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Students Gear up to Protest Exxon Graduation Speech
As college students around the country are wrapping up their semesters, graduating seniors at Worcester Polytechnical Institute (WPI) find themselves in the midst of an ethical controversy. On Saturday, WPI’s commencement speaker is none other than oil baron Rex Tillerson, CEO and chairman of ExxonMobil, although perhaps you’re more familiar with his role as the […]
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Salem citizens win against Big Coal
This week the people of Salem, Mass. got the news they’ve been waiting for years to hear: the 60-year-old, dirty coal plant in their community that leads to 53 premature deaths per year is shutting down. The Harvard School of Public Health reported [PDF] that pollution from the Salem Harbor Coal Plant not only leads […]
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Eco-art as you’ve never seen it before [SLIDESHOW]
Take a look at some of the incredible ways in which artists are drawing attention to environmental issues — and then read more about it.
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Nationwide, Coal Does Not Care
This week we’ve had a few too many reminders of how much coal does not care. First, while we all laughed at the parody “Coal Cares” website that the Yes Men created to look as if it was a Peabody Coal project, Peabody Coal’s response was quick reminder of that website’s true message about the […]
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Lessons from PFC Restrepo’s Mother
The incredibly brave work of the U.S. Special Forces team that killed Osama bin Laden brought some badly needed, uplifting news. It gave Americans welcome, if temporary, relief from steady news of American lives lost in the Middle East. You can really feel that weight of the sacrifice our people are making to defend America […]
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US Airlines Say they are “Green” while fighting Anti-Pollution Efforts
If an airline claims to be “green”, but is actively working to gut carbon pollution standards what would you do? Since that is exactly what America, Continental, and United airlines are doing, major environmental groups sent a letter to the airlines asking them why they are spending their customers’ money on lawyers and lobbyists in […]
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I have cancer — a personal meditation on technology, sustainabity, and social context
I have cancer, but thanks to modern medicine, in terms of health it may be no big deal. The surgeon will use a scalpel to remove a thin layer of tissue from the floor of the mouth along with a tiny bit of the connection to the tongue. Then a laser will cauterize it, minimizing […]
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New green zone spreads in Iraq
A new green zone is sprouting in Iraq, but it’s not the kind you think. It’s a grassroots one pushed by a new culture of conservationists whose currency is reeds. The recent environmental history of Iraq is a tale of two men. Saddam Hussein had a horrific impact on the ecology of the country, principally […]
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In Texas, audience boos Obama mention of border wall
During his major immigration speech this week in El Paso, Texas, President Obama mentioned the 640 mile long U.S.-Mexico border wall that has scarredthe Southwestern landscape and prevented migration of endangered species like jaguars, ocelots, and Sonoran pronghorn antelope. The speech is fascinating for two reasons: 1) it’s pretty clear (as if it weren’t already) […]
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Chile to drown Patagonia behind a massive dam, despite disapproval of its citizens
It must be hump day, because a slow-motion screw-the-environment catastrophe was just approved in Chile. A commission appointed entirely by President Sebastian Pinera gave the green light to a 2.75 gigawatt dam project that will "drown 14,000 acres, require carving clear-cuts through forests, and eliminate whitewater rapids and waterfalls that attract ecotourism," reports the Washington […]
