just look at the numbers!

Sue Me -- I am a couple of days behind when it comes to reading my Wall Street Journal (WSJ). On Wednesday April 18, 2007, the WSJ published an article an article entitled “Clean-Energy Firms Make a Pitch to Asia: U.S. Trade Mission Aims to Capitalize on Growing Commitment in China, India” (Page A9). I was thinking about summarizing this article but I find that my summary would likely be biased and controversial in-and-of-itself. To anyone interested in international energy policy I would strongly suggest a careful reading of this article.
I am now going to address the issues I take with the matters that are described in the article. Following the recent Supreme Court decision President Bush made it quite clear that we will not do anything that China or India will not do. The graph whose title is “Front-Burner Issue” and whose caption reads “American renewable-energy companies hope to turn profits while helping China and India reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Primary energy supply by type for 2004, in millions of metric tons of oil equivalent” (Spencer 2007) depicts a clear picture of what is happening elsewhere and what is NOT happening in the United States. China and India’s total energy usage are recorded at 1,609.9 and 572.7 respectively; their renewable energy usage values are recorded at 250.9 and 222.0 respectively. The United States on the other hand energy usage equals a total of 2,324.9 total and our renewable value is only 105.3. These numbers make for quick calculations – even my two-year-old Verizon cellular phone can compute these numbers! China and India use 15.6 percent and 38.8 percent renewable energy respectively, whereas the United States uses a measly 6.5 percent renewables. If we are not going to do what India and China won’t, can we please do what they are doing or have done?


Reference: Spencer, Jane. Clean-Energy Firms Make Pitch to Asia: U.S. Trade Mission Aims to Capitalize on Growing Commitment in China, India. The Wall Street Journal: Wednesday April 18, 2007.

Channel 5 Debut

Today I was interviewed by Maureen Green for News Channel 5. We taped at my home and then went to the Stones Throw Farm to speak with Brian, the farm owner. The segment will air on the 11 oclock news on Tuesday April 24, 2007 and will discuss the logistics and benefits of community supported agriculture (CSA) compared to mainstream or organic foods. The segment will be available online for a couple months following its airing.

To learn more about CSA programs and Stones Throw Farm please visit http://www.stonesthrowfarm.biz

Buying Local

While I am on my soap box: It is very important to support local agriculture. Buying local reduces your "footprint" by reducing the amount of fossil fuels used and emissions associated with fuel-use in delivery of your products. I think that buying local is more environmentally friendly than buying organic! And it is great to know your farmer! This summer and fall I will be participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program nearby. I will be working (share-cropping, if you will) at the Stones Throw Farm in Nedrow, outside of Syracuse. For about twenty-five dollars per week I will be provided with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbs, and flowers! I will be speaking about locally produced foods on the Channel 5 News on Tuesday or Wednesday. I am taping tomorrow at noon time. If you have any suggestions for topics please let me know. I will keep you posted about date and time of broadcast, so Don’t Forget to Tune In!


Until then, a link you may find interesting.
Time Magazine Article

Current Projects and Interests

To those of you who are becoming readers of my blog, I feel that we are still in the introductory phase. I would like to update you on some of my work. I am currently in the process of doing the following:
1. Completing my undergraduate career. Courses on-campus include: Government and The Environment, Environmental Ideas and Policy, Natural Resources Administrative Law, Environmental Law and Policy, and Technology, Politics, and the Environment. I am taking several online courses (mostly general education requirements) including American History, Humanities, and Western Civilization. This spring I will be enrolled in Negotiation: Theory and Practice and a graduate economics course.
2. Working on a new venture related to shareholder activism and corporate responsibility. I am contacting individuals and organizations who I feel would be beneficial to the implementation of my project.
3. Preparing to attend (and present at) the EPA Community Involvement Conference. For more information regarding the conference please visit: http://www.epa.gov/ciconference/
4. Organizing an Environmental "Think-Tank" for the incoming cohort of Maxwell School graduate students and other interested parties in the Syracuse area. I expect that we will meet once a week beginning in July. I expect we will discuss possible solutions to environmental problems instead of discussing the problems in which we are already well-versed. If you are located in the Syracuse area and wish to become part of this group or present to our group, please feel free to contact me at cwnolan@syr.edu.

My interests generally include politics, domestic and international environmental policy, energy and climate change policies, grassroots activism, the greening of corporate America, and others.

Knowledge

No one shares identical views about everything. I do not expect you to share my beliefs or ethics, or even to allow me to influence your morals. I do think it is necessary to seek knowledge and keep oneself informed. So in the spirit of abandoning willfull ignorance I ask that you watch this movie.



