FACS Questions Candidates for Fairfax County Chair

Candidates for chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appeared at a forum on October 20 at Madison High School in Vienna.

We thought we’d attend to ask some specific, climate change-related questions. The answers received were revealing.

The candidates for chairman on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, are:

• Republican: Arthur Purves
• Independent Green Party: Glenda Gail Parker
• Democrat: Sharon Bulova, the current Chair

Our two questions were:
1) For over a year, members of Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) have met with the Board of Supervisors to talk about how counties and cities are using energy dashboard software to reduce energy waste in county-owned buildings. The President of the United States and the Governor of Virginia have made energy efficiency a priority. Yet despite the advantages of reducing energy waste – by reducing pollution and saving taxpayer money – the board has not taken this issue seriously. If elected, would you?


2) Do you believe that human activity is the primary cause of climate change?

GOP Candidate Arthur Purves

The moderator addressed the questions first to Arthur Purvis. Ignoring the query about energy waste and saving taxpayer money, he swung hard at the second.

GOP Candidate Arthur Purves

“There hasn’t been any change in the climate for 50 to 100 years,” Purvis thundered. He then launched into an attack on the “job-killing” federal cap-and-trade bill of 2009 that would have set an overall limit of carbon pollution, which would be ratcheted down annually, but allow for credits to be bought and sold by industries to meet their goal. Cap-and trade systems are used by the European Union, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont), and last month China announced it will start the world's largest carbon trading system by 2017. But Purves is against all of this nonsense because climate change doesn’t exist.

Green Party Candidate Glenda Gail Parker

Parker next addressed the two questions. Host of Channel 10’s weekly “Green TV” show, Parker’s answers were that she wants to see more solar, wind, energy efficiency and rail transportation in Fairfax County.

Green Party Candidate Glenda Gail Parker

I was impressed that she seemed to understand the magnitude of the crisis we are facing. But it was when she addressed other questions that I understood why she is sometimes called Gail “for Rail” Parker. Funding for the schools? More rail. Health care? More rail. Sequestration budget cuts by Congress? More rail. Gun control? That threw her off the, um, rail for a moment while she declared herself a firm proponent of the Second Amendment. But it wasn’t long before she was back on track: affordable housing? More rail. I like rail but I began to wonder if her father had been a conductor. I stood in the back of the room. People were rolling their eyes and giggling. Oh well.

Democratic Candidate Sharon Bulova

Bulova seemed unable to say “climate change” when members of the FACS Community Council began meeting with her over a year ago. Now, running for her second term as chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, she is able to say those words.

Democratic Candidate Sharon Bulova

But when we have asked her to embrace the issue of energy efficiency in Fairfax County-owned buildings to save taxpayer money and reduce fossil fuel pollution, we have repeatedly gotten a pat on the head. When FACS showed her examples of how other jurisdictions and organizations use energy dashboard software to lower costs by reducing energy waste and greenhouse gases and serve as a role-model for the community, we heard nice words. When her environmental and energy manager produced a budget estimate for an energy dashboard to display the cost of utilities in 205 County-owned buildings for $14.8 million, and over $3.5 million in annual maintenance, we were shocked! Cost projections given to FACS by three different vendors were from $60,100 - $120,000 for one-time installation and $30,000 - $55,000 for annual maintenance. These numbers included not only the 205 County-owned buildings but all Fairfax County Public Schools buildings, as well.

This week, Bulova and her staff informed FACS that a public energy dashboard will be part of the new Public Safety Building, to be completed in 2017. Additionally, Bulova has committed to an energy display for all County-owned buildings on the Fairfax County government website. Due to personnel changes the project is 25% complete; a new hire will carry-on the project now projected to be completed Spring 2016.

Decision Time Approaches

So, if you care about reducing fossil fuel pollution and saving taxpayer money, who do you vote for on November 3? Is it Republican Arthur Purvis, who doesn’t believe climate change is real? Green Party Candidate Glenda Gail Parker who sees more rail as the solution to every problem (except guns)? Or Sharon Bulova, the current chair, who has listened and promised. The answer is obvious. Bulova is the one. But FACS will watch to see that promises are kept.

