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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.

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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 […]

Vilsack is out

Vilsack, we hardly knew ye. A long shot, yes. But those energy policies … so dreamy.

It’s all the buzz in Europe

Global warming and Chinese pottery to blame!

A dairy giant does the right thing

Erstwhile Gristmiller Sam Fromartz, true to form as an ex-reporter, has breaking news on his personal blog. Sam reports that Dean Foods, the dominant U.S. dairy supplier (you can find a list of its many brands here) has decided not to accept milk from cloned cows, despite recent USDA approval of the stuff. This is […]

McCain:

I’m not Bush! Update [2007-2-22 17:8:54 by David Roberts]: Hilarious. Check out ThinkProgress to see how the right-wing blogs have responded to McCain’s criticism of Bush on climate change. He’s joined the majority of people in the world loony left!

Must one do business with ADM?

Responding to my latest critique of Archer Daniels Midland and its business practices, a reader writes in to ask, “If I want to stop supporting ADM when grocery shopping, is there a list somewhere of what products to avoid buying?” That’s a great question. The short answer is, the best way to stiff ADM is […]

Can a carbon tax neutralize new carbon emitters?

At the Carbon Tax Center, we're forever on the lookout for new and outsized ways in which Americans are using energy. Too often, today's novelty item is just a clever marketing campaign away from tomorrow's sizable carbon emitter. Witness high-definition televisions, or Jet Skis.

If history is a guide, efficiency standards to govern new devices' fuel consumption won't be promulgated until after they have proliferated -- if ever. Carbon taxes, in contrast, could help rein in new products' energy requirements from the get-go, i.e., in the design stage. Where a product has little redeeming social value, the price signals from a carbon tax might even keep it from gaining a toehold in the culture.

These thoughts came to mind when we read an article in The New York Times (sub. rq.) last week about suburbia's latest must-have energy-guzzlers: home snowmaking machines.