In divisive times, a love of Wisconsin unites

Posted on June 6, 2012 by samweis

After months and months of battles in the Capitol, recall elections, and political attack ads, Wisconsin has become known as a state bruised by deep political divides where neighbors and friends are pitted against one another.

Unfortunately, this perception is all too accurate. For more than a year, we have focused on a few things that bitterly divide us as Wisconsinites, while forgetting about the many things that unite us. With the recall election behind us, we now have the opportunity to step back and rediscover those things that bring us together instead of tear us apart.

It is not being a political battleground state that makes Wisconsin special, it is the celebration of cheese, beer, bratwurst and the Green Bay Packers. It is getting out to enjoy a fish fry with friends, and knowing your neighbor is always there to reach out a helping hand. It is a love of all of the things that make our state such a wonderful place to live – the beautiful forests, beaches, state parks, and thousands of lakes, rivers and streams.

At Clean Wisconsin, we have fought for over four decades to protect Wisconsin’s wonderful environment. We do this work so that we can catch fish that are safe to eat, our families can enjoy a day on a beach that’s not closed, we can swim in clean lakes, drink clean water, and breathe clean, fresh air when we step outside or go for a hike.

And these are things that almost all of us can agree are important. A bipartisan poll taken in January of this year found that nearly 9 out of 10 Wisconsin voters want our state to increase investments in solar and wind energy, and 4 out of 5 would like our state to require that 30 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources.

Now is the time to stop focusing on our differences and and let our collective love of Wisconsin unite us. At Clean Wisconsin, that means fighting to protect the wonderful places that are special to all of us, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum.

-Post contributed by Sam Weis, communications director

Green jobs growing fast, Wisconsin falling behind

Posted on June 10, 2011 by samweis

Green jobs represent some of the nation’s fastest growing industries with no reason to believe they will slow down anytime soon, according to a recent report released by Ibisworld.

The report, “Top ten fastest growing industries,” lists the fastest growing sectors in the United States by percentage of revenue and includes wind power (#3), environmental consulting (#7) and solar power (#10). These industries are growing fast and will likely continue to grow for years: the solar industry can expect to grow another 7.9 percent by 2016, and wind can expect to grow 11.2 percent, according to the report.

Green jobs represent a bright spot in today’s troubled economic times. With forecasts of solid growth on the horizon, it would only make sense to invest in clean energy and harness its job-creating potential.

Unfortunately, we seem to be moving in the opposite direction as a state. Early this year, the legislature made it more difficult to construct safe wind farms in Wisconsin, killing proposed wind projects and hundreds of jobs they were set to create.

In May, the Joint Finance Committee voted to cut funding for Focus on Energy, our statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy program. Unless undone by the legislature as a whole, or vetoed by Gov. Walker, this move promises to result in higher energy bills and lost jobs.

These measures serve to entrench our state’s reliance on expensive, out-of-state fossil fuels — a dirty habit that costs our state 17 billion dollars every year.

Wisconsin has the potential to boost our economy and create thousands of jobs by becoming a clean energy leader, but we will miss this opportunity unless our leaders recognize the power of clean energy.

You can help ensure that Wisconsin becomes a leader in the clean energy economy by writing a letter supporting Focus on Energy, or by making a donation to Clean Wisconsin today.

Green jobs are growing fast, and to keep Wisconsin open for clean energy businesses, we need to act today!

-Contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist

Tell your legislators not to delay and repeal clean water rules!

Posted on May 27, 2011 by samweis

Clean water rules are under attack in the Capitol! Governor Walker’s budget proposes to delay the phosphorus rule by two years, and the Joint Finance Committee recently voted to repeal NR151, a vital rule package that protects our waters from pollution running off of farm fields and city streets.

These important measures help stand between our beautiful lakes, rivers and streams and pollution like cow manure, pesticides, oil and other toxins. Repealing or delaying them leaves our waters extremely vulnerable!

