Can we replace fossil fuels without going nuclear? One German company says so. Unlike nuclear power, coal doesn't have to wait for failed safety features to pollute the groundwater, pollute the air, and make people sick for miles around. So getting off fossil fuels is a priority -- but now a lot of people are thinking twice about nuclear. Germany, which got 23 percent of its power from nuclear last year, is shutting down reactors left and right. To the rescue: The German renewable industry lobby. It says that renewable power -- wind, hydro, solar, and biomass -- would be …

"Between 50 and 70 employees -- now known in English as the Fukushima 50 -- all in protective gear, were left at the plant to battle myriad problems. Some are assessing the damage and radiation levels caused by the explosions, while others cool stricken reactors with seawater to try to avert a potentially catastrophic release of radiation. The workers are the nuclear power industry's equivalent of frontline soldiers, exposing themselves to considerable risks while about 800 of their evacuated colleagues watch from a safe distance. 15 people on the site, including members of the self-defence force, have been injured in …

Photo: Simon HuckoJust in time for St. Patrick's Day, scientists at the University of Limerick have developed a biodegradable alternative to that plastic widget that keeps Guinness foamy. It turns out that coating the inside of the can with biodegradable, natural cellulose would do an even better job of putting nitrogen into the beer (which is what the plastic balls are for -- nitrogen is used to make stout bubbly). So on some future St. Patrick's Day, even your beer could be wearing green. Read more: "New Technology Creates a More Eco-Friendly Head on Your Guinness," GOOD

You know those hiddy plastic stackable chairs that you see on basically every porch, stoop, and backyard? (I have some. They came with the house.) Well, what if they were biodegradable, made with sustainable materials, and kind of awesome looking? And also made out of pot? TOTAL DREAM CHAIR, right? Okay, so Werner Aisslinger's stackable hemp chair is not exactly smokable, and it's not exactly in production either. It just debuted at Milan Design Week. But it's cool, lightweight, eco-friendly (the glue that holds the fibers together is water-based and has no phenols or formaldehyde), and can be mass-produced cheaply. …

John Kerry is willing to bank on infrastructure building. He and Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) are introducing a bipartisan bill to create a bank for funding infrastructure projects -- which includes roads (good way to get Republicans and John Cassidy on board) but also rail. The bank would issue loans to help finance projects -- no more than 50 percent of the cost. It would cost about $10 billion for startup, and is projected to invest $600 billion over time, but would eventually move from being federally funded to being self-sustaining. Read more: "Kerry to introduce infrastructure bank …

The nuke plant in Fukushima, Japan.Photo: Beacon RadioThe Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, currently has three boiling water reactors in danger of "meltdown." Here are the basics on what's happening and what that means. How does a boiling water reactor work? The nuclear core transfers energy to water by heating it. This cools the core and lets the water carry the energy away to be turned into electricity. If there's not enough water for cooling, the fuel rods can be exposed and the core can overheat. If the core heats up enough, it can start to melt -- …

Right-wingers are now pro-choice, but only for light bulbs. Here's everyone's favorite talking head, Stephen Colbert, on their move to save what they're now calling "traditional" bulbs (ah, yes, our storied national tradition of inefficient lighting! It's the core of what it means to be an American). The Colbert ReportTags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive   Yeah! Go back to your own country, curlicues! We know what freedom of choice truly means: nestling forever in our comfortable womb of round, warm, expensive, familiar bulbs, suitable for use in baking. (Note: Other wombs not eligible. Only light …

Whatever, my kid can do that.Image: Pacific Tsunami Warning CenterIf we had any evidence that Republican House members were capable of feeling shame, we'd expect them to be so red right now. Mother Jones reports that one of the items on the GOP's budgetary chopping block is ... tsunami monitoring. Last month, they voted to hack out nearly a third of the funding for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which (go figure) warns about tsunamis in the Pacific: In February, the union representing the National Weather Service warned that the Republican cuts could place the residents of Hawaii in mortal …

President Carter leaving 3 Mile Island.Photo: The National ArchivesJapan has declared a state of emergency at the Fukushima nuclear reactor -- but thanks to good engineering, there's been no radiation leak and there's no risk of one. With more than 50 nuclear plants in the earthquake-vulnerable country, things would have been way worse without earthquake precautions in place. Does U.S. infrastructure have that kind of protection? Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the top government spokesman, said the nuclear power plant developed a mechanical failure in the system needed to cool the reactor after it was shut down. He said the …

What the hell, do you not see that a guy needs to park his Jaguar? Jerks.Photo: Chris GoldNew Yorker economics writer John Cassidy thinks bike lanes should be bulldozed so that he has a place to park his Jaguar for free in Manhattan. His argument, in brief: the theft of perfectly good roadways for biking is economically unsustainable car oppression. Not surprisingly, this has generated a lot of fuss -- not just among the groups he mocks in the piece, like humorless bikeophiles and snooty Park Slope co-op members, but also among serious economists. Who are perhaps being a little …