Scott Peterson is a member of the Community Council of Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax

Global Warming Bottom Lines

An increasing groundswell of voices is speaking one message: “Global warming climate disruption causes must be addressed, now.” Consider the following.

Pope Francis’ climate encyclical “Laudato Si” (Praise Be) is a galvanizing call for faith-based climate response and activism. With a moral call-to-action undergirded by the ethical imperative and guiding tenet of all major faiths, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, Francis entreats faith practitioners and communities to integral action for the common good within all spheres of influence – family, congregation, work, civic and governmental institutions. 

Faith groups are partnering together, rallying and marching, imploring leaders attending the International Paris Climate Convention, Nov. 30-Dec. 11, 2015, to agree on actions keeping global warming below 3-4 degrees C. FACS encourages congregations to join in solutions by signing the Paris Pledge, committing to: 1) reducing C02 footprint 50% by 2030 and 2) becoming carbon neutral by 2050. For more: www.parispledge.org. 

Political will for addressing climate disruption threat is coalescing. A 2015 New York Times/Stanford University poll found that nearly half of Republicans nationwide support government action to curb global warming. Overall, 83% of respondents said “yes” to the question of whether climate change presents a very or somewhat serious threat. 64% of Virginians believe global warming is happening; in DC and Maryland, it is 81% and 68% respectively. 

Growing numbers are advocating climate policies. A recent national survey by Yale Project/George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication found 77% support funding renewable energy sources research; 74% support regulating Carbon Dioxide as a pollutant; 63% support setting strict limits on existing coal-fired power plants; 61% support requiring utilities to produce 20% of electricity from renewable sources. FACS offers a voluntary carbon tax program; monies donated provide funds to low-income groups for energy efficiency. For info:  daveparsons@mindspring.com. 

The following bottom lines may answer “Why?” and “Why now?” 

• Bottom Line: Scientific data confirm  human caused global warming; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced in March 2015 that for the first time global atmospheric CO2 surpassed 400 parts per million (PPM), a rise of 120 PPM since the industrial age. 50% of that rise has occurred since 1980. 
• Bottom Line: Earth is at risk. Those 400 parts per million are like a CO2 blanket. Prior to the Industrial Revolution the blanket layer was about 15 ft.; now, it is 22. The higher the carbon-blanket the greater increase in global warming, climate disruption and extreme weather events. 
• Bottom Line: Climate science denialism as a political and fossil-fuel corporate strategy is faltering. The Senate, on January 21, 2015,  voted 98-1 on Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s one-line, non-binding amendment stating: "it is the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax." 
• Bottom Line: Elon Musk is developing batteries to store energy, a game-changer; there are more employees in the solar industry (174,000) than in coal mining (123,000).
• Bottom Line: Virginia must become a player in the emergent green economy. In the US, the market for solar energy grew by 34% in 2014. Global forecast for 2015 solar energy growth is 30%. Goldman Sachs is pledging $40 billion in renewables investment by 2021; Citibank, $100 billion by 2025.
• Bottom Line: For about $80, a poor rural family in Africa can have electricity via a single laptop sized solar panel enabling recharging a cell phone and powering 4 LED lights. Worldwide, 1.5 billion people live without electricity; how long before this cheap technology leapfrogs to them? Investment and jobs will follow.
•  Bottom Line: 30% of energy use is wasted; increasing energy efficiencies reduces energy waste and CO2 pollution.  This is the fastest, cheapest, no-brainer solution; utility budgets shrink. Energy efficiency is a cornerstone of Virginia’s response to the EPA Clean Power Plant Rules.  
• Bottom Line: Public health is at risk. Richmond, VA, has the “distinction” of being an US Asthma Capital. Virginia needs elected officials and utilities acting to move Virginia from the top to the bottom in asthma cases and from the bottom tier to the top tier in both energy efficiency and renewable energies. A win-win for health and the economy.

With Virginia congregations and communities awakening to the global warming risks, with growing political will and policy solutions emerging, Virginians have an important opportunity to reduce the state’s carbon emissions.  

To do so, the majority of elected and appointed officials must support the EPA Clean Power Plant Rules. For improved public health, the economy, and Virginia natural resources, officials need to enact required, not voluntary, Renewable Portfolio and Energy Efficiency Resource Standards. 

