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Climate Change: On September 4, 2019, CNN ran seven hours of Climate Change Town Hall programming with ten of the Democratic Presidential Candidates, focused on the Climate Crisis. The intentions of the candidates are admirable, but their lack of knowledge on the details of cost-effective solutions is apparent based on their repeated focus on solar, wind, and electric cars over energy efficiency measures for commercial buildings. Saving electricity for existing buildings is much more cost-effective than trying to make electricity through renewable power. Key points not covered by the candidates included:
- America uses 25% of the world’s energy with less than 5% of the population.
- Buildings account for 40% of America's energy use.
- Air Conditioning and Lighting typically use over half of a building’s energy (Over 25% each for AC and lighting)
- The private sector has financing in place, so that building owners pay ZERO upfront and there is ZERO cost to taxpayers - a Win/Win with a cooler planet as a result.
Here is the “Score Card” from all 10 candidates and the 60,748 words in the combined transcripts from their CNN Climate Change Town Hall appearances:
- Wind power references: 42
- Solar power references: 37
- Light bulbs (for homes) references: 16
- Electric Cars references: 14
Here is what the candidates should have referenced, but failed to do so, given that they had long format segments vs the shorter debate “sound bites” time limits:
- Commercial Lighting references: 0
- Commercial Air Conditioning and/or HVAC references: 0
- Indoor or Vertical Farming references: 0
- Waste to Fuel (e.g. Hyrothermal Carbonization) references: 0
While some candidates spoke generally about building efficiency, they only scratched the surface rather than giving examples and reinforcing the fact that proven technology is at hand to take a massive bite out of American energy consumption and create millions of jobs along the way.
Here is key information on four cost-effective and proven clean technologies that the candidates and elected officials across the US need to know about to help guide America toward PRACTICAL sustainability and job creation:
#1: Climate Change Solution - Commercial Light-emitting Diode (LED) Lighting
Savings Potential: 50% or more energy savings over traditional lighting
Climate Change Highlights: Lighting is the “low hanging” fruit of energy savings, and it is typically the second largest consumer of electricity in buildings, accounting for over 20% of kilowatt use. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are proven to save over half of the operating cost and last more than five times as long as traditional lights. With over 3 billion square feet of federal real estate, the savings is over $1 billion per year, not to mention the other 87 billion square feet of private sector non-residential real estate.
Climate Change Return on Investment (ROI): Payback in 2 years or less
Climate Change Sample Applications: Hospitals, Hotels, Office Buildings, Data Centers, Shopping Malls, etc.
Website for more information: Made in USA LED Lighting + Sample LED Lighting Case Studies
#2: Climate Change Solution - Commercial Air Conditioning Optimization
Savings Potential: 15% to 40% energy savings for central cooling systems
Climate Change Highlights: Air Conditioning (AC) is typically the largest consumer of electricity in buildings, accounting for over 30% of kilowatt use. AC optimization focuses on “tuning” air conditioning systems through advanced algorithm, without changing any of the cooling equipment, without impacting thermostat settings, and without generating any downtime or upfront costs.
Climate Change Return on Investment (ROI): Payback in 2 years or less
Climate Change Sample Applications: Hospitals, Hotels, Office Buildings, Data Centers, Shopping Malls, etc.
Website for more information: Air Conditioning Optimization (with Download to One Page Data Sheet)
Sample market traction: Energy Saving AC Case Studies
#3: Climate Change Solution - Indoor Farming - Controlled Environment Agriculture
Savings Potential: 90% less water and 30% energy savings over traditional food production
Highlights: Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) “Indoor Farming” is now economically viable due to the efficiency of LED Grow Lights. Indoor Farming reduces transportation costs of moving vegetables from Farm to Table, increases health with pesticide-free production, and increases flavor and nutrition. Fresh local produce is the Future of Food.
Climate Change Return on Investment (ROI): Payback in 2 years or less
Climate Change Sample Applications: Conversion of vacant commercial and industrial properties as well as new greenhouse construction.
Website for more information: LED Grow Lights
Bonus: K-12 Schools are increasingly focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education. Sample STEM Education - See the content for classroom programs starting on page #55 with sample curriculum.
#4: Waste to Fuel - Hydrothermal Carbonization
Savings Potential: The US could reduce 10% or more of its dependency on fossil fuels.
Climate Change Highlights: Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) cost-effectively converts bio waste, such as food and human waste, into electricity for buildings, fertilizer for agriculture, and hydrogen for next-generation transportation. The HTC reactors use heat (approx 200° C “pizza oven” heat at 400° F) and pressure (approx 20,000 pascals “scuba tank” pressure 3,000 lbs/sq in) to create hydrochar within an hour, while the earth has taken over 100 million years to create fossil fuels. The HTC reactors are approximately the size of 40 ft shipping containers.
Climate Change Return on Investment (ROI): Payback in 3 years or less
Climate Change Sample Applications: Municipalities, University Campuses, Office Parks, Shopping Malls, etc.
