Reality Check

Mrrrrr Friends,

I've been getting a little flak for seeming to have abandoned political and environmental commentary here in the blog. It's true that I've been pretty obsessed with my new home and our adventures outside. I'm still engaged with the big blue marble and my critter friends in it, but I've also been a bit worried about how to live up to my own furry responsibilities to protect the earth, our home. That shouldn't stop me from talking about what worries me though, and doing what I can.

It's hard to know what one cat - albeit a furry, black blogging cat - can do to make a difference. Biodegradable cat litter? Check. Minimal packaging for cat supplies? Check. Organic food and catnip products? Check. Carbon Neutral Cat? Check. Recycling of cat fur as bird nesting material? Check. Support of local environmental organizations working toward balanced, sustainable, long-term solutions, and other groups that help critters? Not as much as I'd like, but, check. Occasional rabble-rousing, awareness-building, engaging in spirited debate, and sharing of info? Not as much as I'd like, but, check. People who are engaged in the the conservation struggle? Check.

But I still feel like I should be able to do more.

Of a piece with that, I've got something for you to watch if you haven't already. This is a gorgeous but hard-hitting, 1 hour and 30 minute film about our world and what we...well, mostly it's what you human types...have done to it. There is beauty (humpback whales and charging elephalants) and there is ugly (tar sands, clear-cutting, poverty). It's a call to action.

Click here to watch Home in English, give it time to load up (click pause on the YouTube screen at the beginning and wait 20 minutes), make it full screen, and watch.

If you'd like to know what you are getting into, here's a preview.

Watch the long version (remember, that link is above). Think about it. Tell me if you come up with anything else for a furry, environmentally aware cat dude to do, or share what you are doing.

Diesel is Carbon Neutral

Would I joke about a thing like this? Look, here's proof.

I figure, now, all my trips to the vet are covered, the shipping of my food and acquisition of Yeow! Brand Cat nip toys is covered, production of the (biodegradable) packaging and manufacture, even, of my portion of my litter might be covered. Basically, I hope I'm a carbon neutral cat, perhaps the first home-based carbon neutral cat. That's pretty cool.

And speaking of pretty cool - the Adirondack Council is a very effective not-for-profit organization working to protect the Adirondack Park. They had the foresight to buy 5,000 tons of carbon credits during the big RGGI "allowance" auction in 10 Northeastern states. Those 10 states got together and decided on a cap on carbon emissions. Then, they made all the commercial power plants in the 10 states buy one carbon credit for each ton of carbon dioxide they would spew into the atmosphere. If they use less, they get to sell their credit. And that's the goal, to reduce CO2 emissions by 10% by 2018. When the Adirondack Council folks bought a bunch of credits, they, in effect, secured the retirement of those credits. Supporters can "buy" 3 tons of credits with a $25 donation. I got my three credits when I joined North Country Public Radio - they partnered with our Council friends to provide these to new NCPR members.

The Adirondack Council works on myriad conservation issues large and small. They advocate for conserving the forests and wild places of the Adirondack Park, rehabilitating abandoned mines, curbing mercury use and acid rain (don't even get me started on coal and "natural gas"), and they work on one of my pet issues, reducing road salt use. They aren't the only group doing good conservation things in the park but they get my vote (and my peoples' support) for helping me get this carbon thing under control. It was giving me a bum rap.