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Pennsylvania ranks third worst in the nation for our production of heat-trapping gases causing global warming, and Pennsylvania cities continue to rank among the least safe in the country thanks to dangerous air pollution. But we have the tools, technologies, know-how, and work force to reverse these trends-- we simply need to change policies around how we make and use energy. Investing today in clean, renewable energy development like solar and wind, and ensuring that we conserve electricity through an array of demand-reduction strategies and efficiency upgrades, will continue to reward Pennsylvanians with lower electric bills, new family-sustaining jobs, and healthier communities.

In this video podcast, PennFuture tours the commonwealth to meet a few of our clean energy and new energy economy leaders. With critical legislation like the energy savings bill (HB 2200) and the clean energy funding bill (SHB 1) pending in the state senate, it is important to understand the vast array of opportunities that passing this legislation will bring to Pennsylvanians.

You will meet Philadelphia Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, stressing the importance of green building and energy investments that are resulting in creation of many new great green jobs for Philadelphians. Near Philadelphia, companies like Alan Rushforth's Rushforth Solar, that installs efficient and cost-effective solar thermal heating systems for hot water in large buildings, are demonstrating how small companies support scores of jobs. You will get a peek into how Westmoreland County's Solar Power Industries will be employing 400 people in the near future, and learn how the U.S. needs to catch up to its international competitors to increase our share of the exploding solar energy market, as we talk with company vice president Dick Rosey. We will see wind energy working statewide and hear from Iberdrola Renewables' Paul Copleman who describes how existing policies like the Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard (passed in 2004) have been key to attracting major new private investment and jobs from the wind industry-- but how we could be losing out to neighboring states if we don't do more now.

Focusing on how we use energy is as important as shifting patterns in how we make energy. Pittsburgh is home to the Green Building Alliance, where executive director Rebecca Flora explains that the built environment has major strides to make in improving energy efficiency. Doing so makes real sense, however, as the cost savings add up. And the demand for products and materials in the green building arena is rising quickly-- Pennsylvania is already a major supplier, but the opportunities to do more are enormous. Practical Energy Solutions' founder Paul Spiegel knows firsthand how understanding where improvement and upgrades in building systems, insulation and lighting, for example, can result in major economic savings. His company is helping commercial entities, schools, and municipalities to stop wasting energy and start reinvesting the significant money saved back into their core missions. And forward-thinking companies like Dan Orzech's Earth Rising Homes are helping to set the bar higher for everyone in the new construction business, as he brings homes to the market that have zero energy costs for the new homeowners.

These leaders and the many, many more who are part of the Campaign for Great Green Jobs know that Pennsylvania has all the right stuff when it comes to the new, clean energy economy. We simply need to act now to put the pieces together into a comprehensive, strategic set of policies. Visit our Web site to learn how you can support this critical effort today.

PennFuture, LaRoche College, and the Pennsylvania Interfaith Climate Change Campaign recently co-sponsored a conference in southwestern Pennsylvania called Cool Pennsylvania: Solutions for a Warming Planet. The event brought together citizens, organizations, businesses, and elected officials, all exploring the latest facts about global warming and its impacts, and the variety of solutions that we can and must employ.

Enacting critical legislation at the state level that will help Pennsylvania significantly change the way we make and use energy is one part of the strategy. A state policy panel moderated by PennFuture's CEO and president John Hanger included Allen Kukovich (director of Office of Governor Ed Rendell for the southwest region), Rep. Lisa Bennington (D-21), and Brian Hill (president and CEO of Pennsylvania Environmental Council).

In this podcast, listen in to another panel discussion from the conference. PennFuture's Jan Jarrett moderates the state solutions panel, including representatives from a variety of Pennsylvania organizations and businesses all working to reduce our significant contributions to global warming. You'll hear from Dick Rosey of Solar Power Industries; Tim Vought from Gamesa Energy USA; Eamon Geary from the Green Building Alliance; Brian Snyder from the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture; and Nathaniel Doyno from Steel City Biofuels. The panel discussion lasted approximately one hour, and included a range of excellent questions from the audience.

You can become part of the solution in Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit our Web site to join the Cool Pennsylvania campaign. You can also sign up to attend an upcoming global warming conference to be held in Scranton featuring U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. and many other national, state, and local experts.

