As the New Year’s Eve Ball drops in Time Square, people will be the source of the energy made on bikes! A toast To the Year of Renewable Energy Demonstration! Wow, this is the best way we can think of to bring in the New Year.
World Team Now has been cycling to power the Ball that drops in Time Square on New Year’s Eve, so a billion people will see human-powered renewable energy demonstrated.
Did you realize that your average work out, could help to power the appliances you use, recharge your laptop, or charge up your cell phone? We name 2014, “The Year of Renewable Energy” with focus on the conscious choice, and awareness of the energy source and ideally swiftly transition into 100% renewable energy.
Energy… We use it every day; to turn on the lights and to power all of our electronic gadgets, to heat our homes, in the winter– cool them in the summer. Did you think that your work out could literally add, or even be a source of actual power? Now is a chance to try it out, head out to Times Square and hop on one of the stationary bikes that are connected to a generator that will power the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop into 2014..
Instead of going into the gym this evening and getting on a stationary bike, that does not store your energy, please go hop on a bike in Times Square, biking here will do some good for others too, and you will put your energy to good use by demonstrating human-powered renewable energy!
We are going to have to get creative to take advantage of all the natural ways to get energy and use innovation for energy storage. Renewable energy is much more than solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal energy. If we live a healthy lifestyle working out and moving can make more than your body healthy, it can make our planet healthier too.
Human sources energy is part of the game, whether it be from a bike, skates, a dance floor and there is more! Ride a stationary bike with a generator and battery on 42nd St and 7th Ave until 9:00 pm tonight and add your energy the New Year’s Eve Ball for our world! Here is a brilliant way to celebrate with World Team Now!
Pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, the pilots for the all-solar plane, had the dream for The Solar Impulse— the first manned flight to fly both day and night. When we first met, it was a model plane and now it has made history. There are few people who choose to live their lives by pioneering inspirational projects that prioritize the global dream of transformation; in that spirit we are united. In this way, even when I met Bertrand Piccard and André Roschberg for the first time in Copenhagen, Denmark 2009 at the United Nations conference COP15, they shined the light through their eyes, with words and ultimately deeds of inspiration.
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg of the Solar Impulse at The United Nations Conference COP15 Copenhagen, Denmark 2009 when the Solar Impulse was a model and a dream.
The Solar Impulse when it was just a model at COP15 in 2009. Now its mission has been accomplished — to demonstrate that flight can be done in a totally sustainable way. Now on to the second Solar Impulse airplane, the HB-S1B, in 2015!
Bertrand would say, “Life is not governed by chance, but by encounters”. We shared about realizing dreams against seemingly impossible challenges; we shared visions, and together laughed louder than the chorus’ that sang songs of cynicism and doubt, and knew this was an important time for our planet. A time where human’s challenge to live in balance with our natural resources needed demonstration. The Across America journey was then a distant dream. From San Francisco to Texas to Arizona to St. Louis to Washington DC and ultimately to New York. The Solar Impulse the all-solar airplane follows in a rich tradition of risky aviation demonstrations from the Wright Brothers to Lindberg’s hop over the Atlantic. These pioneers used their flights to push the dream into reality, launching new industries by piloting courageous first flights for the public to witness. Bertrand’s family has a lineage of this type of pioneering legacy as well, with a message. But it is more than the technology, it is a model for a path that is needed—and each major step is a metaphor not just for realizing aviation dreams but also for a demonstration project about renewable energy to combat climate change. It’s more than teaming-up unique pioneers like Bertrand and André. Herein, this project is a marriage of innovative technology and sustainability, both needed to come together for real change at a rapid rate with public adoption, for global transformation. We at World Team Now watched from afar as the plane became a reality, as it was tested and flown in different parts of the world—following, promoting to the public, sharing, blogging, tweeting and holding the light that we would unite, and all of our dreams would indeed be realized. We watched and followed the stream in real-time through the pilot’s journeys watching one major step after another.
In the tone of realizing dreams, and being an inspiration for the Wall Street financial world at REFF Wall Street our friends André and Bertrand, the Pilot’s of the Solar Impulse airplane teamed-up for a game-changing keynote speech.
