The fallout from the death of a comprehensive energy bill continues.  Thomas Friedman of the New York Times weighs in with the reality of it all:

“The truth is, the public, confused and stressed by the last two years, never got mobilized to press for this legislation. We will regret it. We’ve basically decided to keep pumping greenhouse gases into Mother Nature’s operating system and take our chances that the results will be benign — even though a vast majority of scientists warn that this will not be so.”

The SF Chronicle deconstructs how the measure failed. The NY Times points out the timing of the Senate’s failure is ironic, coming after the hottest 6-month stretch on record. The NY Times also says the EPA is going after mercury, which will force many coal plants to close - the knockout punch to coal could really help the fight against climate change.

By 2050, demand will outweigh water supply in 14 states across the U.S. Also, Wal-Mart has many tricks up its sleeve in becoming more environmentally friendly.

Shop for the environment
Macy’s Shop for a Cause is back this year and Lights Out, Green In will once again take part.
The event is Oct. 16 and for a $5 donation shoppers can buy a pass that entitles them to
10%-20% throughout the entire store and online on that Saturday. The pass also gives the shopper
25% off one individual item. Last year, LOGI sold more than 50 shopping passes, raising more
than $265. The money helped LOGI purchase energy-saving bulbs for low-income residents.
To purchase a shopping pass good at any Macy’s store, e-mail info@lightsoutgreenin.org.

Fresh face & Independence
A movement is on for energy independence in this country and Lights Out, Green In is there to
support it. On Sunday, July 11, LOGI will be at the second annual Energy Independence Day
under the wind turbine in Middletown, RI, from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free - and it’s less than
a mile from the beaches. Lights Out, Green In will also be at  RI FarmFresh’s summer market
on Saturday, July 17 at the Hope St. Market in Providence. Stop by either event, take a brochure
and sign up for the pledge.

Say Hello to … a success
Dubbed by Lights Out, Green In as Say Hello to the Sun Day, June 21 was the first day of
summer. From 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., the sun shined on the longest day of sunlight all year.
Hourly conservation tips were posted from sunrise to sunset on Facebook. The tips were aimed
to cut down on waste, whether it be from coffee cups or leftovers. You can see all 16 tips on our
Facebook page. But fear not, more tips will be shared every Monday at 10 a.m. on our Web site.

Discount! Get your $10 T-shirt for summer
Last summer, LOGI debuted its T-shirts for a $25 donation. You may have missed your chance
to wear the hippest shirt of 2009, but the shirt is still in style as Summer 2010 rolls around - and
now you can get a shirt for a simple $10 donation to Lights Out, Green In. The proceeds go to
funding the costs behind our all-volunteer nonprofit. And don’t forget - it’s tax deductible! If you’re
interested, send an email with your shirt size and address to info@lightsoutgreenin.org and a
PayPal transaction can be set up.

Say Hello to the Sun’s Facebook push
June means summer and more importantly a unique day of the year - the first day of summer is also the longest day of sunlight. Lights Out, Green In loves natural sunlight and accordingly will be celebrating Monday, June 21 as Say Hello to the Sun Day on Facebook. As part of Say Hello to the Sun Day, Lights Out, Green In will be offering easy “go green” tips each hour from sunrise 5:30 a.m. to sunset 8:30 p.m. on its Facebook page. LOGI’s aim is to add members to its group that day and your support in inviting your friends to join the Facebook group will be invaluable. So mark it down - Monday, June 21 on Facebook.

Go FarmFresh … LOGI will
Lights Out, Green In is pleased to be a part of RI FarmFresh’s summer market. Look for LOGI’s booth at a few farmers markets Saturdays on Hope Street in Providence this summer. Stop by, take a brochure and sign up for the pledge.

Discount! Get your $10 T-shirt for summer
Last summer, LOGI debuted its T-shirts for a $25 donation. You may have missed your chance to wear the hippest shirt of 2009, but the shirt is still in style as Summer 2010 rolls around - and now you can get a shirt for a simple $10 donation to Lights Out, Green In. The proceeds go to funding the costs behind our all-volunteer nonprofit. And don’t forget - it’s tax deductible! If you’re interested, send an email with your shirt size and address to info@lightsoutgreenin.org and a PayPal transaction can be set up.

All the news on the oil spill
It’s rare to find a time in history when the environment has been as big a part of news as it has in the past two months. With the tragic oil spill in the Gulf Coast, more people are looking for information than ever before. Lights Out, Green In’s bloggers have you covered with links to the latest news and analysis on how to move forward after the oil spill. Visit the site every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the latest blogs and follow us on Twitter if you want direct links to the blogs.

LOGI treks into the Big Apple
As part of Earth Week, Lights Out, Green In traveled to New York to deliver the message of conservation to students at St. John’s University. With a speech entitled “Meeting the Challenge,” Executive Director Matt Martinelli illustrated the threat from greenhouse gases and laid out a plan to help halt global warming. A special thanks goes to St. John’s for the opportunity and for their financial donation to Lights Out, Green In. Interested in seeing the speech? It’s posted on our YouTube (Pt. 1; Pt. 2; Pt. 3; Pt. 4; Pt. 5) and Facebook pages.

