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Towards a just & healthy democracy in the Commonwealth... and beyond!
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Mon Nov 07, 2011 at 19:11:27 PM EST
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(Some good ideas, as usual. And I especially like what these guys are doing: http://opensourceecology.org - promoted by eli_beckerman)
The Climate CoLab is part of MIT's Center for Collective Intelligence.
In both 2010 and 2011, the primary activities have been a pair of online contests, where teams of community members are invited to propose actions to key aspects of climate change.
The 2011 contest poses the question:
How should the 21st century economy evolve bearing in mind the risks of climate change?
In the initial stages of a contest, teams develop proposals on what should be done. Expert judges assess and select finalists among these proposals.
In the final round, Climate CoLab members are invited to vote. Winners are chosen based on voting and on a second review by the judges. A group of policy makers are briefed on the winning proposals.
On the national level, my proposal made the final cut:
How to Change US Energy in One Growing Season
http://climatecolab.org/web/gu...
You can vote for it or other proposals in the contest until November 15 at the URLs above. Please take a look. |
| gmoke :: Finalist in MIT Climate CoLab Contest: I Solve Climate Change |
| To be entirely honest, I have no expectation of winning this contest but I do have fantasies of showing up to present my proposal to the vaunted panel of policy-makers in full DFH regalia (you should see my patched jeans and Solar IS Civil Defense t-shirt) and burning their asses for spending all their time trying to convince people that climate change is real rather than working on practical solutions that will be accepted by anyone, troglodyte or Nobel prizewinner.
I'm looking at you Al Gore. Hours on the scare stories of climate change and minutes or less on real solutions. Meh. |
| Poll |
| More climate collaboration? |
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Results
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| About |
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Green Mass Group is an online forum for Green thought and collective action in Massachusetts. It is a community forum for justice, sustainability, democracy and health in the Commonwealth and beyond.
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| Quotes |
"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required - on entitlement reform and tax reform - right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year. Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America."
--President Barack Obama on the debt ceiling "deal"
"Despite Democratic control over the White House, despite Democratic control over the Senate, despite overwhelming opposition from the American people, a small minority of the members of the Republican-controlled House have successfully pushed an extreme right-wing agenda onto the American political landscape. It is an ideology which believes that despite the fact that the rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and poverty is increasing, all - all of the burden for deficit reduction should rest on working people."
--Independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the debt ceiling "deal"
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Then and Now
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Then...
"Last year Evergreen, a Massachusetts company, agreed to establish their first-ever United States based manufacturing facility here in Massachusetts. They did so, or are doing so, at Devens. They have now agreed and chosen to triple their size at Devens. Their next phase of expansion, right here in Massachusetts, a signature company in a signature sector, and we congratulate all of the folks at Evergreen and look forward to continuing to work with you...
We made a personal commitment to Evergreen for the sake of Evergreen, but also because we wanted to show that there are ways in which state government, in working together with private industry and with the utility companies, could begin to create a different kind of environment, a different kind of business climate here, to grow that sector, and it is happening. It's happening. Evergreen is one of the most prominent examples, but there are a whole host of examples."
--Governor Deval Patrick, April 7, 2008, boasting about state investment in Evergreen.
and Now...
"Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, completing a stunning reversal of fortune for a high-flying alternative-energy company that once seemed to herald a new era for the Massachusetts economy... At its peak, Evergreen employed roughly 900 people locally and attracted more than $50 million in state support, as its stock price soared above $100 a share.
Yesterday, Evergreen's stock closed at 18 cents. The company shuttered its manufacturing plant in Devens earlier this year and now has only 85 employees left. Massachusetts is one of its top creditors, owed $1.5 million in rent."
--Erin Ailworth, Boston Globe, August 16, 2011
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