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Environmental Advocacy through Citizen Journalism

Exposing all the environmental insults taking place around the world is an important part of changing the way we treat the Earth. This video shows you how to become a citizen journalist and report important environmental stories effecting your community.

How to Help Pass Environmental Legislation

This video addresses an approach to changing environmental and energy laws. This class teaches you how to get results by developing and proposing adoptable solutions at government meetings. Although the course suggests "ready to adopt" laws, there is no need to confine yourself to this list. In this world of negative politics this no-blame approach may improve the chances of successfully passing environmental legislation.

Environmental Advocacy Influence on Policy and Law

Environmental advocacy can change laws. When enough people get involved lawmakers will listen. In this video Allen Grosboll, co-legislative director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, explains how you can use environmental advocacy to have a positive impact on policy.

GE’s Immelt Calls Current US Energy Policy "Stupid"

GE's CEO Jeffrey Immelt has indicated that the US needs a national energy policy that puts a long-term price on carbon pollution as China and other nations surge ahead in green technology.

GE, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, is the world’s biggest maker of power-generation equipment, GE power-generation equipment provides one-third of the world’s electricity. The GE Energy Infrastructure division includes transmission equipment and smart-meters.

As reported in Businesssweek, Immelt said, “China is green, green, green, green -- four greens.” He cited demand, innovation funding, supply chain and public policy as advantages for China over the US.

Immelt is a leading advocate in US Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of companies backing stalled legislation that would establish a cap-and-trade. The failure to set new rules promoting “clean” technologies puts the U.S. at risk, he said.

“You actually have to have an energy policy,” Immelt said. “It’s stupid what we have today.”

China and other industrialized counties are pulling ahead of the US in the race to lead in clean energy because policy makers in Washington have been caught up in debates on issues such as the effects of climate change, Immelt said.

“The rest of the world is moving 10 times faster than we are, and that’s going to mean someday fewer jobs, it’s going to mean less energy security, it’s going to mean lots of other things other than just climate change,” he said.

Immelt, who also called for a national standard requiring the use of renewable energy, said GE won’t give up on pushing to change US energy policy.

Immelt indicated that the US needs to establish a “long-term price signal” on carbon emissions, in order for companies to provide “appropriate funding for innovation.” Such moves would create jobs rather than shift them overseas, Immelt said.

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