Faith-based non-partisan political will for cutting carbon pollution is growing in Fairfax County. FACS calls upon the County and Schools to reduce energy waste through an energy dashboard, energy efficiencies and renewables.

• Bottom Line: Using energy dashboard and energy efficiencies can save millions of dollars in County government and school budgets. Take George Mason University; GMU, by using an energy dashboard and other energy efficiencies, has greatly reduced wasted energy, utilities costs and carbon footprint. www.energydashboard.gmu.edu
• Bottom Line: November 3 elections are fast approaching; ask your local candidates their stand on reducing energy waste, increasing energy efficiency and renewable energies. Will your State Delegate’s approve the VA EPA Clean Power Plant Rules? Ask; allow answers to inform your vote.
• Bottom Line: Increasing energy efficiencies and transitioning to renewable energies will facilitate becoming carbon neutral by 2050-2100 thus insuring a smaller CO2 blanket and assuring a livable, sustainable earth.
• Bottom Line: As people of faith we are called to be stewards of the earth in both “word and deed”- speech holistically enlivened by action.

FACS, partnering with others, seeks “bold action against climate change” by asking County and School government for a measurable reduction in CO2 pollution.

Rev. Dr. G. Jean Wright, ABC/USA

Member, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
http://www.faithforclimate.org

Responding to Pope Francis’ Call

“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.” Pope Francis, Laudato Si, Chapter 4, paragraph 139

September 24, 2015.  I live in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, which can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse.  Yesterday, when Pope Francis addressed Congress, it was a huge blessing!  My wife and I joined a number of our friends from Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, an interfaith group in Fairfax County, VA, and the National Capital Presbytery Earth Care Network, a group of 10 churches in the National Capital Presbytery dedicated to earth care, to hear what the pontiff had to say on the National Mall.  Oh sure, we could have watched it at home on TV, but being there in-person among an incredibly diverse crowd of people who are passionate about the environment was electrifying!  After much speechifying and good music, we got to see and hear His Holiness on a jumbo-tron.  Pope Francis did for Congress and the American people what pastors from before Jesus’ time have always tried to do – discern God’s Word for our time and place.  The crowd on the grass all around us cheered wildly, as if we were in the chamber.  But as my pastor once said to our congregation:  “What are you going to do after the cheering stops?”

That brings me to the second event that I attended that day.  It was an interfaith gathering at the National Cathedral entitled, Coming Together in Faith on Climate.  It included faith leaders from about a dozen different faith traditions from Jewish to Muslim to Episcopalian, Catholic, Evangelical Christian, and AME.   It even included a sitting US Senator, Sheldon Whitehorse of RI.  Imam Ebrahim Rasool summed the prevailing sentiment best telling us that the current ecological/social crisis was so threatening to our world that we needed to put aside our religious differences, as Pope Francis had said earlier in the day, and work together to address the situation.  The imam reminded us that this is a moral issue with deep theological roots in all of the major world religions, be they Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu.  These faith leaders then called on all people of faith everywhere to adopt this five-point strategy “to lead by example.”

1.     Engage:  Engage our Congregations and Communities for Climate Solutions.  Beginning today, we’re asking every person of faith to go to their house of worship as soon as possible, and speak from their heart to their clergy or spiritual leaders.  We’re asking the same of clergy and spiritual leaders – to speak personally, from your heart, to your congregation.  Tell them you agree with Pope Francis and a wide array of multi-faith leaders that we have a moral obligation to take action today on climate change and build a sustainable future for our children.  Tell them you will lead by example to build support for climate solutions by engaging and inspiring others and take actions that will help restore a healthy atmosphere, and you hope that will lead by example too.  And make sure to take this personal pledge:  www.blessedtomorrow.org/join

2.     Energize:  Form or Join a Clean Energy Group in our Faith Communities.  Thousands of congregations already have active climate- and environment-oriented groups leading the way in switching to clean, renewable energy.  But we need thousands more.  At the site below, you’ll find links to the amazing organizations that are doing wonderful work helping congregations and individuals energize, so you can (a) maximize energy efficiency; (b) switch to clean, renewable energy for your community of faith, your home, and your neighborhood; and (c) so you can energize your people to push for needed political action.  www.interfaithpowerandlight.org