What a surprise to learn that both Bertrand and André Borschberg who I just followed virtually from St. Louis to Washington DC, would be the keynote speakers for Renewable Energy Financing Forum (REFF) -Wall Street. REFF-Wall Street, an event World Team Now participated in as a supporting organization is held in New York City, and they, us, and the event would all be in New York. Their key note’s message to the extremely traditional Wall Street financial brokers was that “green” was not just good for the ecology; it was also good for the economy, stimulating new industries, and many green jobs. The Solar Impulse’s approach to financing going beyond traditional methods was indeed an entrepreneurial approach with integrated marketing partners, branded with their technology and services within the Solar Impulse, patrons, angels, and other fundraising mechanisms. This all hit home harder when President Obama gave a speech on his plan to fight climate change which echoed similar sentiments that were spoken by the innovators of the Solar Impulse team. When we connected after the keynote, I learned of the challenges of the last leg to New York with what was then an exact unknown departure date and time; there were still formidable obstacles. To top it off, it was a surprise to see Bertrand and André again on the same day during NY Clean Energy Week’s event at the Tesla showroom celebrating along with other innovators. We at World Team Now worked diligently to find a way to support the last leg’s landing of the Across America from Washington to New York, and through our contacts at the Governor’s office were able to team-up people and bring in the Port Authority to participate and contribute to helping overcome some of the obstacles.
Visit our gallery of the Solar Impulse JFK Landing by clicking on the picture.
We were honored to participate in a slice of history and be present for the successful landing of the Solar Impulse at JFK on Saturday, July 6th 2013 at 11:09 pm. This “dream come true” moment was ineffable. To be in the presence of all who made the living dream of transformation a true reality, to share in the moment of completion of the Across America Journey with them and be there to see with one’s own eyes is an indelible moment that lives in many lives, besides mine. There was only a small group of us VIPs, journalists, and 50 lucky contest winners allowed to this special historic event. Not only was aviation history written in New York, but it was such a victorious event, as the plane continued to fly even after a rip in the fabric about 8 feet occurred in flight, forcing the plane to land early and modify their originally intended route and landing time. Had the plane crashed, instead of the one in San Francisco, of course, all eyes would have been on the Solar Impulse (a commentary about our society’s present values). Those of us that bore witness to this historical moment were so elated; a spirit that was contagious with looks of awe in the silence and lack of noise, with clean fresh breathable air free of burned jet fuel, with a wingspan (208 ft / 63.4m) a bit larger than a 747 ‘s (195 ft 8 in / 59.6 m) when it landed a few feet in front of us on the tarmac where we waited. We met others who were equally blown away by this moment and also captured it here in Roland Pabst’s blog. The media impressions surpassed expectations with 8.3 billion thus far—which is significant, especially given the poor presence of traditional media sources at the New York landing. The public at large has had a hard time truly understanding the full potential of solar energy and other renewables as well as the importance of the change to a more balanced energy source. So when people can see that the all-solar plane flies at night they begin to really understand the battery storage concept— the choice to be able to feed energy back into the electrical grid and/or store energy, and even sell it back to the grid or use it. As Bertrand explained, “Our plane, Solar Impulse, was never designed to carry passengers, but to carry a message”. We learned more about the message at the press conference on Monday; events continued reaching the public like the opening of NASDAQ where Tom Werner from SunPower rang the bell with Bertrand and André. Then the meeting at the U.N. where the Clean Tech flag was planted—hopefully, this will further inspire the U.N. towards a binding climate treaty— finally (especially after the horror of Copenhagen) — we are long overdue for global action for collective energy and for our one environment, our one world. The people of New York got other opportunities to share in the gift of the Solar Impulse at the various other community events hosted by sponsors, such as Schindler at the Intrepid. We hope this inspires you to see for yourself and take advantage of the Solar Impulse’s Public Day. If you miss the Solar Impulse this time, keep it on your radar, as they will return during their World Tour in 2015. Say good-bye to this airplane yourself— it is for all people to see here in the USA at JFK now for the public, click here to find out more. Be an ambassador for our future, and go and see the beauty and possibility the Solar Impulse represents.
Join us next week and use this 20% Off Discount Code “SPT20WTN”
Change seems to be accelerating. Change, not just with our climate, but also with the “systems” humanity has created, spurred by Globalization. Whether that be the legal system, political system, financial system, health care system, or educational system— the systems in place to provide the world’s basic needs. Have we learned to scale our systems to meet Globalization’s challenges? Humanity can learn from how nature scales to support the whole— Biomimicry of man-made systems seems key to the stewardship of our earth and for an organically sustainable future.
Global transformation is in the works, and is needed within all systems including those within our one global governing body – the United Nations. Friday ended the two week climate talks in Bonn, Germany. The disappointment was all too familiar as it seemed like yesterday, but it was a year ago when World Team Nowproduced the event as part of the UNFCC’s Rio+20, and also an event at The People’s Summit. We went down to Rio once again with great expectations for more progress than what was able to be achieved inside the United Nations’ RIO+20 conference’s time. So now, it is distressing that there was a huge snag caused by foot dragging by Russia in a key entity, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI). At least there was some progress in the overarching 2015 international climate action agreement. Why wait until disaster? We clearly need more projects that influence public perception. “To see is to believe” for most, so we need more examples to inspire the masses to embrace change.
