Ethical Man is reborn

What a fantastic waste of money from the BBC -- a presenter gets a long holiday in the name of journalism. Please stop this kind of nonsense. How many more times must you give us the same environmental stories with thin new veneers like this? So, my suggestion is come home and do something else.

"Of course I'm going to fly from Britain, but after that my producer Sara insists that I have to get around in the most low carbon way possible."

I would love to meet this Sara woman, because she must have, in the jargon, amazing 'influencing skills' to persuade you to get back into the 'Ethical Man' batcape and batcar after your travails last time...

Don't listen to jeremiads like JonnyJoe - this has to be a good idea, and you are after all THE Ethical Man.. JonnyJoe doesn't seem to realise this, anymore than he would understand that SpiderMan is at the same time cursed and blessed and it is his fate to rescue New Yorkers from criminals and other miscreants..

"Of course I'm going to fly from Britain" why? could you not have gone across the ocean working your passage on a container ship? or perhaps taken up sailing? Just joking, though I imagine it will be cattle class as the more people are packed in the smaller the individual footprint!

20 years ago I travelled down the east coast by greyhound from DC to Orlando and back. Most memorable were the "rest stops" at diners in the middle of nowhere at 3am and the stench of disinfectant/chemical toilet fluid in the air when one got back on the bus. I'm sure the greyhound experience has changed for the better :-)

we need to see what is being done regards car pools/ car share. Are you going to be hitching (suggest the camera crew wait in the bushes 'till the vehicle stops)

Good Luck, and hope we see some greater reductions.

Saw your piece on Breakfast TV. Thought you might be interested in the project funded by Neil Young, yes, the singer.songwriter.

He's looking at ways into running cars much more economically. He's trying to get a 1959 Lincoln Continental (19.5ft long and weighs 2.5 tons) to achieve 100 mpg and has entered the car in the Automotive X competition. The aim is to eventually run on zero emissions. Have a look at his www.lincvolt.com It might be worthwhile contacting him to find out more.

Best wishes

Pete

In reality, the higher the fluf, or fat in Americans waste-fullness the easier it is to cut, so it is far better to go to a place with a small footprint to begin this story. What has happened to good journalism? That would be a story.

Be sure to check out the work being done to cut carbon emissions from the industrial food system. Slow Food USA is a leader in working to change the global food industry to a sustainable, local system, which could help reduce emissions as much as flying less/not at all.

They've got a great HQ in Brooklyn to check out, and I am sure they'd enjoy telling you about the work they do.

Hella, Justin & family
wonderfull idea, good cause and great trip !
Im doing a thesis on cooperative economy,
like to ask you professor if he has wonder
how big it would be the ecological footprint of our current the economy based on competiton !
( i.e : replication of jobs...)
Hope to hear from ya !

Coopman

If you are in Washington as in DC then you should check out the carsharing scheme zipcars https://www.zipcar.com/
and the blog greater greater Washington https://greatergreaterwashington.org/ is pretty up on enviro-friendly planning in the DC area.

When in Michigan you should come spend time up on Lake Superior at Michigan Technological University. We have a great many innovative projects, some of the state's energy center projects, and are attempting to green ourselves up as a campus.

Sailing up might save you carbon emissions (though there maybe be larger life cycle costs of sail-powered boats that aren't apparent). Perhaps you could take the bus up with one of our university sports teams.

Sailing is not an option right now, due to snow and ice, of course.

Actually, we are closer to Minneapolis (but you couldn't readily sail) than parts of the "lower peninsula of Michigan."

Hi Justin - Just last year the University of New Hampshire built a 12 mile underground pipeiline to bring methane gas from a large landfill in a nearby town to generate heat and electricity for the campus. This effort was part of their goal to cut their greenhouse gas emissions more than 50% below 1990 levels.

https://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/climate_ed/cogen_landfillgas.html

We'd love to see you in NH!
Cheers!

I just saw the clip on the TV about this today, and was surprised to hear you mention Muskegon Michigan. I'm from northern Michigan, and was very glad that you mentioned the lack of public transportation (patricularly outside of the cities). It is true, we do not need 3 cars per household, but there is validity to larger vehicles (those with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive) due to the type of weather people in northern Michigan deal with (and much of the Midwest). We are not like urban areas such as those on the east and west coasts. Many people in northern Michigan live in small towns and villages that may not have mass transit systems at all. I'm all in favor of going "as green as possible", and I am excited to see how you approach such region-specific challenges.

Ethical Man needs to become Common Sense Man. I can already tell you how the final piece will run....Americans are fat, lazy and dont care what we do to the environment. And that couldnt be farther from the truth for some of us. People are losing their homes and jobs in droves, and this guy is running around the country making sure cattle only makes manure once a day to cut down on greenhouse gases. Ive got a footprint for you, and I can tell you where it would end up if I were your boss and you asked for company money to write this rubbish.

I am an American living in Europe (Italy). I am intrested in your quest and your findings but I do have a question and a challenge for you too. You wrote: Each American is responsible for 20 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, more than twice that of the average European. Is this actual or is that the quantity accredited to each person based on the TOTAL emissions divided by the population (America and Europe)? I would like you to gather an estimate of the "Average" carbon emissions by "Average" Americans and compare that to the European average.

I hope you come to Dallas, Texas! I live in the southeast sector of Dallas County and there is NO public transportation near my house. The closest bus stop is at least 2 miles away. Dallas has been developing a rail system but at the moment it only runs in the northern sectors of the county. The people who need public transportation the most are in the southern sector of the county, which is a poorer area.

On another note: I drive a 10 year old car that gets 28 to 30 miles per gallon. All of my family members drive vehicles that get very good gas mileage, a couple of them drive hybrids or take publick transportation. It irritates me to hear someone say that they "have" to have a big car because they have two children and they need the extra room for sports equipment. My sister and her husband have two children and they drive a Hyundai that has a huge trunk and gets excellent gas mileage.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Great idea! When in the Washington, D.C. area, check out suburbs of Bethesda and Cabin John, MD for the metal recycling challenge and a kitchen & bath renovator who recycles everything (nothing goes in the dumpster).

