. President Obama feels differently. He wanted a 6 month moratorium (end) to drilling until the tragedy in the... Continue reading ...
My favorite "Neerg" does it again!
Posted by Ethan on Saturday, June 19, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
Hey Neergs-
I know you guys--you're smart. You can watch an adult newscast and understand most of it. I also know some of the best news is on late when most of us are in bed. That's why YouTube rocks! If Mom and Dad say it's okay to be on the internet, you have to search for Rachel Maddow. She is sooooo cool and beyond smart. Check out the new video on our BP Video of the Day page. She explains things in terms I can understand. She talks about how the oil drilled here ends up in an inter... Continue reading ...
Dependence on oil must stop!
Hey Neergs--
When I first started this blog, I wanted to tell you how your plastic waste was growing the Pacific Garbage Patch (Trash Vortex) in the North Pacific Gyre. Plastic stuff is made from petroleum and almost everything we use these days has plastic in it. The bad news is we do a crummy job recycling. About 80 percent of the plastic in the Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land-based sources according to our friends at Project Kaisei in San Francisco. And worse yet, another trash vort... Continue reading ...
Censorship?
Hey Neergs!
We'd like you to weigh in on an increasingly important topic today. Reports are coming from numerous media outlets about the lack of access to the oil spill disaster site on the Gulf. Do you think BP and the government have the right to block journalists from the beaches? In addition to the blocked access, it is reported that workers are under a gag order not to speak to the press. I think this video from WDSU in New Orleans is very disturbing. The media is the key to telling the... Continue reading ...
AP Journalist Dives into Gulf Oil Spill
Posted by Ethan on Thursday, June 10, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
Hey Neergs-Rich Matthews is a really brave journalist. He is also a diver. He actually dove into the Gulf to prove his point by taking video from beneathe the surface. Check out his video on our Video of the Day page. It will shock you. Rich Matthews wants to get the word out, so send this link to as many friends as you can--Journalist Gulf Diver. You can see from the video that his visibility is nearly zero. No sun is breaking through the surface and there is no sign of life for 30 feet... Continue reading ...
Did you know????
Posted by Ethan on Wednesday, June 2, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
Hi Neergs--I know this is a short post, but I had to share. I just read this and was stunned. Did you know that this BP Oil spill tragedy has killed 11 workers?Did you know the spill is way worse than the nation's last worst
oil disaster, the Exxon Valdez spill? It spilled 11 million gallons
into Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989.Did you know that the gulf
spill has leaked somewhere between 19 million to 43 million gallons so far?Let's keep our eye on that dome procedure and hope for ... Continue reading ...
Day 43 of the Oil Spill
Hi Neergs--Are you as frustrated as I am about the worsening tragedy in the Gulf? This is the 43rd day and oil is still gushing into the Gulf. Animals are dying and no one seems to be taking charge. This is now BP's seventh plan to remedy the situation. This new fix uses a diamond studded saw to cut off the main oil pipe so the engineers can lower a dome over the gushing oil geyser. The fear is that the cap might not fit. President Obama and his administration have ordered the drilling of t... Continue reading ...
A picture worth a thousand words...
Posted by Ethan Poole on Wednesday, May 26, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
Hi Neergs--
Check out these pics from the Huffington Post--my Dad's favorite website. You can learn a lot there--especially in their "Green" section. Many of the pictures show emergency response teams preparing for the oil hitting the coastlines, which according to news reports started to happen last Friday. If you know anyone living along the coast who is seeing the affects of the spill first hand, please invite them to share in our forums section and post links and pictures.
Peace Out--E... Continue reading ...
How do you feel about BP Oil Spill?
Hi Neergs--
I just uploaded some new videos about the oil spill in the Gulf. The 60 minutes video is a must see! How do you feel about the finger pointing? Who do you think is at fault?
What do you think we can do right now? Should we boycott BP oil and other products made from petroleum? Should we start a petition to ban off-shore drilling? Should we start a petition to demand a clean energy act? Start getting your ideas together. Stay tuned for a Green Kids Rock poll coming your way... Continue reading ...
Want to help the Gulf Coast?
Posted by Ethan on Wednesday, May 5, 2010,
In :
BP Oil Spill
My Dad received an email from Courtney Taylor of the Environmental Defense Fund today. She said that there are three things we can do right now to provide assistance around the BP Oil Spill. Of course you need Mom, Dad or a guardian to help you with these. If you can't volunteer or donate, don't worry! Staying engaged and reading up on the latest (see number 2) is really, really helpful.
You can share your knowledge and advocate for this cause. Remember, advocating for a good cause is stand... Continue reading ...
Oil Spill in Gulf
By now I'm sure most of you know about this oil spill that is reportedly leaking almost 200,000 gallons of crude oil daily into the Gulf of Mexico. BP stilll hasn't figured out how to stop it. There's a really interesting (and short!) story about three plans to stop the oil flow at MSNBC.com.
One plan is to use remote controlled submarines to shut off the valves underwater. This is kind of like robotic surgery 5000 feet under water int the dark! Another more promising plan is to put a 125-t... Continue reading ...
Click here to visit www.NeergHall.com to learn about Project Kaisei's effort to clean up plastic debris in our oceans, especially in the North Pacific Gyre.
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ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Ethan. I like learning about the environment, science, reading and competitive swimming. I love being with my friends and working on ways to save our planet.
Green Kids Rock is the place to come to learn, play and make change happen. I want to hear all your great ideas, so please share here! We are building a movement, and we will be heard. Green Kids Rock!
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