Take Me To Your Leader

First off, I'm so glad to see the ball rolling at the Yahoo! group! Yeah, that looks weird, doesn't it? But it is Yahoo! and I'm excited! Hence, the double exclamation points!!

Anyway, today's pre-task will take you on an internet search. It shouldn't take too long - twenty, thirty minutes - tops, after which you can get back to your coffee, tea or appletini.

Head on out into the interwebs and locate the name, mailing address, email and phone number of every elected official who represents you. Or claims to, at least. Put that information in a Word document or other spot for quick future reference. You'll need it for the some of the challenges that lie ahead.

I know some of the information will change in the near future. Life is like that. It changes. You need to keep it updated. For Christ's sake if you can waste an hour each week mining for information about "Survivors" on far away islands, or checking which basketball team is going to the finals, you can certainly find one hour a year to update a document that lists the people who have the ability to spend your tax dollars.

I'll even give you some jumping off points:


US Citizens:

http://www.votesmart.org/

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/



Australian Citizens:

http://www.aec.gov.au/



Canadian Citizens:

http://www.elect.ca/



British Citizens:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/index.htm


Well, according to my webstats, that should about cover it. If I missed you and your nationality, please leave a note in the comments! Also, if you find any other good resources, please feel free to list them either here or at the Yahoo! site.

Interesting Op-Ed in the NY Times

Today's New York Times ran an op-ed piece by Jack Hedin, a small, midwestern farmer, entitled My Forbidden Fruits and Vegetables. It talks about how the farm bill that is currently being negotiated on Capitol Hill will have a horribly detrimental effect on small, local vegetable farmers. These are the folks who run the CSAs, bring their produce to the Farmer's Market and often sell their organice fruits and veggies to the local grocery stores.

I urge you to give it a read and then, drop a note to your congressman and senators to let them know how you feel about the farm bill.

Get the lead out. That is all.

If, like me, you're lazy and wish someone would write a letter for you to just copy and paste, feel free to take the words right out of my mouth, er... post:

I was deeply disturbed by the op-ed piece in today's New York Times entitled "My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)". My concern is centered around the farm bill, which is currently under negotiation.

According to the article:

"The commodity farm program effectively forbids farmers who usually grow corn or the other four federally subsidized commodity crops (soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton) from trying fruit and vegetables. Because my watermelons and tomatoes had been planted on “corn base” acres, the Farm Service said, my landlords were out of compliance with the commodity program.
I’ve discovered that typically, a farmer who grows the forbidden fruits and vegetables on corn acreage not only has to give up his subsidy for the year on that acreage, he is also penalized the market value of the illicit crop, and runs the risk that those acres will be permanently ineligible for any subsidies in the future. (The penalties apply only to fruits and vegetables — if the farmer decides to grow another commodity crop, or even nothing at all, there’s no problem.)

In my case, that meant I paid my landlords $8,771 — for one season alone! And this was in a year when the high price of grain meant that only one of the government’s three crop-support programs was in effect; the total bill might be much worse in the future.

In addition, the bureaucratic entanglements that these two farmers faced at the Farm Service office were substantial. The federal farm program is making it next to impossible for farmers to rent land to me to grow fresh organic vegetables."

Personally, as a citizen, voter, blogger and general all-around loud-mouth, I would like to see you do your part to ensure that I have access to locally grown organic vegetables produced on small, family-owned farms. I would appreciate a response indicating your stance on this matter.

Regards,

[Your Name Here]

Day 122 - Letters to the Editor

Calling Bullshit When I See It

Have you noticed how commercial environmentalism has become? Everyone from movie stars to football franchises, governments and even giant BoxMart stores all want to be seen as environmentally friendly. And that's great, as long as they're backing up all the talk with action.

BUT.

Don't try to tell me it's green when it's black -- I'm not color blind. And now, inspired by my daily dose of Blue Girl, Red State, I WILL call you on it.