Obviously the least carbon-emitting way to get around the U.S. would be by bicycle, but may not meet your time constraint. Isn't this what the lifestyle change is about? But you should try cycling for some stages. Technical assistance and loaner bikes available.

Speak to anyone who is working to make the the energy grid intelligent - whereby you can buy and sell energy to your energy provider at the best prices.

Two key personalities to interview are Amory Lovins at the rocky Mountain Institute - an energy Guru and an optimist amidst so much pesimissom......and Thomas Friedman of the New York Times - who has been looking into how the US can lead the world towards a low carbon economy on a hot flat and crowded planet

If you want to make a good assessment of how much Americans really need to do to prepare for a sustainable future, then you should read this online book by a Cambridge (UK) professor, and then adapt it for the US.

https://www.withouthotair.com/download.html

The book is written by David MacKay, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Department of Physics at Cambridge, and he does a great job of sifting through all the information to get to some good conclusions.

Big solutions are required by society as a whole - wind farms, solar farms and a lot of energy frugality. I don't think many people have really cottoned on to this - they think technology can fix it. Prof MacKay explains the problems clearly.

I'm all for the low carbon economy, but mostly because we are running out of the stuff! By all means try to save the planet, but do stop in on some of the respected climate scientists who may tell you that an extra 100th of one percent of this plant food over the next 50 years won't actually destroy the planet. Visit https://www.drroyspencer.com/about/ for contact details of just one of them.

You could try hitchhiking.That's pretty low carbon and cheap!And you would meet all kinds of interesting people.

@frase311

You presumably live in the US, so you are much more at risk from cars than you are from "muslim extremists". The people who really suffer are those in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Let's not forget that bin Laden's main beef is with the Saudis.

Anyway, climate change is a much bigger risk to your descendants, even the Pentagon thinks so, although the global crisis seems to have taken top spot for some recently.

When you get to California you might want to visit the Strauss Family Creamery in Marshall, CA Marin County. This is north of San Francisco.. They are an organic dairy that uses all the animal waste to produce their electricity... thereby doubling down so to speak their carbon footprint. They also use glass bottles which reduces plastic waste as well and make the best yogurt to be found ...
https://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/

They are part of Marin Organics which in just a few years has managed to put many acres of land into organic production, protecting our food and the land and water at the same time.
https://www.marinorganic.org/

Do take their carbon footprint survey.... and see how you stack up at the beginning of your journey...

Have a great time....

nocalgal


I echo the zipcars which we also have in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dear Mr. Rowlatt,
You are obviously not a scientist who has studied the climate of earth. Perhaps you would be good enough to learn something first before you write about it and I strongly suggest that you show a copy of what you have discovered to the director general of the BBC so that each of you becomes aware of the cold, hard facts. For those of you reading this. you may care to take a brief test on the following website: [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

Do please try and learn something, then see how nasty people can be when you challenge their ignorance.

So the BBC already has several correspondents (and office/technical backup) in the US, any one of whom could do the travelling and interviewing on this topic, but no. You are flying out especially - for some undisclosed reason, none of the BBC staff based out there could do the job. Doubtless you'll be travelling with a director, cameraman and sound recorder too?

Since the latest news reports show that world temperatures have been falling for the last 8 years, we can congratulate you and Al Gore for saving the planet from global warming. Well done! Well done indeed sir!

You might also want to try Megabus for mass transit across country. It only runs in the Northeast and the upper Midwest, but it can save you money. Just google Megabus for their site.

Good luck with your travels!

Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into? Do you realized that England could fit into the state of Texas alone? I don't think you are going to be prepared for the long distances and I frankly don't see this as the most efficient (and energy saving) way to explore the question of climate change.

Justin,

I recently took a road trip around America in the name of journalism for that rather special election they've just had.

I recommend two things - a car sharing website at www.carsharing.net and if you want a low carbon place to stay then I recommend www.couchsurfing.com where you can stay with a family or 'fun time Frankie' in practically any city in the USA.

It's a great way to meet interesting people who I'm sure your researchers could fix you up with, and will reduce your footprint because you'll use less energy here than in a fancy hotel (or cruddy Super 8 motel for that matter.)

In terms of stories, I'm certain you'll be heading to the capital to meet some of Obama's new environmental team (an interview with Steven Chu would be very welcome sir) and you can't go far wrong for striking images than New Orleans.

Katrina, Ike and Gustav might have happened in other eras of history but climate change means powerful hurricanes will become more regular occurrences. Meeting people in the Lower Ninth Ward will certainly give a human face to the potential tragedy of Climate shifts, even in the wealthiest nation on earth.

I wish you well, and hope you can highlight some of the key issues the world faces. I completely agree with your assessment: if the USA could invigorate its economy with low-carbon initiatives and become a green technology world leader the economic paradigm shifts and China and India and other emerging markets will have to follow to compete. Fingers crossed, because we don't have long to stabilise a dangerous situation.

https://pairofasses.blogspot.com

What a load of rubbish. For once, maybe the BBC have got it all wrong. Tell this man to go get a real job.

You need to stay here - there's lots to do!

I walked 1.5 miles to my local recycling centre last week to recycle my household batteries and the security guard wouldn't let me in because I hadn't driven there in a car.

I was told to go home, take my batteries with me and drive back!

In LA you will be stopped by the police for walking - it's considered a suspicious activity - jogging in designated areas is OK though.

Oh, and in addition, use the railways - on more than one occasion conductors outright apologised for the state of the Amtrak services, suggesting that British railways were vastly superior.

In truth, their trains are bigger and far more comfortable but slow, and woefully infrequent. They have few lines connecting major cities and since the 1960s have been systematically dismantling the network.

A brilliant example is the truly beautiful Cincinnati Union Terminal; it was a 20 platform, Art Deco pantheon of rail industry, which, during its heyday, used to run over 200 train routes daily. Now it runs 2.

When we boarded our train to Chicago, the station master called out the names of people waiting individually to board the train... madness.

