Senegal kicks off 2009 African Countries Blog

African country blogging is back by popular demand (and to commemorate our good friend’s journey to Liberia this year)!!!

Last weekend we saw a Senegalese film called “Touki Bouki” and hailed as “one of the best African films, ever”.  It was certainly one of the most intense films I’ve ever seen, taking viewers through graphic scenes and intense agony, frustrations, and discomfort reminescent of teenage years.

The film took place in Dakar, the coastal city and capital of Senegal.  Since separating from Gambia (as Senegambia), Senegal has had 3 peaceful tranisitions of power, the last transitioning across polical parties.  In a country with more than 80 political parties, you could say this is quite commendable.

While the official language is French, many regional languages are spoken. Over 95% of people are Muslim. If you ever get a chance, check out some Mbalax, the popular music of Senegal, which is a fusion of jazz, soul, latin, rock, and  sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal.

If you have any other interesting notes on Senegal, please share them!

Update on fighting toxins

A few months ago, in our article “Who will keep the cancer away“, we reported the bad politics that led to the FDA dismissing a toxicologist expert opposed to the use of bisphenol A (BPA), and then choosing not to regulate it as a toxin.

BPA is a chemical found in most plastic bottles and many other types of plastic. BPA mimics the hormone estrogen and may disrupt the endocrine system, especially in fetuses and infants who are still developing. It is also linked to higher rates of heart disease, liver problems, and diabetes.

Well, sometimes where the federal government fails, the states pick up the slack. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal took the initiative to contact manufacturers of baby bottles and request that they voluntarily stop using the chemical. His efforts seem to be fruitful, as 6 of the largest baby bottle manufacturers will no longer sell bottles made with BPA to customers in the United States. Read more of the Washington Post article that reported this on March 6.

There are still plenty of other products made from BPA, and there are still customers and manufacturers in other parts of the world who have not phased out the use of BPA (despite the existence of alternatives.) But this is a step in the right direction – towards green chemistry being adopted by our largest manufactures.

If you want to know more about green chemistry, check out Paul Anastas and John Warner’s book, “Green Chemistry, Theory and Practice”, and ACS’s Green Chemistry Institute.

Existentialists’ Guide to Happiness

Yesterday I held a workshop and had the high school participants describe what was essential for a good quality of life.   They were incredibly insightful and cited the importance of family, friends, opportunities to grow and succeed, as well as having basic necessities of food, shelter and water, and even having trees and natural areas.  They then participated in an activity where they had to balance the challenge of growing out of poverty but also protecting the world’s environment and resources.  I was surprised to find that they (at least in the game) were very willing to sacrifice extravagance (like large houses and high incomes) so they could help other groups have better living conditions and so they could protect the environment. I think some of their insights into quality of life, or general happiness, are right on target.

But what do the academics and scientists have to say about happiness?  The idea of a scientific study on happiness might make some hard-scientists squirm, but I’ve read a few of these studies, and I think these are actually pretty useful. Today I came across this article that summarizes some of the latest findings, and I thought it was pretty insightful (since I have come to the same conclusions in my life, it must be right…right!?)

So apparently, the keys to happiness include: celebrating and appreciating your circumstances, progress, and personal victories (small and large), spending time with people (even while doing something that is not typically enjoyable like commuting or chores), helping other people out, and feeling a sense of control in your life.

The last one I list (#3 in the article) is probably one of the most challenging.  We often do not feel in control, especially if we have a controlling boss, parent, etc.  I happen to have one poignant experience where I realized the importance of this one.  It was when I was still in college and had had an exhausting week and had no motivation to go to a class that was really demanding and unstructured.  But I took about 5 minutes to sort of “meditate” and think about the fact that I had the power to decide my next course of action.  By taking time to consider my course of action, I felt more in control of my decision.  While I couldn’t control the consequences of whatever decision I made, I could control the decision I made and I could then be proud of making that decision.  By simply recognizing that I was making a conscious decision, I felt empowered and motivated…and dare I say “happy”.

