Soul Searching Podcast Examines Climate Change, Electric Vehicles

In his podcast Soul Searching, Rabbi Neil Amswych from Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe interviewed Camilla Feibelman from the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter.

Here is an excerpt followed by a link to the full podcast.

Rabbi Amswych Since you mentioned global climate change…one of the most obvious ways is through the way that we travel. I read a recent survey that said SUVs release more CO2 than the old small cars that we assumed pollute.  Does this kind of thing, the pollution of cars. is this something on the radar of the Sierra Club?

Camilla Feibelman Absolutely.  If you look at greenhouse gas emissions that we generate in New Mexico, by far and large the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses is the oil and gas industry. They emit  53 percent of all of New Mexico’s greenhouse gasses. That’s before the oil and gas is even burned. That’s just during the extraction phase.  The second biggest category of pollution is transportation. And that’s because there are so many vehicles, so many trucks, so many heavy trucks, and each one of those is an individual source of pollution, not only to drive climate change but also that really impact community health for people who live along our highways and go to school along those roadways.

Videos from our Webinar: Are There Really Pennies from Heaven?

In Part 1,,Tiffany Hartung, national Interfaith Power and Light’s Chief Strategy Officer, discussed how congregations in New Mexico and elsewhere can get money from the federal government for your solar panel installation and other renewable energy projects.


In Part 2, we examine the energy assistance related to the Tierra del Sol project and IPL New Mexico & El Paso’s energy audits. Tiffany Hartung and others answer questions.

Board-Co Chair (EV owner) to gas stations: ‘I don’t need you’

When it was time for our family to get a new car in 2018, I knew there was no other option for us than an electric vehicle . For our family and future, it was essential to know that we could get around safely, affordably, and without polluting our community’s air.

For the past five years, I have easily gotten around in my Chevy Bolt and I feel comfortable knowing I am not contributing to our air quality crisis. Not only that, I find it easy and fun to drive. As gas prices remain volatile, I love driving by gas stations and waving, “I don’t need you!”  -Ann McCartney, IPL board co-chair in opinion piece posted in Albuquerque Journal on Sunday, Oct. 8

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