Though the polls show that California's Proposition 2 -  the Standards for Confining Farm Animals initiative - is winning by a margin of 72 to 10, millions of dollars are being poured into both the Yes and No campaigns.

This initiative simply states that animals raised for food must be allowed to stand up, extend their limbs or wings, and turn around in their confinement.  Though the initiative covers all animals, the fight comes down to the $330 billion egg industry.

The initiative is gaining national attention. The main argument against the prop is that it would destroy California's egg industry and force retailers to import eggs from Mexico.  Proponents, however, believe that the increase in price would be a measly 1 cent per egg.

Grist.org is running a comprehensive article highlighting both sides.

Proposition supporter, The Omnivore's Dilemma author, Michael Pollan gives us the bigger picture:

My hope is that, as on so many issues, California will push the rest of the country forward, and Prop. 2's passage will push companies like McDonald's to change their standards (they're on the precipice already, I'm told) and California's position will become the de facto national position. So whatever messiness we may inherit here, California will, when the history of these brutal practices is written, look visionary.

Treehugger featured a story today about a new efficiency calculator with a Halloween theme.

I hope they upgrade the calculator with additional areas for improvement, like wrapping the water heater and using an Energy Star fridge. As is, you can't really get a complete picture but it's a good start. What I like most about the calculator is that it estimates the savings of both dollars and pounds of carbon dioxide. I put in the numbers for what changes I've already made and the results are $750 and 10,000 pounds of CO2 saved! Try it out.

Recently I posted about Thomas Friedman's new book Hot, Flat, and Crowded.  In it he argues that a Green Revolution is the next best bet for solving the climate crisis which will provide a new path to American prosperity, innovation, and global competitiveness.  

From the Publisher:

With all that in mind, Friedman lays out his argument that if we are going to avoid the worst disruptions looming before us as we enter the Energy-Climate Era, we are going to need several disruptive breakthroughs in the clean-technology sphere--disruptive in the transformational sense. He explores what enabled the disruptive breakthroughs that created the IT (Information Technology) revolution that flattened the world in information terms and then shows how a similar set of disruptive breakthroughs could spark the ET--Energy Technology--revolution. Time and again, though, Friedman shows why it is both necessary and desirous for America to lead this revolution--with the first green president, a green New Deal, and spurred by the Greenest Generation--and why meeting the green challenge of the twenty-first century could transform America every bit as meeting the Red challenge, that of Communism, did in the twentieth century.

Since the book was released, we've experienced the worst economic crisis since the 1920's.  This past Friday, financier and master speculator George Soros appeared on Bill Moyers' Journal to discuss his new book The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means. Though Soros seems shaky on the details of what a focus on renewable energy technology entails, his ideas about finance, along with Friedman's details on a Green Revolution provide a welcome and popularly emerging narrative of a new way forward.

Though others have written extensively about this convergence, notably, Amory & L. Hunter Lovins and Paul Hawkins in Natural Capitalism.  What is important now is that because of our economic situation, people are listening.

In Los Angles, we're spread out all over the place.  Within the same city my friends up to 30 miles away in every direction.  That's why Web sites that put me in touch with other city travelers are an important tool to solve the dilemma, "But I don't know enough people near me to make this work.

(Photo: Ryan McVay/Getty Images)

Highlighted at planetgreen.com is a list of the best online carpool resources featuring: Carpool Connect, eRideshare, GoLoco, and Carpool World. This article point out that most of the differences between the services have to do with style and usability.

Here's the review of the site that looks most useful to me:

GoLoco: A sort of mash up between a social site and a carpool service, GoLoco matches rides to prospective riders within its community database. You sign up and create a profile where friends and family can touch base with your projected traveling. GoLoco certainly displays the most personality—it makes arranging carpooling seem like checking in on your MySpace page.

Nobel laureate and atmospheric scientist Paul J. Crutzen observes in an article by the AP that the slowdown in the global economy may temporarily improve the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Slower economic growth worldwide could help slow growth of carbon dioxide emissions and trigger more careful use of energy resources, though the global economic turmoil may also divert focus from efforts to counter climate change, said Crutzen, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the depletion of the ozone layer.

 

It's a cruel thing to say ... but if we are looking at a slowdown in the economy, there will be less fossil fuels burning, so for the climate it could be an advantage," Crutzen told Reuters in an interview.

 

We could have a much slower increase of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere ... people will start saving (on energy use) ... but things may get worse if there is less money available for research and that would be serious."

Now, this is no reason to hope for a protracted economic slowdown.  The goal of solving the climate crisis is to reduce the harmful effects of climate change while continuing to develop sustainably and with new forms of energy that do not threaten the environment.  On the other end of the economic crisis, however, we may have additional, powerful evidence to show those who doubt the impact of human activity.

The necessity of winterizing our houses is essential for many reasons.  Several stories highlight converging realities that make action vital.

1. The Farmer's Almanac 2009 predicts a colder winter.

2. The US Energy Department predicts high heating costs.  The average increase is $450.

3. The U.K Mail online reports that floods and snow are hitting early in Great Britain with a snow storm in October.

(Photo Credit: Peter Jolly/Northpix)

The Huffington Post has some great pointers.

The simplest alternative energy source to tap in your home is energy saved. By taking a few steps towards increasing your energy efficiency, you can significantly reduce both your energy bills and your household's carbon footprint.

 Areas of focus should be the roof, gutters, fireplace, insulation inspection and repair, plumbing leaks, water heater and more.