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The Environment Report writes:

There's evidence that the Earth is changing because of global warming. Glaciers are receding. Polar ice caps are melting. Weather patterns are altered. That's prompted some people to look for ways to reduce their personal contribution to global warming. Rebecca Williams reports there are many new companies that claim to help you do that... for a price:

Whenever you drive, fly, or ride, you're emitting carbon dioxide. And it's not just the way you get around. It's also any time you turn on lights or plug into an electrical outlet. More than half of the electricity in the U.S. comes from power plants that burn coal and that's another major source of carbon dioxide.

According to Clean Air-Cool Planet, the average CO₂e emissions per year are:

• 4.5 tons for the average U.S. car
  
• 4.5 tons for the average global citizen
  
• 6.2 tons for electricity use of the average U.S. household
  
• 21 tons for the average U.S. resident

and the list goes on. The report also includes CO₂e offsets like moving drivers from SUV's to hybrid cars, replacing aging refrigerators with more energy-efficient models, replacing 100-watt incandescent lights bulbs with 18-watt compact fluorescent bulbs, planting an acre of Douglas Fir trees, and more. The GLRC reports that:

About three dozen companies and nonprofits have sprung up in the past few years. They're selling carbon offsets.

The idea of a carbon offset is to balance out the carbon dioxide that you emit. In theory, you can do this by investing in something like tree planting or energy projects that don't emit greenhouse gasses, such as wind or solar power.

Read or listen to THE PRICE OF GLOBAL WARMING by GLRC Environment Report
Be sure to read the attached A consumer's guide to carbon offsets from Clean Air-Cool Planet (pdf)
Read Carbon Offset at Wikipedia
Visit carbonfund.org, toward a zero carbon world
Visit SELF (Solar Electric Light Fund), Powering a Brighter 21st Century

It may be time for Super Bowl XLI here in the USA, but in China it's Ice Festival time. Meteorologist Bill Steffen blogged a photo of this amazing festival from 2005.

Closer to home, for our neighbors to the north the focus is on Bonhomme and Carnaval de Quebec or the Quebec Winter Carnival. Here's a bit of its history from the official website

Since the beginning of our French colony, the habitants of New France formed a rowdy tradition of getting together just before Lent to eat, drink and be merry. Already at this era, this intense period of revelry was designated as the Carnival - a word of Italian origin that signifies Mardi Gras. The tradition of celebrating at the end of January until mid-February is a custom long in progress.

The first large winter Carnival in Quebec, the world's snow capital, took place in 1894.

...The first official edition of the Quebec Winter Carnival took place in 1955. The Carnival snowballed into an undeniable manifestation for the entire Quebec population, and was an important vehicle for tourist and economical activity in the city.

And, here in Michigan, we celebrate the Ice and Snow with our own festivals. Here a just a few you may want to check out:

Third Annual Hunter Ice Festival in Niles
Visit Zehnder's Ice Fest in Frankenmuth
Visit Tip Up Town USA in Houghton Lake
Trap Attack Ice Fishing Festival in Brooklyn
Visit Frost Bite Open a golf tournament in Harrison


Read Harbin China Ice and Snow Festival by Bill's Blog
Read more about the Harbin Ice Festival at TravelChinaGuide.com
Visit the official website for Carnaval de Quebec

The photo is from the Absolute Michigan Pool on Flickr
Check out Darrin's Traverse City, Michigan set for more frozen photos

NOISE PhotoBlog's Jeremy Herliczek highlights one of our favorite programs, the Michigan Heart Gallery. This is the second year for the gallery which premiered at the State Capitol last week and will travel the state. Professional photographers donate their time to create these insightful portaits, that are also available online at Michigan Heart Gallery website.

So what is the Heart Gallery?

There are over 300 children in Michigan currently waiting to be adopted through the foster care system. Most of these children are African American, over the age of 8, or need to be adopted along with other brothers and sisters.

The Heart Gallery is a photographic exhibit of children in the foster care system who are waiting for a permanent family of their own through adoption. The Heart Gallery is used to increase awareness about adoption and to recruit families for these children. The exhibit reaches out to prospective adoptive parents and the community providing a beautiful way to learn about foster care and adoption.

Read Portraits with purpose by NOISE PhotoBlog
Visit 2007 Michigan Heart Gallery
Watch Fox2 News' Heart Gallery Offers Hope for Foster Children

This photo is from the Absolute Michigan Pool on Flickr!

Jack Lessenberry talks with John Conyers about his tenure on the House Judiciary Committee as well as his thoughts about the war in Iraq and whether or not President Bush should be impeached. Rep. Conyers has just become the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, after having served for, as Jack puts it, "longer than most people have been alive", assuming his office in 1965. According to Wikipedia, he is also

"one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is considered the Dean of that group."

and

"After Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in 1968, Rep. John Conyers introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday."

In his interview with Jack Lessenberry, Rep. Conyers says that he believes President Bush has committed impeachable offenses, however he does not want to pursue impeachment hearings because he feels it will impede the progress of the Congress over the next year. Basically, he feels Congress doesn't have time to address this issue now with more important matters that need to be acted upon before the elections next year.

"Rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight," Conyers said. He wants a select bipartisan committee to look into alleged abuses and report back to the Judiciary Committee. But he didn't say what he would do if that didn't happen.

Read or listen to Essay: Conyers and the Committee - 1/29/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews
Also read or listen to the companion Interview: John Conyers - 1/29/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews
Visit the John Conyers, Jr. House of Representatives website
Read more about Rep. John Conyers at Wikipedia
Also read Peace Movement Strong on the Washington Mall by John Conyers about last Saturday's rally

February is Black History Month but the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit celebrates Black History all year long. According to their website, the museum is

the world's largest institution dedicated to the African American experience. The Museum provides exhibitions and programs that explore the diversity of African American history and culture. The Museum houses over 30,000 artifacts and archival materials and is home to the Blanche Coggin Underground Railroad Collection, Harriet Tubman Museum Collection, Coleman A. Young Collection and the Sheffield Collection, a repository of documents of the labor movement in Detroit.

Due to a generous donation from Target Corporation, admission is FREE on the First Sunday of each month until July 1, 2007. Now there's even more incentive to visit!

Read read Black History in Michigan, a collection of articles on Absolute Michigan's Stories from Michigan History Magazine
And read or listen to Essay: Deferring the Dream - 1/15/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews about Martin Luther King's legacy
Also read or listen to the companion Interview: Kevin Gaines - 1/15/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews

The photo above, by pinehurst19475, shows the mask that decorates the entry to the museum and is part of the Absolute Michigan Pool on flickr and part of pinehurst19475's detroit area photos set.



This photo entitled Museum of African American History, Detroit is also in the Absolute Michigan Pool and was contributed by Maia C.

Jack Lessenberry writes about the upcoming North American International Auto Show:

Organizers claim the show provides a glimpse into the automotive future. They say the show also adds more than half a billion dollars annually to the local economy.

Jack Lessenberry talks with Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research about the domestic auto industry and their fight to survive.

Read or listen to Interview: Sean McAlinden - 1/8/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews
Also read or listen to the companion Essay: Showing Our Stuff - 1/8/07 by Jack Lessenberry's Essays and Interviews
Visit Cobo Center, host to the NAIAS
Read 2007 North American International Auto Show on Absolute Michigan's Dig Michigan
Read about the History of the NAIAS
Read orange star car from the 2006 Detroit Auto Show by Michigan In Pictures

The photo is from the Absolute Michigan Pool on Flickr