Danny Jensen
December 17, 2008 | 4:30 pm EST
In addition to the much needed rain, forecasters predict that residents of Southern California could see snow this Christmas. And while farmers surely welcome the first Christmas rain since 2003, threats of flash floods and erratic weather should be cause for concern. I’m no meteorologist, but increasingly fluctuating and extreme weather patterns are strong indicators that we are well into a climate crisis.
takepart by helping to solve the climate crisis.
Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day
Photo: slworking2’s Flickr Photostream (Creative Commons)
In the mad, gift-buying chaos that precedes the holidays, it’s important to keep in mind those who are less concerned about getting an iPhone, and more focused on staying warm and dry through these wintry days. And given the current economic chill and housing crisis, increasing numbers of people are finding themselves jobless and homeless. So, this holiday season, as you scurry around spreading cheer to friends and family, take a moment to share a bit of warmth with those in need. Here, in no particular order, are the top ten ways to help the homeless this holiday season:
1. Food Banks and Soup Kitchens
Feeding America is an excellent resource if you’d like to volunteer at a soup kitchen in your area or donate food.
You can drop off gently used clothing or other goods at places like Goodwill or The Salvation Army, and if you have a lot to give, some will even schedule a pick-up. Also, look for local charities that often have collection sites around this time of year, such as Big Brother/Big Sister.
It wasn’t all that long ago that I was in Southern California living in the realtively safe eye of the fires that ravaged San Diego, so I can imagine the angst that is gripping Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties this morning as fires rip through the region, again, causing extensive damage. The Los Angeles Times has video and a full report.
Though it looks as though progress is being made as of this morning, the damage already done, of course, is tragic. There are, as per usual, multiple fires raging.
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While this morning’s Great Southern California Shakeout earthquake drill was a huge success, it seems a small, but real earthquake was shaking Central California. Very funny Mother Nature. A mere 24 minutes after SoCal’s safety simulation, the 3.2 magnitude quake rumbled near San Juan Bautista, a city northwest of Monterey and Salinas. Fortunately, no injuries or major damage have been reported, but it certainly goes to show how important it is to be prepared for earthquakes and other emergencies. While it’s freaking me out a bit,
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Honda Motor Corporation is on the verge of limited release of its new hydrogen powered automobile, the FCX Clarity. The new alternative energy vehicle will be leased to residents of the Southern California cities of Irvine, Torrance and Santa Monica starting this summer.
The FCX Clarity runs off of an electric motor powered by a fuel cell that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. The car has a range of 270 miles before refueling with hydrogen fuel and can reach a top speed of around 100 mph. Best of all the FCX Clarity produces Zero Emissions, making it about as environmentally friendly as a car can get. With Honda creating the car to use hydrogen, the most abundant substance in the universe, as a clean energy source, the final significant hurdle that remains is finding a viable, environmentally sound way to produce hydrogen fuel, a feat that has evaded scientists and engineers up to now.
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As the “buy local” ethic spreads beyond edibles to other kinds of consumer goods, the demand for sustainable, domestically grown cotton has skyrocketed, boosting the fortunes of California’s fiber farmers. American Apparel and yoga-gear retailer prAna will soon be selling shirts “spun with cotton grown in California’s Central Valley and sewn just a few hours away, in Southern California, to avoid burning fossil fuels in transporting the materials,” the AP reports.
By Kerry Trueman
China’s one of the world’s most prodigious producers of consumer goods, and, well, consumer not-so-goods. It’s gotten so out of hand that even some of Southern California’s smog is now manufactured in China. That’s right—according to the EPA, 25% of the particulates that hang over Los Angeles originate in China.
So, even if you could persuade every Angeleno to switch to a Prius, or follow in Ed Begley Jr.’s bicycle tracks, you’d still have to figure out what to do about the millions of folks in Beijing who’ve just ditched their bikes to buy a car. Car sales have exploded in China, and it’s threatening to blow up whatever progress we hope to make on the home front reducing greenhouse gases.
China’s unprecedented growth has prompted a literally breathtaking rise in pollution; according to a study from the Chinese government and the World Bank, some 750,000 infants a year face premature death from respiratory disease.
But just as China’s taken the lead when it comes to poisoning its waterways and air–and some of our air, too—industry leaders are starting to realize that this kind of unchecked growth has a malignant side to it. By letting its industries ignore existing regulations, China’s created an environmental crisis that’s going to require a level of technological teamwork the world has yet to see. If Western and Chinese leaders could put their heads together to solve China’s problems with cleaner technologies, we’d all be breathing easier.