But I can’t leave you without a criticism/disagreement…this is a soapbox, after-all. So I do have some beef with the author’s first point.

At first, this point reminds me of something I read in The Tao of Pooh (great book!) that encourages us to not compare ourselves to others, but rather to compare ourselves to our own abilities and goals. For example: “did I do my best?” rather than “did I do better than someone else?”

But then, the recommendation takes a wrong turn and encourages people to compare themselves with people who are less well-off so they remember to appreciate what they do have.  Sure this is a good first step (I admittedly do it too), but I wouldn’t recommend it as a long-term strategy because it gives us satisfaction when others fail. Instead, I prefer to think that we are all on the same team, trying to achieve success (happiness) together.

Bright Side of the Bail-out

Maybe you’re pretty down about the bail-out bill.  You’re thinking that it will use US money (that we don’t have) to make sure that high-level people in sketchy companies don’t suffer too much, while plenty of Americans continue to lose their houses…and their retirement savings.

Well, if the humor in this skit about the financial crisis didn’t make you feel better, I have something that might do the trick.

Recall that many of us were worried because the tax credits for renewable energy were set to expire this year.  If congress didn’t pass a bill to renew them, many solar and wind projects would be doomed and many renewable energy companies would suffer.  But then the financial crisis hit the floor of the senate and house, and we worried that it would over-shadow the critical and urgent need to renew those wind and solar tax credits.

Well, it seems that a spark of wisdom struck our legislators! What if we kill two birds with one stone?  What if we bolster renewable energy to stimulate the economy???  It’s true, my friends! The bail-out bill includes an extension of the tax credits for renewable energy! The Solar Electric Power Association summarizes the tax extensions for solar:

By a vote of 263-171, the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic legislation that extends the 30-percent federal investment tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations for 8 years.

This legislation will:

• Extend for 8 years the 30-percent tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations;
• Eliminate the $2,000 monetary cap for residential solar electric installations, creating a true 30-percent credit;
• Eliminate the prohibition on utilities from benefiting from the credit;
• Allow Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers, both businesses and families, to take the credit; and
• Authorize $800 million for clean energy bonds for renewable energy generating facilities, including solar.

Hope this cheers your day!

Contest to Save the World

When I was growing up, I had this idea: I would create a website where people could submit their ideas of solutions to problems they encountered in life.  So one day, you are taking a shower one day and you are thinking about how terrible traffic jams are, but then suddenly you have a brilliant idea of how your city could reduce traffic congestion!  But you don’t have the money or the power to implement your idea, so it just fizzles away. BUT… with this website, you could write your idea down and submit it to this website for others to see. Donors, policy makers, volunteers, and people with an excess of money or time would come to the website and search through the ideas and pick the ones they want to work to bring to life.

Well, my idea did not completely just fizzle, because Google must have read my mind a little! They did not create my dream website, but they are hosting a contest for world-changing ideas!  Their contest is called “Project 10 to the the 100th” because they are giving “10 to the 100″ (10 million) dollars to the best idea that will help the most people (in their opinion).  With the slogan “May those who help the most win”, they are asking people to submit project ideas that will help people across the world live a better life.  One example of a winning idea is giving barrels to communities where women must carry water for miles to get water to their families.  The barell allows the women to carry much greater quantities of water, and they can roll the barrel instead of carrying it.

Let your creative ideas flow, but hurry…the deadline is October 20, 2008!

I Heart Asheville

I would love to live in a world where every town/city has a culture built on principles of sustainability. Infrastructure like buildings, transportation, and electricity would help improve our health and our environment. We wouldn’t feel guilty because our commute would not be polluting the air and contributing to climate destabilization. Stores would only carry products that meet the highest standards, being produced and distributed in safe and environmentally friendly ways by well-paid workers. We wouldn’t be overwhelmed by so much junk, and we would still have quality products to meet our needs.

