The Nation - Being Black on Earth Day...

[Kevin]

Being Black on Earth Day
by Melissa Harris-Lacewell

There is no doubt that green is the new black. Suburbanites compete to have bigger recycling bins than garbage cans, to grocery shop using canvas bags, and to park hybrid cars in their driveways. Being conspicuously green is as much status symbol as it is social movement.
But there is another trend too. Black is the new green. The American environmental elite is an increasingly racially diverse place.

President Barack Obama appointed sister Lisa Jackson to head the EPA. He tapped grassroots, green-jobs brother Van Jones as special advisor to the White House. And his Labor Secretary, Hilda L. Solis, is a Latina with a record of championing green jobs and environmental justice. Black women like Majora Carter and Beverly Wright are at the forefront of regional environmental adovacy. And in his chairmanship of the National Wildlife Federation, Jerome Ringer has integrated even the conservation arm of environmentalism, which is historically devoid of racial minority leadership. Even the First Lady is encouraging kitchen table environmentalism with her advocacy of local, organic food and home-based gardening.

With this growing diversity of green leadership it is harder than ever to claim that America's racial minorities care little about environmental issues.

article continues...
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/429614/being_black_on_earth_day

[Ed Ziomek]

My vote is on the side of wonderful humanity. And what color is it, or are they? Since the results of this Administration are going to be judged on the mathematical numbers, Jobs and Job losses, Interest rates, Gross National Product, Debt, Mortgages Sold-refinanced-foreclosed, I think the opinion of people is not based on the color or ethnicity factors.

And why should it?

My heros are Technicolor.

Anyways, the next guy is a T-Bone Rare Steak! T. Boone Pickens, Amarillo Texas, Tay-chaus, the Oil and Engergy Divine Chief.

From the desk of "T. Boone Pickens" <boone@pickensplan.com>

Army!

We’re on the march. Every measure of how much President Obama has produced in his first 100 days includes a discussion on how much of the Pickens Plan has been put into place or is well along in the legislative process.

You know that I have insisted that a National Energy Policy be a non-partisan effort. Well, it’s even better than that. The legislation which is working its way through Congress including...

- Natural gas as a major transportation fuel
- A 21st century transmission grid
- Energy efficiency
- Building out our wind & solar capabilities
- Renewable Electricity Standard

...have the support of Democrats and Republicans. And that’s because they know that over 1.5 million Americans – not Republicans or Democrats but Americans – are watching them very closely to see that they do their jobs.

In his first 100 days, President Obama moved aggressively to push a stimulus plan that jump-starts our nation’s move to renewable energy, particularly wind and solar. That’s great, and I know he recognizes the need to address the continuing economic and national security threat of foreign oil.

You remember that the President promised to end imports from the Middle East within 10 years. The only way he can get that done is to replace foreign oil/diesel in transportation with a domestic fuel, and the only fuel that will substitute for imported diesel in all classes of vehicles is clean, domestic, and abundant natural gas, which is available in ever-increasing supplies.

For four decades, every U.S. President has promised to make us energy independent, but it hasn’t happened. President Obama knows that, and he has made reducing our oil imports a priority. Let’s give him credit – in the midst of the recession and all that entails, the President hasn’t let energy fall by the legislative wayside.

My commitment to the Pickens Plan is as strong today as it was last July 8 when we kicked it off. I’ve presided over dozens of overflow town hall meetings on the subject, I know that’s what grassroots America – that’s you and your fellow members of the New Energy Army – wants as well.

T. Boone Pickens

***Ed Zero says****"Kick the tires, light the fires, Marching onto Glory, Hallelujah!!!"*********