The green industry sector in Pennsylvania is gaining momentum right now as you read this post. We have leaders in our state who are working very hard to produce clean energy, green jobs, and working to solve the problem of climate change through business initiatives that focus specifically on the sustainable future of Pennsylvania. The benefits are vast, as public interest, economic growth, and environmentally-conscious practices work in concert.

This week, PennFuture’s Christine Knapp and Tom Tuffey share inspiration from the monthly Urban Sustainability Forum in Philadelphia. The March forum took an in-depth look into the business of supplying clean energy and energy efficiency services. Hear from Sally Silver with the Chester County Economic Development Council, coordinating the Smart Energy Initiative for Southeastern Pennsylvania, a public/private  partnership actively involved in both the supply side and the demand side of the clean energy/energy efficiency market; Sarah Hetznecker, northeast regional business manager of SunTechnics Energy Systems, a leading supplier of solar energy systems, helping to promote state and federal policies to make solar power systems more accessible to the public; Audrey Zibelman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of PJM Interconnection, which operates the world's largest competitive wholesale electricity market and ensures the reliability of the largest centrally dispatched grid in the world; and Brent Alderfer, executive vice president, Iberdrola Renewable Energies USA, a global leader in wind energy, already bringing thousands of new jobs to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is well positioned in the clean energy sector, and our potential to grow Great Green Jobs for the people of the Commonwealth is overwhelming. Support PennFuture’s initiatives to bring thousands of new jobs home, cut electric bills, and help stop our contributions to global warming by joining our campaign, and by becoming a PennFuture member today.

Policy changes will help make or break the new, clean energy economy of the future. Get involved in passing two critical pieces of legislation, SHB1 and HB2200, both pending in the Pennsylvania Senate. Contact your Senator today, and tell them the importance of a timely "yes" vote on these two bills.

All eyes in Pennsylvania are beginning to turn towards green jobs, as we focus on the overwhelming need to combat global warming, cut back on energy costs, and provide new opportunities for working families statewide. Pittsburgh recently played host to the first national Blue/Green Alliance conference, this year entitled Good Jobs, Green Jobs. The conference began a national discussion between labor, environmental, industry, financial, and government leaders on the economic, health and security benefits that are being and will be realized through the growth in the clean, renewable energy field, energy efficiency retrofits and upgrades, green chemistry, and many other environmentally-responsible endeavors.

A pre-conference event organized by cityLIVE, a monthly forum showcasing intellectual talent in Pittsburgh, brought s few of those national leaders together with a young leader from Pittsburgh to bring the green jobs conversation to a broader audience. Armed with a balanced blend of viewpoints, the cityLIVE forum featured moderator Nathaniel Doyno, executive director of Steel City Biofuels; Donele Wilkins, executive director of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice; Dr. Jerry Paytas, director of research for the Economic Architecture practice of GSP Consulting; and David Foster, executive director of the Blue/Green Alliance, a strategic partnership between the United Steelworkers (USW) and the Sierra Club.

In this podcast, PennFuture's Alex Bard visits the Labor=Green forum, exploring with the presenters many of the principal concepts. You have an important role to play in the movement to bring thousands of great green jobs to Pennsylvania. Use PennFuture's Action Center to contact your state senator urging timely “yes” votes on two critical pieces of legislation that will significantly change the way we make and use energy in Pennsylvania: SSHB1 and HB2200. Passing this legislation will lay the policy framework necessary to support new green pipelines and support industries, and consequently a brighter, more secure, and healthy future.

PennFuture invites your business, organization or group to sign on to the Great Green Jobs Campaign. Visit the links within our campaign headquarters to learn more, and become a leading force behind the green jobs movement by joining PennFuture as a member and supporter.

It’s time to turn a new leaf. In America today, we are on the cusp of a major paradigm shift encompassing how we think about the environment, the economy and the way that these important areas of our lives interact. In the clean energy, carbon-constrained future, economic stability and job stability will grow together as we change the way we use and make energy.

In Pennsylvania, there are two critical pieces of legislation currently in the state Senate that are essential to us making the shift. Special Energy Session House Bill 1 (SHB1, the clean energy funding bill) and House Bill 2200 (the energy savings bill) will position Pennsylvania as a leader in the field of renewable energy development, at the same time spurring thousands of new family-sustaining jobs.

