Orange County Interfaith
Coalition
for the Environment
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| Climate Protection Campaign With less than 5% of the world’s population, the US produces more than 25% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, and those emissions continue to grow. We believe that US cities can, and should act to reduce green house gas emissions. Many cities are already doing so through programs such as energy conservation, urban forest restoration, control of sprawl and the use of alternative fuels in their fleets. Not only are they reducing their contributions to global warming pollution, they are investing in more livable cities through cleaner air, creation and preservation of open space, and reduced energy costs, at the same time, saving the taxpayers’ money. Please join the mayors who are already committed to providing leadership on this nation-wide, urgent effort. Since Seattle’s Mayor, Greg Nickels first announced this initiative on February 16, 2005, the interest and positive feedback have remained intense, including national news stories. As of this writing, more than 800 mayors, including seven in Orange County (Aliso Viejo, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, and Santa Ana) have signed the Climate Protection Agreement. This is an opportunity to build on what is becoming an increasingly bi-partisan issue. Moreover, it is an opportunity to provide real leadership to the more than 80% of Americans who think the US should be acting to reduce global warming pollution. Enclosed, please find the draft resolution, which includes the Climate Protection Agreement, drafted by the US Conference of Mayors, as well as form for your signature. For more information, please visit the Climate Action web page at http://seattle.gov./climate/govResources.htm. On this site, you will find the Climate Action Handbook, a resource guide on climate protection. Intended for signatories of the US Mayors Agreement but applicable to cities and towns across the country, the handbook showcases climate protection policies, actions, tools and best practices. If more cities, such as the city of Costa Mesa, offered fee waivers for those adding green technology, such as solar panels, to their homes, Orange County’s green house gas emissions could be significantly reduced, thus improving air quality. Costa Mesa is working with Con Edison to develop green alternatives, with the aim of receiving some incentives and rate reductions that may accompany their efforts. Although there have been climate protection resolutions adopted by the US Council of Mayors’ in prior years, you will see that they are urging specific actions—the only way we will make real progress in reversing the trend toward global warming. Mayoral support for the protection agreement is a step toward helping restore the Earth’s environment through legislation. Thank you so much for your kind cooperation. Download the Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment's Climate Protection Agreement. Help OCICE by speaking to your City Council. Contact Us to let us know what city you live in and when you would like to address your City Council. A representative will contact you to review the information you will need in order to address the council. The Catholic Church adds "Thou Shall Not Pollute the Earth" as a new sin. Southern Baptist Leaders Shift Position on Global Climate Change Guidelines: Greening your house of worship. Guidelines: Greening your home. |
 "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Mahatma Ghandi
Tip of the Month Make the switch to re-usable (cloth) tote bags for all of your shopping needs. If you use a cloth bag, you can save 6 bags each week. That's 24 bags a month, 288 bags a year, and 22, 176 bags in an average life-time. If just 1 out of 5 people in our country did this we would save 1,330,560,000,000 bags over our life time! Plastic bags are made from a non-renewable natural resource: petroleum. Consequently, the manufacturing of plastic bags contributes to the diminishing availability of our natural resources and the damage to the environment from the extraction of petroleum. At the same time, plastics are hazardous to produce; the pollution from plastic production is harmful to the environment. Finally, most plastic bags are made of polyethylene - more commonly known as polythene - they are hazardous to manufacture and are said to take up to 1,000 years to decompose on land and 450 years in water. To join the Campaign Against the Plastic Plague, visit Earth Resource Foundation's website.
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