What's the plan?

When I've wanted to get the attention of a public official in the past, I've sent that person an open letter.
Federal, state and local officials have all received something in their inboxes — missives that have also appeared in our venerable local paper.
This time, I have found it's the American people that have received an open letter from the new president-elect.
I did go ahead and send a letter naming several concerns about protecting open space and encouraging smart development to Barack Obama, as the new administration has allowed for at its Web site, change.gov.
But looking at the goals listed there, there's already been many ideas generated to address those problems.
Is that "carrying coals to Newcastle" or is it "preaching to the choir?"
Anyway, studying the information published there made me feel pretty positive about where our 44th president may be going. I don't need to be reminded that promising is not the same as doing.
It's already there on Change.gov, one important point after another, showing that the new administration has good priorities in mind.
A few of those points include:
• building livable and sustainable communities
"Our communities will better serve all of their residents if we are able to leave our cars to walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives."
This idea will lead to the new president reevaluating "the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account."
• improving efficiencies in buildings
"Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of carbon emissions in the United States today and carbon emissions from buildings are expected to grow faster than emissions from other parts of the economy," Change.gov says. "It is expected that 15 million new buildings well be constructed between today and 2015."
The new administration will work with cities to make those new and even existing buildings more efficient when it comes to electricity.
• Strengthening core infrastructures
Obama recently underlined this commitment to state governors in having the federal government help upgrade and update transportation systems, such as roads and bridges.
"These projects will directly and indirectly create up to two million jobs per year and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity.”
• Supporting regional innovation
Change.gov singles out the thriving innovation cluster of Research Triangle Park in North Carolina as one that proves "that local stakeholders can successfully come together and help reshape their local economies."
The federal government will try to encourage communities to mirror that success by providing $200 million in planning and matching grants to businesses, governments and universities to enhance long-term regional growth.
Might that affect projects like the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, based in Galax? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
• Eliminating oil imports from countries hostile to the U.S. within 10 years.
In a multi-pronged attack, the new administration plans to increase fuel economy standards; get one million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015; create a $7,000 tax credit for buying more efficient vehicles; establish a national low-carbon fuel standard and more.
• Creating millions of green jobs
The administration would work to ensure that 10 percent of the nation's electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025, weatherize one million homes each year and develop clean coal technology.
The Web site also has a whole section on strengthening rural America, including several points on giving farming a boost.
Goals to aid rural parts of the country are:
• Providing a safety net for family farms
"Fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. Implement a $250,000 payment limitation so we help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness. Close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around payment limits."
• Establishing a country of origin labeling system, which seems pretty self-explanatory.
• Encouraging organic and local agriculture by helping organic farmers certify their crops, and promoting regional food networks.
• Partnering with landowners to conserve private lands.
"Increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands and forests."
I hope that the new administration will not forget about the necessity of fully-funding national parks and preserves and their role in protecting biodiversity and providing recreation.
By and large, I'm looking forward to the new administration getting on with its agenda to create jobs by working on energy efficiency and providing some much-needed attention to the environment.
I'm also glad to have been able to provide input on what's important to me.
No one has put it any better than Woodie Guthrie, in my opinion: This land is my land and this land is your land.
In seeking suggestions from average Americans, it looks like the new administration recognizes that fact, too.

From another 'Planet'

It looks like a spaceship full of relatively minor television stars crash landed on Planet Green, Discovery's environmentally-themed cable channel.
Former host of "Dinner and a Movie," occasional star of silver screen and geek siren Annabelle Gurwitch now presents "Wa$ted," an American recasting of a Kiwi television show, which helps households curb their environmentally damaging habits.
Highlight so far: her getting into the shower to talk about water conservation.
Aging rocker Tommy Lee mugs for the camera on the horribly conceived "Battleground Earth," in which he vies for all in his musical genre for green bragging rights with rap's Ludacris.
(One TV critic wondered if there was a reason that the show's title was reminiscent of "Battlefield Earth," that L. Ron Hubbard science fiction book starring John Travolta dramatized into easily one of the worst movies ever made.)
Genial home renovation show host Steve Thomas has made the move from PBS' "This Old House" to Planet Green's "Renovation Nation."
The title to this show doesn't scream environmental awareness to me, but the point is that Thomas travels the country dropping in on and lending a hand to projects that install different greentech systems like heat and air, water use and power generation into homes.
While it makes people aware of some green options to those who are considering doing some work on their homes, "Renovation Nation" suffers from a lack of personality.
These kinds of lifestyle show often fall into the rut of "here's the problem, here's how we're going to tackle it," commercial break, "here was the problem, here's how we are handling it," commercial break, and, finally, "this was the problem, here's how we solved it."
It's a little didactic and dry, in other words.
Emeril "Bam" Lagasse brings the cooking entry to Planet Green's lineup, of course, trying to show people how to spice up their uninspired and humdrum sustainable diet.
And then there's Ed Begley Jr., Hollywood's long-established preachy environmentalist who hasn't had a regular acting gig since the 1980s with hospital melodrama "St. Elsewhere."
Begley's show follows the travails of his long suffering wife putting up with the actor's enviro-consciousness.
Believe me, no one wants to be caught in the same room with the TV tuned to "Living with Ed."
Probably the biggest star involved in a project for the network is movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, who from behind the scenes produces the show "Greensburg."
May there never be another place like it, this Kansas city has decided to "go green" after being almost completely wiped out by a violent twister that tore through the Midwest's "tornado alley" in May 2007.
"Greensburg" concentrates on the city's struggle to tame the wind into a benefit as a source of power, encourage homes and businesses be rebuilt with efficiency and energy conservation in mind, educate the populace in green matters and replacement of public facilities in compliance with the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards.
This show offers, for one thing, a first-class civics lesson in demonstrating how a local government operates. This is precisely the reason why my wife and fellow reporter can't stand to watch — it reminds her too much of work.
"Greensburg" also manages to be a frank discussion of environmental issues, as green doubting Thomases talk to the camera about why they don't support the city hall's agenda.
Even enthusiastic "greenies" have their concerns, like the Kansas Extension agent who committed to rebuilding with the very efficient foam block forms filled with concrete.
Sitting down after a day of doing the interior framing because the cost of materials took all their reconstruction money to go over their balance sheet, the agent admits to his wife that he thinks it will take their whole budget to accomplish, even with doing the work themselves.
Environmental buzzwords like "climate change" come up tangentially in discussions, such as the idea that climate change will probably cause more frequent and more severe tornados like the one that made Greensburg disappear in the first place.
The show is a slice of life of the people who are trying to make good decisions and get on with their lives after a devastating disaster, and trying to do so with as much stewardship of the planet's resources as possible.
"Greensburg" has something the rest of Planet Green's lineup lacks: gravitas.
Programmers no doubt had a suspicion that viewers would find environmental issues unpaletable without some entertainment value thrown in.
Don't want to turn off audiences by trying to share simple facts and/or good information, after all.
But will even the most hardcore Motley Crue fan care if Lee, say, smashes or recycles his empty vodka bottles? Probably not.
The real life drama of the Kansas folks picking themselves up after a tornado is a lot more compelling. 
Planet Green should shoot the stars back into space and make more room for some quality television.