Uncategorized

Taking pointers from Schwarzenegger on talking about global warming.

Not only is Schwarzenegger leading California to many firsts in climate policy, he's also leading the way when it comes to talking about global warming.

Any savvy politician knows you can't get policy on the books without first winning over your colleagues and constituents. And Arnie is surely one of the savviest politicos around. Here's how he's doing it:

First, he taps into Californian pride and shared American values, stressing leadership, innovation, and a call to make history:

With love

Dear Tom Vilsack, Why did you tempt us with your progressive energy plan (PDF) and then turn your back on us so quickly? Sure, you had no chance of winning, but you could have at least pushed your energy agenda and greenhouse-gas reduction strategies a little longer, driving the debate among candidates who might actually […]

Fun with evolutionary psychology

Let me enthusiastically recommend this essay on The Oil Drum by Nate Hagens. It’s about human beings’ discount rate, its evolutionary origins, and its implications for climate change and peak oil. In psychology, "discount rate" refers to the fact that we value events/rewards/dangers less the more distant they are in the future. We, less than […]

The pre-Oscar buzz is green, all green

Anyone who sneaks a guilty peek at Access Hollywood or Extra after dinner knows that it is officially Party Week in Hollywood. Everybody and her over-pedigreed dog is in town, boozing and schmoozing it up before the Academy Awards on Sunday. So when I scored an invite to the Global Green pre-Oscar party, I was pretty pumped.

This is the third year the organization has thrown the blowout, complete with a plethora of hybrids and alternative energy vehicles in the parking lot, chic sustainable building materials on display inside, and a long list of big names in attendance. Among the biggest: Petra Nemcova and James Blunt, Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson, Orlando Bloom and his new spiky haircut, and Oscar nominees and event co-chairs Leonardo DiCaprio and Penelope Cruz.

Unfortunately, I and the rest of the print media were stationed in front of the fans on the street and after a looong line of photographers. So many of the stars didn't stop to chat, either because they were suffering from sheer media fatigue or because they mistook us for a gaggle of screaming autograph seekers. (I'm sure my shrill cries of "Orlando! I want to ask you about the environment!" didn't help.)

A new report

"The Carbon Neutral Myth: Offset Indulgences for your Climate Sins" (long PDF), a report from Carbon Trade Watch by Kevin Smith, is a new critique of the idea of carbon neutrality.

The press release says:

Carbon offsets are the modern day indulgences, sold to an increasingly carbon-conscious public to absolve their climate sins. Scratch the surface, however, and a disturbing picture emerges, where creative accountancy and elaborate shell games cover up the impossibility of verifying genuine climate-change benefits, and where communities in the South often have little choice as offset projects are inflicted on them.

The report also deals in more depth with an issue Grist has covered in passing -- the energy-saving CFL bulbs Climate Care paid for in the South African urban township of Guguletu.

What parents can do

Ever since I wrote a piece on Ann Cooper, the “renegade lunch lady” bent on returning real food to school cafeterias, I’ve been meaning to follow up on what parents can do to improve their kids’ cafeteria experience. Well, like the good lunch lady she is, Chef Ann is always sharing recipes for action. Yesterday, […]

Is it really all that rosy?

Lately, most of what you hear about green building is pretty rosy; the industry is booming, everyone's on board, and green building has gone mainstream. By and large, I tend to agree that things are looking nice. But there are three different trends(?) in green building that caught my attention recently. I think the push and pull from these activities could lead to a not-so-pleasant dustup among industry, green building advocates, and public policymakers down the line.

Grist interviews Vilsack; Vilsack quits presidential race

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) has added another "former" to his list of titles by withdrawing from the 2008 presidential race. But before he folded, citing financial concerns, Grist's Amanda Griscom Little interviewed Vilsack -- a vocal opponent of the Iraq war -- about his surprisingly aggressive energy plan [PDF], ethanol's future, and more.

----

Other Democratic candidates, Sens. Obama and Clinton in particular, seem to be putting emphasis on energy and the environment as well. How do you think your record compares to theirs?

As governor of Iowa I was able to actually grow a renewable fuel industry in my state. We've dramatically increased ethanol production, dramatically increased wind production, through a creative use of strategies. I don't think any other candidate can actually point to that accomplishment.

What motivated you to come out with such a comprehensive energy proposal so early in the game?

Primarily the fact that energy security is the most important domestic issue facing the United States.  We've been talking about this challenge for decades, and it's time we get very serious about it.

This is a strategy not just to meet our energy needs in a way that's environmentally sound, but also to ensure that we never send young men and women to war over oil as we have in the past and we appear to be doing right now in Iraq.

Win a compost bin designed and autographed by celeb-types

Youth-focused group Global Inheritance has teamed up with hip-hoppers The Roots to get composting into schools across the U.S. As part of the Feed Your Roots campaign, elementary, middle, and high schools who develop composting programs will have the chance to win a Roots compost bin autographed by the band. To enter, students/teachers must submit […]

She’s not into it

A couple weeks ago, Daily Grist noted Richard Branson’s $25 million prize, offered for some kind of widget that will take CO2 out of the atmosphere. I didn’t have much to say about it — Tom more or less captured my feelings in his comment. Somebody with Branson’s money and profile shouldn’t be promoting magical […]