Thanks to consistent pressure from the Car Making lobbyists the US has little alternative to driving or flying everywhere. You only have to visit Atlanta airport to see how reliant they are on domestic flights now. A 15 minute plane drive from runway to terminal is not uncommon.

Enjoy your trip and quadrupling your footprint, you might struggle not to.

America is big country that is cold, very cold in the winter months and hot, very hot in the summer months.

Please take this into consideration when you begin to chide Americans (and Canadians) over energy usage.

#27

What would be the most carbon-saving method of doing a project on climate change? After all, Justin asked for suggestions, not criticism from people who don't even contribute to his wages.

We could, of course, adopt the Republican mantra - sweep the issue under the carpet in favour of industrial growth (or denial), and wonder where it all went wrong in 50 years time.

I'm eager about any documentary that provides education on a subject so many people know so little about. His reports on Newsnight were amazing!

Great Idea!

I would check out universities to see potential ideas. Also companies working with Algae and Jatropha blend Biodiesel. Jatropha is a plant used in developing countries that renews and replenishes poor soil with nutrients, it has no nutritional value so it doesn't play a role in the food v. fuel debate.
Another item to investigate besides the slow food movement is the Urban Agriculture movement. No matter where you live one major key to greening your foot print is bringing your food closer to home, especially in urban centers. While the dense population of an urban area reduces the inhabitants carbon footprint, there is a lack of knowledge as to where the food comes from or eating nutrient rich food. In Milwaukee there is an Urban Farm called Growing Power that produces food all year round for the neighborhood and local restaurants. They use techniques such as vertical gardening, aquaponics for growing fish and lettuce, and vermiculture to provide nutrient rich compost for the garden/ greenhouse. This is not limited to the urban setting either there are movements of suburban homesteading as well and revival of community/victory gardens.
As for travel, I would look into a website called couchsurfing for places to stay and rideshares from one location to another. Otherwise craiglist is another website for rideshares as well.
Good luck traveling!

Why: "Of course" you will fly from Britain?

Surely a significant part of exploring the implications carbon reduction is to actively engage in all alternatives.

While air travel contributes a relatively small proportion of the total annual carbon loading of Earth's atmosphere, it is still significant in terms of any individuals footprint.

Therefore, arguably you should be properly examining alternatives, and their implications; in this instance business travel by air. This requirement is arguably even more important if you haven't manage to hit the magic 20% so far.

Have you looked at passage on a freighter to the US, or even sailing, etc?

Oh, dear. Lots of whining about the cost. Don't people realise the BBC is awash with money - it must be if it can afford to pay the likes of Jonathan dRoss nearly £16,500 per day.
I'm sure it'll be an interesting series showing that even Americans are learning to care about the planet.

How about reporting on new thinking about city planning (encouraging self-sufficiency of communities and walkable neighborhoods)? And exploring the idea of encouraging voluntary population control - looking upon the world's burgeoning population as probably the single element that presents the biggest threat to sustainability. Any success with implementation of these ideas would probably stem from suitable education and indoctrination from early childhood - but I'm not yet aware of any effort of this sort. Also, there are great bike trails in many parts of the U.S. that could be used to avoid automotive transportation - for instance, the Great Allegheny Passage in the "mid-Atlantic" region.

God luck!

Enjoy Muskegon! My all-time-favorite food joint there is US 31 BBQ. [Personal details removed by Moderator]. Try the beef and the pork and let me know which one you like better.

Ethical Man,

Michigan is happy to host you.

After Muskegon, you might interview Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. He's set the goal of meeting 100 percent of his cities energy demand with renewables.

Check out https://ow.ly/i4s for more info.

Also in Grand Rapids, Cascade Engineering is manufacturing/distributing/installing rooftop wind turbines for residential and corporate use. Talk to Fred Keller.

Finally, United Solar Ovonics is located in Greenville, MI and I believe planning to expand with a new manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, MI.

Safe travels,
[Personal details removed by Moderator]

for rideshares you could try craigslist.org and find the rideshare link on the city page where you are leaving from or going to. If you post a couple of weeks in advance on where you are looking to go you may have some good luck.

Great - all this from a native of the fly-tipping capital of the world and from a country that still disposes 95% of organic waste in landfills. I can't wait for yet another BBC inspired skewed view of life in the US because this corporation is fundamentally incapable of providing a balanced view on anything.

To stimulate a "vigorous debate about whether we can, or indeed should, attempt to build a low-carbon economy" does not require a road trip jolly across the US at the license payers expense. You can do that just as well in the UK for half the cost and probably half the time. In 2008, the UK was labelled the "dustbin of Europe" for its low recycling rates and its continued reliance on landfills and as recycling rates in the US continue to outstrip the equivalent in the UK, my recommendation is to look no further than your own backyard.

I stopped taking 'Ethical Man' seriously when he decided to go for a week without using a car, except he lived in London. I used to live in London and I hardly ever used the car. Infact it was more hassle to use the car than the tube or bus.
It would have been a vaguely meaningful experiment had it been done outside London where public transport is a nightmare or just non-existent.

Welcome to the States! While the comment list shows some of the internal struggle with climate change we still face in the US, I hope you'll find us as hospitable and open as I know we can be.

You should absolutely get a subscription to zipcar as the single membership will work in dozens of cities. It's the same company operating on both coasts. We rely on it and don't own a car. www.zipcar.com.

Also, along the East Coast a new service has sprung up as Grayhound has declined. Generally just called the Chinatown buses, they're private bus lines that operate between Chinatowns in all the major cities. Fares are quite cheap. They generally board from a major subway stop or train station.

Similarly, out West you'll find similar informal services between Hispanic communities that the migrant farm workers use now that Grayhound has cut so many small towns out of it's routes.

There are car sharing websites that friends use to arrange trips as well - but I haven't used any myself.

And per passenger mile, flying was the most efficient way to arrive here - short perhaps sailing without a motor.

Finally, thanks so much for the focus on solutions. You're 100% right, it's time to stop worrying and start doing. I for one will be reading regularly.