3.     Divest/Invest: Clean up our Personal and Congregational Investments.  Denominations, universities, and seminaries are divesting from fossil fuels, and investing in clean, renewable energy.  Now, it’s possible for us as individuals to do so as well – transferring our personal savings, IRA’s, and other investments into companies that are part of the solution instead of part of the problem.  Make your personal pledge at www.idivestinvest.org

4.     Vote: Make Climate One of our Top Three Issues When (Not If) We Vote.  We’re asking you to demand needed action from every candidate and elected leader in every election.  We’ll provide you with resources to help you learn which candidates are supporting climate change solutions, and which are ignoring or opposing them.  www.faithinpubliclife.org

5.     Educate:  Stay Informed and Educate Others.  Through your social media and in-person networks, you can become a trusted source of information and inspiration for others.  To stay informed and keep learning, sign up for Common Good News for regular updates: www.convergenceus.org/common-good-news.html

I hope you cheered the Pope’s words, but now that the cheering has died down, what are you going to do about it?

David Kepley

Ruling Elder and Deacon

Providence Presbyterian Church

Fairfax, VA

Kepley.david@gmail.com

Biblical Authority and the Care of Creation

As a sinner and lover of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, guided by prayer, Scripture and the Holy Spirit I have come to the belief and assurance of the Christian moral responsibility to be lovers, advocates and stewards of God’s good Creation the earth. As a member of the United Methodist Church I am influenced by the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to guide my core beliefs and these are the authority of Scripture (the earth is the Lord’s), church tradition of the love of creation,  the application of reason and lastly the experience of believers of God’s grace working in and through all of creation. I’d like to share some thoughts on the authority of Scripture in coming to my understanding of what it means to be an advocate for all of creation.

Biblical authority is not a tool to justify the status quo and benefit the powerful but according to Walter Brueggermann the “Bible is inherently the live word of God that addresses us concerning the character and will of the gospel-giving God, empowering us to an alternative life in the world.” (Brueggermann, 2000)  In the book of Colossians Verses 1:15-20 St. Paul provides a vison of this “alternative life” in which all things are reconciled to God “[Christ] himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together … and through him God was pleased to reconcile to [God-self] all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” When I read this scripture I am compelled by God to ask myself  “is the way I am living, are the choices that I am making and the actions that I’m taking that which does no harm and in-fact does good for all of God’s people and the creation?” Are we doing that which builds an alternative world which seeks to reconcile all things by seeking the well-being of humankind on a thriving earth? Scriptural authority of God’s reconciling love for all provides a strong foundation for the care of creation, even when it is inconvenient for my life. For God’s grace is calling forth each person to seek justice and love mercy as we grow in relationship with God, each other and all of creation.

Brueggemann, Walter. "Biblical Authority: A Personal Reflection." Covenant Network. 3 Nov. 2000. http://covnetpres.org/2000/11/biblical-authority-a-personal-reflection/. 1 Aug. 2015. 

What Gets Measured Gets Improved

If you want to lose weight, you need to know how much you weigh. If you want to run a race, you need to know how far to go. In order to measure anything, you start with a number.

It’s no different with reducing energy use in our county buildings. 

Energy efficiency is an immediate way we can address climate change and save taxpayers money. An energy dashboard can motivate behavioral changes to reduce carbon pollution that is trapping heat like a blanket around the earth and endangering our future. We believe there is a moral and spiritual responsibility to act now.

But when Fairfax County staff told the Supervisors it would cost a whopping $14.8 million to set up an energy dashboard to display the cost of utilities in 205 County-owned buildings, and over $3.5 million in annual maintenance, I was shocked.

It’s clear that county staff has not been in contact with other cities or counties or states or colleges that use money-saving energy dashboards and energy-saving programs. If they had, they would have learned that one of the most popular ways of measuring energy use is by getting the data directly from the utility.

Here’s how three nearby leaders do it:  

Build Smart DC – “The goal of Build Smart DC is clear: Create a transformational environment that drives unprecedented energy savings.” 

Arlington County -- “Buildings contribute a large part of the County’s overall energy use, but offer substantial opportunities for reductions, and therefore emissions reductions, without compromising essential services.” 

George Mason University – 40 energy improvement measures saved $2.5 million. Those savings were used to take additional steps that saved another $2.5 million. GMU has also cut carbon pollution by 20,505 metric tons.