At World Team Now, we are growing, and eager to see the change that happens once our non-profit World Team Now can be supported by our World Team multi-media platform, and broadcast. Our World Team project too needs to be demonstrated to be fully understood, and to that end our development of our pilot project continues. While we are working to have this World Team model up in full scale, we have been occupied with events. In California, for example what we did in Malibu with Earth Day (photo album here), with our “Ride & Drive”, and “The Circle-Up Around Renewable Energy”. We owe a shout-out to all of those who showed up to participate or volunteer, and for the support of Nissan of Thousand Oaks, and Edwards/Wildman. We hope to be sharing some of the edited footage soon at WTN’s upcoming event September 26 and 27. Another example is what World Team Now is doing in NY to support ACORE’s Renewable Energy Financing Forum (REFF)-Wall Street. Join us and get 20% off registration by using this code “SPT20WTN”. REFF is the perfect activity, included with more than 20 Energy Industry Events for New York City’s Energy Week, June 24th-28th.
Please save the dates for World Team Now’s upcoming annual event in Malibu September 27th & 28th, 2013. Watch World Team Now’s Event’s page for more details about the timing.
Speaking of timing, two great renewable energy demonstration projects born in Switzerland also have “New York” as a destination. PlanetSolar, is the world’s largest solar boat, and it includes an interesting research component with the project it just arrived in New York. The soaring approach to change done state by state has value. The Solar Impulse is a renewable energy demonstration project with great potential. You can take flight and follow in real time on their final segment of the “Across America” trip, and join the history in the making as they land in New York early July.
PlanetSolar reaches New York, the second american stopover of its 2013 campaign
More action needs to be able to take place on a state level and even city level, which gives more weight to the “Think globally, act locally” mantra— but not to preclude think global act global actions which are needed as well— the local can catalyze the global. It is a huge victory to finally permanently close the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant in California, not just for the immediate risk of radiation, but also in respect of the long term issue of what to do with the radioactive rods which are byproducts of nuclear reactors. With no safe disposal protocol for these rods, even closed plants will continue to pose risks to the public and our planet forever The pressure is on for Southern California Edison to strive towards truly renewable energy— the kind with no radioactive byproducts to threaten public safety. It is time for us citizens to spearhead energy independence, be active in supplying a diversity of local renewable energy resources (supporting grid stability as a benefit), and to learn how to responsibly use energy.
But it is time for the whole of us in society to consider “Act locally, Act globally- Think of us all as part of ONE”.
From the last three day weekend Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, and the Inauguration, the Green Movement is gaining momentum in the USA. On Wednesday, February 13th, 48 of our friends and allies made international news by risking arrest at the White House gates protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. The next day, two Senators introduced a powerful new climate bill with a path forward on climate. Now tomorrow, during President’s day weekend, the momentum continues with a historical march. It was great to jump-start this New Year and Presidential term by the Clean Energy and Environmental Ball in Washington, D.C.! Here’s a souvenir album.
Congressman Ed Markey, World Team Now’s Suzanne Maxx, Chip Cummings of AREDAY at the Clean Energy and Environment Inaugural Ball, Washington, DC
It’s time for action. To use our inherent wisdom to change the things we can, and we have a choice about our energy sources. President Obama said in his State of the Union Address:
“But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change”. Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and floods – all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it’s too late.
The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.
Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. We’ve begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let’s generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – so let’s drive costs down even further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.”
This President’s Day is the opportunity for action. We are hoping that President Obama will leave an environmental legacy of true change. For him to do that, we have to do our part: prove there is a large constituency of people who are demanding this change. Then he will be able to answer with action. He has said numerous times, “push me”. He is our leader and in a true Democracy, a leader will serve the needs of the people. Not just some people, but all of the people. We, the people, have to communicate and demonstrate our needs. Especially in this grid-locked bi-partisan congress, where corporate lobbyists control the action or rather block action. Let’s give President Obama a chance in this term where he can take action to leave a legacy of a leader, and do his job. In the best interest of public welfare and safety, he can exercise his executive power. It is President Obama’s job to answer the needs demonstrated by the people. This is why we need you…
Tomorrow the environmental movement will rally to show its strength in numbers for the support of change, we haven’t seen organizing of this scale since Martin Luther King led the Civil Right March, and shared “I Have a Dream”. Many of us have a dream now too: a dream where energy is sourced from wind, solar and tidal and other renewable energy.
