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On the Bus - the newsletter of the Solar Bus project "Solar Politics" edition, September 2004
1) Report on the Solar Jam & Rally Friends of the Solar Bus, It's been an amazing summer for the Solar Bus project. Thanks to support from several people and businesses, we now have 4 big solar panels on the Bus. We've powered outdoor movie festivals and music concerts to show many people that solar energy really works. In the coming weeks, the Solar Bus will be going around to schools to demonstrate the technology to students -- our next generation. It's been a lot of work, but it's been worth it. An important election is just around the corner, and the Solar Bus isn't going to sit back and watch. It is part of the Solar Bus's mission to raise awareness and promote renewable energy, and energy is a key issue in this election. So, this is the "Solar Politics" edition of On the Bus. For those of you who are new to the newsletter, it's not always this political... 1) Report on the Solar Jam & Rally The Solar Jam & Rally last month went great. I didn't know exactly what to expect because there was no advertising. But grassroots and word-of-mouth brought out the faithful, and many unknowing passers-by in downtown Burlington were enticed by the big green bus with the stage set up next to it. Democratic candidate for governor Peter Clavelle spoke about his vision for energy production in Vermont, a vision that sees our state as a leader in bringing the country towards energy independence. For most of the afternoon, we sat back on the grass and enjoyed solar powered music thanks to the local musicians who donated their time. The weather held out, as we only had one short rain shower. And the icing on the cake was the performance of the solar electric system that supplied the power to the stage. Even though it was a partially cloudy day, the newly installed solar panels on the roof of the bus actually produced MORE power than the stage used, and at the end of the day the batteries were still full! Since this was the first time we powered such an event, it was great to see everything work properly and know that we can do it again. Which we will. I need to thank some folks here who made it all possible
Mark Nigels for setting up his sound system Unfortuantely I was too busy to take a lot of photos, but a few photo from the Solar Jam & Rally are now posted at Solar Bus photo page http//www.solarbus.org/photos.shtml 2) Solar Bus declines request to chauffeur Vermont Governor At the Solar Jam & Rally, when I introduced Mayor Clavelle, I mentioned that I've been asked by the Re-elect Governor Douglas campaign to drive the Governor around the state on his campaign tour. Evidently he wants to give the appearance that he supports renewable energy. However, I did some research into what's happened in the state over under his leadership in regards to renewable energy, and there isn't much there. While he's been governor, many wind energy projects have been stalled due to his administration. Also, a bill was introduced that would have instituted a Renewable Energy Portfolio in the state, requiring utility companies to use more renewable energy. It passed the state Senate and was stalled in the House. Governor Douglas did nothing to encourage its passing, so it failed. I feel that a Governor with a vision for renewable energy production could and would have done something and today that bill would be a law. It was very hard to decide what to do. One one hand, it would have been a unique opportunity to get a tremendous amount of exposure for the Solar Bus. Many people would have been exposed to renewable energy technology, and I would have met the Governor, maybe even gotten to talk to him a bit. And who knows, maybe I would have been able to have some influence on the way he thinks. On the other hand, I did not want to support an administration that has not been friendly to the renewable energy. After much thought, I decided to decline the Governor's request, and the Solar Bus will not be seen as a prop in his re-election campaign. I just couldn't see the Bus helping the Governor seek another term while he's done nothing to promote renewable energy. His hypocrisy would have become mine, and that's not what the Solar Bus is about. So it's a missed opportunity of making more people aware of the Solar Bus project, but in the end we still have our integrity. A copy of my letter to the Douglas campaign is available here http//www.solarbus.org/documents/douglas-letter.html So, if you agree that renewable energy is a good thing for the state of Vermont, please consider voting for Peter Clavelle. I believe him to be a man of integrity, and I know that he will not sit on his hands while important legislation beckons his leadership to be pushed through the legislature. In fact, I believe he will introduce legislation that will be aimed at creating more use of renewable energy in the state. He's very good on the social issues too. And one more thing, Governor Douglas is the chairman of the Re-elect President Bush campaign in Vermont. That alone is enough for me. Which leads me to the next topic. 3) Commentary A Fork in the Road Like many, I have never been so passionate about an election as I am now. I feel our country is at a big fork in the road and this election is quite possibly the most important one in many years. One reason that many give for not voting is "all politicians are the same." I've even heard people say they're all "Republicrats and Democans." In this particular election, nothing could be further from the truth. There are HUGE differences between the parties and in particular Bush and Kerry. And because we are at such a big fork in the road, with such obvious differences between the two choices, it is our duty to get up and VOTE. Energy is one issue on which the candidates differ, and although it's not often talked about, behind the scenes it's actually one of the key issues that will directly affect many others in the coming years. Bush represents old and dirty forms of energy production - oil, coal, and nuclear. On the other hand Kerry has said many times in his speeches, that energy policy goes far beyond environmental concerns about burning fossil fuels. The war on terrorism is tangled very deeply with energy policy. We are dependent on foreign oil, like a child is to a mother. Iraq is the second largest oil producing country in the world (Saudi