2007 has been a change year for the U.S., for Minnesota, and for me personally.
This year, a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) passed a Congressional Committee for the first time ever. Eventually, I believe it will make it through the Senate, but perhaps not this year.
This year, Minnesota passed the strongest RES in the nation - 27%+ by 2025. And I authored one of the strongest Energy Efficiency Standards in the nation as well, in my first year in the MN House.
This year, of course, I helped crash the gates of the MN legislature. And this year, I married the woman I met on the school bus in 5th grade. It's been a good year...
As the end of the year approaches - and with it an important campaign finance reporting deadline - I ask that you stand with me to keep crashing the gates. Next year, I hope to increase my % above the landslide 50.4% I earned last year!
Will you help me by donating whatever you can - $20, $50, up to $100 (the legal limit for 2007)?
Donate here: http://www.JeremyKalin.com/...
For more on our Energy wins in Minnesota this year, check out these diaries...
This diary isn't the most link-y, and it doesn't have the most pictures. I've got a lot on my plate to work on these next few weeks, but I wanted to share this with you. I do hope you'll help me prepare for next year's campaign with whatever you can: http://www.JeremyKalin.com/...
Today, my synagogue celebrated the first of what I hope are many Environmental Shabbats. In addition to a discussion I am leading tomorrow on Minnesota's environmental and energy policy, I gave the "D'var Torah" (a sermon, of sorts) to our Saturday Morning Program (think Sunday School for Jewish youth).
I like my sermon theme quite a bit. We are indeed moving into a new energy economy, after more than a century of an Energy Feast, of sorts. Enjoy...
Shabbat Shalom.
This week’s Torah portion - "Mikeitz" - begins with the Egyptian pharoah’s dream of 7 fat cows and 7 skinny cows; the lean, skinny cows ate the fat cows in the dream.
In the parable, near the end of the book of Genesis, Joseph (great-grandson of Abraham) earned a reputation as a dream interpreter as an Egyptian prisoner. When Pharoah’s advisors failed to ease his anxiety about the dream, he called for Joseph, the Israelite.
Joseph told Pharoah that the 7 fat cows meant Egypt will have 7 years of feasting and prosperity. But, Joseph also warned Pharoah that the 7 skinny cows meant that Egypt would then experience 7 years of famine, fasting and drought. And, if Egypt did not prepare during the years of feasting, the years of famine would destroy it.
So, Pharoah appointed Joseph in charge of taking 7 years of feasting to prepare Egypt for the 7 years of famine. And, because of Joseph’s success, Egypt grew to be a regional superpower during the 7 years of fasting, relying on the stored grain for which other nations hungered.
This weekend is our special Environmental Shabbat. Our synagogue has made a significant commitment to changing our own ways to care more for the environment, and to challenge all of our congregants to do the same in our own lives.
As a State Representative, I serve on the Energy Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
For a long time, we’ve lived a world where our energy supply has been like the Egyptians’ grain during the 7 years of feasting. On the Energy Committee, We’ve been learning about our energy supply in Minnesota, and worldwide.
What are some of the sources of the energy and electricity that’s powering our lights today, here in the synagogue chapel? (The students offered up some new sources: Wind, solar, hydropower, "oats"[!], and others; they also offered up the old ones: Gas, Coal, and Oil.)
Oil is important not only for gasoline, diesel and natural-fired power plants, it’s also part of the challenge with coal plants; the largest cost of coal power is the oil (diesel) it takes to fuel the trains fuel of coal to Minnesota.
Many energy experts now recognize that we have used up more than half of the world’s oil supply. And just like digging a hole for a well or to plant a tree, the first half of the oil was a lot easier and a lot cheaper to find and to drill for. The second half of the oil is going to be a lot tougher - and more expensive - to get to.
So, in many many ways, we are nearing the end of our time of energy feast. And, just as Joseph did for the Egyptians, we need to prepare for the energy fasting times ahead. There’s a role for our government to require more of our power from cleaner sources such as Wind, Solar, Hydropower, and even heat from the earth, Geothermal.
And that’s exactly what we did this year. In 2007, we passed the country’s strongest Renewable Energy Standard. I was proud to help author this bill.
Some of you will graduate from high school in 2013, right? The year before, Minnesota’s energy companies will have to produce 12% of their power from these renewable resources.
And some of you will graduate in 2015, yes? The next year, when you’re finishing your first year of college, 16% of our power will have to come from sources cleaner than oil or coal. By 2025, more than 25% of all of Minnesota’s electricity will have to come renewable sources.
But government isn’t the only one responsible for preparing for our leaner energy times ahead. We all have to take some simple steps that will add up to big savings.
This week, we are celebrating Hanukah - the Miracle of Lights.
The Miracle of Lights celebrates when Judah and the Maccabees liberated the vandalized Jerusalem temple from the Syrians. As the Maccabees were cleaning up the Temple, they found only one day’s supply of refined oil to light the eternal lamp above the Sacred Ark, holding the Torahs. It would take eight days to refine more oil, but at least they could light the lamp for just one night. Hanukah honors the miracle that this one day’s oil lasted all 8 days.
Well, most of you recognize this incandescent light bulb. It’s the same basic technology - with only small changes - that Thomas Edison used more than 100 years ago. It makes decent light, but it’s not very efficient.
In fact, the energy to power this incandescent light bulb for one day can be used to power this Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb for longer than even 8 days! Maybe it’s a miracle - I’m not sure.
What I do think would be a true Miracle of Lights would be if we all replaced every wasteful incandescent bulb with the wiser CFL; if every light bulb in our house was the most efficient CFL or other smart bulb; if every light in our schools and synagogue was the most efficient bulb possible; if we all turned off every light we weren’t using, and every television we weren’t watching, and every computer we weren’t using...
That would be a true Miracle of Lights.
Happy Hannukah, and Shabbat Shalom.