Re-Energize Re-Cap

Last night I attended the Re-Energize America event sponsored by many, but mainly it is the doing of NRDC. The turnout was disappointing, with around just 50 people in attendance - but the information was good.

The speakers were a well rounded mix, from former Governor and Senator Bob Graham to Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell, various angles of the issue were covered. New tidbits I learned from the meeting:

Mayor Manny Diaz told us of his Miami Green Commission, which is explained below in a Herald article from July. I could not find any other mention of it on the City or County websites.

Defining the city's problem as ''lots of concrete but not enough trees,'' Diaz on Thursday announced the formation of a new Miami Green Commission, a citizens' panel chaired by City Commissioner Joe Sanchez that will explore ways to expand and protect the natural canopy, encourage green building, retrofit city buildings with green features and identify other initiatives. Diaz also set a 2012 goal to incorporate 1,000 hybrid vehicles into the city's fleet.

Adrianna Quintero-Somaini of NRDC's Latino Initiatives told us of the launching of a new Spanish language eco-site: La Onda Verde.

Jim Fenton of the Florida Solar Energy Center up in Coco told us that Florida is #5 in the country for energy consumed per capita, and #3 in total energy consumption. These are not stats in which you want to be #1.

Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell was representing the National Council of Churches. They have created materials for individual churches to use to tie the eco-message with the message of the church.

Finally, Senator Bob Graham talked of his new Graham Centers for Public Policy to be located at both UM and UF. They are in a response to a "virtual collapse of civic participation in Florida." Additionally, he gave us a riddle: What do Bangladesh and Florida have in common? They are the regions of the world that will be most affected by a rising sea level. Self-interest should take over, he says, if nothing else.

For more information and a more complete summary of events, visit David Adam's great synopsis at his blog, The Fueling Station. The Herald also wrote up a little piece. Update: Additionally, Adrianna Quintero wrote a blog entry on the event in the NRDC's Drive Beyond Oil.