Fight terrorism by fixing the environment

"The challenge is not to provide a high-tech military response to terrorism, but to build a global society that is environmentally sustainable and equitable—one that restores hope for everyone. Such an effort would more effectively undermine the support for terrorism than any increase in military expenditures, than any new weapons systems, however advanced."

Lester R. Brown
PLAN B 2.0:
Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

The real price at the pump

I was reading Plan B 2.0 by Lester R. Brown, which I recommend to everyone, It is available online in pdf form, but you can also buy it. In it he proposes many concrete policy shifts that can bring about real change (for the better) in the environment.

He points out that the price of gas (in the us) bares no relation to the real cost, when you factor in the medical costs of resperatory damage, the cost of securing and transporting oil, the ecological impact of extracting the crude, etc. These externalities add roughly $9 per gallon to the real price of gas. So on top of the $3 per gallon we are paying now that's $12 a gallon. The other $9 we pay in lost of life, destruction of natural assets, higher medical insurance, government spending (from our taxes) etc. If the government were to tax gas to cover the real cost of it and reduce income taxes to make up the difference. The revenue from the gas tax could go to building more public transit and change the market to incentivize alternatives to driving.

He makes the case that the same type of tax was used on cigarettes to both pay for the medicare costs of cigarettes and to get people to quit smoking.

This is not a dream it is happening in other countries, Germany, and many other EU counties are also is doing this very thing. So when you fill up think of how much you are not paying for when you pay $3 a gallon.

Green Brunch? Or Sustainable Supper?

The Baltimore Green Festival is Saturday April 22 at Middle Branch Park, which also happens to be the day we were thinking of having everyone down to see our house and have dinner.

So why not make a day of it and join us for the festival and a meal. I was thinking we could either have bunch at our place and then anyone who wanted to go to the festival could go after bunch or anyone who wanted to go the the festival could come down early and go to the festival then come back to our place for dinner.

I will leave it up the you to decide, let me know if you can make it and which you would prefer. (Also is the date good for everyone? I couldn't remember what everyones schedule was like)