Discount! Get your T-shirt for summer
Last summer, LOGI debuted its T-shirts for a $25 donation. You may have missed your chance to wear the hippest shirt of 2009, but the shirt is still in style as Summer 2010 rolls around - and now you can get a shirt for a simple $10 donation to Lights Out, Green In. The proceeds go to funding the costs behind our all-volunteer nonprofit. And don’t forget - it’s tax deductible! If you’re interested, send an email with your shirt size and address to info@lightsoutgreenin.org and a PayPal transaction can be set up.

Environmental uproar
In recent weeks, the need for environmental awareness has been more than evident. From
the dangers of BP’s oil spill in the Gulf Coast to dirty water in Boston, historical flooding in
Rhode Island to the collapse of a climate change bill in the Senate, the past two months have
proven to be an important period in environmental news. You can stay up to date on all the
environmental news with Lights Out, Green In’s blog. Updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday will keep you informed on the critical doings in the environment.

Earth Week & the Big Apple
With Earth Week running from April 16-22, Lights Out, Green In plans to educate college students in New York on simple ways to conserve energy and how collective action is needed to fight climate change. Executive Director Matt Martinelli will spread Lights Out, Green In’s message at St. John’s University with a presentation to the student body on April 21. Lights Out, Green In thanks St. John’s for the opportunity.

LOGI on display
It’s been a busy time for Lights Out, Green In with exhibits at the RI Interfaith Power & Light conference as well as appearances at FarmFresh RI’s Wintertime Farmers Market in Pawtucket, which is held every Saturday at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. As always, look for us at the entrance to the Farmers Market, which will run through May.

No fooling the Earth
Today might be April Fool’s Day, but climate change is no joke - and the effects can be seen anywhere around the world as some of the most massive storms of recorded history have fallen in the past decade. As well as adapting to the changes, we can stop things from getting worse by taking small steps in our own lives to change habits that have us consuming a ton of energy. What’s the first step you can take? Take Lights Out, Green In’s pledge to turn off your lights from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day. It can’t wait much longer.

The power of 2,000
Lights Out, Green In is thrilled to announce the donation of 2,000 light bulbs to be distributed by the
R.I. Food Bank to low-income residents. The donation of the bulbs this week will help struggling
citizens save money on their household electricity bills in addition to helping them cut back on their
greenhouse gas emissions. The 2,000 CFLs will save their users a total of $14,600 each year, and
$80,000 over the life of the bulbs. Over the life of the bulbs, 900,000 pounds of carbon will be saved.
It’s the equivalent of taking 456 cars off the road. Do you want to figure out what changing your
household to CFLs could save you on your energy bill? It’s all here!
Great thanks goes to all of our donors who helped make this possible - annual donors, public donors
and those who attended and planned our three fundraisers in 2009. Lights Out, Green In also owes
thanks to its partners in this venture: the R.I. Food Bank, National Grid and Energy Federation Inc.
Get caught in our Web
Coming off a December in which Lightsoutgreenin.org registered its most hits in history - just shy of
10,000 - January saw the Web site record its second-highest amount of visits in its history. The site
is updated with environmental news and analysis every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as
with a weekly environmental tip for “green” living. Become a regular visitor and you’ll be up to date with
all the news in the environmental spectrum.
Exhibiting conservation
Lights Out, Green In will host a display booth on Feb. 11 at R.I. Interfaith Power & Light’s conference.
In addition to appearing at this event, Lights Out, Green In will be popping up from time to time at
FarmFresh RI’s Wintertime Farmers Market in Pawtucket, which is held every Saturday at the Hope
Artiste Village in Pawtucket. Come check us out!

Terry wondered what happened to the climate change bill that passed the House last year. And with a Mass. Senate seat falling into the hands of the GOP last night, the climate change bill is now dead according to one top Democratic senator.

For a year, the drumbeat was that the Senate would get to climate change after health care - and now they’ve waited so long that health care is in jeopardy and they won’t have nearly enough political capital to push through a Senate bill on climate change. Sen. Byron Dorgan acknowledged as much yesterday:

“My own sense is that in the aftermath of a very, very heavy lift on health care, I think it is unlikely that the Senate will turn next to the very complicated and very controversial subject of cap-and-trade, climate change kind of legislation,” Dorgan said. “I think it is more compelling to turn to an energy bill that is bi-partisan.”
That legislation would require more U.S. electricity supplies to be generated from renewable sources like wind and solar, and expand offshore drilling into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which holds almost 4 billion barrels of oil.

And so, there will be no cap-and-trade and it seems as though the plan that Sens. Lieberman, Kerry and Graham put forth - it would tax companies for pollution and then give the money to consumers - will not be working either. A year in on President Obama’s term, and the EPA has moved forward on a lot of things, but Congress seems to have wasted the mandate they were given by the public last fall.