Additional Resources/Readings
www.meetyourmeat.com
The Jungle : by Upton Sinclair
Animal Liberation : by Peter Singer
Fast Food Nation : by Eric Schlosser

shades of green... disappointments

After leaving New York City to return to my undergraduate studies at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry I developed a need-for-knowledge related to the environment and environmental policy. Since that time I have taken multiple courses related to these issues and read dozens of policy related books, published both in the United States and abroad. I read the Wall Street Journal every morning or afternoon. In addition I read every environmental article in Syracuse’s Post Standard and the New York Times. I have become quite knowledgeable about the issues our world is facing and the suggested solutions to “climate change” (GLOBAL WARMING) and other environmental problems. I have also learned about our (President Bush/ the United States) unwillingness to act. I have become fearful of the future of our planet, our country, and corporate America.
This Sunday the New York Times magazine published an article entitled “The Power of Green” by Thomas L. Friedman (See Link Below) about the greening of geopolitics.
I have multiple thoughts since reading his article and discussing it in my Technology, Politics, and The Environment course. In the past I have dreamed of leaving the United States behind because everyone seems so unhappy and so disconnected. Then I started thinking I would leave the United States for a more environmentally-friendly home. Now, I find myself sitting around thinking that the United States is acting like a plant – no brain, no thoughts, no movement. I get angry. I think that the action (read: lack of action) the United States is taking is foolish and is going to harm our economy as we fall behind the nations who taking innovation to another level. The Kyoto Nations have said F*you and moved on with out the United States. We have been left behind to be criticized and to continue on our path. Unfortunately carbon dioxide emissions can not be curbed and global warming can not be stopped with out the United States involvement. Nor can it be stopped with out China’s help. Innovation is necessary so that China, India, and other developing nations can leap-frog from dirty coal exploitation to something cleaner and more efficient.
What is the United States really good at? INNOVATION! Science and technology! Why are we allowing other nations to be innovative? Why are we allowing ourselves to be left out of the loop? Why do we hold out and allow Bush to say “We won’t do anything China won’t do!”? We need to harness the talent we have and dedicate it (read: some of it) to greenness and make greenness not just economically viable, but economically attractive. But first we need to eliminate the perverse incentives working in our economy. We need political leadership. We are waiting for political leadership.
If we jump on the global warming bandwagon we will not be the “laggard” as we have been called for very long. China will become the “laggard”! The criticism that we are experiencing will then be focused on those developing nations, whom with out their help we will be unable to attain our goals. I am certain that with the right leadership and incentive programs, corporate America will innovate and move our country and economy forward, again into the role of leader. We must recapture our position and reputation as “Leader” as “Number One.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/magazine/15green.t.html?em&ex=1177041600&en=bee4ce25af3accba&ei=5087%0A

Is this "corporate america"?

I began e-mailing a good friend (an older man who works in "corporate america") about a project/venture I am working on related to corporate responsibility and information campaigns. During the e-mail I asked a stupid question about why a proxy was not available on the SECinfo page. I knew the answer to this question (that it was not yet published), but he answered in a way I did not expect. He wrote, "Shareholders vote on the proxies and firms want as little time as possible between the receipt of proxies by shareholders and the vote date. Boards don't really want shareholders to be part of the firms management process, they just want their money. However, they are required to send proxies" (****).
I think this quote speaks for itself; for those who may not "get it," e-mail me and I will try to explain. Honestly, I dont know if it can be dumbed-down anymore.

Basic Resume

C. Whitlock Nolan

Education
Syracuse University -Maxwell School Syracuse, NY
Masters of Public Administration Expected Graduation Date: June 2008

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY
B.S. Environmental Studies GPA 3.669 Expected Graduation Date: June 2007
Major: Environmental Policy Minor: Management Studies
Honors: Presidents List
National Deans List
SUNY ESF Merit Scholar

Background

Intern NYPIRG, Syracuse Chapter January 2007 – Present
Proposed new project to NYPIRG Board of Directors – new task aims to purchase ownership in Honeywell Corporation and formulate a shareholder resolution to clean up Onondaga Lake and adopt more “eco-friendly” business practices
Worked as Consumer Protection division project leader, focusing on housing issues in Syracuse as well as travel related (Spring Break focused) privacy protection

Research Intern ****** December 2006-March 2007
Conducted research and formulated literature review related to lands managed by the United States Forest Service under Wild and Scenic provisions, specifically the restriction of hand powered boats.

Research Project SUNY ESF Fall 2006
Performed independent research regarding the aspects of risk relating to trans fatty acids and public health, namely risk assessment, risk management, risk perception, and risk communication.

Customer Service ******
Representative February 2006- April 2006
Engaged in correspondence with shareholders, also responsible for recording shareholder’s proxy votes.

