Earth Promise “21 in 21″ Interview Series – Nora Duncan, Policy and Legislative Affairs Liaison for Governor Jodi Rell of Connecticut Nora Duncan – Policy & Legislative Affairs Liaison for the Office of Governor M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut Nora Duncan was appointed by the Governor to her position as a Policy & Legislative Affairs Liaison in January 2008. Her responsibilities include promoting the priorities of the Governor and her administration with members of the Connecticut General Assembly and working with interest groups and constituent on bills and items of concern that impact the state and its residents. Prior to her position at the Governor’s Office, Ms. Duncan worked for nine years as the Public Policy Director for a large trade association of nonprofit organizations in Connecticut and for 3 years in the field alternatives to incarceration. Ms. Duncan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut in 1995. Ms. Duncan’s interview questions are a blend of both her personal thoughts and the policy initiatives of Governor Rell and the State of Connecticut Earth Promise: What changes, or Earth Promises as we call them, have you personally made in your lifestyle to be more green? Nora Duncan: I have done some simple things that have just become habit at this point. For instance, I have greatly reduced plastic bag usage, switched to energy efficient light bulbs, stopped purchasing bottled water for my home and switched to reusable PBA free bottles. I also shop for the majority of my seasonal produce at local farmer’s markets…too bad we can’t grow bananas in Connecticut. EP: What was your first, ah ha! Green moment? What opened your eyes? ND: I can’t really remember one “ah ha!” moment, but I know that learning about the staggering numbers of plastic bag and bottles around the country and how they are filling our landfills, not to mention the plastic bags I see blowing all around, made me want to take personal responsibility for reducing use. EP: The environment is obviously a key issue to the United States as a whole but also to individual states. Based on State of Connecticut and Governor Rell websites, this is definitely true for Connecticut. Tell me about some ways that Connecticut reaches out to its residents with ways they can be green. ND: The Governor ran a successful campaign called “One Thing” for quite some time. This campaign is very similar to Earth Promise in that it encouraged individuals to make small changes in their daily lives. Those small changes, made by millions of people, will have a huge impact on our environment. Additionally, Governor Rell’s website has a link to many energy resources and programs. One of particular interest is CTEnergyInfo.com which was developed by the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, Energy Conservation Management Board and the Institute for Sustainable Energy. The goal is to provide consumers with a one-stop-shop for information and resources that both help save money and conserver energy. Renewable energy credits, green building technical assistance, emission reduction programs and community education are just a few of the topics covered by the website. EP: Cars are one of the major contributors to the issues regarding the environment. This includes our dependence on oil, our gas guzzling cars, and for many, our resistance to change. What are some of the changes you would like to see regarding the auto industry? ND: Governor Rell has been a proponent of tougher emissions standards for vehicles sold in Connecticut, and nationwide. She, along with 13 other Governors in 2008, found herself taking the lead in insisting that a the Clean Air Act allows states to set the “being green” bar higher than the federal government chooses to set it. Believing that the Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to let California and other states – including Connecticut – enforce stronger auto emissions standards violated the Clean Air Act, she submitted written testimony to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee criticizing the decision and expressing concern over the negative impact it may have on climate change. California, Connecticut and the other states planned to enact laws requiring that the auto industry reduce GHG emissions by up to 30 percent by 2016. She also engaged members of the CT delegation to help overturn the EPA’s position. EP: Is going green something that the states will have to take the lead on over the Federal Regulations or vice versa? ND: There is a balance that needs to be found between the states and the federal government in terms of regulations. There are ebbs and flows to that balance, of course. Oftentimes states find themselves in a leadership role on environmental matters. One example of this leadership is with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative undertaken by Connecticut and nine other Northeastern states to reduce GHG emissions. This initiative is the nation’s first carbon cap and trade program. Another example of leadership came when the Governor found herself needing to defend her state’s environmental rights. Governor Rell strongly believed that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had excessive power due to its ability to ignore state environmental concerns. In 2005 she issued Executive Order Number 9 that established a task force to monitor a to construct and operate a floating storage and regasification unit for liquefied natural gas in Long Island Sound. The plan, which Governor Rell strongly objected to, put a permanent aircraft carrier-sized facility in Long Island Sound. That facility was expected to cycle through about 29 million gallons of seawater a day for cooling, killing hundreds of millions of eggs and larvae, and raise water temperatures along its underwater pipeline by as much as 20 degrees, turning that environmentally sensitive area into an industrial zone. Connecticut happily won that long fought battle and continued long time efforts to improve and preserve Long Island Sound. EP: Thinking about the tough economic times we are going through, in what ways will green awareness and green initiatives help us, as a state, a country as well as individually? ND: Individually, most Americans are more focused than ever on making ends meet in this economic downturn. Even small steps toward going green at home can help alleviate stressors on a household budget. For instance, while a bit more expensive to purchase, the average new energy efficient light bulb will save $30 in electricity costs over the course of its lifetime as compared with a traditional bulb. The more awareness there is about simple efforts we can make at home that save money, the more the nation as a whole will move in that direction. With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there is a lot of focus on green projects and green collar jobs to stimulate the economy and make long term changes. Hopefully the current economic crisis will lead to opportunity. Governor Rell has been focusing on green collar jobs (which are essentially blue and white collar jobs in green industry) as a means for enhancing Connecticut’s workforce and economy for several years. Most recently in February she issued Executive Order Number 23 which is right in step with the federal stimulus initiatives. The Order establishes a blueprint for green collar job creation. Governor Rell believes that it is critical that education and workforce training in 21st century skills be developed and offered to students and workers to create a talent pipeline that will be necessary for the emerging green economy and creation of green jobs. EP: Sometimes if a message is played over too much, consumers will tend to ignore it after a while or tune it out or turn against it. How can green Evangelists, from politicians to the media be more effective in making sure we are relevant but not overbearing? ND: Maybe this is easier said than done, but make the message workable and identifiable to the average person, not preachy and arrogant. Let people know that simple changes mean a lot. The average person will be put off by a message that overwhelms them with responsibilities and then makes them feel persecuted for failure to do enough. The key is to present the information in quantifiable terms that are easily understood and relevant to one’s every day life. EP: There are lots of people who fit into two eco groups – “think green”, meaning they know there is an environmental issue and they are concerned, but do not take any steps to help. Then there is the “act green” group who take action and make changes to help the environment. Getting people to move from the “think green” group to the “act green” group is key. What steps can be taken to make this transfer happen? ND: I think the answer to this relates directly back to the messaging question asked in a previous question. Earth Promise is a “keep it simple” approach to transitioning people to the “act green” category and Earth Day is a perfect time to target average people. In this economic crisis, pairing these efforts with suggestions for going green that directly result in individuals saving money is a win-win. EP: What is the one personal Earth Promise you are going to make in the future that you have not done yet? ND: One that seems simple, but I struggle with at times, is avoiding convenience packaging in food. I will make an effort to buy more bulk products with less packaging and then divide the food into individual servings. EP: Thank you very much. Greatly appreciated. Tags: 21 in 21, carbon footprint, change, changes, clean fuel, climate change, connecticut, conservation, CT, earth, earth day, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, energy efficient, engineer, environment, environmental, global warming, gov rell, government, governor jodi rell, governor rell, green, green changes, green interviews, green living, green practice, green practices, green tips, nora duncan, politics, State of Connecticut, State of CT |
