McCain / Palin or Obama / Biden, what happens to the environment?

So you’ve probably seen the video where Palin is asking her church congregation to pray for the oil pipeline in Alaska, but what’s the full story? How have the candidates voted in congress? What have they said publicly related to their positions on environmental issues? Here are some things to consider (if you haven’t already made up your choice) before you head to the polls.

McCain / Palin

John McCain
- Build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030. (Jun 2008)
- Realistic climate plan that clashes with GOP. (Jun 2008)
- End moratorium on offshore oil drilling. (Jun 2008)
- Favors wind & solar in ad; favors nuclear in bills. (Jun 2008)
- Support much tougher regulations on emission requirements. (Jan 2008)

Sarah Palin
- Global warming affects Alaska, but is not man-made. (Aug 2008)
- Energy relief plan: $100 per person monthly, for oil & gas. (May 2008)
- Opposed protections for salmon from mining contamination. (Aug 2008)
- Sue US government to stop listing polar bear as endangered. (Aug 2008)
- We must encourage timber, mining, drilling, & fishing. (Jan 2008)
- Cut funding for alternative energy research (May 2008)

Obama / Biden

Barack Obama
- GovWatch: $150B for electric car batteries & new technology. (Jun 2008)
- GovWatch: Supports nuclear power if it’s clean & safe. (Jun 2008)
- $150B investment over 10 years to reduce oil usage by 35%. (May 2008)
- Figure out how to sequester carbon and burn clean coal. (May 2008)
- Raise fuel efficiency standards to reduce long-term demand. (Apr 2008)
- Reduce the consumption of energy and be more efficient. (Jan 2008)
- Aggressively address accelerating climate change. (Dec 2007)
- Passed tax credit for installing E85 ethanol at gas stations. (Feb 2008)
- Sponsored legislations that improve energy efficiency. (Sep 2004)
- Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)
- Willing to suspend ethanol subsidy to keep food prices down. (May 2008)
- Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future. (Apr 2008) 
- Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards. (Dec 2007)

Joe Biden
- Supports cap-and-trade for greenhouse gases. (Nov 2007)
- Make every automobile sold be a flex-fuel automobile. (Apr 2007)
- Voted YES on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (Jun 2008)
- Voted YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China. (May 2008)
- Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)

For complete details, visit: http://www.ontheissues.org/ where you can also get details on the candidates’ views on abortion, family, the economy and national budget, civil rights, crime and much more.

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News: Congress investigates green home loans

This week U.S Rep Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), presented Bill HR 6078: G.R.E.E.N Act 2008 (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods) to the House Financal Services Committee – of which he is a member.   He also is chair of the bipartisan Financial Services Energy Efficiency Task Force whose goal is to determine ways to improve energy efficiency within the financial services industry and housing sector while creating healthier communities.

HR 6078 was submitted on May 15th.  Among many other things, the GREEN ACT 2008 provides incentives to lenders and financial institutions to provide lower interest loans and other benefits to consumers, who build, buy or remodel their homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency.  For consumer this includes Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) products.

If you want to watch Perlmutter in action around the G.R.E.E.N Act watch this video from late April 2008. Stay tuned to GetWithGreen.com, and we will keep you posted as this story unfolds. 

 

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SAVING WATER: What does the WaterSense label mean to your remodel?

Using water-efficient products we can save both our environment and money.  WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is making it easy for all of us homeowners to find and select water-efficient products.

On average, WaterSense labeled product use 20% more efficient than similar products that are not.  To achieve a WaterSense label, a manufacturer must get their product certified against a specification from WaterSense.

WaterSense Labeled Home Products

Bathroom Sink Faucets -If every household installed a WaterSense labeled faucet or aerator we could save more than 60 billion gallons of water annually.  By installing a WaterSense labeled faucet an average home will save 500 gallons each year – and this reduced demand of water requires less heating, which saves even more energy and money!

Here are the bathroom faucets and aerators you can find with WaterSense Labels:

• Delta (Lahara model)
• Moen (Banbury, Caldwell, FINA, Lindley, Muirfield, Rothbury models and more)
• Price Pfister (Ashfield, Falsetto, Hanover, Langston, SKYE, Vega, Virtue models)
• NEOPERL Aerators

Toilets -Inefficient toilets are responsible for much of the water wasted in American homes today.  Replacing these toilets could save nearly 2 billion gallons annually.  GetWithGreen.com covered the best of the best WaterSense toilets late last year.  The ones we provided pricing for were high-efficiency toilets (HETs).  Here is the WaterSense list:

• American Standard (Cadet, FloWise models)
• Caroma (Adelaide, Bondi, Brisbane, Read more

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