Posts Tagged ‘climate change’

Climate change: Every situation creates an opportunity

October 20th, 2009

In honor of my good friend Joe Bartmann of the Sioux Falls Green Project visiting me in Howard (SD) yesterday, I wanted to share a post related to the green movement in rural places.  Amazingly, an article titled “Climate Change and Rural Communities in the US: a Draft Briefing Paper” fell into my lap thanks to a tweet from the Rural Assistance Center.  The subject and the fact that it was produced by one of my favorite rural organizations, the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), make commenting on it almost mandatory.      

Admittedly, I haven’t studied the nuances of climate change legislation before Congress as much as I should.  In reading the document, I was alarmed to learn that the Secretary of Transportation had proposed a “vehicle miles traveled” (as opposed to a fuel tax) as a way to reduce pollution and increase revenue for our highways.  Residents of rural states undoubtedly cringe at the negative impact such legislation would have on their pocketbooks.  Luckily, the measure was quickly abandoned by the Obama administration, but it shows that we should be paying closer attention.

 As I read through the descriptions of potential measures intended to help our environment, I can say that I support some of them, and oppose others.  What was most interesting to me, however, was the last section titled “Opportunities for rural communities.”

It offered four potential areas of opportunity for rural communities to consider.  An overview of these opportunities include:

In Miner County, SD, we were early adopters of three of the measures:  renewable energy production, green jobs, and rural-urban collaboration.  The forth(carbon sequestration) is one that I still don’t know much about, let alone understand how rural communities can take advantage of. 

I’m not sure if the cap and trade legislation before Congress will pass or not.  But this article has made me more aware of why I need to pay attention to the issue.  Thanks RURPI. 

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Posted in Economic Development, In the News, Rural | Comments (1)

The Climate and Energy Project

December 9th, 2008

I recently ran across a promising new project of The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. The Climate and Energy Project (CEP) was launched in Februrary of 2007, and has since grown to a full-time staff of six. Randy Parry (Rural Learning Center President) saw a video from CEP at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s Rural People Rural Policy Network gathering in Kalamazoo, MI this Fall.

The CEP is about creating climate and energy conversations across the Great Plains, and staff hope to inspire stewardship, resilience, innovation and balance in rural places in the Midwest. Here’s a super video from the CEP team, focusing in on their home state, called “Where Does Kansas Stand?”

 

I’d encourage you to poke around a bit on the Climate and Energy Project website, including a great section called “Take Steps,” with tips (from free to expensive) for farms, businesses, and congregations. What does climate change and energy consumption mean for rural communities? Please share your thoughts in the Comments.

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Posted in Economic Development, Leadership, Rural, Rural Life | Comments (0)