Photo by Nitin Sharma from Pexels
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Joe Biden, is one of the largest federal climate bills in U.S. history. Along with many other monumental investments, the act aims to increase renewable energy production and address funding for climate-conscious programs.
The Inflation Reduction Act
To start the last year of Vegan View off with a bang, President Joe Biden signed the largest federal climate bill in U.S. history Tuesday afternoon. The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental investment in the future of our planet and will set a precedent for more to come.
The bill is a compromise from what most Democrats and President Biden had initially wanted. Even still, Congress passed the bill with zero votes from Republican senators. Alongside lowering medical expenses and tax reform for large corporations, the bill will provide more than $350 billion in funding for climate-focused initiatives.
One goal of the Inflation Reduction Act is to increase renewable energy production, trusting that changing the supply and demand will lower costs. This can be seen in the various tax credits, an incentive that lets taxpayers subtract the credit from what they owe, included in the bill. These credits are received by producing energy from specific renewable resources (wind, biomass, geothermal, solar, hydropower, etc.), investment in certain energy properties (solar, fuel cells, waste energy recovery, etc.), and alternative fuel mixtures. Another tax credit will be awarded for qualifying zero-emission nuclear power and aviation fuel produced or sold after 2023, production of clean energy, investment in zero-emission energy generating facilities, and much more. You might even see your local mail carrier driving a zero-emission vehicle within the next couple of years.
Increasing these pull factors will convince more companies, and people, to switch to sustainable energies. Hopefully, helping to make large strides in the global push away from fossil fuels.
Funding for climate-conscious programs is another dilemma that the bill is set to address. These include the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) conservation and renewable energy programs, the National Forest Service’s forest restoration and wildfire prevention, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) projects for affordable housing and climate change issues, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) improvements for coastal and marine habitats and weather forecasting, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) incentives to reduce greenhouse gasses, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services’ (USFWS) recovery plans and conservation for endangered species, among others.
Each of these programs is receiving this financial aid in order to make our planet healthier and reduce the persistent negative human impacts. Incentives are like little rewards for choosing better, more sustainable, energy options. Environmental scientists have had the solutions for years; this bill means that the government is finally starting to listen.
Riding the fitness wave
City Surf Fitness offers fitness classes inspired by the everyday lifestyle and training of surfers by performing exercises on a stationary surfboard.
October 17, 2018
Yo duuuuude! Rad barrells out there! Whether it’s using apps, checking out new facilities or getting together with friends for a group workout, I’m always looking for new ways to make exercising an enjoyable experience. I recently had the opportunity to attend a 6:00 a.m. class at City Surf Fitness.
Let me start off by telling you that this was nothing that I have ever done before. City Surf Fitness offers fitness classes inspired by the everyday lifestyle and training of surfers by performing exercises on a stationary surfboard.
I went into this class with the intentions of posting trendy pictures of me and my friends standing on surfboards and laughing away the soreness from our intense and hardcore workout. However, I can’t say that I felt that way coming out.
The class started out on the right wave with a couple minutes of high intensity cardio. To me, this was the best part of the whole class in that it had me sweating and challenging myself the most. However, even though it was the most challenging, it didn’t involve the use of the actual surfboard.
After the cardio is where we got into choppy waters. The instructor spent the remaining time setting aside three to five minute for demonstration periods and 10-15 minutes to complete three to four reps of each exercise. The exercises included balancing on the surfboard and doing squats, leg raises and raised leg lunges.
But unfortunately, I was very disappointed on how I felt after I completed the workout, as the most intense part was the first five minutes. I didn’t feel accomplished or worn out afterwards and when I went home, I made sure to do about half an hour more of abdominal and leg exercises.
However, I did appreciate that a representative from City Surf Fitness Plano contacted me after my class, and when I voiced my opinion on how I thought the class went, she offered me another free class to give them another chance.
I will be attending a second class next week and I am looking forward to perhaps changing my opinion.