Earth Day Lubbock

Headed in the right direction even with the US automakers removing more efficient sedans and compacts from their production lines.

U.S. vehicles set a fuel economy record in model year 2022, EPA says - Autoblog U.S. new vehicles set a record high for fuel economy in 2022, with the highest yearly improvement in nine years, yet Detroit vehicles continued to lag rivals.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/20/texas-saguaro-cross-border-natural-gas-pipeline/

Worried about safety, a small West Texas town challenges planned cross-border pipeline Critics are calling on federal regulators to increase their scrutiny and oversight of the proposed pipeline, which would send gas from Texas to the Mexican coast for export to other countries.

"To pay off the costs incurred by the storm, the Texas Public Utilities Commission approved the purchase of around $3 billion in bonds for electricity providers, 3.4 billion for gas providers.

Paying off these bonds, however, will be left to every Texan on their power bills."

Texans will carry cost of 2021 winter freeze for next 30 years Texans will be bailing out energy providers haurt by the winter storm for decades.

But Texans are obligated to pay outrageous prices for whatever electricity is provided during an emergency.

Texas power plants have no responsibility to provide electricity in emergencies, judges rule A panel of judges has said that big power companies cannot be held liable for failure to provide electricity during the 2021 blackout. The reason is Texas’ deregulated energy market.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Disney's BEAUTY & THE BEAST for a spectacular, outstanding, truly amazing run. You brought magic to the LCT stage and we couldn't be more excited our proud of this show you put together. Seeing you bring this kind of magic to our community is truly what it's all about. Thank you, and well done, each and every one of you.
And as always, to everyone who made it out to see this show: a hearty and grateful THANK YOU! Thank you for coming out to support local theatre. Thank you for sharing in the magic with us.
We'll be closing down for the Holidays soon (after a free screening of the classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE this weekend!) but we'll be back in the New Year with THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE from Stages Academy and CALENDAR GIRLS in the main season, as well as so many more performances and programs that we can't wait to bring to you. Happy Holidays, and we'll see you again very soon!

"The calls came from humpback whales the researchers had recorded from a small group of whales just the day before their encounter. The group had included Twain, so it's possible Twain was responding to her own signal.

"We might've been playing back her own hello to her," Sharpe said."

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-contact-whales-in-world-first-communication-experiment?fbclid=IwAR03-EZO61TbiOQIFlQl0GcYeByFPSksDGgCuaAUdmelszw7fg-4kiy28qQ

Scientists Contact Whales in World-First Communication Experiment What do whale experts and alien hunters have in common? More than you might expect.

"Voters aged 65 and older are second only to those between the ages of 18 and 34 in naming climate and the environment their highest political priorities, according to a new 18-state study by the Boston-based Environmental Voter Project, or EVP."

Older voters are second only to young people in share of ‘climate voters,’ new study shows A report from the Environmental Voter Project says “gray is the new green,” as voters who prioritize climate are numerous enough to swing elections in key states.

Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under new federal climate rule The Biden Administration announced a crackdown on methane emissions, a major driver of climate change. Major oil and gas companies also signed on to a voluntary net-zero commitment.

A Texas judge threw out an air pollution permit for a crude export facility that TCE challenged with allies including Diane Wilson in the Matagorda Bay area. TCE Executive Director sat in as attorneys with Earthjustice argued the case last month. This is not the end of the fight over the proposed Max Midstream crude export facility.

However, we will now be able to argue our case that the additional air pollution and its health impacts on TCE members and others should result in a rejection of this permit.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/06/texas-tceq-permit-oil-terminal-max-midstream-shrimpers/

LP&L is finishing the move to ERCOT. We're moving the remaining 30% of our customers to the ERCOT grid Dec. 9-11, 2023. For the most up-to-date information, and to see if your meter is affected, visit LPandL.com/ERCOT

The company says that “bidirectional charging will transform electric cars into rolling energy storage units in the future.”

Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days The automaker announced that all of its new ID models will come with bidirectional charging capability.

When putting up your holiday lights this year, consider LED-powered lights.💡 They use far less electricity, burn cooler, and last longer. Learn more: bit.ly/lplpointers.

TOMORROW: Join Councilmembers Mark W. McBrayer & Latrelle Joy for a community meeting regarding choosing an electricity provider!

🗓️Tuesday, December 5, @ 6-7:30 p.m.
📍Green Lawn Church of Christ, 5701 19th Street

mylubbock.us/CommunityMeetings

Texas ERCOT has a Virtual Power Plant pilot program

Texas resident selling energy to grid in PUC pilot program It's part of an effort to make the grid more reliable.

Texas board rejects many science textbooks over climate change messaging The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education last week rejected most of the proposed textbooks that include climate science for eighth grade students. Five of 12 were approved.

Prop 14 ($1 billion for state parks) got all the attention, but Texas voters also approved nine other bonds for parks and recreation for an additional $800 million! See the link in our bio to read more.

Important PSA from an acrobatic squirrel:

America’s public lands are nut-oriously busy this week. While a handful of iconic national parks receive a lot of love (and crowds), there are more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country – most of which are free!

Don’t go out on a limb – check site websites before departing, as reservations may be needed to enter.

And remember, even if critters look cute, never give them food. They have real nuts for their holiday meals.

Photo by Kristin Burrill

Native American Heritage Day is an opportunity to seek out Indigenous stories, learn about Native cultures and practices, and appreciate the richness that Indigenous people bring to our diverse country.

North America contains the traditional homelands of diverse Indigenous peoples. Each Tribe has distinctive dress, cultural practices, traditional tools and crafts, recipes, music, games and artwork.

Interior programs, partnerships and public lands preserve and share the stories and heritage of Indigenous people.

Photo at Seinanyédi, “it goes up and down” (Jicarilla Apache) or Great Sand Dunes by Patrick Myers / Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Can we make meaningful progress towards addressing and mitigating climate change without limiting the fossil fuel industry?

The Hypocrisy of COP28 & John Kerry's Plan to Curb Climate Change In a special episode, Tommy and Ben discuss the upcoming COP28 conference in the United Arab Emirates. They speak about the climate summit’s importance, hear...

The Rio Grande Gorgeous Bridge.
TAOS NM

"The planet has been this hot before, but never in the era relevant to modern humanity. For those two days, we were the furthest we have ever been from the average climate of 1850–1900, the time just before humans began industrializing in earnest and adding large quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. We are now a large margin away from the climate in which nearly all of human history has played out." https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/11/climate-change-2023-global-temperature-records/676065/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1HY-oWAvRfV0RMRpN3cjwZmbSIpNwI4IJnXNWYxIFbhIUC1MoEofMef8Y

2023 Just Notched Its Most Ominous Climate Record Yet We all just lived through our first 2-degree Celsius day.

Meet 17-Year-Old Avi Schiffmann Who Runs Coronavirus Tracking Website Used by 40+ Million Globally

Check out this cool website and the cool kid that built it.

democracynow.org A teenager’s website tracking coronavirus has become one of the most vital resources for people seeking accurate and updated numbers on the pandemic. The URL is nCoV2019.live. We speak with 17-year-old Avi Schiffmann, a high school junior from Mercer Island outside Seattle, who started the site in...

Due to the recent COVID-19 concerns, Earth Day Lubbock has decided to cancel the upcoming festival. While it may be cancelled, we will still provide you with information and ways to be green.

Please continue to follow us for dates regarding future festivals.

"If we don't break the warming cycle, we expect more wildfires in the years ahead." - Environmental Defense Fund