Website for more information: Waste to Fuel
Support Information
Here is the link to the presentation file from Charlie Szoradi, CEO of Independence LED Lighting and the Energy Intelligence Center. He was invited by the Council of State Governments (CSG) to speak at the Easter Regional Conference on July 29, 2019. Contact: Charlie Szoradi 610-551-5224 or Charlie@IndependenceLED.com
Presentation slide show:
The presentation was specifically for CSG’s Energy and Environment Committee, and here is the link to the 12 minute video of the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqSuqHQbfBM&feature=youtu.be
CNN Climate Change Town Hall – Transcripts
For your convenience here is the beginning of the transcript, and click here for the full Climate Change transcripts for all 10 Democratic Presidential Candidates, who participated in the CNN Climate Change Town Hall
CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL
Climate Crisis Town Hall with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Presidential Candidate. Aired 11:20p-12a ET
Aired September 4, 2019 - 23:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:20:00]
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: And welcome back everyone to a CNN Climate Crisis town hall. We've heard from nine top presidential candidates so far but we have one final candidate left. The scientists say that humans only have 11 more years to avoid the catastrophic consequences of this crisis. Food shortages, rising sea levels, more extreme weather events, like Hurricane Dorian which is turning toward the Carolinas as we speak. To discuss, much more, joining me now is New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Welcome Senator Booker.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you doing?
LEMON: Good to see you.
BOOKER: Good to see you too.
LEMON: Right off the bat to everybody. First thing you would do to deal with the climate crisis?
BOOKER: Well first of all, I just got to give a lot of credit to the audience here. Most people watching at home don't realize you all have been in these seats for about four hours. Man, I just want to say. I'm grateful. And I want to just say number one I want to give a lot of credit to CNN. This is historic, never before. I've watched presidential campaigns have we ever had a forum like this discussing what it is for humanity as has been said by every single candidate, the most existential crisis to our country and to the planet earth. So thank you very much.
LEMON: Thank you. What would you do first?
(APPLAUSE)
BOOKER: So, first I'm going to do as president of the United States is go right to action. Climate is not a separate issue. It is the issue, the lens, through we must do everything that we do. It is an every day mission. That means everyone of my departments, every one of my agencies, everyone of my cabinet members from the Secretary of Defense to the Secretary of Agriculture has to be coming up with an aggressive climate plan. I'm going to use the power of my pen to write away. Go after the executive orders that Donald Trump did to unravel the things that Obama did. I'm going to make sure I go further than that. Banning extractive oil fracking from public lands. Going after the drilling and licensing, stopping from our coasts. Making sure that we're setting standards to put ourselves on a mission to have zero emission electricity by 2030 and a carbon neutral country by 2045. We can do these things and we'll do them and we'll get them done together.
LEMON: All right. Let's kick our audience questions off with this - - you see what he does. It's right there on his shirt. His name is Anthony Ciampa. He is a registered nurse in New York City and is on the leadership team of his union, the New York State Nurses Association. Welcome Anthony.
(APPLAUSE)
BOOKER: Anthony, God bless you. Everyone who's had a family with a health crisis knows how incredible unsung heroes nurses are so thank you.
ANTHONY CIAMPA: Thank you Mr. Booker. Registered nurses are - - are furious (ph) advocates for our - - our community and the climate crisis is something of particular interest to all of us. When Super Storm Sandy hit our city, we experienced something none of us were prepared for, along with many, many others I lost my home. Our new reality is that these storms are getting more frequent and more devastating.
What is your administration planning on doing to make sure that as a nation, we are as prepared as we can be for these unnatural disasters?
BOOKER: So, first of all, I'm sorry for your loss. And I was the mayor of the city of Newark at that time and not only did I have my neighbors and others lose their homes, but we lost lives in the city of Newark, and I know you did here in New York City as well. These are nightmares that were still recovering from in New Jersey, still trying to put a lot of the pieces back together. And vulnerable communities, often urban communities, these are folks, they see the most kind of -- not only devastation, but life dislocation.
And so having been through that experience, power for -- no power for days, senior citizens whose life depends upon having electricity to pump oxygen into their lungs, these are crises that we have to be prepared for and doing the things necessary to make sure that they're not coming with this kind of fierce increasing nature that they are right now. So, so much of what I'm going to do is going to be about climate
resiliency as well. Making the kind of investments we need in making sure that communities are not as susceptible to flooding, whether that's the flooding in the Mississippi or sea level rise that's affecting cities like Atlantic City. It means making sure that we're investing in the kind of emergency preparedness and not have the kind of backwards reality that I see in Washington where every time there's a natural disaster, you have to work through Washington, D.C., politics just to get the resources a community needs to recover. Enough of that.
I will set up permanent funds to make sure that politicians aren't making this decision. That we're making it with our heart. We're Americans, we take care of our own.
More: Click here for the full Climate Change transcripts for all 10 Democratic Presidential Candidates, who participated in the CNN Climate Change Town Hall