Please can you advise the tonnage of extra CO2 created by this jaunt compared to staying at home and researching over the internet instead.

#33

I stand by my comments. I don't think Justin was merely asking opinions of people who pay his wages, either.

#32

I live in the desert so I completely agree!

As a fat, lazy, carbon-emitting American, I will be following your journey with interest; especially since you will be starting in Muskegon, my grandfather's birthplace after his parents swam over from Ireland.

My primary concern is how you will get around the country in a "green" fashion. I'm afraid that you will discover the hard way that this country is just a tad bit larger than back home. My suggestion is to get rid of Sara.

But once here, PLEASE check out and report on how individual localities are handling mass-transit. I have long believed that the better the mass-transit, the better the economy.

Further to my earlier post - the needless waste of this proposed trip does not sit too well with the vitriol being ladelled out - and reported on this web-site - to LLoyds employees who - perish the thought - are being considered for a bonus. Double standards and hypocrisy BBC - all to common these days I fear.

Best of success to you, Justin, in this effort. Remember, though, that whatever good things you find or do during this journey, there will be someone or some group to gripe and complain about it. The perpetually unsatisfied are lying in wait. Looking forward to your posts.

I am interested in your quest :-)

I live in Southern California. Although I drive a relatively gas-friendly car, by husband is a walking carbon-onset: races a motorbike, goes dirt bike riding, has a huge SUV and runs the heat with the windows open. Having been born and raised in England, I hate sleeping in a hot bedroom with a fan blazing on him. Still, we try to comprimise. I compost and recycle. Not much.
You should look up Ed Begley Jr., who has been an environmental activist for years. He's quite a card.
Trains are a good idea, but there are some parts of America that you simply can't reach unless you have a car. It's awful... But it is a huge country. Good luck on your journey!

My original comment was removed,obviously because only favorable ,[or mildly critical ,]comments are allowed. Your "ethical man" is not welcome in America ,you have so many critical problems in the U.K. it is totally offensive for the B.B.C. to send someone to find fault with the country which stands between total anarchy and freedom for the World. Homeland Security has been alerted and hopefully customs and immigration will deny this idiotic troublemaker access to the greatest country in the World.

I think this is a great idea. The environment is also my passion. I go to UW-La Crosse and February 26th we're making out way to DC for PowerShift09. It's a huge conference type of thing for young people all over the nation and it's mainly on Global Warming and other environmental issues. We get to lobby with Congress People on Capital Hill Monday March 2nd. But I think what you're doing is a great idea. I would love to help you in any way needed!

Ethical Man,

You're going around AMERICA in search of solutions to the global environmental crisis? Good luck.

I commend your efforts to try getting around this large country with the least amount of carbon emmisions as possible. It should make an interesting read, although I'll tell you right now what the problem is: the post-WWII American urban planning mentality that created the suburban sprawl and urban motorways, completely neglected city centres and public transport in most cities, and put incredible public investment into roads and airports while completely ignoring rail travel. While France and Japan were investing in electrified high-speed rail in the late 1960s and 1970s, America insisted on its automobile-centric urban model despite showing its first signs of miserable failure as early as the 1960s. So much for being the "world's most innovative nation", America lost that distinction decades ago, and I don't think we'll regain it any time in the near future.

Be sure to stop by the wind farms outside of Cheyenne Wyoming (on the Colorado side)

We have just built a zero fossil-fuel house and you are welcome to visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/graham.bowkett
Contact information is in the right hand column.
We are in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Bill Richardson is our governor and he has brought us a commuter train linking Santa Fe to Albuquerque.
Santa Fe is in the process of passing a "Sustainable Building Code".
Although we still wear cowboy hats we are quite forward looking!
(I support 350.org)

Will you be visiting Northern California? You may be interested in the Schatz Energy Research Center in Arcata. They do exciting work in the field of hydrogen power. And you can reach Arcata by Greyhound or Amtrak (bus).

The bottom line, mates, is that the whole thing is Quixotic in its blindness and fecklessness. You think you're gonna change the weather!!!??? You might as well be spitting into a full force gale. Man of la Mancha, the biggest problem is your instituting laws as unreasonable and implacable as the Spanish Inquisition's very own.

To ninawow,

Here in Caracas, dont have zipcar
its a great idea, already on wheels,
congrat !
Its a coop initiative,
clearly reduces the ecofoot
and of course bigger than a car ...

it would be interesting to know
how good are salaries of employees,
how much they participate
and the social responsability aspect !

If we are to be ETHICAL got to be bigger than GREEN !

Thanks NINA, it helped a lot !

If Ethical Man wants to leave a more beautiful world for his children he could start by tearing down the godawful wallpaper he's sitting in front of in the picture. A self absorbed phony. What a waste of time, money and petrol!!

I have skant regard for this type of BBC / hack self flagulation. Where is the imagination in this any fool on expences could do this, how about putting some real effort and resort to the only way of carbon saving ie do not create any. there is wind and sail power ,good old shankies pony for a start. Come on now cut out the headlinners and get down to where is really at at groun level.

jpstrikes: "Since the latest news reports show that world temperatures have been falling for the last 8 years"

Which news reports?

A quick search for temperature graphs found this one, which doesn't support what you said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Satellite_Temperatures.png

There is only one solution to Climate Change, and it's the one no-one's willing to talk about. People need to stop having babies. We need to get the global population down, and the only ethical way to do that is to get vast numbers of people all across the world to decide not to have children.

Anything else really is just papering over the cracks.

Btw, why are you flying to the US? Book passage on a container ship, most of them carry small numbers of passengers, and the crossing doesn't take that long.

If you believe in anthropogenic global warming, "Ethical Man" and his wife are holding the problem in their laps: kids. Kids = carbon emissions. Eliminate the kids, you eliminate the problem. That is why we need world government issued "Reproduction Permit Trading", along the lines of Carbon Credit Trading. If you want a sniveling, carbon producing little rat, you should bid on the open market for the right produce the polluting little creatures, to offset their future destruction of the planet. By so doing, we can eliminate half the population! By the way, methane is 20 times more dangerous a greenhouse gas, so we absolutely need to start regulating diets, what you can and shouldn't eat. No more MEAT! Flatulence is NOT a right, nor even a privilege.

