Global Warming

Global warming is a concern in Texas and in Austin in particular. Austin I believe is doing a lot to reduce its carbon footprint and become green.
According to a Newsweek article “The CO2 State” (Newsweek - 2008-02-28 by Matthew Philips):
“If Texas were its own country, it would be the 48th most populous in the world, right between North Korea and Ghana. In terms of landmass, at 268,000 square miles it would be the 40th-biggest. But when it comes to environmental impact, Texas is on par with some of the largest, most industrialized nations on the planet.
Were the Lonestar State to secede from the union it would be the world's eighth-largest emitter of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, just behind Canada, with 630 million metric tons spewed into the atmosphere in 2005, according to new figures released this week by the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration. That's actually a reduction of 40 million metric tons since 2003, when Texas was the globe's seventh-largest CO2 contributor. But even though the state is improving, Texas still outpaces the combined emissions of California and Pennsylvania, the states with the second- and third-highest CO2 outputs.”

I think this is a concern that many people in Austin share. Austin, has passed rules to encourage energy efficient construction. The Austin Climate Protection Plan will eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from virtually all municipal activities by the year 2020. This includes powering all City facilities with 100% renewable energy, converting the entire city fleet of vehicles to alternative fuels and electric power, and implementing greenhouse gas reduction plans in every City department.

Things have been busy the last few weeks. Unfortunately a lot of students at school have been sick and I unfortunately have fallen sick too. But I am getting a lot of rest and am ready to get back to teaching on Monday. The students turned in their Mural of a Historical on Monday and they all did a great job. I am really looking forward to seeing the rest of the presentations on Monday.