Arnold Schwarzenegger: Climate Action Hero

Click here for my latest National Memo story on Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for bipartisan solutions to climate change and other issues.

National Memo: ‘Forward On Climate’ Rally Biggest In U.S. History

Click here for my National Memo story on the biggest climate change rally in U.S. history that took place on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Check out video, photos and audio from the "Forward on Climate" rally and march to the White House that drew an estimated 50,000 climate activists to the nation's capital.

Obama: If Congress Doesn’t Act on Climate Change, ‘I Will’

Click here for my latest National Memo story on President Obama's statement during the State of the Union that if Congress fails to act on climate change, he will take executive actions:

“I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”

Terry McAuliffe Calls For Clean Energy Jobs In Virginia

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Saturday said he will fight for clean energy jobs in the Old Dominion, telling the energized crowd at the campaign's first state-wide field office opening in Arlington that "I've been involved in a lot of businesses, including renewable energy. We need jobs for the 21st century. I've met some folks here doing wind and solar and I congratulate you. I promise you as governor we are going to do something about making our renewable energy standard mandatory. Because it's about job creation. We ought to have wind turbines. But we ought to build the blades and the rotors here in Virginia."

In Virginia, the 2007 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is voluntary, meaning the state is losing business to the 29 states and the District of Columbia that have mandatory renewable energy standards. Not a single solar, wind or other clean energy project has broken ground in Virginia since the law was passed.

Q&A: USC Schwarzenegger Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss

Bonnie Reiss, Global Director of the Schwarzenegger Institute, introduces Arnold Schwarzenegger at the R20 Conference student event in Vienna, Austria on January 21, 2013.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is turning into a climate action hero.

The Hollywood actor and former California governor recently launched the University of Southern California Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, whose stated mission is "advancing post-partisanship, where leaders put people over political parties and work together to find the best ideas and solutions to benefit the people they serve."

Photos: Future L.A. Metro Purple Line Wilshire/La Brea Sation

Here are photos of the future L.A. Metro Purple Line Wilshire/La Brea station. Big, bold signs are up declaring that heavy rail trains will be zipping along underground and picking up passengers by 2020. Click here for L.A. Metro's page on the Westside subway extension of the Metro Purple Line.

Notice the new bus benches. When I lived in L.A. it always bothered me that many of the bus stops were in such disrepair and the bus benches were made of cheap brown plastic that was uncomfortable to sit on and primarily was used to plaster advertising on top of. Well, my recent visit demonstrated that L.A. is at least trying to make the experience of waiting for a bus a bit more humane. Not everyone likes the new benches, as an L.A. Weekly blogger wrote "the new green benches might look like an improvement, but they're actually a step back for Los Angeles. Instead of coming up with an innovative way to generate income, improve our streets, and serve transit riders, the city has simply swapped one vendor for another."

Green Traveler: Southern California

Signs in Los Angeles Union Station touting L.A. Metro's progress in building more mass transit.

A recent visit to San Diego and Los Angeles demonstrates how both areas are making progress in going green. Here are some observations along with photos and videos.

• Waste Management trash and recycling trucks in Southern California are powered by natural gas. The company also uses landfill gas for energy and converts waste into energy.
  
  

Green Traveler: Riding L.A.'s New Expo Line

Car-crazy Los Angeles is rapidly reinventing itself into a city with a world-class public transportation system. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the second-largest bus fleet in the United States behind only New York City and the second-busiest light rail system behind only Boston.

While the Westside was getting left behind in the rush to build new rail lines, mass transit is steadily pushing into L.A.'s wealthiest neighborhoods as the dream of riding the rails to the edge of the Pacific Ocean becomes a reality.

Photos: Green Cars at 2013 Washington Auto Show

Green cars have gone mainstream.

Only a few years ago, green cars were a novelty relegated to the back corner of the convention hall. But in 2013 car companies are putting their green cars front and center because of new federal fuel economy standards put into place because of concerns about greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, high gas prices, and reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.