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Two articles on Slate, one substantive, one funny — read the funny one.

Slate is running a piece by Paul Sabin on the Death Stuff. There's not much new there, but it links to us, so I'm linkin' back.

Much juicier is their hilarious article up about the celeb/green/media stuff we covered here, particularly Cameron Diaz's Trippin'. I must say, mocking celebrities is cheap and easy and kind of pointless.

But it's still pretty fun:

Indigenous British Columbia activists battle Weyerhaeuser

A note from Gristmill reader Japhet has prodded me to write about something that's been on my to-do list for weeks: There's a pretty amazing fight going down in a far-off corner of British Columbia. On the north coast, native residents of Haida Gwaii have been battling the provincial government over the old-growth forests on the islands -- blockading roads, seizing wood, and the like. It is, as Japhet says, a "collision of big business [namely Weyerhaeuser], indigenous people and government. Not much space left in that room." Indeed.

For background, read this story and this story. For the latest details, check the Rainforest Action Network blog (which Japhet runs), and also read these three posts by Eric on the Cascadia Scorecard blog. And there's always the Queen Charlotte Islands Observer, which is covering this quite a bit.

From the Center for American Progress

The House may vote on the Energy Bill today. As I keep saying, the bill is a real monstrosity, one that encapsulates, as the Center for American Progress puts it, "Everything That's Wrong with Congress in One Bill." Read their wrap-up. And weep.

(Also, don't miss this site.)

Op-ed by editor Chip Giller debunks

Looky here: Grist editor Chip Giller has an op-ed in today's Boston Globe.

The piece approaches the "Death of Environmentalism" debate from a new, hopeful angle. It argues that environmentalism as a narrowly focused D.C. lobby might be struggling, but across the country, a conviction that sustainability is integral to our quality of life and our economic competitiveness is very much on the rise.

OK, that sounds kinda dense, but the piece is actually quite snappy. Really!

Government scientists now forced to raise money.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility have a new press release:

Washington, D.C.-- Federal scientists working for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have been ordered to raise funds to support their research projects or face unfavorable performance evaluations, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The scientists are tasked with finding private, state and other federal sponsors to buy the scientists' time. [...]

These new "marketing performance standards" apply so far to approximately 30 scientists working within the Bureau's Ecological Planning & Assessment and Ecological Research & Investigations units located in Denver, Colorado. Similar entrepreneurial standards are being proposed for other units in the Bureau of Reclamation as well as other agencies within the Interior Department.

Now, the Bureau of Reclamation isn't exactly what it sounds like -- it's the federal agency responsible for managing dams, water, hydroelectric power in the American West. I'm sure there are some mixed feelings about the agency among Grist readers, but requiring the group that does the NEPA legwork to raise outside money strikes me as pernicious. The Ecological Research & Investigations unit already thinks in terms of outside "clients," however, so it may be a different case. But the main problem that PEER is trying to highlight seems to be that scientists shouldn't have to do fundraising in order to be considered in good standing as federal employees.

Thanks to Chris Mooney for the heads-up.

An interview with the author of three-part New Yorker series

The New Yorker will be running a three-part series on climate change by Elizabeth Kolbert, starting in this week's issue. It's not available online (yet?), but don't miss this interview with Kolbert. A choice bit:

BRICs

I've been trying to figure out a way of recommending this TriplePundit post without just repeating the whole thing ... without success. So screw it:

BRICs - An acronym for "Brazil, Russia, India and China" refers to the emerging combination of economic power weilded by those four nations. An outstanding analysis on Z+Partners weblog sheds some light on the growing influence of this bloc of nations, the rise of potential conflicts with the G7 group, and various environmental scenerios. A key quote:

Perhaps the prospect of a massively destabilizing and massively expensive competition for oil with the BRICs will be the tipping point the finally pushes the U.S. toward a true green energy revolution.

Father José Andrés Tamayo Cortez guides the fight for Honduran forests

José Andrés Tamayo Cortez. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize. The woodlands of southeastern Honduras range from mountaintop cloud forests to low-lying rainforests; they are home to more than 500 bird species and a wide array of other animals and plants. But in recent years, more than half of the 12 million acres of forest in the […]

Do you enjoy humor?

Then this is the cartoon for you!

And there’s massive demand.

Holy smokes! Mike Millikin reports that pre-orders for the wee-little ZAP "Smart Car" have topped $750 million. That's pretty amazing. Apparently the U.S. Department of Transportation has signed off on it, so as soon as ZAP finds a U.S. distributor, the candy-cars are on their way. I want one!

For more on the Smart Car, see these two previous posts by Mike.