Al Gore, Global Warming and 2008

There have been speculations whether global warming directly effects weather patterns, and honorable Al Gore stepped out today to announce his feelings regarding the matter.

In his opinion, Myanmar is a direct result. And the deaths attributed are a result of global warming.

A true point to sit back on reflect on. A point which might make a few folks sit back and re-consider their footprint on the planet.

True or not, we hope everybody makes effort to lower their footprint on the earth. Let’s all make our home everybody’s home : )

This silly question is raised quite often, so we thought we’d address it here real quick.

The comment in question was raised way back in March of 1999 when Al visited Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Wolf was asking Al what differentiated himself from Democratic challenger, Bill Bradley of New Jersey. His response was, quote:

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country’s economic growth and environmental protection…

Now, clearly, Al wasn’t posturing himself as the creator of the internet here. He was simply mentioning, from a legislative and governmental sense, he helped nurture the technology that became the internet today.

Internet or not, we all value Al’s work. And the world’s a better place cause he’s here : )

In the market for a new mattress or bed?

Updating your kitchen?

Or are you simply renovating your house and looking for a reference guide for eco-friendly products and services to choose from?

We’re big fans of GreenGuard’s Product Guide, which is referred to as the “world’s largest guide for selecting low emitting products and materials.”

GreenGuard is a non-profit organization, and describes themselves as:

a true third-party product certification program based on proven emissions standards and to provide specifying and procurement professionals with a resource for low-emitting products.

check them out.. it’s a great place to start when researching products and services..

Just wanted to briefly mention a site we suggest and promote..

Cabonfund.org basically allows individuals, or organizations, to eliminate their effect on the global climate by donating funds to offset their carbon footprint..

take a peek.. and spread the word!

Gore’s Tennessee home, located in the Nashville suburb of Belle Meade, recently completed an exhausting renovation, bringing it entirely up to green standards, even going beyond in most cases.

The renovations included installing a geothermal heating system, adding a rainwater-collection system, and installing solar panels to offset energy consumption. He also replaced all light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent and diode bulbs, to really drive the point home (we even heard he used these type bulbs on his Xmas tree as well!).

The updates contributed to an 11 percent drop in home energy consumption during the summer (when most Nashville houses report a 25-30% rise).

Additionally, the AP reported:

“Short of tearing it down and staring anew, I don’t know how it could have been rated any higher,” said Kim Shinn of the U.S. Green Building Council, which gave the house its second-highest rating for sustainable design.

In our opinion, it’s an impressive feat, considering the house is more than 80 years old.

Earlier in the year, several groups attempted to attack Gore for excessive energy consumption at the house, but the attacks were unfounded, as he was undergoing a first renovation to the house.

In addition, Gore balances 100 percent of his home electricity usage by investing in renewable energy such as wind and solar power.

Bravo Al … thanks for leading by example !

Interesting story unfolding here..

Today, Mr. Bush welcomed Vice-President & Nobel Prize winning Al Gore to the White House for a private conversation concerning global climate change.

Per Gore:

“It was a private conversation,” Gore said repeatedly to a throng of reporters, avoiding giving details. “Of course we talked about global warming, of course, the whole time.”

It’s nice to see the current administration opening their arms to what the country’s been voicing for so long. We can only say ‘thank you’ to Al for being our voice in this epic struggle.

Al continues to strengthen his ties to Silicon Valley these days, announcing Monday he had joined the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a Partner.

Per the New York Times article :

The alliance provides Mr. Gore an additional pulpit for his advocacy of environmental causes, but also gives the Nobel laureate an opportunity to nurture green businesses.

It appears his part-time duties will revolve around analyzing growth potential for alternative energy business sector.

In addition, Al noted he’ll be donating his entire salary to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit policy foundation.

An amazing opportunity, though, to merge the wealth of his knowledge with emerging business and technology.

Best of luck in this endeavor Al.. it’ll be great to see your impact on this in the coming years.