Example: One week ago, our county decided to ban new residents from participating in the bi-weekly curbside recycling (to save money, of course). The story got a mention on the late night news, but that was about it. The next week, there was a HUGE - I'm talking front page - write up about how the county was on the cutting edge of green-ness and was a leader in the arena of environmental protection and waste management.

Smell bullshit? I did. And so, for the first time ever, I actually sat down and wrote a "Letter to the Editor". I might not be the most eloquent writer, but if I don't call it out, who will? I can't sit back and hope others will put their neck on the line, just because I don't want people to think I'm "one of those" angry, letter-writing people. Here's what I wrote:

There was an interesting article in this week's Richmond Times Dispatch's Sunday Pullout about Chesterfield's waste division being accepted into the EPA's Performance Track program. While I do applaud their efforts to recycle vehicle oil to heat buildings, I really think it would be a stretch to say that Chesterfield County's Waste Program is a "leader in the country".

Just last week, the Water and Resource Recovery Department instituted a ban that would prohibit new residents from participating in the curbside recycling program. If Chesterfield County really wanted to be a leader in environmental protection, they could begin by not only allowing, but REQUIRING all residents and business to recycle their paper, glass and aluminum. And would, of course, follow through by providing the necessary curbside resources to support such a mandate.

I'm pleased to see that Chesterfield County's application to the EPA PT program was accepted (as virtually all applicants are), however, perhaps instead of applying for government funded programs that lower their priority for routine inspections, they could put their resources to better use by maintaining the county's sorely needed curbside recycling program.


Not exactly poetry, but I think I got my point across. Hopefully this will draw some attention to the fact that while being able to slap a cool EPA logo on your letterhead is nice, what is more important is to ensure that all of our residents are able to do one of the most basic of environmental tasks: RECYCLE.

Savings:

None. :-(

Difficulty Level: 4 out of 5

Why so difficult? Well, despite all my tough talk about calling people out, it is something I HATE TO DO. I'm always afraid of offending people (makes you wonder why I don't shut my mouth more often then, doesn't it?). My fear is that this decision was made by someone with great intentions and here I am crapping all over their idea. Part of me secretly hopes the newspaper doesn't publish it!

Day 113 - Rock The Vote

Casting My Vote for Candidates Who Share My Concerns

Today is election day! The day when all us average joes can go out and cast our ballot for a brighter future. In small towns and big cities across the country, a paltry 35% of eligible Americans will go to the polls to decide various state and local races.

I beg you, oh informed and enlightened ones - cast your ballots!

That is all.

Day Eighty - Stand Up and Be Counted

Register to Vote / Update Voter Registration

Just like the lottery, when it comes to voting for our elected officials, "you gotta be in it to win it". Many states, like mine, require that you register to vote one month prior to the election. Since elections will be held this year on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, that means it's show time. We've all got until October 6, 2007 to make sure our registrations are current and valid for the jurisdiction where we live.

If you've never registered before and need help, here's a great link presented by DeclareYourself.com to help you get started. It lists every state's voter laws and registration deadlines. It even gives you links directly to the states' election websites. If you've moved during the last 12 months (like me), be sure to go and update your voter registration NOW. Don't wait until November when you might end up being that poor, disenfranchised democrat that makes the nightly news. (Of course, you can ALWAYS fill out a provisional ballot, if any questions arise as to your true jurisdiction or registration).

Now I know these local races aren't nearly as exciting as the "Big Race" coming in 2008. However, the local legislative bodies are routinely faced with environmental issues that will affect your life daily. Take the next month to research the candidates whose names will appear on your ballots. Familiarize yourself with their track record, when available, or at least with their stance on environmental policies. If it all looks like jibbertygooblepuff, drop the candidate an email and ask some point-blank questions on issues like commercial development, protected watersheds, public land use... whatever you feel is most important.

There is simply NO EXCUSE for not voting. All the personal water conservation, recycling efforts, volunteering, composting and blogging doesn't mean a damn thing if we don't back it up at the polls. This is just a gentle reminder to everyone that if you don't vote, your license to bitch about policies, big and small, will be immediately revoked.

