Apologies for the recent absence. While work has taken up some of my free time in the past few weeks, I’ve also been negligent about writing. Primarily due to the lack of motivation but also because I’ve been thinking about refocusing the site. More on that in a future post.
While not writing, I have been doing a fair share of reading, and a bit a volunteering – though not as much as I would like. Volunteering for what cause you ask? Renew Missouri.
Renew Missouri is a nonprofit corporation with the overarching goal of creating highly effective renewable energy policy in Missouri.
Click on the link above to learn more, but the group’s primary objective currently is to get Missouri out of the stone age.
Renew Missouri filed language to put a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) on the November 2008 Presidential election ballot.
The RES will require Missouri utilities to gradually increase their use of renewable energy over the next 12 years, ramping up to 15% of Missouri’s electricity by the year 2020.
I’ve spent some time helping get signatures. Not nearly enough time, but time nonetheless. The group needs more people to help with their time or dollars. So, for those of you who read this, please take a few (dozen?) hours to pound the pavement and get signatures. Or, if you can, donate some money to the cause; Renew Missouri has hired signature gatherers who are paid hourly to collect signatures.
Only 26 days left!
Good on ya for volunteering. Given that 86% of Missouri’s electricity comes from coal, and given that that coal is imported from Wyoming at the cost of $9 billion annually, with costs going up each year, now’s the time to diversify our energy portfolio. Setting even a modest, 15% renewable energy standard will give green energy–wind, solar, biomass and small hydropower sources–a fighting chance in our state.
Let’s hope we can get this on the ballot. Of course, this is only half the battle . . . I’m sure the coal interests will bad-mouth the legislation to voters as the November elections approach. My hope is that the presidential election will take up most of the air time and people’s attention so the naysayers won’t get too much of an audience.
[...] wrote about the effort two posts ago but I don’t think enough attention can be given to the issue. Accordingly, I was happy to [...]