09-R194
2009 -- S 0887
Enacted 04/22/09
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
PROMOTING GOALS
TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING POLLUTION THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE LIGHTS OUT, GREEN
IN PLEDGE
Introduced By: Senators McBurney, and Tassoni
Date Introduced: April 22, 2009
WHEREAS, Global warming
is one of the greatest threats the world has ever faced.
Despite repeated warnings, our continued reliance on electricity
sourced from coal-fired power
stations has resulted in a dramatic increase in the Earth's
temperature, which in turn has resulted
in rising sea levels, increases in drought and severe
storms, and massive changes to the
environment; and
WHEREAS,
increased twenty percent since 1990, leading to 2006, which was
the hottest year on record in the
continental
WHEREAS, On March 31,
2007, over 2.2 million residents of
over 2,100 businesses turned off their nonessential lights
and turned their appliances to standby
for one hour as part of Earth Hour, which led to a 10.2
percent energy reduction across the city;
and
WHEREAS, If the
greenhouse reduction achieved during that hour were sustained for a
year, it would be the equivalent of removing 48,616 cars
from the road for a year; and
WHEREAS,
Individual action on a mass scale can help change the planet for the better.
Further, by reducing electricity demand, we can reduce
output from power plants; and
WHEREAS, A Rhode Island
nonprofit organization – Lights Out, Green In – has formed
to convince individuals, businesses, and governments to
pledge to turn off their lights during the
hours of 11 AM and 1 PM when sunlight is at its greatest
and the need for artificial light is at its
least; and
WHEREAS, Lights Out,
Green In has also promoted the use of compact fluorescent
lights and has attempted to distribute compact fluorescent
light bulbs to low-income residents and
to establish an endowment to fund global warming
research; and
WHEREAS, Turning off
lights would not only help the environment, but it would also
save money for individuals, businesses, and governments
during these tough economic times; and
WHEREAS, By following the Lights Out, Green In Pledge, one office
building of 77,000
square feet will cut its electricity usage by more than 3
percent, which will save up to $465 per
month on the building's electricity bill and will cut
greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, Greenhouse
gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels for energy and
transportation are the leading causes of global warming in
WHEREAS, Twenty-five
percent of the greenhouse gases produced in
produced by the electricity sector; and
WHEREAS, There is broad consensus among the scientific community that
human
activity is contributing to global warming; and
WHEREAS, Global warming
is a threat to the climate, economy and environment of the
State of
WHEREAS, As a result of
global warming, hotter days in
ozone days, when the air is unhealthy to breathe and
particularly dangerous for the approximately
100,000 Rhode Islanders who suffer from asthma; and
WHEREAS, Fall foliage, an important tourist attraction, and a
valuable feature of Rhode
Island's quality of life, is threatened by global
warming; and
WHEREAS,
by rising sea levels, beach erosion, and more extreme
weather patterns caused by global warming;
and
WHEREAS, Efforts have
been made to mitigate negative social, economic and
environmental impacts of climate change, and to assess these
impacts to identify feasible
adjustments that the state and individuals can make; and
WHEREAS, The State of
Rhode Island should explore any initiatives that may save
money, including reducing our electricity output; and
WHEREAS, State and local
governments are committed to lead by example in
implementing activities that address global warming; now,
therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
hereby recognizes the vital role it must play in order to
successfully address the issue of global
warming pollution here in
RESOLVED,
That this Senate strongly supports any initiative that
seeks to reduce our
greenhouse emissions; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That this Senate is committed to promoting the Lights
Out, Green In
Pledge that individuals,
businesses, and government employees turn off their lights during the
hours of 11 AM and 1 PM, thereby reducing global warming pollution
from the electricity
consumed here in
RESOLVED,
That this Senate recognizes that this pledge does not
advocate turning off
all lights and electrical devices, but rather changing
our habit to use electricity only when
necessary and to use electricity more efficiently when such use
is necessary, including, but not
limited to, replacing conventional light bulbs with compact
fluorescent light bulbs where
possible; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That this Senate recognizes the vital role it must
play and therefore
encourages all businesses, individuals, and our own state and
municipal offices to participate in
this pledge; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to The
Honorable Donald Carcieri, Governor and
Matthew J. Martinelli, Executive Director, Lights Out, Green In, Inc.
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LC02451
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