Got snow? We don’t in the DC Metro area. We didn’t get any last winter either. But we have flakes in the forecast for this weekend, so fingers crossed they are underestimating the snowfall potential. (I don’t know why I want to be snowed in when we’re already covid-ed in. Don’t @ me.)
With that said, this feels like the right space to share this week’s must watch, which I hope makes you laugh. Or if you’re me, cry…
It doesn’t really have anything to do with being EcoRight, but I love the dry sense of humor of the Finnish people. One of my best friends is Finnish, so maybe that’s why I love this video.
EcoRight Speaks, season two, episode three: All Careers Initiative founder Martin Ogle
In this week’s episode, I brought you all something a little different. I was introduced to our guest, Martin Ogle, by our mutual friend and contact, Grant Couch from the Citizens Climate Lobby. Grant is one of the co-founders of the CCL Conservative Caucus. I’ve already featured other members of that team in previous episodes, which you should check out if you missed them. Anyway, Grant is a fan of the pod and an important ally to republicEn.org. He suggested I talk to Martin, who is making it his mission to see sustainability practices incorporated into all careers. Martin isn’t just focused on the so-called “green economy” – usually those jobs directly pertaining to clean energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency — but has an idea for making every job, every career green. I think this makes sense from a conservative perspective to think about how to do things that will benefit both the environment and the economy, especially in a day and age.
Martin currently resides in Colorado, where he founded Entrepreneurial Earth. Before that, he spent 27 years as the Chief Naturalist for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
And if you want to watch Making a Living and a Life; Empowering Young People with an All Careers Approach, the video we referenced in the recording (note: at the time of recording, the video wasn’t available but now it is) check it out below.
And don’t forget to tune in next week for my conversation with carbon pricing advocate Yoram Bauman, the world’s only (that we know of) stand up economist. (Seriously folks, his economics jokes are funny.)
Curtis urges “We must jump on this opportunity”: Utah Rep. John Curtis says climate-friendly technology “should get them [his GOP colleagues] excited.” Speaking to an online discussion about technology and global warming hosted by The Hill newspaper, Curtis urged lawmakers to “jump on this opportunity” to lead on renewable energy technologies such as improved solar and wind power generators and higher-tech batteries.
“Like the industrial revolution that we’ve had, the United States can lead on this. And this is where we don’t want to miss the boat and where we’ve got to get Republicans and Democrats to come together to make sure that we don’t miss this opportunity,” he said.
This week’s must read: The next generation of conservatives is ready for climate action (Juneau Empire) Our friend Kiera O’Brien writes: “Young people care about protecting our environment and mitigating the impacts of a changing climate. This is increasingly as true for the political right as it is for the left.” As she notes, “Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has offered a shining example of Republican leadership on bipartisan clean energy and climate solutions. Not only did the senator lead the development of the bipartisan Energy Act of 2020 — the first comprehensive energy innovation legislative package in more than a decade — but she was also responsible for 10 of the nearly 60 clean energy provisions included in the legislation.”
Quote of the week: Listen, it happens. I couldn’t decide. So I have two quotes I thought were worth sharing.
First, from friend of republicEn.org and one-time podcast guest Alex Flint on the need for bipartisan, durable climate change action: “One administration pushes rules in one direction, and the next pushes them in the other. Then, a court throws out the rules. It is impossible to make efficient long-term decisions.”
The second quote comes from Miami Mayor Francis Suarez: “The choice is no longer the environment versus the economy,” he said. “The environment is the economy.” Hear, hear!
That’s it for me. Thanks for reading!