To inspire this change, PennFuture has launched our Campaign for Great Green Jobs this week, together with dozens of businesses, community groups, faith-based organizations, and environmental/conservation groups. Passing this legislation as soon as possible will not only enable Pennsylvanians to begin to reap the energy savings benefits such as lower electricity bills, rebates for energy efficient appliances, and grants for solar energy, it will enable the Commonwealth to compete with neighboring states for thousands of outstanding new jobs. And it will begin to significantly curb our state's massive contribution to the crisis of global warming.

Citizen action is essential. Contact your state senator today, and tell them that you want a “yes” vote on both SSHB1 and HB2200. Passing House Bill 2200 and Special Session House Bill 1 by the Senate would be a one-two punch against an economy sliding into recession, skyrocketing fuel prices and pollution.

Listen in to this week’s podcast, as John Hanger discusses the importance of the green economy and Pennsylvania’s clean energy future. PennFuture knows that a thriving economy depends on a healthy environment and healthy communities. Help us achieve this mission by joining us as a PennFuture member. Membership with PennFuture offers the opportunity to become a part of the solution to the challenges Pennsylvania is facing. Your voice counts: let it be heard loud and clear.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing problem. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70 percent of all antibiotics manufactured are fed to healthy animals at livestock operations. Because of the concern of the role that the routine use of antibiotics plays in creating these super germs, many public health organizations have called for a complete or partial ban on the practice. These organizations include American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the World Health Organization, and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians.

Animals at factory farms (large, concentrated animal feedlots that are becoming all-too-commonplace in the Commonwealth) are routinely fed low doses of antibiotics to enhance growth and to prevent outbreaks of disease. The constant low doses of antibiotics kill susceptible bacteria, but bacteria resistant to the drug survive and multiply. In short order, most of the bacteria become resistant to treatment by antibiotics.

In this podcast, PennFuture's Heather Sage talks with public health expert Dr. Amy Sapkota from the University of Maryland School of Public Health/Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Dr. Sapkota's work focuses on evaluating the relationships between human diseases stemming from infection, and the pathways to humans from agriculture, water production, and the environment. She explains the basics of antibiotics resistance and why public health officials worldwide are so concerned with this situation.

While overuse and misuse of antibiotics in agriculture are certainly not the only contributing causes to antibiotics resistance, they are a significant part of the problem, and one that must be addressed. Many of the antibiotics used in animal feed are also used in human medicine. If a person becomes infected with resistant bacteria, the use of antibiotics to treat a resulting disease may not work at all, or less effectively. People can be exposed to these bacteria by handling contaminated meat, drinking contaminated water or breathing contaminated air.

There are ways that we can protect ourselves from exposure to bacteria in our daily lives. Dr. Sapkota advises to wash hands regularly with warm water and regular soap (not antibacterial soap-- which is also contributing to antibiotics resistance), avoiding the use of personal products that are labeled as antibiotic, employing safe meat handling and meat cooking practices, buying organic products, and by taking any prescribed antibiotics properly.

But what about exposures from other pathways, such as contaminated air or water? This is where policy changes must be implemented. Part of the answer lies in limiting the use of antibiotics at livestock facilities. PennFuture's Safe Foods, Safe Families campaign is beginning to do just that. Visit our Web site to learn more about how we are working to keep medicines working for you. There is also a wealth of information at the Keep Antibiotics Working site.

We welcome your comments. Simply click on "Comments" below, or send us an e-mail.

We can create the movements we've always dreamed of-- by linking them together. Efforts to end social injustices including poverty and unemployment, linked with efforts to end global warming and pollution, will become stronger and more effective when combined. These are the visions of powerhouse activist Van Jones, who at the helm of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, CA, is making those visions realities in cities nationwide.

Jones' work is focused on getting and keeping urban youth out of jail and into jobs in the “green” economy. Called “Green Collar Job Creation”, and operating under Jones’ slogan “Green Jobs, Not Jails”, the program was established in 2005, and is emerging as a powerful beacon of hope for both the underprivileged youth of America, and the future of the environment in which we all live, work, and play.

