It was our great honor and pleasure to celebrate this New Year with Congressman Sam Farr and his friends at Sam’s family ranch in Big Sur, California. Camped out on an exquisite piece of undeveloped land perched on the edge of the Pacific, we witnessed the procession of epic numbers of California Grey Whales south to their breeding grounds in Baja, and shared good food, wine, and our love and concern for this fragile water planet with like-minded people. A good beginning to 2015.
We met and talked with artists, scientists, politicians, administrators of non-profits, activists and just plain good folks. Climate Change was on many people’s minds. Another much discussed topic was Ocean Acidification. The head of the US National Marine Sanctuaries Western Division told me that one of the biggest items on the agenda of the Sanctuary Education Advisory Panel this year will be how to convey the urgency of the threat of Ocean Acidification to the public in a simple, clear, easy-to-understand message.
Sam’s message to those of us concerned about rapidly transitioning the US to a Renewable Energy Economy was clear: We can’t look for the present Republican and Fossil Fuel controlled Congress to provide leadership or support. California needs to lead the way. Push every city, school, government agency, municipal facility to go solar and green; put solar on every roof top and parking lot, develop the electric vehicle industry and demonstrate to the rest of the nation that Renewables are Ready and Lucrative. The country will follow.