I congratulate all efforts, great or small that help us start a more responsible lifestyle and save ourselves from Global Warming and man-made climate change problems.

Your trip may find new ways of doing things that no one has heard of. It is not easy to be heard of by journalists.
We need your help with Global Cooling Campaign ( www.onedegreeless.org) since you are traveling the country you could have another objectives as well making your quest more worthwhile, fun community efforts.

While Brazil is doing well on the alternative fuels front, other countries are still behind in installing effective solutions on alternative fuel options due to lack of infrastructures.
Meanwhile what are other things that EACH INDIVIDUAL, adult and child, man or woman can do that have a MAJOR and IMMEDITE IMPACT on Global Cooling?
So far, nothing in the world is as effective, realistic and with fastest results as white reflective roofs
(Cool roofs or White Roofs) to lower the global warming effects.
(Lord Nicolas Stern (UK) supports this effort).
We launched an initiative during the Inauguration of President Obama ; a project called One Degree Less – International Global Cooling initiatives – www.onedegreeless.org and www.gbcbrasil.org.br
We hope to partner with several countries to make “ cool events” such as residential or commercial building roof painting parties, schools painting, sport events on the roof top, simultaneous event like the New Year Countdown of important landmarks in each of these countries / cities and competitions in 100 cities around the world.
Maybe you can help with this during your search for other solutions.

The study was done by Dr Hashem Akbari who is our partner. He is the chief scientist at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in California where Dr Stephen Chu, the Noble Prize winner in Physics is the Director. Lucky for us, Dr Chu was chosen by President Obama to be the Secretary of Energy of USA! Now we are working with the Housing Council ( they care for apartments in USA) to try to make white roof and green roofs, as well as trees planting to replace the surface areas lost to urbanization.

The Clinton Foundation is also partnering with us.
During your journey , you could go and promote people of each of the these cities to do community painting ( many states already give TAX incentives to do so!)

The building or houses that had been painted can register their projects on our website . They can Google- Earth the location ( we can put the pictures before and after . We will also give the “LOGO” or a SEAL for these buildings to put at the lobby or entrance door that they too have collaborated in the Global Cooling Efforts.

Dr. Hasem Akbari's work has focused on the use of cool and white roofs to reduce C02 emissions, cut smog, significantly reduce the temperature of urban areas, and improve the quality of life. His research demonstrates that a global scale roof strategy could reduce carbon emissions equivalent to removing approximately 600 million cars for nearly 20 years.

The objective of the One Degree Less Campaign, a partner of LBL - Heat Island Group, is to help combat global warming, starting with a simple step of painting the roof white with reflective paint.
One Degree Less will also be working with the National Multi-Housing Council and mayors from across the United States to start the program. Earlier this month, U.S. mayors told a House global warming panel that Congress must ensure that any economic stimulus plan includes significant funding for "green" programs, such as residential weatherization efforts that would create jobs and help reduce energy use and carbon emissions.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a key leader in this campaign, is working to convert many of the 400,000 flat tar roofs in Philly to cool/white roofs. He said this effort will reflect heat in the summer and reduce cooling costs.

On the federal side, the proposed stimulus plan includes $6 billion for weatherization efforts and $16 billion for efficiency improvements and other repairs in public housing. Rep. Edward Markey, who chairs the Congressional select committee, applauded the stimulus proposal, saying "this is a green and bold stimulus package that will help our economy and protect our environment".

More: For more information, see the One Degree Less web site: www.onedegreeless.org

Photos: More photos can be found on the One Degree Less Flickr page: https://flickr.com/photos/onedegreeless

Film: Our One Degree Less film can be viewed here:
At Green building council Brazil, a one year old NGO, we have taught over 7,000 professionals from architects , engineers, operating in 18 cities – 11 capitals in brazil.

If this is serious and not just a publicity game, the journey should begin by sailing ship from the UK to the US.

Let's do the obvious. If you spend our day working on a computer - have you work from home. Yes there are many old school executives out there that "need to see you at your desk". It is time for them to go - and yes folks I am old - almost 63. No I do not expect all the people who work on most of my jobs to be in the office - they are scattered all over the world - I do expect them to be on instant messenger however.
Next meetings: We fly around the world to hold meetings to sell our products. Why - because we need face to face time - no I do not think so - we do it to show the new client how important he / she is - spend lavish amounts on dinners (which most do not need if you look at their size). We have a web that can and does connect for electronic video meetings and faxes still exist where we need a legal signature for a document. Cut the travel.
Next: I have worked for one CEO several times who has a senior level monthly meeting. It is usually for a single day - about 60 percent of the folks are flown in the day before - put in a hotel for 2 nights and then fly home. After breaks for checking email and returning phone calls the actual meeting lasts about 5 hours of the day. (0 percent of the meeting is reports - already written out with a summary by the section executive of what it says - it is then printed and copies made for the remainder of the executives for their records. Oh they all have computers - why do we waste the paper!
Granted I live with technology each and every day as it is my field of work. But it works folks and we are not using its potential to lesson our impact on this world and lesson the economic impact on our economies. Yes, some industries will have to cut back - autos, airlines, motels - but let's get them down to tourist needs and stop the foolishness.

