Monday, 25 Jul 2005

Time was when a young couple would walk to the town church to tie the knot, families in tow, before enjoying a few pigs' ears and pickled eggs out behind Ol' Man Johnson's house. But times have changed. Today's nuptials are grand affairs in exotic locales, and hapless relatives must fly in from all over. We smell carbon emissions! And so does groom-to-be Sean, who asks Umbra how to make his upcoming Hawaiian hoo-ha more earth-friendly.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Lawsuits

Lawsuit shield for MTBE makers dropped from energy bill

One of the last remaining roadblocks to the passage of the energy bill has reportedly been removed: According to Senate Energy Committee Chair Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), a provision to shield manufacturers of groundwater-polluting fuel additive MTBE from lawsuits has been dropped from the bill. A similar measure torpedoed a federal energy bill in 2003, when House advocates of the liability shield -- led by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) -- proved intransigent. (The fact that the shield is being jettisoned this year is seen by some as a sign that DeLay's legendary power is waning.) The oil industry attempted to preserve the measure by offering up $2 billion late last week for a cleanup fund, but senators rejected that plan. With the issue threatening to sink the entire energy bill -- which is widely expected to include a plethora of domestic dirty-power subsidies, plus some stabs at conservation and clean energy -- President Bush reportedly called top congressional negotiators on Sunday and told them to get things moving.


As president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility, Raphael Sperry promotes green building, prods architects to boycott the designing of prisons, and lobbies for peace and social justice in the built environment and beyond. This week, as InterActivist, he chats about "sustainably" harvested wood that isn't, "Participatory Economics," what homeowners should do to green their abodes, and more. Send Sperry a question of your own by noon PDT on Wednesday, July 27; we'll publish his responses to selected questions on Friday.

You Put Yer Superweed in There

Herbicide-resistant superweed discovered in field of GM canola

Opponents of genetically engineered crops have long warned that genetic modifications could "leak" into other plant species via interbreeding, possibly creating a new breed of hard-to-kill superweeds that would lead farmers to use more and more herbicides. Multinational biotech corporations have long said, ha ha, that's crazy. Well, lookee here: U.K. government researchers have just discovered a genetically modified weed growing in a test field for GM canola seed -- the first known case in Britain of a GM crop crossbreeding with a weed. Scientists apparently thought that the GM canola would not crossbreed with the distantly related weed, called charlock. Scientists were apparently wrong, and the new breed of charlock has now inherited the canola's resistance to herbicides. Multinational Bayer has applied to the European Commission for permission to grow GM canola seed in the U.K.; France and Greece currently ban it.

Queen of the Dammed

British royals to bolster green rep with efficient mini-hydro plant

On Friday, a local U.K. council approved Queen Elizabeth's plan to build a mini hydroelectric power plant dedicated to Windsor Castle. The energy-efficient four-turbine plant on the River Thames is expected to supply enough electricity to keep about a third of the castle juiced. It'll be the largest of its kind in the South of England, but designed to minimize ecological and visual impacts to the river. Enviros lauded Her Royal Highness for setting a good green example: "We're delighted that the queen is taking a lead in the use of green electricity to help to tackle global warming. It highlights the massive potential for small-scale micro-generation systems within the U.K.," said Friends of the Earth. This is just one of many green efforts by the British royals: Buckingham Palace uses energy-efficient light bulbs and recycles 99 percent of organic waste, while Prince Charles is a noted fan of organic agriculture and critic of genetic modification.