I’ve long believed that protecting the environment is a value held by most people regardless of political leanings, particularly in Minnesota.  That hasn’t stopped the stereotypes though.  But a few things this week seems to mock those stereotypes. 

For example, the Star Tribune, long blasted by the right-wing as being too liberal, praised Governor Pawlenty’s greening (and neglected to credit Senator Scott Dibble’s long track record of working on energy efficiency).  And going the other way, a self-identified Republican from Maple Grove is quoted in the New York Times from a follow up interview of a poll on global warming.  He blasts Republicans for slashing funds for the environment, favoring business, and being “beholden to Big Oil.”  What a world.

Actually, I recommend you look over the Times’s article, as there are some interesting poll findings.  Americans are apparently more willing to pay additional money for cleaner electricity, but not more for gas (unless it reduces our use of foreign oil).  Eighty percent of us think the condition of the world’s environment is “fair or poor,” but most of us are happy with it in the area we live in (which is one reason, I believe, that protecting the environment is not a bigger issue with politicians).  However, 57 percent expect the environment to be worse for the next generation.

Many more interesting stats I’ll leave for you to discover, but I will point out my favorite.  Of the 75 percent thinking that our weather is getting weirder, almost half blame global warming while 4 percent attribute it to the end of the earth being near and another 2 percent to space junk.  Where’s my umbrella?

by J. Drake Hamilton

Recently this child-free writer had the opportunity to speak to several hundred Minnesota science teachers about global warming science. Both the event, and the emails I’ve received from teachers since, have been eye-openers for me. It seems that very few non-metro science teachers have the resources needed to teach about global warming. A number of classrooms are dominated by climate change deniers—students whose parents think the warnings from scientists, economists, world leaders, faith leaders, polar explorers, and retired military generals are either part of a hoax or not of consequence.

I urge you to offer to speak at your local high school or middle school about whichever environmental topics you know best. Students and their teachers need your expertise, your passion, and your access to knowledge. As Earth Month 2007 draws to a close, please speak out in your community to those who most need to hear about environmental science.

A few random items for your consideration:

The loss of bees has been a hot topic lately. But as Mouse and Garden and the Star Tribune both point out today, it is not the loss of all bees; it is the loss of European Honeybees.  We have over 1,500 native bees on this continent and the European Honeybee is the only one being affected by what is now being called Colony Collapse Disorder.   Of course, we have large numbers of honeybees because they are darn good at pollinating (with reportedly one-third of our food relying on such services) and because of the honey.  However, realizing that only this one type of non-native species is being affected does bring up some interesting questions (which I’ll leave to you to ponder).  Perhaps this is more about a flawed industrial system for food in our country than it is about a breakdown in nature.  The potential tragedy of this disorder being all of the lives and jobs that are dependent on this food system remaining intact.

On the energy front, while many folks were organizing to improve our energy future via the Senate Environment and Energy Omnibus Finance Bill, Xcel Energy was busy trying to undermine the use of a distributed (potentially clean, given the proper fuel source) energy system at the Rock Tenn paper recycling facility here in St. Paul.  Rock Tenn employs some 450 Steelworks and handles half of Minnesota’s recycled paper.  Fortunately, the Twin Cities Daily Planet is shedding some light on Xcel’s lobbying. 

Speaking of Steelworker jobs and the environment.  The American Iron and Steel Institute was in D.C. yesterday testifying on efforts to reduce global warming pollution produced during the manufacturing of steel.  They are making some pretty big promises about the potential to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions during the production of steel.  Of course, it is all in the research stage and in need of demonstration.  But as long as we are going to keep mining taconite from the Range, wouldn’t it be great to demonstrate once and for all that creating jobs up north and protecting the environment aren’t always in opposition?

Everywhere you turn these days the topic of climate change is inescapable. Whether it’s Diesel jeans touting its denim in a cheeky, albeit actually very unfunny, advertising campaign, the seemingly daily announcements of businesses touting their “greenness” — Home Depot has an “eco options” campaign, Best Buy sells energy efficient appliances while Wal-Mart touts its Live Better program — and pop-culture magazines sport cover stories about localized farming, politicians stumping for the environment and Leonadro DiCaprio’s role as Hollywood’s leading green man. All this points to the public’s slow-but-sure recognition that energy consumption, and it’s dark side, has come of age. So it should be little surprise that the government, at least on the local level, is stepping up to the plate too. (more…)

One doesn’t need pugilistic experience to feel the effects of a “sucker punch.” We’ve all experienced different versions of the cheap shot in our daily lives—we’re expecting one thing and get waylaid by something altogether different, something we weren’t prepared for. Say you’re being a good defensive driver, keeping your eyes peeled for all those Hummer owners jacked-up on Red Bull and talk radio, when a chunk of airplane engine plummets to earth, flattening your ‘94 Ford Escort (and you). That’s a sucker punch. Or walk into a meeting prepared to talk about a project you’ve been diligently working on, only to find your boss wants to know about the one you’ve been blowing off, the one you thought all the bigwigs had forgotten about. Ouch. Well, there are increasing signs that society at large is getting sucker-punched by agrichemicals. We’re looking one way, and an insidious threat is sneaking through the back door. Fortunately for humans, there are frogs. And some of those amphibians are taking a few punches to the chin, providing an early warning that a devastating roundhouse is on its way. (more…)

Minnesota Public Radio’s Mouse and Garden blog has a short post up on how global warming is affecting Minnesota’s state flower, the Pink and White Showy Lady’s Slipper.  Do you think Dogwood would make a good new state flower?

Ever wonder where the Easter bunny goes after the holiday?  Here’s John Tuma’s week update from the capitol:

“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.”
 Elwood P. Dowd (played by Jimmy Stewart) in the 1950 movie “Harvey”
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