Wisconsin’s waters are inexpressibly important to our life and to our economy. It’s hard to imagine Wisconsin without our wonderful lakes, rivers and streams.

The good news is that you can help stop the attack on clean water in Wisconsin. By clicking this link, you can tell your legislators not to delay or repeal clean water rules in Wisconsin. By showing legislators the number of their constituents who are passionate about clean water, we can make a difference!

-Contributed by Sam Weis, media specialist

Why do you support recycling?

Posted on March 30, 2011 by samweis

You support recycling — it seems that everyone does. In fact, a poll from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) showed that 90 percent of Wisconsin residents do support the recycling ethic.

So, we know that you support recycling, but today we want to know why you support recycling.

Is it because you want to make sure we continue keeping 400,000 tons of waste out of our landfills every year? Maybe it’s because you think it’s wasteful to throw away reusable items? Do you do it to protect the environment for your children or grandchildren? We want to hear your thoughts and stories.

Post a comment and you could look fly and flaunt your green ways with the Clean Wisconsin reusable tote.

We’re putting together a recycling page for our quarterly newsletter The Defender and would like to include a few one to two sentence statements from our supporters about what recycling means to them. Please comment on this post and let us know why you support recycling and don’t want to see it cut from the budget as Gov. Scott Walker has proposed to do.

We’ll take a few of our favorite comments and publish them in The Defender, so please include your first name and the town or city where you live. If your comment is picked, and you leave us a way to reach you, we’ll even send you a stylish, fully-reusable Clean Wisconsin shopping tote, so you’ll never have to trash a grocery bag again!

Trash Talk: Why Recycling Matters More Than Ever

Posted on March 11, 2011 by samweis

In a fun video-gone-almost- viral recently released by Clean Wisconsin, Sam Weis suggests that we’ve come a long way since the recycling law was originally signed in 1990, and we don’t want to go back.

While it is true that we had a huge problem on our hands in the pre-recycling time of the 1980s, I’m here to argue that taking away the recycling law would leave us much worse off than we were when the law was signed in 1990.

Every decade, Americans’ habit of high-consumption has grown. And, along with these habits, many waste-heavy industries have grown as well: plastics, paper, and convenience products like single-serving items and fast food. These changes have ultimately resulted in the creation of exponentially more waste as the years tick by.

Thankfully, along with the growth of these industries have come positive changes to the ways we deal with the mess we leave behind: improved waste collection, safer landfill technology, knowledge about the dangers of incineration and garbage burial, and widescale, affordable recycling programs.

The consumption habits of our whole society in recent decades have been shaped, in part, because we are able to recycle much of our waste.

As the amount of waste every person creates has grown since 1990, so too has the population. According to the US Census, the population of the United States when the recycling bill was originally signed was 247 Million. That’s a lot of people making garbage.

But today, that number has grown to 307 million. What’s more, in 2008, the average waste generated by an American PER DAY was 4.5 pounds. Guess what? That’s one billion, three hundred eighty-one million, five hundred thousand pounds of garbage created EVERY DAY, which leads to a lot of scary facts about the growing amount of garbage we produce.

I don’t need to tell you that there are many reasons to appreciate recycling. Among the obvious of keeping a low number of landfills in our state and reduced emissions from creating new products, it also promotes an ethical tradition of sustainability from a young age.

But now, there is added importance. With increasingly more waste, each New Year brings added consequence to the threat of turning back to our old habits of incineration, landfill propagation, and waste burying of the past. The only way to ensure we don’t turn back is to have required, affordable, wide-spread, well-supported recycling programs. (And my third-grade cousin could tell you that.)

It is for this reason that I am going to do everything I can to make sure Wisconsin cities maintain their mandated recycling programs, including contacting Gov. Walker and all of my legislators, doing my part to keep the public informed, and staying tuned to Clean Wisconsin’s Actions for the Greener Good in the coming weeks as important actions and information are released.

Contributed by Jenny Lynes, Membership Assistant