New Year’s resolution
You might have already made your New Year’s resolutions - and in fact you might have already broken that resolution - but be sure to add one more to your list. Join scores of households and businesses that have already taken Lights Out, Green In’s pledge to turn off their lights from 11 a.m. -1 p.m., using natural sunlight and other ambient light on days when sunlight allows for it. Greenhouse gas emissions are rising and it will take a collective action by ordinary citizens changing their habits in order to stem the effects of climate change. Sign up for the pledge and allow your voice to be heard, while cutting your greenhouse gas emissions and saving money on your electricity bill.

Copenhagen failure
For 12 days, the Lights Out, Green In blog kept up with all the doings at the U.N.’s Climate Change
Conference. There were many highs and lows of the summit, which ended with a rather toothless
statement about climate change. LOGI provided daily analysis and news links on the matter and the end
result is clear - getting 193 countries to agree on anything will be tough, and there is no grand agreement
coming to bail everyone out of this problem. That’s why conservation practices need to start on an individual
level, with practices such as taking the pledge.

Tax receipts
The start of the New Year means tax time is not far behind. For the dozens of generous people who donated to LOGI via check, a tax receipt is coming via e-mail or mail. So be sure to check your inboxes or mailboxes for a receipt on your tax-deductible donation to Lights Out, Green In. Your support - especially in these tough economic times - is greatly appreciated.

FarmFresh RI
Lights Out, Green In made its second trip to the Wintertime Farmers’ Market in December. LOGI’s monthly appearances at the market help spread the message of conservation to consumers who are visiting the market, which gives consumers a way to eat local, fresh made food. If you stop by the Pawtucket location on a Saturday, be sure to see if LOGI is there.

Bowled over by fundraiser
With several dozen people in attendance on the day after Halloween, Lights Out, Green In took in $960 in the biggest fundraiser in its history. The $960 raised will help LOGI reach its goal of donating more than $1,000 worth of CFL energy-saver bulbs to low-income residents in 2009. Thanks to all who attended and those who participated in the silent auction and raffle as well. The silent auction included items donated by Seven Stars Bakery, the Providence Bruins, David Martinelli Jr., Joseph Beaudette, Cindy Ferri, Mary Welsh and Pat Dochety Jr. Fundraising czar Mary Welsh led the charge on another successful event. Board members Pat Dochety Jr, Andrew Decastro, Joe McBurney and Andrew Malachowski helped staff the event and their support is much appreciated. A special thanks also goes out to Town Hall Lanes in Johnston, RI for helping us out. As always, Facebook photos of the event are up, so check them out.

Copenhagen - Every step of the way
As global leaders descend upon Copenhagen for the long-awaited two-week climate summit, Lights Out, Green In will keep you informed every day on its blog. For 14 days in a row (starting Sunday Dec. 6), the blog will post daily links, a recap and some analysis on the daily goings-on. Be sure to check the site every day for the latest information. In case you need some background information on the summit (which involves the world community trying to come up with a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012), read the Copenhagen primer on our blog and read Terry Adams’ entertaining blog on Hamlet and the climate summit.

Sunny days & Facebook
Dec. 21 marks the first day of Winter - also known as the time when days start getting longer - and that means one thing: more natural sunlight. Since we know more natural sunlight helps conservation, we’re celebrating the day at Lights Out, Green In. And you can help, too. On Dec. 21, Lights Out, Green In will have a Facebook push. If you’re a member of the group, be sure to invite all your friends to join the group as well. The group’s members total 500, but on Dec. 21, lets try to reach 2,000 members. If you get these messages on Facebook, be sure to look for updates on the Dec. 21 push.

With the setting at a duckpin alley, I didn’t expect many strikes on the lanes, but LOGI ended up hitting it big at its “11-1 Bowling Bonanza.” With 48 people in attendance on the day after Halloween, Lights Out, Green In took in $960 in the biggest fundraiser in its history. The $960 raised will help LOGI reach its goal of donating more than $1,000 worth of CFL energy-saver bulbs to low-income residents in 2009.

The breakdown was even as LOGI scored $480 from the door and $480 from a silent auction and raffle. Thanks to all who attended and those who participated in the silent auction and raffle as well. The silent auction included items donated by David Martinelli Jr., Joseph Beaudette, Cindy Ferri, myself, Mary Welsh, the Providence Bruins, Seven Stars Bakery and Pat Dochety Jr.

I’d also like to thank our fundraising czar Mary Welsh for leading the charge on another successful event. Board members Pat Dochety Jr, Andrew Decastro, Joe McBurney and Andrew Malachowski helped staff the event and their support is much appreciated. A special thanks also goes out to Town Hall Lanes in Johnston, RI for helping us out. As always, Facebook photos of the event will pop up shortly, so keep an eye on our Facebook page.