PennFuture’s Christine Knapp met with Jones before his appearance as the keynote speaker at the February 2008 Urban Sustainability Forum in Philadelphia, organized by the  Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. Philadelphia, America's Next Great City, is well on its way to becoming a frontrunner in the new green economy. Under the leadership of newly-elected Mayor Michael Nutter, who included many of the Next Great City coalition's key recommendations in his first budget address, Philadelphia is poised to implement many of Jones' recommendations as well, creating those linkages between the environment and the economy at every level. Mayor Nutter was on hand at the event to introduce Jones.

Listen in as we explore the inspiration for the program and learn important lessons for the implementation of similar green training programs in Pennsylvania. You can also watch the entire event (well worth your time!) by clicking here.

Support for green collar job creation will come in part from the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which authorizes $125 million per year to train individuals in the green trades. At the federal level, this is a small step towards the necessary economic support that green businesses require in order to survive. Citizen activism in bringing programs like Jones’ to the eyes and ears of state and local governments are the next steps in fostering the support for widespread green job growth. And this new green workforce will be implementing vital components of the solutions to global warming.

Today in Pennsylvania, the state's General Assembly is on the cusp of enacting legislation that itself will result in an explosion of good-paying, family-sustaining green jobs. Legislation like House Bill 2200 will require statewide programs to save energy, using new strategies like more efficient lighting or heating/cooling systems. The bill would also mean that every Pennsylvanian can save up to 20 percent a year on electric bills thanks to energy savings. Another bill, Special Energy Session House Bill 1, will jump start major investments in new, clean energy projects throughout Pennsylvania such as wind and solar energy developments and green buildings. Again, this legislation will result in thousands of new jobs. Coupled with job training and comprehensive outreach programs, Pennsylvania could soon lead the nation in green jobs, green technologies, and a growing economy.

Take action! There are a few simple steps you can take to make these visions reality in Pennsylvania. Watch the Van Jones presentation. Contact your state senator to support Pennsylvania legislation to grow green collar jobs and the new green economy through energy conservation and new clean energy development. And if you are a Philadelphian, contact city council to support the types of programs Van Jones is promoting nationwide. Make a contribution to PennFuture to help us continue our work. As always, we welcome your feedback. Leave a comment below to let others know about why the green jobs movement matters to you, or e-mail us at podcast (at) pennfuture (dot) org.

Powerful in its toxicity, and dangerous in its neurological health effects, mercury pollution has been a focus of PennFuture initiatives for several years. The mercury pollution that threatens health is largely emitted from coal-fired power plants, and is considered to be more toxic than lead. These emissions accumulate in plants and animals like fish, which can be passed along as we eat them. The dangers from mercury are particularly high for developing babies and children.

Pennsylvania’s mercury pollution is among the worst in the nation thanks to the large number of coal-fired power plants here and in upwind states like Ohio. So bad, in fact, that PennFuture spearheaded a campaign to establish a state rule to dramatically cut mercury pollution from our power plants. Finalized in early 2007, Pennsylvania’s mercury regulation is a testament to the power of citizen advocacy, as a broad coalition of anglers, hunters, people of faith, medical experts, environmental groups, women's organizations, organized labor, and many others spoke out against the dismal failure that was the federal Clean Air Mercury Rule, and in favor of swift and aggressive state action. Pennsylvania's mercury rule requires coal-fired power plants to cut their mercury pollution by 80 percent by 2010, and by 90 percent by 2015.

Pennsylvania won a critical battle for human health and our environment. In mid-February 2008, our state victory was magnified as a legal challenge brought by Pennsylvania and 16 other states asserting the federal mercury rule was in essence illegal under the federal Clean Air Act was won in federal court.

In this podcast, PennFuture's Christine Knapp talks with Senior Attorney and Chair of PennFuture's law staff Charles McPhedran, who authored PennFuture's initial petition for the state's mercury rule. He describes the significance of the recent legal decision at the federal level, and explains how Pennsylvania's rule has taken on even greater importance in its wake.

For more podcasts on PennFuture’s initiatives on mercury, visit our archive by clicking here. There you can listen in to state and national experts. To support PennFuture's work on this and other critical issues to our health, environment, and economy, please consider a making a tax-deductible donation. As always, we welcome your comments. Simply send us an e-mail, or click on "Comments" below.

Sometimes the best part of any presentation is the unscripted part – the question and answer session. Click to hear the pas de deux between Hanger and the committee members.