Calling all ROLLER SKATERS to join the movement
If you don’t know about the demand to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, click here. To understand the implications, and risks to our water, air, and earth read on here. The Keystone XL Pipeline which has started construction needs to be stopped, for our collective future and the safety of our public at large. If you still want to go down to Washington, D.C., here are the details. Our friends at the Sierra Club,350.org, and the Hip Hop Caucus got some great sponsors and have teamed up with many other non-profit organizations as well. They have over 130 buses coming from 28 states, and tens of thousands of people signed up for Sunday’s rally with the goal to make history.
The political system needs the voices of the people to truly affect policy. We need to demonstrate the change, we all know it is a fragile time in our world, and the choices we make will create our future home for our children. So how do we leave a legacy to inherit an earth with clean water, air, and clean energy sources? Take action, do your part, as Gandhi once declared, “Be the change we want to see in the world”. Want to be part of the team?
Martin Luther King Jr. who is also celebrated this week end declared, “I Have a Dream”…. His dream changed the world with his words, inspiration and “Call’. This Inauguration we are hopeful that President Obama will use his term to achieve some much needed milestones for our environment, and our people in this nation.
However it is unreasonable to expect any politician with the present political system to change the nation alone, but with all of our help, transformation of the world is possible. We only ask that President Obama can live into his greatest potential, and realize a higher Call.
Regardless of party or partisanship, here we are, and we have choices about the kind of earth we want the future generations to inherit. We have some serious issues up in our nation and our world; There are things to change in defense for our earth in the USA that others in the environmental movement are focused on like; “The Keystone EXL Pipeline,” “The Nuclear Waste Situation”, the “Nuclear Power Safety” issue, “Natural Gas Fracking”, ‘Granting Permits for Drilling Oil in Wildlife Refuges”, and places like the Antarctic, “Farm Fisheries” and “GMO Food”. Teaming up together is the key.
World Team Now is primarily focused on the issues to stand up for— we are on the offense— like “Protecting Clean Air”, “Clean Water”, and “Permitting of Large Scale Renewable Energy Projects” such as “Tidal’, “Wind”, “Solar”, and “Geothermal ” energy campaigns, demonstration projects, and educating the public. Let’s help fulfill the “Electric Vehicle” goal set out last term, and fast-track “Charging Infrastructure” and “Energy Storage”. World Team Now supports “Clean Transportation”, “Net Zero Buildings” with demonstration projects that use fewer resources, for more efficiency, and ideally are designed with natural resources in mind. Let’s stand together for protecting “Endangered Species,” and loving all. Let’s include the whales and dolphins and different species, and people in different parts of world. We can be a World Team Now.
The change needed is daunting, we need both offense and defense– but here is where we plan to start this weekend.
Join us in honor of this National Day of Service at our local Zuma Beach, Malibu! Meet up at the main Life Guard Headquarters (near Morning View). Bring comfortable shoes, bags and gloves.
All wheels are welcome— skates, blades, boards, and bikes! Let’s clean up the beach and demonstrate clean transportation! Come to the beach in a clean mode of transportation please— EV, hybrid, walk, or bike— if you can!
After this, there is another LA event that goes much of the day and into the evening to encourage President Obama to make it a “Green Term”. Find a local event to participate in the National Day of Service.
Pull out the formal wear, and grab your dancing shoes… If you would like to be rather spontaneous and join for the Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball,in Washington D.C., here is the invite. World Team Now was invited to co-host this Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball that is a bipartisan event.
Yes, there is another “Green” Inaugural Ball on Sunday night that if we gather enough of a team of friends, we are considering.
One must be very present to move on this one with short notice, contact us at info@worldteamnow.org ASAP if interested. (We get a group discounted rate.)
Wondering how to pull a Cinderella? So are we! The gowns-to-go concept might help a little with runway rentals— regardless it is a good find, as you are. Thanks for being part of this team and taking the time to read what we are up to and hopefully join in— to “Teaming Up” on a wing and a prayer! If nothing else keep up with us on Facebook—”liking us” helps us grow.
Energy… We use it every day; to turn on the lights and to power all of our electronic gadgets, to heat our homes, in the winter– cool them in the summer. Did you think that your work out could literally add, or even be a source of actual power? Now is a chance to try it out, head out to Times Square and hop on one of the stationary bikes that are connected to a generator that will power the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop into 2014..
Instead of going into the gym this evening and getting on a stationary bike, that does not store your energy, please go hop on a bike in Times Square, biking here will do some good for others too, and you will put your energy to good use by demonstrating human-powered renewable energy!
Human sources energy is part of the game, whether it be from a bike, skates, a dance floor and there is more! Ride a stationary bike with a generator and battery on 42nd St and 7th Ave until 9:00 pm tonight and add your energy the New Year’s Eve Ball for our world! Here is a brilliant way to celebrate with World Team Now!
