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CITIZENS BLOG
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
the CITIZENS BLOG
Mood:
 chatty
Now Playing: IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD
Topic: CLIMATE CONSCIOUSNESS
To Everyone, I am happy to tell you that I have joined more than 367 Mayors representing over 55 million Americans in all 50 states when I signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
Sandpoint will create a Climate Action Plan to guide decisions and policies that will help it to achieve it's goals. Climate CAN at www.climatecan.org has made a strong commitment to assist with research and logistics to help create this plan. Climate CAN will continue to help educate the public on how each of us can become part of the solution.
I firmly believe that it will require a new way of thinking and doing on the part of each citizen of the world. It will take an attitude and behavior change that I call "Climate Consciousness". On this site you will find many things that lots of us can afford to do right now to reduce our carbon footprint.
Betsy and I have sold a couple of older cars, replaced conventional light bulbs with florescent bulbs, combined many of our errands into one car, turned our thermostats down, and Betsy tells me she has been washing our clothes with cold water only for years. I was not aware of that since I only have a vague idea where the washer and dryer are located at our house. However, I have always appreciated that my clean and folded clothing appears magically in my dresser.
The point is that we can each do something and together with people from all over the world - we can make a World of Difference!
This site is for everyone. It's called the CITIZENS BLOG. All of you have a voice, information to share, and ideas worth some volume. Put it right here. I encourage every citizen of all ages to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Share information and educate each other. I look forward to the community conversation. Ray
Posted by sandpoint-mayor-raymiller
at 12:47 AM PDT
Updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 12:11 PM PDT
Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 2:40 PM PDT
Name:
"Christine"
Thank you Ray Miller! The signing today was a joy and I especially appreciated seeing so many young people and hearing them speak.
Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 11:25 PM PDT
Name:
"Larry Spencer"
Greetings, Mr Mayor. I always wonder if the purchase of a new "green friendly" car is counterproductive. After all, it takes a great deal of oil energy to mine the ore to produce the steel, drill for the oil that is refined into the plastic, etc. Not to forget, all the people who drive to work to build said car. Does anybody know if building a new car actually saves oil when you factor the oil used to make the car?
Friday, April 20, 2007 - 8:14 PM PDT
Name:
"Ray Miller"
"Larry Spencer" wrote: Greetings, Mr Mayor. I always wonder if the purchase of a new "green friendly" car is counterproductive. After all, it takes a great deal of oil energy to mine the ore to produce the steel, drill for the oil that is refined into the plastic, etc. Not to forget, all the people who drive to work to build said car. Does anybody know if building a new car actually saves oil when you factor the oil used to make the car? Great question Larry. What about it folks? Anyone out there have a solid answer?
Monday, April 23, 2007 - 1:38 PM PDT
Name:
"Nancy"
Ray, thanks so much for taking on global warming! I personally will make sure you have the Climate CAN network behind your efforts. We deeply appreciate all your hard work and the future we can create for our region. The leader for the King County climate plan will be discussing a possible public presentation on your efforts soon! (I put a bug in his ear last week.) Nancy
Friday, April 27, 2007 - 6:02 AM PDT
Name:
"Meridith"
How could buying a car that uses less fuel be counterproductive in any way? Yes, there are materials used to make it. People have to find the steel, refine oil, make plastic, and maybe even kill cows for the leather seats... but... that same process would have gone into making a two ton truck with a ten cylinder engine. In fact, a truck that size would use significantly more of those materials than the car that Betsy bought. The fact of the matter is that she made a wise choice in buying a fuel efficient four cylinder powered vehicle and is doing more than most people to help the environment. Everyone has a choice in what kind of vehicle they drive. Considering the activities that the mayor and his beautiful wife are involved in (Ray is an avid shooter in Single Action Shooters Society, and they have a large dog who goes places with them often) they could easily find use for a large truck that can tow and haul. However, they have decided to alter their lifestyle just a little bit in order to do their part. Can you say the same about yourself?
Friday, April 27, 2007 - 11:18 AM PDT
Name:
"Bob Wynhausen"
Yes, building more fuel efficient cars, even though it takes energy to build them, will save energy over the life cycle of the car. Even if we tried to save that production energy by not building new cars, continuing to use our older cars would be counterproductive in the long run because the old car, which uses more oil and gas, will become less efficient over time. This is true with most big ticket items that are being built to be more energy efficient. The new Boeing 787 is selling in large part because of its fuel efficiency, using 30% less fuel current models. Congratulations, Mr. Mayor, on signing on to the US Mayors agreement.
Friday, April 27, 2007 - 10:12 PM PDT
Name:
"Karen Lamb"
Home Page:
http://ClimateCAN.org
Larry raises a good point that we need to consider when it is best to replace older, less efficient cars and other products. Cars, refrigerators, washing machines, etc are made to run much more efficiently now than they used to be. Also, older machines aren’t as efficient now as they were when they were new. No, I wouldn’t go out and buy a new car if my old one was efficient. But when we do need to replace our cars, it saves money and carbon dioxide (CO2) if we buy very efficient cars, used or new. In the mean time, we can save money and CO2 if we consolidate trips, carpool, ride our bikes, walk, etc. After all, Sandpoint is a walking (and biking) town!
Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 12:32 PM PDT
Name:
"Kathryn Taylor"
Dear Mayor Miller, Thank you for signing the US mayors Climate Protection Agreement. You are a leader for the future and Sandpoint is fortunate to have a visionary Mayor. I am out of the country now but will be happy to volunteer through ClimateCan to insure that Sandpoint continues to make bold steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kathryn Taylor
Monday, April 30, 2007 - 1:54 PM PDT
Name:
"Susan Drumheller"
Home Page:
http://www.wildidaho.org
Why wait until you have to get a new car to start saving energy? Start by changing a few bad habits now, and we'll enjoy the greatest source of clean energy - conservation. In the meantime, it's a good idea to look into the energy demands of car manufacturing, and if it doesn't pencil out to buy a hybrid, let's encourage car manufacturers to start building greener cars. Thanks Mayor Miller for your leadership and pledge to cut greenhouse gases in Sandpoint!
Monday, April 30, 2007 - 9:06 PM PDT
Name:
"Kim Marshall"
Friday, May 11, 2007 - 12:44 PM PDT
Name:
"Susan Drumheller"
Home Page:
http://www.wildidaho.org
Today there were a couple interesting items in the Spokesman-Review - a shoot-out between Mayors Clay Larkin and Ray Miller (did you let Mayor Larkin get away with that comment?) and a great editorial by the S-R editorial board on the need for changes in the automotive industry. Here's the link: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=189070 Among other things, this editorial state: "The nation needs a comprehensive strategy that includes incentives for alternative fuels, support for plug-in hybrid technology and cleaner-operating power plants and an overhaul of the electrical transmission grid."
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 11:56 PM PDT
Name:
"Karen Seashore"
It's an excellent idea to support conservation on a city level as well as our individual efforts. Thank you Mayor Miller.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 3:27 PM PDT
Name:
"Tester"
This is a test.
Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 7:45 AM PDT
Name:
"Ray Miller"
Did i pass??????
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