Take 1 or more "furoshiki" as you go, to save on plastic bags and other packaging. It is just a square of cloth - originally Japanese - which can be knotted in various ways. It can be used VERY easily and functions VERY well as an extra shopping/shoulder bag, wrapping for a gift or wrapping to stop things like glass bottles breaking in transit or unpackaged bread / snacks dropping crumbs / squishing inside your normal bag. I guess it could even be a sunhat and you can picnic on it too. More explanation is available on youtube or the Environment Minister of Japan's website. If Katherine Hamnett will make "I'm not a plastic bags" for Tesco I'm sure you can find a sponsor to make/give/recycle you something you could be seen with - at least one US company (run by ex sport shoe designers I believe!) makes them out of recycled fabric and sells them via the internet. Just because Americans drive big cars does not mean we should give up on the little, easy things.

dear gahd man whatever you do, do *not* ride greyhound. the overwhelming majority of this country does not ride public transportation and its standards are minimal at best.
i have traveled via greyhound on a number of occasions, but because im poor, not because im green. hike, hitchhike, walk, if you must, but unless youre thinking of writing a sequel to zinn's history of america then find another transport.
also, if youre looking to visit parts of america, try to get to Asheville, North Carolina. also, im sure this must be on your list, but if not add it:

https://www.greensburggreentown.org/home_page/

Bicycle ! The greatest transportation invention of all time.

I live in Chicago and I think it should be on your list. We have a very active solar energy initiative here that includes the city of Chicago. There are many activists in Illinois pushing for more green technologies.

I would also like to recommend a visit with some of our scientist at the Fermi Lab and Argonne National Laboratory both of them outside of Chicago.

These are some of the great minds that will help develop new technology to allow us to reduce our carbon footprint.

Greyhound is one way to travel but I would also check out Amtrak.
Not as many routes as in Europe but between major cities much easier than Greyhound.

Justin - the US is in the midst of realizing they have to move from taxpayer-subsidized to user-pay roads.

As you can imagine, this has a large impact on the environment (check out edf.org 'congestion charging' for details), both from increasing efficiency - less traffic jams - and from reducing usage.

Of course, this being the US, everyone is talking about it as a solution to government budget shortfalls - and it is a huge topic. The contributors to this online discussion are very good people to discuss with; I'd especially suggest Michael Repogle from the Environmental Defense Fund.
https://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2009/02/how-will-we-pay-for-the-transp.php

The Kheel Report goes further. It suggests offering free public transit instead of free roads: think what that will do for car vs. bus ridership. Google 'Kheel Report' - and meet one of the authors, Charles Komanoff if you go to New York.

And of course if you dip into Canada, you are welcome to meet our firm, Skymeter Corp (.com) up in Toronto.

@#1:
I disagree with the idea that this is a waste of money and time. If there is anything that is going to help this planet, it is going to be greater understanding between cultures.

23 BobFuttocks

This is the sane riposte to ISCS: https://www.desmogblog.com/international-climate-science-coalition-bets-that-a-lie-repeated-often-enough

Hey Ethical Man,
sounds like a great adventure for you, and hopefully something good will come of it. In this day and age it is small missions like these that can induce great change. Small things due matter, and it is with the collaboration of the common folk that will inspire new philosophies and ways of life.

Personally, and I can speak of a little authority, since I grew up in Switzerland, and studied Environmental Sustainability, the best thing to do, is tear everything down which is build out of Wood, and build housing that are energy efficient (meaning: brick walls, floor heating, using thermal heat exchange technology which is the new hit in Switzerland and other parts of Europe, etc), close to shopping, and grocery capabilities, AND most of all change the ludicrous American dream which states to fulfill it one must own his/her own house. The world is not big enough, especially not with the obesity rate in this nation. Hehe.

Be gone the times where we all need cars, sitting snails three to four hours a day, just to get to work and back.
Be gone the times where we need to drive to go shop. We're not handicapped (most of us our not), we can use our legs, lets build the needy things closer to the reach of our legs.

And lastly, if you happen to stop by San Francisco, I recommend you speak to one of the teachers I had the pleasure of learning from. She has tremendous knowledge of such issues: Prof. Pinderhughes of SFSU...

Cheers 'n Beers,
Erolse

What a waste of time. You seem to be forgetting that people are the cause of the footprint and are therefore the root of the problem. You are all looking at an admirable cause to fix the problem but this is merely a bandaid - the problem will continue to get worse unless we curb the overall population growth. Example - look at that idiot woman who just had 8 babies on top of the 6 she already had and you wonder why our natural resources are being devoured and we are sucking this planet dry ...

Since you're already scheduled for Los Angeles County

visit The Tree People
https://www.treepeople.org/
and Patagonia (Y Choinard wrote "Let My People Surf")
https://www.patagonia.com

Further north -
Van Jones in Oakland (across the bay from San Francisco)
https://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=16&contentid=100

Also, Green Tortoise as alternative to Greyhound
I do think you can use city bus and bicycle for travel when you're not crossing the deserts.

Look for vegan meals, use the public libraries, visit AmeriCorps and California Conservation Corps crews.

Before calling yourself 'ethical', a 'green hero' or presuming to lecture others on saving the environment may I suggest you stop reproducing? That is not meant to be an insult (except intellectually). You already have 3 children. 2 adults turning out 3 children = +50% environmental impact. Your 'extra' kid will do much more environmental damage than my plane trips.

If you are really serious, you will ride a bicycle.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

In regard to your previous efforts - well done! Note that LED bulbs are even more efficient than fluorescent, and don't contain mercury. Unfortunately, they're not commonly available in usable configurations that emit enough light for household use.

I think that we need to also keep in mind that the eco-system is a complex web. It is in fact rather reductionist and naive to think that we will do more than forestall a crisis in this planet's habitability by simply getting our carbon emissions under control. There is an island of plastic refuse in becalmed waters stretching from Hawaii to Japan, as just one dramatic illustration of all of the toxic junk we've strewn throughout our environment and which is affecting biological processes all the way up the food chain to us. We need to look at our environmental footprint, not just our carbon footprint. I would say, in fact, that it is unethical to continue to pretend otherwise. No offense intended, and in fact I'm impressed at how much you've done. I hope that you and the BBC compile everything you did to cut your emissions even by 20% into one single article, book or video for all to see, and promote it heavily. I think it's very important that we all do all we can to actually lower emissions, rather than using some system of voucher trading in order to rely on someone else to do it for us. We just need to keep in mind the caveat that the greenhouse effect is only one component of the mess we've made and are continuing to make.