Arabia is #1), and it certainly makes you wonder why we're really there. Our dependence on foreign oil forces us to make deals and compromises with countries that have horrible human rights records or even sponsor terrorism. The most obvious example is Saudi Arabia. Although women still can't drive a car there, and over half the 9/11 hijackers called it home, the Bush administration has looked the other way. Why? There is no other possible reason except for oil. However, if we could somehow end our dependence on foreign oil, we could stop supporting nations that see women as second class citizens, and we could go after terrorists - wherever they are. Kerry knows this and one of the cornerstones of his plan for America is to end our reliance on foreign oil in ten years. This is not just a sidebar or just another item on a bulleted list of ideas, it's a huge undertaking at the center of his vision for America, and it will involve all segments of society. It will be done with new technology, the increased use of renewable energy, and energy efficiency. By ending our reliance on foreign oil, we will alleviate some of the pressure in the Middle East. It is the best way to fight the war on terrorism. And there are more benefits. Economic studies have shown that such a plan would spark our economy with new technology, manufacturing, and jobs. In this case, the idea of having to choose between the environment and the economy is wrong. In fact studies show that every dollar spent on the plan will come back as increased tax revenue from new jobs by the end of the ten year period. (see below for references) Renewable energy is a key issue that ties together the economy, the environment, jobs, terrorism, and even health care. There's no doubt this can be done technically, but we need a leader who wants to do it. Our present leader doesn't seem to be interested, as he's said "we need an energy policy that encourages consumption." That would only increase our dependence on foreign oil, make it harder to fight terrorism, and accelerate global warming. 40 years ago JFK started a courageous plan called the Apollo mission, whose goal was to put a man on the moon in 10 years. Today a new JFK wants to start a new Apollo mission, whose goal is to end our dependency on foreign oil in 10 years. We need to give him the opportunity. (for more information on the new Apollo mission see www.ApolloAlliance.org). People say Kerry is boring and uninspiring. I think this Apollo mission is pretty inspiring. So, the candidates are not all the same, and this is not a time for voter apathy. Our country is at a fork in the road and yours could be the vote that changes our direction. Please register to vote now if you haven't yet, and please vote. So much is at stake. 4) Solar Politics "blog" launched A few months ago I put together a web page of links and articles relating to solar energy and politics. I'd like to officially invite you to read the Solar Politics Report "blog," which I'll be updating regularly between now and the election (and afterwards too). It's a web site that you can check often to stay current on the issues. The Solar Politics Report http//www.solarbus.org/spr Feedback is welcome! 5) George W. Bush's Accomplishments as President Some people have a thousand reasons why they don't like Bush, others just feel it in their gut and have trouble articulating it. I believe the facts just speak for themselves, and anyone who looks at it objectively will realize he's been a miserable failure. To make it easy for people to look at the facts, and perhaps share them with others, I've put together a document called "The Accomplishments of George W. Bush as President." It is a simple bulleted list that fits on one page, and is therefore easy to copy and share. A link to the document now appears on the Solar Politics Report (mentioned above) and on the Documents page of SolarBus.org. You can also check it out with this direct link http//www.solarbus.org/documents/president.pdf Please copy and share it as much as possible, especially if you know anyone in the battleground states. While on the subject, I'd like to offer to discuss the presidential election with anyone, as long as you agree to be respectful. If there's something you don't understand or you want to know more about, I'll be happy to help you find the information. Have a friend or relative that's giving you something that sounds like BS but you're not sure how to knock it down? I might have some ideas. If you think Bush is the man, and you want to debate me, I accept. We could do it in the public discussion forum, which, by the way, is open for anyone to discuss anything. (http//www.solarbus.org/forum/) 6) Solar Bus to show solar powered movies this fall The Solar Bus has received a gracious donation of a video projector. The only problem is that it uses a $400 bulb, and we have no idea how much life is left on the bulb we have. For as long as this one lasts, we'll show a few solar powered movies for free in the Burlington area this fall. In keeping with the focus on the election, the first movie will be Fahrenheit 911, which we'll show on or shortly after October 5th, the day the DVD is realeased. We'll show it outdoors for free, probably somewhere in the Burlington area. If you'd would like to see the movie please check the Solar Bus website (http//solarbus.org) for the time and place. It's hard to say where this will lead. We may show some more movies in the Burlington area, or we may hit the road and hit show Fahrenheit 911 and other movies to other communities. We may even take a road trip to a battleground state. Wanna come? Stay in touch! 7) Upcoming Events
Saturday Sept. 18th The Solar Bus will not necessarily be at these events, but you might want to know about them
Sunday, Sept. 19th - Rally against Bush Debate Watching Parties - all begin at 900pm
Thursday, September 30th at Manhattan Pizza, Burlington VT
Tuesday, October 5th at Nectar’s, Burlington, VT
Friday, October 8 at Democracy for America
Wednesday, October 13 at Ri Ra's In conclusion I'd like to again thank everyone who has helped with the Solar Bus project. Please visit the "Special Thanks" page (http//www.solarbus.org/thankyou.shtml) where I've acknowledged many of the people who have donated their time, money or energy. Peace, Gary Beckwith
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Economic study on energy independence
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