So How Much Does an Energy Dashboard Really Cost? 

A fraction of the estimates that County provided. Here are the range of projections given to FACS by by three different vendors: 

• 60,100 - $120,000 for one-time installation
• 30,000 - $55,000 for annual maintenance.

And - get this! - these numbers include not only the 205 County buildings in theCounty's estimate but also Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPA) buildings. That's 450 buildings in all!

Two vendors, Wegowise and Energy Cap, project costs at under 1% of Fairfax County's numbers. The most expensive of the projects FACS obtained is $175,000. Energy Cap, already a Fairfax County vendor, could potentially be the least expensive at around $33,100 for both installation AND annual maintenance.

While these numbers are projections, the difference between them and Fairfax County estimates must be addressed. 

How Much Can Taxpayers Save? 

Budget savings that result from energy dashboards and a solid efficiency program can, in a few short years, add up to a 20% savings. Fairfax County’s FY2016 utilities cost estimate is $13.5 million. That could be a cool $2.7 million of taxpayer money saved.

I’ve asked the three vendors to submit proposals to the county. In a recent meeting with one Supervisor, we were told the county is required by law to evaluate unsolicited proposals.

Fairfax County government has the potential to become a leader in energy efficiency. But it takes vision and commitment.

It’s time to step up.

Eric Goplerud

Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

My Mother's Advice

When I was a boy, my mother told me not to speak when I was angry. That advice stuck with me. That's why it's taken me a while to write about what happened in early February at the meeting of the Fairfax County Environmental Committee.

A work commitment prevented me from attending that day. But several FACS members who did attend told me what happened.

The conference room at the County Government Center was filled to capacity as Jose Comayagua Jr. of the facilities management department led Chairman Sharon Bulova and the other Supervisors through a PowerPoint presentation.

The conclusion: an energy dashboard – which Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions has been promoting for months with Supervisors and staff as tool to increase energy efficiency and save taxpayer money – would cost an astonishing $14.8 million to set up and $3.5 million annually to operate.

“It’s really not that useful,” declared County Executive Ed Long, who was sitting nearby.

Every expert I have talked to since then has shaken their head and chuckled at the County’s cost estimate.

Energy Efficiency Isn’t Sexy

It’s not like building Tysons Corner or extending the Silver Line. It’s not like maintaining the quality of our schools or building more affordable housing. Energy efficiency is asking that we do more with less. Increasing energy efficiency is recognized as the most effective way to quickly reduce the CO2 emissions that are causing the heat trapping blanket around the earth that is disrupting our climate and endangering our grandchildren.

Did you know Virginia is ranked 35^th of all states in energy efficiency? Despite what Fairfax County say, the County is far behind behind Arlington County, the District of Columbia, and Montgomery County, Maryland in commitment and measurable progress.

Accountability

County officials say they are already doing so much. But do you know what they are doing to address climate disruption? We’ve been studying it for months, and we don’t either.

That’s what an energy dashboard is all about. It’s a baseline of measurement; a means to determine what buildings are efficient and which ones are not. It’s a window into County operations that will provide accountability. But it appears Fairfax County is not interested in accountability to voters.

When Supervisor Linda Q.Smyth of Providence District asked if, rather than adding the cost to the County’s tight budget, alternate means of financing have been examined, Mr. Comayagua replied, “We’ll look into it.”After the meeting, FACS member Scott Peterson asked Mr. Long why alternate financing had not been examined, when FACS had provided three alternative financing mechanisms? Long said we should send another memo.

It’s About Commitment

Instead, I contacted two energy management software companies that have successfully mounted publicly-facing energy consumption websites for Washington DC, Los Angeles, Boston,and New Orleans, as well Fortune 500 companies. Within a few short years, investments in a dashboard was paid off and significant savings piled up.

How Much for Fairfax County?

For all 450 County and Fairfax county public school buildings, the higher of the two cost estimates was $125,000 plus $55,000 annually for maintenance.

You read that correctly. In my next post, I’ll provide more details.

My mother was right. It’s a bad idea to speak when you are angry. But my mother was also a very determined woman who seldom took no for an answer. That’s something I learned from her, too.

Eric Goplerud

Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

http://www.faithforclimate.org/