So, we've got about ten days to make sure our collective ducks are in a row. Pull out your wallet right now while you're thinking about it, and make sure you're voter registration card is in there. If not, now is the time to do something about it.

I'm serious, get off your ass, step away from the computer and check. I'll wait....



FREAKIN' GO ALREADY!


Thank you. You're a Rock Star! See you at the polls! :-)


Savings:

Possibly the planet, or at least your little corner of it.


Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5

It's only a "2" if this is your first time registering, and that's only because some states want you to register at the DMV, which is like being sentenced to three hours in HELL. However, most states let you do it all online or via mail, so for the majority of folks, it's no big sweat.

Day Twenty-Five - Let's Talk Politics

Write Letters to Your Representatives About Important Environmental Issues

This one requires a bit of research and a little passion to make it happen. But, supposedly, if I am to believe SchoolHouse Rock, this is how laws are enacted. You get a good idea and write to your senator,congressman, governor, county supervisor, et al. They take that idea and introduce it as legislation. If it's a good idea, it becomes a law. (I don't remember little "Bill sittin' on Capitol Hill" with a bunch of highly paid lobbyists, though, so I could be wayyyyy off.)

My first obstacle on this items was: (please don't laugh) I had no friggin clue who my representatives were. Yes folks, I really am your average American! Don't get me wrong, I know my governor, my congressman and a senator, but that's about it. Fortunately for me, the world wide web o' wonder saved my ass again. If you're as ignorant as I am, check out http://www.vote-smart.org/. It lets you type in your zip code (if you don't know your 9 digit zip, grab one of those nasty pieces of junk mail you get -- they sure know your zip!) and get a list of your current officials from congressional, gubernatorial and state-wide positions. It provides you with links to their information, email and stats on how they have voted on major issues (scroll down that page to find the Environmental Heading). Another great site (which also gives you your local reps) is http://www.congress.org/. Again, just type in your address & zip and it will supply you with the names and emails of all your reps, right down to your local district supervisors.

If you see something you like (or don't like like) click on their email link and send them a note telling them how you feel. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just the facts. Be sure to let them know that you vote (you do vote, right?!?!), that you live within their district, that you know their record and finally that you agree / don't agree with their voting record. If there is any current legislation pending, let them know how you would want them to vote on it. As the mayor in A Nightmare Before Christmas says "I'm only an elected official, I can't make decisions on my own!!!"

I was feeling all bottle-bill-ish after my last post, so I whipped off this email to my governor:

Dear Governor Kaine,

I am writing to you as a registered voter from Chesterfield
County. I understand that you have stated you would support a Bottle Bill if it
were brought before you. I moved here from NY two years ago where we did
have a bottle law and I can definitely see the difference it makes in roadside
litter. I would love to see a bottle deposit on sodas AND non-carbonated drinks
as well. I think it would only enhance the already natural beauty of the
Commonwealth. Thank you for your time and attention in this
matter.

Regards,

Erin Coe

Not exactly Shakespeare, but it lets him know that at least one voter out there wants a bottle bill too, and that's the point of writing. If he, or any other elected official, wants to keep his "job" he needs to keep his voters happy. It's pretty simple. So make it a goal to write one letter a week about something to one of your reps. It only takes a couple minutes to do and you'll be participating in democracy while saving the planet. Ahhhh, feels good, doesn't it?


Savings:

Unknown. Perhaps immeasurable.


Difficulty Level: 1 out of 5

Easy peasy, once you know who your reps are. If you really want to make it even easier, simply write a generic email and save it in a word doc so you can just copy and paste it to all your reps. Pick a new topic each week and let 'er rip. SOMEBODY must read them, right?

Note to Readers: Taking my lazy butt on vacation again! Getting back to nature by going camping this weekend with the family and eating s'mores. Will return on Monday!