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Beaches strewn with a lot of trash, says report

Six million pounds of trash were picked up in a one-day global beach cleanup last September, according to a new report from the Ocean Conservancy. In one day, beachcombers covering 33,000 miles of shoreline in 76 countries found an average 182 pounds of trash per mile. That was comprised of 7.2 million items of garbage […]

Snippets from the news

• Sea levels will rise even more than you thought, says new research. • The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an important Clean Water Act case late this year. • Tesla Motors sues the designer of a green-car competitor. • Japan may raise the price of whale meat. • Oil prices hit a new record […]

Chevron runs ad attacking Goldman Prize winner

I attended the Goldman Prize presentation last night, and it was, per usual, a spectacular celebration of uncommonly dedicated individuals working to make this world a better place. The stories of their struggles and triumphs wetted every eye in the house, and they serve as a beacon of inspiration to all who care about the future of planet Earth.

Unless you are Chevron.

This morning, Chevron ran a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle attacking one of the recipients, Pablo Fajarado. "Mr. Fajarado is a front man for a group of Ecuadorian and American trail lawyers pursuing a claim against Chevron."

No! Not trial lawyers! Chevron would prefer that anyone bringing suit against them be represented by fishmongers, not trial laywers. Or something.

I've met those trial lawyers -- and they are, as you might expect, incredibly overworked and underpaid individuals doing this work not for love of lucre but desire for justice. And, if I may project some of my own feelings at this very moment, righteous anger against asshole oil companies.

The rest of the ad is unforgivable character assassination and innuendo.

Hoppy the wolf has been killed

R.I.P., Hoppy.

Green jobs workshops with Kevin Doyle

Kevin Doyle. Wondering how you can find a well-paying, challenging job without checking your values at the door? Want to find out what’s real and what’s hype in the field of green careers? Light a beacon in the job smog by bringing Grist’s Green Jobs Guru, Kevin Doyle, to your campus in the fall of […]

China announces clean-air proposals for Olympic Games

Many Beijing-area factories and cement plants will close for two months beginning in late July as a key part of the effort to clean the city’s famously polluted air for the Olympic Games, Chinese officials said. Other clean-air measures include banning the use of half the city’s 3.5 million vehicles, disallowing spray paint and other […]

A roundup of news snippets

• Students win contest with vehicle achieving a jawdropping 2,843 miles per gallon. • Governors will come together to discuss climate this week. • World Bank is worried about food prices. • Canadian officials seize the ship of seal-hunt protesters. • Bangladesh faces a climate refugee crisis.

Salmon fishing season canceled in California, Senate extends renewable-energy credits, and more

Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Climate Change We Can Believe In I Spy Something Green Braking a Catch Diversifying Your Stalk Portfolio Happy Renew Year! Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Cake and Iceberg Guitar Heroes? They’re the Tops

Hunting season ends with Japan catching fewer whales than planned

Japanese whalers had a quota of 850 minke whales for the just-ended hunting season but are heading home having caught only 551, which the country’s Fisheries Agency blames on “sabotage by activists.” The militant Sea Shepherd Society had been all up in whalers’ biz throughout the season. Anti-whalers were quick to point out that hunters […]

Meet the global activists who won this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize

Think changing the world is impossible? Think again. From a polio-stricken musician who’s spreading the word about clean water in his native Mozambique to a pair of Ecuadorian activists taking on Big Oil, this year’s seven Goldman Prize winners prove that a little heart and a lot of sweat can make a big difference. Press […]