I have yet to see this happen and I don’t know the best way to get there, but Tuesday we saw one community that might be a glimpse of what the beginnings of change could look like. As I stepped out of the car in Asheville, NC a truck drove by with a sticker on the back saying “I run on biodiesel”. I thought it was an appropriate first sight in Asheville, given the town’s reputation of “hippie town”. As we meandered down the streets and ducked into shops, we found that the majority of businesses and products were locally owned, organic, and generally environmentally and socially conscious. We ate a delicious vegan meal at Rossetta’s Kitchen, which uses locally grown food, composts its food scraps, and makes delicious veg food! We shopped at a co-op grocery store and stores that sold clothes from organic cotton. We even found a store soley dedicated to green building-they sold non-voc paint, bamboo floors, insulation made from old blue jeans, and even solar panels! We didn’t see public transportation, but the town seemed to be small enough that you could walk or bike wherever you needed to go.
Needless to say, Asheville captured our hearts and gave us a glimpse of what a culture built on sustainabilty might look like.

Leaving the Beltway…

I’m leaving the beltway for the sunny Arizona skies. I decided it was time for a new and deeper perspective on science policy from academia instead of the DC nonprofit world. So Carbon and I hit the road a few days ago on a journey across the country, which we’ll blog about for our friends and family, which may be more journal than soapbox, unfortunately (or fortunately).

We started our journey in Shenandoah National Park. We’ve been fortunate to have awesome camping weather so far; it was refreshingly cool, with an awesome view of the Milky Way. We got there too late to buy firewood, but the Park Service recently implemented a new program to distribute firewood to tardy campers like us, so we were able to enjoy vegan marshmellows with our stellar view. Three cheers for the Park Service. Their campgrounds are well maintained and quiet, and we noticed enhanced recycling efforts.

The next day we set out for Asheville, NC, but not before seeing a beautiful bear cross the parkway as we were leaving the park. We had a long drive down to NC, but were lucky enough to stumble upon a campsite right next to the French Broad River and sleep to the sound of water.

Quote of the Day

“Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin… Let me feel with unalloyed gladness that all the great glories of man are mine.”

Money for renewable energy

I’m not sure if the Bush administration has realized that anthropogenic (human-induced) climate disruption is a serious threat to our planet and many people’s livelihoods…but they at least acknowledge the importance of developing renewable energy, both in the U.S. and abroad. I was excited to read that Bush “urged Congress” to put $2 billion towards an international clean energy technology fund! Now I’m going to move to a developing country and try to start a clean energy company! Well, actually, I don’t know if that would work. The money would actually go to a fund that is managed by the World Bank, who will then distribute the money. I wonder how they plan to distribute it? Will they give it to the government? Will they have a grant process for people in developing countries who want to invest in clean energy? I wonder if the money will end up in the right hands to actually make a difference.

After reading the World Energy Outlook (WEO), I think the money really needs to go mostly to clean energy technology in China and India. I don’t have anything against Africa or any other developing nations, but by 2015, China is projected to surpass the U.S. in carbon emissions, thanks to their booming coal industry. (I feel sorry for you, Olympic athletes.) And India is right behind them.

Now I’m going to contradict myself. Maybe all the money shouldn’t go to China or India, since their economic growth is booming right now. Maybe instead, we should develop international regulations on carbon emission to “encourage” countries to develop clean energy technologies on their own. The richer countries in the west and China and India have enough human and techincal capital to rise up and develop clean energy technology, given economic incentives. But many African countries and some poorer developing countries don’t have the capital and will need support from an international clean energy technology fund.

So I would argue that we need international regulations on carbon emissions, and then we should give international aid to help the poorest developing countries with clean energy technology. However, without international regulations, we will be “forced” to give China and India economic incentives to blast forward with clean energy.

-Carbon