Tuesday is our last 2011 PennFuture holiday party The buzz is that our fab open houses in Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh were the tops this month! They're our chance to thank our great supporters and to share year-end updates and cheer. But don't take our word for it: join us at our Philly party on Tues., Dec. 13. RSVP for this open house now. Protecting state parks  Millions of trees soak up carbon in Pa.'s state parks -- one more reason PennFuture is working to protect our state parks from Marcellus shale drilling. For the latest, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and learn more on our website. PennFuture events  Holiday open house Philadelphia - 12/13

Good news 
Durban climate conference: the breakdown
The United Nations Convention on Climate Change has wrapped up in Durban, South Africa. Was it good news, but not enough? Or was it an historic day for South Africa and 194 nations who came to agreement on climate strategies? From Grist and The Guardian 

A green wall in a surprising spot 
Pop quiz: do you know what famous Pennsylvania landmark has the longest green wall in North America? Here's a hint: it was built by Pierre Du Pont -- and is known for its horticultural marvels containing more than 11,000 plants. But where they've installed their new green wall will surprise you. From Environmental Protection Agency's Healthy Waters

Making iconic buildings energy efficient 
Building retrofits can be highly cost-effective ways to increase energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In many of the world's historic structures, energy savings can be as much as 40 percent after green renovations. From Yale E360

Using football to promote green jobs 
Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli's youth foundation has taken him from football stadiums to Georgia neighborhoods and parking lots -- and the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill. He promotes greening professional sports facilities and introduces at-risk youth to careers in clean technology. From Huffington Post

Some other news
A year of extreme weather 
Pennsylvanians know well that 2011 was an historic year for extreme weather. Across the nation, record-setting wildfires, drought, floods and winter storms cost human lives -- and billions of dollars. Explore the issues and learn how the U.S. is preparing communities for the threat of weather and natural disasters expected to increase with climate change. From NOAA

Deforestation affecting Africa's climate progress 
Clearcutting forests for timber and charcoal and overgrazing of remaining land are changing Africa's landscape into barren terrain. The land becomes unsuitable for farming -- and lack of forest cover also affects global carbon emissions. Climate negotiators addressed this during their recent international climate conference in Durban, South Africa. From Environmental News Service

What happens next for the Keystone XL pipeline 
The Obama administration recently delayed the decision to approve the contentious Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada through the United States to the Gulf Coast. But pipeline company TransCanada has signaled it may proceed with one segment of the pipeline -- potentially leading to lawsuits. From Inside Climate News

Fun stuff
No, ho, ho! Santa's carbon footprint
Santa Claus, you're on notice. Your carbon footprint needs some major reduction. We've assessed your holiday activities, and frankly, all those toys are your biggest contributor to emissions. But there are some ways you can go greener. Infographic from Treehugger

A Climate for Change is published biweekly. It is produced by Kate Gibbons in our Northeastern Pennsylvania office. Send us your comments at climatedigest@pennfuture.org.

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