Category Archives: Activism

Energy efficiency in Valdosta: survey

The city of Valdosta wants your input on energy efficiency.

According to a press release from Sementha Mathews on 14 April 2011:

Valdosta Develops Strategy for Continued Energy Conservation

…

The final activity that is underway is the completion of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (EECS) to help Valdosta effectively manage its use of energy resources. As part of this effort, the community’s help is being requested to develop the best strategy possible for the city. The EECS will take the form of a report to the city, helping us decide what we want to achieve and then providing a strategy for getting us there. In particular, the EECS provides guidance for future decisions to make sure our choices reflect a smart and sustainable energy policy. This includes potential projects and activities that the city can undertake to improve our use of energy resources.

YOU CAN HELP!

Continue reading →

Some local governments partner with their citizens for open government

OpenAustin: speakupaustin!
OpenAustin promotes open government & open data in Austin, TX.

OpenAustin is a member-driven organizantion that promotes open government, open data, and civic application development in Austin, TX.

OpenAustin was originally formed by Austin residents interested in the City of Austin’s web strategy and approach. Presently, OpenAustin focuses on ensuring that all local public sector agencies embrace open data and open government principles, provide adequate oversight over public information, and support the civic software development.

Through a series of conversations, common ground was developed between the City and Open Austin to work together in a formal and recurring way. The goal is to develop new capacities for the City of Austin website while reducing or eliminating costs.

A strategic alliance document has been created by Open Austin and the City represents the expectations and the basis for the working relationship. In order to advance this partnership relationship, the City and OpenAustin will partner, innovate and improve.

http://open-austin.org

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=90275885408

Starting with one thing, web strategy, led to general open government. They even have a candidate questionnaire. Which most of the candidates have answered.

-jsq

1 megawatt solar plant opens in Blairsville, GA

Tasha Biggers writes in the Gainesville Times that Georgia’s largest private solar farm provides electricity to Blairsville homes: Site produces 1 megawatt per year
If you live in Blairsville, part of your home’s electricity may be provided by solar energy, thanks to a recently opened solar farm on Ed King Road.

The farm, built and maintained by ESA Renewables, a company headquartered in Castellon, Spain, is privately owned and takes up 5 acres, making it the largest privately held ground-mounted solar farm in Georgia….

The Blairsville site produces 1 megawatt per year.

That’s enough to provide power for 122 houses, according to Javier Latre, director of engineering for ESA Renewables.

The buyer for the power is the TVA, which says: Continue reading →

Sementha Mathews demonstrates use of sledgehammer at KLVB Great American Clean-up

Sometimes destruction is creation. And fun.

This was The Great American Cleanup by KVLD, which is Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, one of those twenty appointed boards. They have other events coming up this year.

Valdosta has two KLVB board appointments available this year. Maybe you’d like to apply.

Here’s the video.


Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Frank Barnas @ VCC 7 April 2011

George Boston Rhynes said:
Every time Frank Barnas asks one of you representatives while you all are on that radio broadcast, he gets answers. So many people who come before the city council who have answers don’t get answers.
While George Rhynes was talking Frank Barnas seemed quite amused by all that.

Here’s the video:


Frank Barnas @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

You know, when Roy Taylor and George Rhynes, about as far apart on the political spectrum as two people can get, think there’s something wrong with your council, maybe it’s worth thinking about.

-jsq

PS: George Rhynes was not one of the people Scott Orenstein was saying don’t stay for the whole meeting; George was the videographer Scott referred to. George stayed even after the meeting was over, and talked to Council Deidra White on the way out of the building.

Why solar cuts it better than any other energy source

Solar power is the fastest growing industry in the world, and south Georgia is an excellent place for it to grow and produce jobs, with plenty of rooftops and parking lots for solar panels.

This is despite the misinformation people with vested interests in other energy sources put out about solar power. After Dr. Matthew Richard made some points about solar vs. biomass, one of the members of the 6 December 2010 panel that VLCIA spent more than $17,000 to assemble to defend biomass responded that he was in favor of the nearby 300kWatt solar plant, but: well, I’m going to interleave his buts with what he’s ignoring. Continue reading →

When politicians vote for the interests of rich Atlanta investors —Leigh Touchton

Leigh Touchton posted this yesterday as a comment on Dr. Mark George’s remarks to Valdosta City Council and Sonny Vickers’ response. -jsq
It’s really unfortunate when City Councilmen like Vickers and Wright don’t care that:
  1. The black infant mortality rate in Valdosta is twice as high for black babies as for white babies
  2. The asthma rate nationally for African-Americans is 3 times higher than for white Americans
  3. The death to asthma rate nationally for African-Americans is 5 times higher than for white Americans.
  4. 75% of the biomass incinerators in Georgia have been proposed for black communities, and the rest for poor white communities.
When politicians vote for the interests of rich Atlanta investors
Continue reading →

Industrial Authority Defensive about Minutes

Could the Industrial Authority try any harder to make it look like they’ve got something to hide? Of all things to go to the mattresses about: their board minutes?

The VDT picked up on our series about a local citizen being overcharged for an open records request for VLCIA agendas and minutes. In a front page Sunday VDT story, David Rodock reports:

In response, The Valdosta Daily Times submitted their own Open Records Request for the salaries of all Industrial Authority employees.

According to the information provided by the Authority, the lowest paid fulltime employee, the Operations Manager, is paid an annual salary of $46,526.

When this number is divided by 2080, (52 weeks multiplied by 40 hours per week) it shows that the lowest paid full-time employee is making $22.40 per hour.

The salary quoted on the invoice is not the same as either Continue reading →

You, here, now —Bill McKibben @ Power Shift

A great honor and a terrible burden.

I think he meant not only the people in front of him but also everyone willing to do something.

As for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

We cannot stop money but we can strip them of their credibility.
That applies to some other organizations, as well.
We need to fight with art and music, too.
10,000 young people went to DC to hear him in Power Shift 2011. We are all late to the fight. As he says:
Try to change those odds.

Here’s the video.

-jsq

PS: Owed to Raven.

George Boston Rhynes says Brooks County does it better @ VCC 7 April 2011

George Boston Rhynes said he had recently been to a Brooks County Commission meeting and there was a lot of actual dialog. He said here in Lowndes County is the only place he’s seen the kind of refusal to answer questions he’d just observed earlier in this same Valdosta City Council meeting.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:


George Boston Rhynes says Brooks County does it better @ VCC 7 April 2011 Part 1 of 2:
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Here’s Part 2 of 2: Continue reading →