Additional Experience since 2003: Administrative Assistant/ Fashion Model/ Retail Sales Associate/ Waitress/ Waterfront Lifeguard/ Swim Instructor/ Camp Counselor

Background Skills
Knowledge of environmental issues and policy short-comings
Familiarity with principles of policy administration and policy making strategies
Ability to working in groups/teams or independently
Enjoyment of public interaction and public speaking

****** - Name of employer withheld for online use.
References Upon Request.
Contact: cwnolan@syr.edu

Proxy Solictation ... a place to start

Background
Last year about this time I moved to New York City to pursue a modeling career; actually I wanted to pursue anything but school. I had changed my major a thousand times from pre-med to chemistry, back to pre-med, to pre-law, and finally to business. I had been accepted to the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University but I was determined not to enroll. In the days following the New Year (2006) I moved to a not-so-nice part of New York City (Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, though I told my protective parents the area was called Clinton Hill). Already having signed with one modeling agency, I started working as a model here-and-there. I signed with another agency and lost interest quickly. Seemingly my heart was not in that either, though I thought for my whole life I wanted to be a model. I began work as a photographer’s assistant and later moved into serving drinks at a night club and working as a proxy solicitor (read telemarketer).

“Financial Services”
I often find myself having a laugh with friends about my experience working in “financial services” in Jersey City, NJ. I was a temp. I was a proxy solicitor being paid 14 dollars an hour to sit in an uncomfortable chair and call and harass people who had a “vested interested.” I was paid 21 dollars an hour in over-time, and gosh, there was plenty over-time because we can call shareholders as early as 9 am, as late as 9 pm, Monday morning thru Sunday evening.
As a proxy solicitor I was trained to explain proposals made by the board and other individual shareholders to shareholders who had not yet submitted a vote. I would call and say “Hello, I am calling for ______. My name is so-and-so. I am calling from [insert “financial services company”] on behalf of the board of directors of [insert corporation name]. We have not yet received your vote for this year’s annual shareholder meeting.” Before explaining anything the question I would pose is: do you wish to vote with the boards recommendations? And did I tell you that I can securely enter a vote over the phone! Many shareholders simply agreed to this “voting with the board’s recommendation” (which was good for my “numbers”), never questioning what it was that they were voting for. If shareholders did ask I provided information, biased information but information none-the-less. In actuality, as I learned over time, I was trained to coerce people into voting against their better judgment. Companies pay what some would pay huge sums of money to have us manipulate their shareholders and to further their agendas.
For example, this year Honeywell has reported “Honeywell pays the cost of preparing, assembling and mailing this proxy-soliciting material. In addition to the use of the mail, proxies may be solicited by Honeywell officers and employees by telephone or other means of communication. Honeywell pays all costs of solicitation, including certain expenses of brokers and nominees who mail proxy material to their customers or principals. In addition, Georgeson & Company Inc. has been retained to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareowners at a fee of approximately $12,500 plus associated costs and expenses.” This information is available in their 2007 proxy statement which can be found at their website www.honeywell.com under investor relations. Please take note of the “plus associated costs and expenses” which include all of Georgeson & Company Inc.’s employee’s salaries, costs of telephone calls, re-mails, etc. For each time they get a shareholder on the phone, they get paid!

There is one man, a shareholder of one of the corporations by whom we had been hired who stands out in my mind and who I feel truly sorry for. I remember calling him the first time and he was very friendly but declined to vote. Three days later (that’s the rule) I called again. He was again very friendly and again declined to vote. Three days later a colleague called. The man was not so pleasant but again declined to vote. Again we called. We called every three days until three days before the meeting. Why? Well three days before an annual shareholder meeting, the three day rule goes out the window. The board was still not happy with the outcome, or expected outcome, of the vote and therefore we continued calling. We called every day, many times more than one time a day. This man, an Indian man from the Midwest I think, became so angry at the tenth phone call of the day that he threatened to sue me. I hung up the phone without a vote and handed his information to a colleague. It became amusing, harassing this man. I admit this was not nice, however one must find a way to amuse oneself when in front of the computer all day. And I am sure my employer didn’t mind because we were paid for every phone call!

Well anyway, to anyone who receives a call from the proxy solicitor, please heed my warnings (the same ones I provided my father):
Do not admit to not having received the material. Again, they will send another copy. Or they may even try to keep you on the phone and explain it to you.
Do not admit to not having read the material. They will send another copy.
Do not admit to needing more time to look over the material. They will call back.
Do not ask them to call you back so you can get off the phone quickly. They will.
Do not say “He/She is not in.” The will ask “When?” and call back.
Do not say “Don’t call again.” They will.
Do not hang up. They will call back.
Instead, do the following:
If you have not read and do not plan on reading the information, and you really want to be left alone, say “I would like to vote to ABSTAIN.” From here, there is no option but to enter your vote in that way. The calls will stop. You will have saved your company money in solicitation fees. And… You will be free!