Now that the environmental and economic impact of the BP oil catastrophy is coming into full view, Americans are seeing how an oil based economy can destroy the fabric of society. Word out of Washington is that President Obama’s six month moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf which was challenged in court by Governor Jindal of Louisiana has been lifted by a New Orleans judge. The White House has said it will appeal. None the less clean up of the area continues and so too does the eruption of the under sea oil volcano created by BP. The concern is now that the seabed around the well is also seeping oil and toxic gas.

As this crisis continues we should be mindful that eleven people died on the DeepWater Horizon the day it exploded. The president of BP Tony Hayward who was recently criticized for his stonewalling before congress, attending a private yacthing race in Great Britain quiped, “he wanted his life back” so I guess he’s got it back. Too bad the eleven who died never will and I fear the Gulf of Mexico as we have known it will not get the life it once had for a long, long time, if ever.

Lea Morris has produced a film called “Cries From the Gulf” which does an excellent job of showing the impact of this horrific tragedy on the people of the Gulf. Brave New Foundation has produced a film called Power without Petroleum which you see by clicking

here.

President Obama this week will meet with leaders of Congress to re-energize a new national energy plan which has been dying a slow death in the Senate. Apparently Congressman Joe Barton from Texas who received over $1.5 million dollars from the oil industry has apologized about his apology to BP after what he called a shake down by President Obama who got an initial upfront $20 billion dollars from BP for the US to pay oil related damage claims. People from all walks of life and leaders in the green movement around the country are also crying out for a strong national clean tech energy plan that includes solar, wind, wave, electric vehicles and high speed rail and other sustainable ventures; A strong new energy plan which has the potential to transform our toxic energy systems and create millions of new green jobs.

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GREEN FOR ALL

Dirty Energy Independence Week July 1 – July 7th, 2010

This July, Green For All IS ASKING YOU TO TAKE ACTION: SIGN UP AT:

Dirty Energy Independence Week of Action:

President Obama gave an address about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico — and what it teaches us about America’s economic and ecological future.
President Obama has heard and joined our call for bold, decisive action to clean up
the spill and build a safe, clean-energy future for the Gulf region and for America.
Now, we must help him and Congress turn his words into the change we need.

In his address, the president called the BP oil spill “the worst environmental
disaster America has ever faced.” He vowed to hold BP accountable for the terrible
damage it has caused. And he promised to remove the threat of future spills by
ending America’s dependence on oil and building a strong clean-energy sector that
can power our economy.

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Intersolar North America

Taking place from July 13-15 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center West Hall, promotes the development of business opportunities throughout the U.S. solar industry. More than 550 U.S.-based and international exhibitors and 20,000 trade visitors are expected.

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A Growing Concern

Urban Farms Are Sprouting up across the United States

By Sena Christian

Sean Hagan shoves a digging fork into the soil and pries out a bunch of carrots. He ties the bunch together, then stops and looks across the crops to another farmer calling for his attention. She holds a gnarly root in her hand.

“Do we have something against large turnips around here?” asks Sonya Ciavola.

“I have something against turnips in general,” Hagan says. He’s not fond of their taste.

On a gloomy February morning, the blond, 29-year-old Hagan trudges through muddy row crops growing on six acres of agricultural land operated by Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project, a nonprofit farm in Sacramento, California. Soil Born has two other acres for pasture and plans to plant a three-acre fruit tree orchard this fall. To read more go: