Author: Suzanne Maxx (Page 9 of 28)

By Suzanne Maxx

Breaking Global Climate Action

September 24, 2015 / Suzanne Maxx / 0 Comments

by Suzanne Maxx

The movement for global transformation, is building around the world. Everyone is needed— as it’s our common future, in our one common home, so we all are being called to take action.

Join an aerial art piece in Washington DC 4:00-6:00 AM, meeting at 7^th and Jefferson. This human font Aerial Art masterpiece will be created by artist John Quigley of Spectral Q and is sponsored by the Franciscan Action Network, with Earth Day on the Mall— as Pope Francis addresses the US Congress at 10:00 AM you can watch the speech with a transcript here. A schedule of the pope’s visit to the US is here.

We’ll be in New York to “Light the Way”, “Under One Sky” in the evening across the street from the United Nations at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 47^th and 1^st Avenue 4:30-5:30 a multi-faith Festival of Prayer and Music. You can participate wherever you are in the world tomorrow check to see if there is an event near you here.

Wherever you are you can watch New York’s leading conference, Reforming the Energy Vision, live. Tune in Thursday September 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. Click here to see the live panel presentations.World Team Now’s renewable energy microgrid continues, but that is for another blog. Here is a valuable article Power to the People.

Tomorrow, the 70^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has the Sustainability Summit through September 25^th, you can watch it all on UN.TV here live. We are optimistic that all world leaders will sign on to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals. The deadline if adopted will be 2030, and although we need it to happen sooner, the first step is to tell everybody about the goals—spread the word to 7 billion in 7 days is the 1^st goal.

Watch this fabulous video

Learn more about the 17 goals we like this video here.

Click for Global Goals here; www.globalgoals.org

See what Steven Hawkins has to say about the Global Goals here:

http://https://youtu.be/RTRdtrsL9jg

Global transformation does take everyone… So we need you. The Global Goals are something we all can get behind as a critical “to do list” to sustain our future. What is your favorite goal?

Join the Global Citizens’ Festival and Concert: Great Lawn, Central Park, NYC Saturday the 26^th https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/2015/

It certainly helps that a team of individuals each with a big following are taking action, augmenting the efforts of the United Nations. Bill McGibben leader of the divest from fossil fuel movement and invest in renewable energy has specific measurable results to date over 2.6 trillion dollars of victory. Leonardo Di Caprio made the news when he divested his organizations funds yesterday celebrity power in the movement helps, but what will change the game is all of us together. Although creative master minds like Richard Curtis can orchestrate global game changing efforts on many fronts.

What we are creating is a global conversation through a multi-media platform that connects people, projects and the world. What we’re building a consciousness about change. And we can do that by showcasing socially and environmentally responsible projects that demonstrate how people can work together and play to transform the world.

UN takes on “Climate Neutrality” check out what you can do right now in your home or business to offset; Check out this resourceful website Climate Neutral Now. For more read the Press Release

IRENA puts out Global Atlas for renewable energy in your pocket, real time planning for solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and more! We are so eager to test this one out with World Team. They have launched a contest;

Participation is easy.

Download the Global Atlas pocket app (from Google play, Blackberry world, ITunes, Windows Phone stores)
Open the app, navigate to the Main Menu search
Add a layer of a renewable energy technology of your choice
Share the map on Twitter
Hashtag your country or region, the energy source, and add to the existing text in the share window. (Example: Mapping renewable energy potential around the world through @IRENA’s #GlobalAtlas #solar #mycountry

If you are in NYC this is Climate Week, check out the events here.

Here are some great articles, campaigns, events and related links we aggregated:

If you are wondering about the seriousness of the climate situation, and the timing of action– here is another article Why Waterworld Will Exist

On the Defense: One way to change up the game; Youth under the age of 21 sue the state and federal governments for not taking action on Climate Change read more here;

For John Lennon’s Birthday in October; Yoko Ono is hosting one of the largest aerial art pieces in history.”Imagine Peace: GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® attempt Largest human peace sign”. See you there? RSVP

Want to go to COP21? Win a Trip to Paris? Read more about how your musical gift can get you there!

Remember World Team is Casting— read more here

World Team’s Universal Declaration

September 22, 2015 / Suzanne Maxx / 0 Comments

by Suzanne Maxx

Our World Team project’s Universal Declaration are words shared for everyone on this International Peace Day!

The Universal Declaration is for both our World Team media platform (now casting), and our Non-profit World Team Now;

The 70th Session on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is underway. Great speeches that also touched on the 7oth Anniversary of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima nuclear bombs–calling for nuclear disarmament. If you missed the UNGA live than you can watch some great speeches from Dr. Jane Goodall, Michael Douglas, Herbie Hancock, and many others here; watch now.

World Team is Casting

May 24, 2015 / Suzanne Maxx / 1 Comment

by Suzanne Maxx

Our World Team project has started casting! The journey is getting exciting and we have so many interesting candidates that we decided to have an election and a race for candidacy— where you will be able to vote for your favorite person who you want to see on World Team.

What is World Team?

World Team is a social and environmental experiment to see if we can “be the change we want to see” in the world.

World Team is a real time streaming journey, a multi-media project, plus a broadcast series that is interactive with global participation.

This is more than a reality-based television series that actually showcases people demonstrating transformation of the world. The team will takes on global environmental and social issues of consequence.

What we are creating is a global conversation through a multi-media platform that connects people, projects and the world. What we’re selling is a consciousness about change. We do that by showcasing socially and environmentally responsible projects that demonstrate how people can work together and play to transform the world.

Be part of a global multimedia project that goes into action on both social and environmental challenges. Join the team doing real projects in a community with renewable energy.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you care about the future of our planet?

Have you ever been frustrated by no action to address environmental concerns and want to do more, because you feel you have no tangible or measurable effect beyond signing a petition, donating money or making conscious choices in your own behavior or purchases?

Much of TV today is reality based, with a focus on making-over people, homes, restaurants, well, almost everything. What makes this programming entertaining are the individuals who choose to participate. Individuals often have self-serving reasons for participating: money, fame, a lucrative contract— we are looking for people who can, and are able to give of their T.ime, E.nergy. A.ction and help us raise M.oney. This is all part of our emergent media platform. The rewards for being a team member come in T.E.A.M.

What are we looking for?

Twelve Extraordinary Individuals

People from around the world who each come from a different culture and region of the world, to create a microcosm of the human race. Team members have diverse backgrounds, talents, and skills. They share a love of sports, and each brings an expertise that is essential for the team to succeed in its mission.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Team members come from North America, South/Central America, Southern Africa, Northern Africa, Middle East, Northern Europe, Europe, Mediterranean, Eastern Block, North Asia, South Asia, Australia/ Oceania.

Candidate’s Qualifying Criteria

Requirements: Must be willing to travel 90 days at a time away from home, and have a passport. We ask only people that are single or have grown children apply. If there are pets in your household we ask that you are not the sole person responsible for them, if you are candidate.

Language: Fluent English, and one other language minimum. The ideal candidate has at least two other languages. Candidates have excellent diction and on camera presence.

Age: 21 – 65 years old. (We will make acceptations for the extraordinary candidates.)

Interests: Passionate about the world, humanitarian and environmental issues, volunteering, serving, and understands the urgency of the crossroads facing humanity.

Athletic Ability preferred: former Olympian, or exceptional skill and talent in a particular sport or activity: Karate, Pole-Vaulting, Skating, Skiing, Horseback Riding, Soccer, Scuba Diving, Kayaking, Mountain Climbing, Sky Diving, Kite Surfing, Dancing). We will also consider anyone with a disability. In other words, we are looking for people who appreciate and greatly value the ability of their body, and have worked on their bodies and physical skills.

Profession or Vocation: Leading groups, teams with commitment to service, think; Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther-King, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa— people who are emerging icons because of their commitment, wisdom, and passion for our collective resources. These individuals are known in their communities because of what they have done, and what they are trying to do is greater than “self” interest, or any kind of personal gain. Genuinely altruistic individuals and unstoppable forces who are determined to use their life for the highest good possible. Also a person might be someone who is pioneering in science and technology, but contributes by serving a societal need with their gifts of knowledge and wisdom.

Culture/Spiritual Ties: These individuals are active and knowledgeable about cultural heritage, active with family, and have a very strong commitment to their spiritual beliefs— these can be based in one or more religions, as long they are steeped in their country’s traditions. Ideally they are well versed in their own countries heritage, for example, Israeli/Judaism, Italian/Catholic, Saudi Arabian/Muslin— they at least have extremely strong roots, and they have a strong sense of their heritage.

One of the ways you can become a candidate is to log onto the casting website, and fill out as much information as you can, so we can get to know you virtually. Please create a user name and login here; http://casting.worldteam.tv

“Reality, if rightly interpreted, is grander than fiction.”

Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881) Scottish essayist, historian

Orangetown Green Microgrid-World Team Now

April 28, 2015 / Suzanne Maxx / 0 Comments

by Suzanne Maxx

World Team Now found a rare opportunity in New York State for our renewable energy demonstration project after exploring projects in California, Colorado, Hawaii, and other islands, for the whole World Team project’s development. We searched for a project to team-up on, and lead with the goal to serve a local community to show a real big change. The project that is moving fast forward is rooted back in New York, in the town of Orangetown. We have teamed up extraordinary partners and are now leading the community project the “Orangetown Green Microgrid”.

The NY Prize and more…

New York happens to be leading with very interesting and creative approaches to renewable energy policy, and public adoption with both the New York Prize and the efforts to Reforming the Energy Vision, (REV) – both of which are designed to be game changers for energy generation with utilities, and for communities. We were looking for the right opportunity to execute the plan to deploy multiple renewable energy distributed generation systems, and link them together within a community, to make a model for others around the world to replicate for greater energy independence. Our goals happen to now coincide with numerous funding opportunities, such as the NY Prize for Microgrids, among other programs in New York State, and nationally.

World Team Now is planning to create a distributed energy community demonstration project, called a “microgrid”, that will be part of World Team’s pilot project to bring many potential benefits besides economic savings to the town of Orangetown.

For those who wonder what is a microgrid? The Department of Energy’s (DOE) defines a microgrid as;

“A group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DER) with clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid [and can] connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid connected or island mode.”

Visual example of a community microgrid courtesty of Innovations Toronto

Visual example of a community microgrid courtesy of Innovations Toronto

The community microgrid will band together facilities in the region to support one another’s energy capacity by creating connected electricity generation, energy systems, energy storage, and loads, so the interconnected group can team up to survive independently on its own, by disconnecting from the utility’s electrical power grid. The microgrid is capable of operating continuously with a choice of both grid-connection and “island” mode. The resiliency of the microgrid is critical to society, for backup energy generation. This is particularly valuable to all stakeholders, especially during extreme weather events and emergencies, providing an option to disconnect and support vital public services and power to residential customers and critical operators such as hospitals, first responders and water treatment facilities when the utility’s grid is challenged.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) has announced the availability of up to $40,000,000, under the three-stage NY Prize Community Grid Competition (NY Prize), to support the development of community microgrids. A community microgrid is where the interconnected set is in a community, like a town center.

Our Orangetown Green Microgrid

World Team Now has assembled an outstanding team of electrical and mechanical engineers, construction firms, contractors, and best-of-breed microgrid technology suppliers.

The Orangetown Green Microgrid plans to be centered on the civic, police, fire department, water and sewage facilities, communication facilities, schools, colleges, commercial buildings, such as conference centers, shopping centers, large stores, hotels, companies, office parks, gas stations and data centers. The town’s properties are being evaluated in accordance with the considered development striving to bring the town additional revenue from land use with the potential for renewable energy generation. Existing backup generators will be considered as distributed generation or load reduction resources. Renewable energy technologies will be evaluated to replace existing systems or we will add new renewable energy generation facilities to reduce the carbon footprint of the overall microgrid and provide energy to balance demand. Energy efficiency technology will be evaluated for all participants to reduce demand. Energy storage will be evaluated in key locations to load shift to balance out load. Interconnection cables, switchgear, power electronics, command and control equipment, data communication, control & optimization software will be added to tie the microgrid together, to operate, and make intelligent decisions in real time.

World Team Now’s Journey on the Orangetown Green Microgrid

Early in the fall season of 2014, I remained in New York after our efforts with the People’s Climate March and the UN General Assembly, we found this opportunity for our World Team project. World Team Now’s VP and Director of Technical Strategy, Albert Boulanger’s work at Columbia University’s Center for Computational Learning Systems (CCLS) had their computer servers in Orangetown at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where he worked prior. Since our focus is energy efficiency, we saw an opportunity here to explore the concept of bringing a campus to net zero energy usage. That processes lead us to Orangetown, New York as one initiative the Earth Observatory could do is to join a community microgrid.

The town of Orangetown had our community microgrid proposal on the Town Board meeting’s agenda up for a board vote on April 15th 2015. The first time we presented to the town of Orangetown the opportunity raised a lot of questions about this new concept of a community microgrid.

We got a sense of the community of Orangetown as the locals turn out had filled, not only the meeting auditorium, but the outside hall with people of all ages for core community issues at stake. Our World Team project, with World Team Now in the lead for the NY prize was up for a board vote.

Representing World Team Now; Albert Boulanger, Suzanne Maxx, Sally Odin, John Bellicicco, Scott Frank

Representing World Team Now; Albert Boulanger, Suzanne Maxx, Sally Odland, John Bellicicco, Scott Frank

Scott Frank, John Bellacicco, Albert Boulanger and I spoke for power resiliency, savings, through our “Green” campaign with our community distributed energy microgrid. Andy Stewart, the Town Supervisor, of Orangetown made the motion for our community microgrid – he truly has championed this project for the community. We needed a majority vote out of the five board members. It was seconded, but then two board members, voted “No”, and the last board member to vote, who broke the tie, elaborated on his reservations, and at the end said, “Some other town will take the money if we don’t, so I vote, yes”. We got the majority, a victory! But it gives us a sense of the challenges ahead launching World Team here in Orangetown, and actually doing the project with the multiple renewable energy thrusts. For now, we are doing the first stage – applying for the feasibility study and assessment proposal for the community microgrid.

Orange and Rockland Utility Inc., gave us a letter of support to proceed with the community microgrid after a successful meeting where we presented our team, and our Orangetown Green Microgrid concept.

At World Team Now’s core, we “Team-up” to demonstrate how our species can live in better balance with our resources. We go at projects using the principle of building leading teams, joining up leading companies, individuals, communities and entities for a more holistic approach to a project. World Team Now is using its expansive network of renewable energy expert advisers to help shape its execution team along with our Honorary, Emeritus, and Advisory Board Members – our website soon will reflect many of the people on board.

The World Team project has a quarter of a century of development, which includes a team of leading thinkers connected to innovative renewable energy technology, Intellectual Property and our media platform. We plan to make our Green microgrid economic and ecological, “ECO” friendly. The countdown to World Team’s media platform and pilot has started! Our goal, to actually tell-a-vision, could be a model for many other communities, and ideally our whole world. But the reality is you all, who have helped us to preserve over the years, the team that has believed in the vision—is to who we owe deep gratitude. Thank you for being able to see the possibility of our World Team project, which is indeed what makes T.E.A.M. work; vision and action together. Thank you! Journey on…

“Key” Pres. Obama’s Veto of KeyStone XL Pipeline- ECO Legacy

February 25, 2015 / Suzanne Maxx / 1 Comment

Today, in defense for our environment and for all of us people on the planet, President Obama has exercised his USA Presidential power to veto the Keystone XL Pipeline, an important step in the movement towards an “ECO” Presidential Legacy, powered by us people.

It’s disturbing that, at a time when all hands need to be on deck for humanity to live in balance with our resources on this planet, the USA Congress has forced President Obama to exercise his presidential power now, instead of doing their job to create public policy, and laws that help govern our society and builds a vital nation better structuring and organizing our quality of life. This 3rd veto is no surprise, as President Obama declared in his State of the Union Address, to veto this bill and others, that were not truly in the best interest for us all.

Tar sands in Alberta Canada

At this point, most of us understand why the Keystone Pipeline is not the “Key”. The tar sands (or oil sands) toxicity benefits no one, and at this point sadly we all know the words to this song, “Profit over People and Planet,” which is the cornerstone, or key stone, behind many who prioritize this now in our world. Tar sands confront public health, at a time when we already have too many challenges with clean air to breath globally. Keystone XL usurps the citizens’ human rights as property owners of Nebraska, South Dakota and other states that the pipeline goes through. It questions their freedom, forcing them to sacrifice their own home, and farm land— for what? To transport oil from Canada through the USA for Mexico, or China –when all these regions, including the USA, can get our own clean renewable energy from natural sources? Sounds reasonable? It risks the quality of our water, earth, air, and presents the risks of contamination.

Is this an evolution of the US Constitution? Why is it even being considered at this moment and how could this be the “key”? Who would this benefit? Well, others have spent a great deal of time breaking down the motivation, and who benefits. It is all very simple—some call it “cash whipping” it serves individual Congress members, many who were each paid over $200,000 to vote “yes,” and this “wolf in the sheep’s clothing” good sounding “Citizen’s United Bill” that has polluted one of the best pieces of public policy ever written; the USA Constitution. Thanks to Citizen’s United which allows corporations to have equal rights with citizens and finance, monstrosities, like Keystone XL, to become a possibility, instead of a crime. Tar sands projects at this time on our planet need to be illegal because they threaten the public health, of our species and all on our planet. But it also argues important legal issues about freedom at such a time— discerning people’s state’s, national, and planet interests. This moment in time affords the opportunity to redefine our priorities, and with the class action cases against Keystone XL Pipeline being argued at a state level in court, this indeed may be an opportunity to define how the United States unite and if they are a UNITED States of America.

At this time on the planet, will we get beyond “EGO”— can’t we move towards “ECO”— ecology and economy. At a time when we all need not only more sources of alternative renewable energy deployed, but resiliency, and sustainability with flow of energy. The grid is taxed with more demand often than it can supply. We need to be passing legislature that indeed incentivizes renewable energy sources, distributed energy architecture, and teaming-up on microgrids. We need policy to incentivize net zero buildings and creative renewable energy systems, and energy storage, at a large scale. We need more electric vehicles on the road charging to renewable energy sources, with complementary energy storage systems. We need to crack that large scale energy storage nut, and incentivize not a pipeline transporting energy from one country to another through our country, but onsite energy systems that are reliable, resilient, and onsite electricity generation locations, homegrown energy from our natural resources, stored for backup when needed.

Why are we not trying to put bills on the table to work through our own energy challenges? Bipartisan bills that have a chance of getting passed with the intent being to benefit the public— after all, are not politicians supposed to be public servants? It is a sad use of power that is spent stalling for time, until the power can move in another direction. It all is a strategic, historical power play that at the end will only demonstrate how all systems, including the political system, could better serve us people and our planet. The Keystone XL Pipeline will prove to be the pipe dream of this time, dreamt from the fallible EGO of Trans Canada bought through and approved by Congress, but fortunately it gives all people the opportunity to see the light, and the possibility of ECO.

“The pen is mightier than the sword”
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton 1839

Watch out world— 2015 plans to be a year of action, as mentioned prior, with the climax being President Obama as one of the leaders towards powerful global policy that stands for our people and planet over profit in Paris at UNFCC’s COP21. Think it’s impossible? Well we’ve seen a draft of what is on the table for global “ECO” policy, and there are better possibilities, even surprising ones, and if we all continue to team-up for the good of our planet we will create a global movement, and this isn’t a pipe dream or pipe line for any agenda accept our future.

Political System of the United States with its checks and balances

Thankful that the Unites States Constitution triune structure of checks and balances exists, but it is confronting that it’s limits are being tested, and begs to question why it isn’t functioning more as a trinity— especially at this moment in humanity’s story on our planet earth.

President Obama will likely wait until the ruling from Nebraska’s state supreme court to finalize the rejection of the pipeline outright, which is the final step to closure. A Nebraska county judge issued a temporary injunction to stop TransCanada from using eminent domain to force landowners to sell their property rights for the pipeline. As a result, TransCanada agreed not to use eminent domain anywhere in Nebraska until the state’s Supreme Court finally settles the legal struggle over Keystone’s route across the state, which if we have anything to do with all of this, it will be a moot point anyway.

For President Obama’s ECO legacy it began with the ARRA with renewable energy options, then granting EPA the power to defend public health as a national security issue and enforce environmental clean air policy. Fast forward to September 2014, nearly half a million of us people rallied for action on climate change in NYC; we were there at the UN General Assembly when President Obama shared with a small group of leaders at an Open Government Forum, that he had just discussed a historic climate deal with China to cut greenhouse gas emissions and in November it came to pass; in December, more than one million comments were submitted in support of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan; in January, historical protections for the Arctic Refuge were announced; and now President Obama has vetoed Congress’s bill to force the approval of the Keystone pipeline, now it is time to reject Trans Canada’s plans for Keystone XL Pipeline outright will you please add your name to tell President Obama to just outright reject the Keystone XL Pipeline? Please sign here.

It is time to make sure; “We the People”–have an ECO legacy, a time to re-organize, and prioritize by bringing the temptation of this folly to public presenting the clarity of choices driven by EGO vs. ECO. Best left in the words of Sir Walter Scott’s poem, “Breathes there the Man”

Breaking Global Climate Action

World Team’s Universal Declaration

World Team is Casting

Orangetown Green Microgrid-World Team Now

“Key” Pres. Obama’s Veto of KeyStone XL Pipeline- ECO Legacy

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