Well, you will find out soon enough that some may be worried about global warming, majority do not. Other issues, like the economy, come first. I'm sure though you have lined up several green people to talk too already and you will have wonderful blog entries that say the wonders of being green in America. But its just show... after all, the BBC can't last a day without one global warming article. Just another of a long line of environmental propaganda.

You really need to speak to the world's leading geoengineers. People like Ken Caldeira, Klaus Lackner, John Latham and Stephen Salter. Only they can save us now. Even if we stopped emitting CO2 tomorrow, it would probably be too late without geoengineering.

Try to make time with Sharon Astyk (www.sharonastyk.com), a leader in the "browns" movement, differentiated from the "green" movement in that it seeks to reduce carbon footprint through austerity, self-reliance, low-energy living and local food production. Ms. Astyk is the author of _Depletion and Abundance_ and co-author of a _Nation of Farmers_, both of which treat with these issues directly.

TO ETHICAL MAN
IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS MANKIND ITSELF. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM YET...DO NOT GO TO THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM...ALL WE COMPLAIN ABOUT IS DUE TO TOO MANY PEOPLE ON A PLANET OF FIXED SIZE. WE NEED POPULATION REDUCTION VIA BIRTHCONTROL AND BENEFITS FOR THOSE WHO COMMIT TO NOT HAVING CHILDREN. I PERSONALLY LOVE CHILDREN SO THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM. WE NEED POPULATION REDUCTION AS MUCH AS CONTROL ON A GLOBAL SCALE.
THIS NEED IS THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHS WHICH MEDIA SEEMS TO BE BLOCKING, SCIENTIFIC FACTS ARE NOT BEING GIVEN. WITH FEWER PEOPLE WE WOULD NOT BE DESTROYING THE AMAZON RAINFOREST TO GROW SOYBEANS TO FEED MORE PEOPLE. MARGINAL LANDS SUBJECT OF FAMINE COULD FEED ITS PEOPLE IF THERE WERE FEWER OF THEM. THIS IS COMMON SENSE...WHY IS THE MEDIA AND EDUCATORS CREATING A BLACK OUT REGARDING OVER POPULATION?
COULD IT BE THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE NEEDED TO CREATE MORE DIVIDENDS ON THE STOCK MARKET, HIDING TRUTH IS A DANGEROUS GAME....THANKING THOSE OF YOU WHO READ THIS AND HOPING OTHERS WILL HELP RALLY SUPPORT AGAINST HIDEN TRUTHS....

Ah, here come the Europeans. Ready and willing to pontificate to us lowly Americans. I guess you wouldn't want to try a tour through India or China? At their current rate of modernization they will far outstrip the CO2 emissions from North America in the next 50 years and I doubt they will worry too much about your opinions or international laws.

One positive thing the Ethical Man could do during his trip to the U.S.A. would be to investigate and publicize the gross hypocrisy of many "green" politicians and luminaries (Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, Gore etc.) who fly in private jets, travel in stretch limos, and live in mansions as large as Buckingham Palace. These politicians are always asking the public to sacrifice but seem to feel that this does not apply to them.

There is new technology available for converting thermal energy into work, invented here in America and ignored by the illegal Bush administration, which can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of mankind all over the world. The thermal hydraulic engine, also called the Natural Energy Engine, is an ingeniously simple device that is a true example of "American ingenuity" and is something any "ethical man or woman" should be aware of. Check out Deluge, Inc. when you get to Phoenix, AZ, and tell them Kava man sent you!This engine burns no fuel and can operate with a low temperature differential. It could help us to wean ourselves completely from burning oil and coal for energy. You are right to explore America for the answers to the problems we helped to create. Now that we have regime change here in America, and the (mostly republican) criminals are being flushed out of Washington, D.C., we may actually have a chance at turning this mess around. Thank you for your efforts. It is not too late!

[Personal details removed by Moderator]Thanks so much for bringing attention to this important issue!

I'd like to strongly encourage you to talk with Zoe Weil [Personal details removed by Moderator] and the Institute for Humane Education (https://humaneeducation.org%29 while you're in the U.S. Zoe is the President and co-founder of the Institute, and she has just written a fabulous book called Most Good, Least Harm: A Principle for a Meaningful Life and Better World. In addition to talking about the importance of personal action, Zoe also emphasizes the essentialness of systemic change and of treating all social change issues (human rights, environmental preservation, animal protection, cultural issues) as interconnected.

Have a safe and enlightening trip!

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Your year of ethical consumption shows that even perfectly enviro-conscious behavior is grossly insufficient in bringing about meaningful change.
We have to understand that the causes greenhouse gas accumulation, and thus global warming are deeply structural and require a fundamental break from the social-environmental interaction that has prevailed in thus far.
Consumption is just the the tail-end of a very long chain in which the environment is detracted from, manipulated, and then finally re-added to (extraction, processing, and dumping). The decisions that affect these interactions are far removed from the individual consumer, who is helpless against a massively powerful complex of industry that effect these decisions.
Like all meaningful change brought about, the only solution to this problem is collective activism that demands that states and industries be held accountable.
A tax on pollution is just the beginning, but shall go a long way towards reducing emission.
Today, all environmental stewardship is seen through the lens of economic viability. But the economic system, and the way it interacts with the environment is nor pre-ordained. This is what needs to change. To effect real change, The economy needs to be seen from, and made congruous with our environmental perspective, and not the other way around.

I suggest networks like "Couchsurfing" or "Hospitality Club", where you can stay with local people on free couches or rooms for free. You will save on hotel costs and of course, it is more ecological.

How about hitch-hiking to save on some transportation, or joining "Craigslist" carpooling networks to get to and from?

Stop by Berea, Kentucky, it is a unique Southern U.S. town where sustainable living is ingrained in the people and the college.

On your way down the coast of Michigan you should stop and visit the inventor and manufacturer of a product that saves more than 10 thousand of gallons of water a year for a homeowner. It's a dual flush toilet retrofit kit. You push the handle on your toilet one way to rinse out liquids - the other way for a bigger flush for solids. No more "if it's yellow let it mellow...."

He's just down the road in Holland MI.

1) The one big idea that is in danger of being buried amongst the “mainstream” ones such as renewable energy, recycling, use of public transport etc. is the one about meat-based diet already mentioned by Madash050.

• Producing 1 kg of animal protein requires about 100 times more water than producing 1 kg of grain protein. The US food production system uses about 50% of the total US land area, 80% of the fresh water, and 17% of the fossil energy used in the country.

• The amount of feed grains used to produce the animal products (milk and eggs) consumed in the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet was about half the amount of feed grains fed to the livestock to produce the animal products consumed in the meat-based diet.

2) Another similar idea is the one which has been mentioned by TessWW. White reflective paint on the roof may not sound like much, but can have an immediate impact. A variation on the theme is already being used in India. Middle class homes have what they call “China mosaic” on the roof terraces. China mosaic is made of pieces of white ceramic tiles (factory wastage) laid like crazy paving using white cement. The result is a considerable saving on air-conditioning costs. Huge additional savings can be made by having a double-ceiling with insulation such as polystyrene in between.

3) In a vast country such as the U.S. any saving on transport would make an enormous impact. It has been suggested that longer journeys be made by Amtrak or Greyhound or similar modes of transport. The reason I suspect there is not much appetite for this is what happens at either ends of these journeys – which could be up to half an hour's drive or more. The solution to this could be the RORO (roll on roll off) where the car rolls on to a railway carriage at the start of the train journey and rolls off it to finish the journey at the end of the journey.

The conclusions drawn appear overly simplified and omit much related data. The use of a cake slice at the end seems rubbish and intended for geriatric or infant comic relief.

A fact remains that if the human world would adopt the compassionate vegetarian diet this alone would start the human race into the direction of a planet that has both technology AND survives it.

We can survive this people, please try to understand that it's time for the human race to move forward and stop with the meat thing. We, all of us, the working people of the world, we need to stop with the meat if we want to survive technology.

If you have children, or if you care about this planet, please stop eating meat. Meat eating is responsible for wasting approx. 80% of the food produced on this planet and is responsible for many, many related problems including deforestation, pollution, and sickness.

Firstly, really appreciate what a great position you are into inform and influence behaviour. Also, accept the fact that alternatives to flying take more time, and factor that in! Every choice we make has an effect, to a greater or lesser extent. Get the boat across the pond!

Secondly, I recommend that you check out the Visionary Activist Show on KPFA. Caroline Casey has already done so much entertaining and profound work interviewing people who lives have been dedicated to applying sane, ingenious and reverent solutions to current problems.

You asked - "But where are the world saving inventions? It would be great to visit someone who's working on something in their garage that really could make a difference."

If you mean something like saving 12 billion gallons of water a year in the US alone then that guy in Holland MI with a toilet kit might fit your request. 2 million homeowners in the US fix their toilets each year without reducing their water consumption. Using his kit may be a significant step.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

We've lined up all sorts of people to speak to but we need more. We want to meet people who are already trying to find the answers the world needs.

Who do you think we should be talking to?

Please talk to our contact person at BBC, Jim McNeill. I can also produce files from UN archives of the climate research complaint made by the World Indigenous Nations Summit in joint session closing plenary plea to the United Nations General Assembly.

The North Americas' indigenous nations made a complaint against the group of Western countries' at the UN General Assembly claiming that our scientists are too optimistic about long duration that Greenland's ice sheet will take to melt away. They estimate Greenland ice sheet to destablise suddenly between 2011-2013, about 3-5 years after the loss of Arctic Oceans sea ice based on native histories.

The indigenous nations expressed this in dismay for the sake of their brethren in the Pacific and Caribbean (as well as for the wider world community that have towns and cities sea side that will be flooded as Greenland ice sheet will destabilise very suddenly in the post-sea ice Arctic based on their native recollections about huge ice dome on the Hudson Bay area that slid out.

American indians native histories suggest that the huge Laurentide Ice Dome on the Hudson Bay never melted but it slid soon after the North Atlantic sea ice retreated from South Carolina to Newfoundland.

You need to speak to Jim McNeill, who is our primary link at BBC. He can then explain the complaint. A state sanctioned motion has also been put forward to this effect in Poznan, Poland in December 2008 by Bolivia that has been underwritten by His Excellency President Evo Morales who is an "unofficial spokesman" for the American indigenous peoples advancing their voices through the state vehicle of Bolivia.

Jim has the geophysical file of the World Indigenous Nations Summit in joint session with the United Nations General Assembly which we at FIPC believe has been overlooked due to cultural illiteracy to take in and follow the proposition of the continents original occupants about what happened there before Europeans arrived.

I or Jim can produce list of indigenous leaders on the climate change issues and the UN paperwork submitted by Indigenous nations summit concerned of ice sheet land containment failure risk (ice sheet slide out).

Veli Albert Kallio, FRGS
([Personal details removed by Moderator])

- Press-spokesman for a symposium "Arctic - Mirror of Life" convened by His Excellency Kofi Annan (the former UN Secretary General), Jose Manuel Barroso (the President of European Commission), and HAH Bartholomaios I in September 2007.

- Co-ordinator of Frozen Isthmuses' Protection Campaign (FIPC) of the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.

- Indianice geophysical research group, data-validation team secretary and indigenous groups liaision and advocate.

Jim is in a position to explain much more, if you wish to investigate matter internally.

Rgs, Alberty

I'm from UK, lived in US for 3 years. One thing that seems to get little attention is simple waste that can easily be avoided. For example, I've been to hotels in New York whose policy seems to be for Housekeeping to switch the air conditioning full on in each room whether the guest wants it or not (so you get back in the evening to find the aircon has been on all day and the room is freezing). In New Orleans on a warm evening, most of the clubs/bars had air conditioning on with the doors to the street permanently open. In San Francisco when it's slightly cool, restaurants often have outdoor heaters full on even when nobody is sitting outside. It would be great to explore options for ways to achieve some "quick wins" on unnecessary burning of energy (and money) while the more complex challenges are being tackled.