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He shoulda been MotY

Congrats, you guys, for being named Person of the Year.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous Time didn't give that particular encomium to Al Gore. Has any individual ever before so fundamentally changed public debate on so technical a subject in such a short period of time? Not to mention the personal drama of his redemption, etc. Guess the folks at Time didn't want to get political ... oh, wait.

On a related note, Mr. Gore would like you to send a postcard.

People power takes on a whole new meaning

He had a broad face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

Whale blubber once provided the fuel for the nation's lanterns. Could the human equivalent soon become the fuel of your future?

I'm inspired for my first post by Kate Sheppard's "You Want Me to Put What in My Tank?", in which she documents the growing interest in making biodiesel from unconventional sources.

One of those sources is human fat obtained from suction lipeptomy, commonly known as "liposuction." The trend was started by New Zealand biodiesel enthusiast Peter Bethune, who recently contributed some of his own fat toward his quest to break the round-the-world speed record in a powerboat fueled entirely by biodiesel. Now, it seems, a Norwegian company is close to signing an agreement with Miami, Florida's Jackson Memorial Hospital to produce biodiesel from blubber extracted during the hospital's liposuction operations (see "Fortune in Fat").

Readers talk back about biofuels

  Re: Fill ‘er Up Dear Editor: With all the talk about biofuels, the single most efficient and productive plant is always left out of the equation: hemp! Henry Ford built and fueled a car with it, one acre of it equals four of timber, and you harvest it every year. Before its demonization during […]

Native perennials shown to produce more fuel than industrial monocrops

This is a welcome study: "University of Minnesota research shows mixed grasses produce 238% more bioenergy than single plant species, including switchgrass."

Growing perennial native plants on average or poor soils, which wouldn't require annual plowing, fertilization, or herbicides, could change the whole debate on whether humans should be growing crops for fuel.

Turns out vegetarians are smart

Vegetarians are smarter than the average person.

But vegans are dumber.

[Ducks]

What?! I’ve Always Been a Fan of Wilderness!

Bush protects wildlands in New Mexico, New England Back in 2004, the Bush administration tried to clear the way for energy drilling next to the nation’s largest Boy Scout camp in Valle Vidal, N.M. The drilling never commenced, in large part thanks to resistance from ranchers, hunters, environmentalists, 17 local governments, three chambers of commerce, […]

Cough up a little dough for a cute cause

The birth of an organic calf on Dec. 12 wouldn't be news, except for the fact that it was the first organic calf born on the nation's first organic dairy research farm at the University of New Hampshire.

Now, for a price, you can name the cute little heifer -- a worthwhile expense, if you follow the research money in organic ag.

Oceana nails down the tell-tale symptoms

10. Your family all got sea turtle cookie cutters as stocking stuffers.
9. You know all the words to Joe Vasconcellos's ""Fish Don't Cry."
8. You're willing to cross state lines to shop at a green list grocery store.
7. Your ringtone is a dolphin "clicking."
6. Your baby shower presents are accompanied with the FDA mercury warning.
5. You think Happy Feet has got Oscar written all over it.
4. You've got more fish guides [PDF] in your wallet than credit cards.
3. You think Ted Danson is famous because of his ocean advocacy.
2. You changed your pin code to 2048.
1. Your bumper sticker says "I Heart Krill."

Don't fit the bill? Become an ocean advocate now.

Electric bike triumphs and travails

Rode my bike to jury duty last Wednesday. It was pouring rain and the winds were gusting into the 50s. I had my trailer hitched up because I was hauling a laptop, magazines, and a battery charger with me. I don't think I could have done this without the electric motor.

However, at one point, a gust -- accelerated by the venturi effect of two skyscrapers -- stopped me cold. I jumped off and cowered in a nook where I found another guy hiding with the remains of his umbrella. I managed to drag, not ride, my bike the last block in a veritable deluge.

And me

The war just got a great deal more personal for me: my little brother left today for the Middle East, first to Kuwait and then to multiple locations in Iraq.

Not to shoot anybody -- to play piano.

He's in the Army Chorale band, and volunteers to go on these USO tours with Al Franken and a motley assortment of country music stars, WWF wrestlers, and professional cheerleaders. Yes, really. On the first one, shortly after the invasion, he got to stay in Saddam's palace. He's amused by it all and always brings back hilarious pictures and stories.

But the mess over there has only gotten messier, and now it looks like Bush might double down. Asshole.

Anyway, if you're the praying type -- I'm not, but days like today I wish I were -- throw the Big G-Man a shout-out for the USO tour staying safe.

And just to make this somewhat environmental, let's ponder yet again what kind of ...

• improvements to the nation's electricity grid,
• development and deployment of electric cars,
• development and deployment of high-speed rail,
• R&D for renewable energy

... we could have gotten for $2,000,000,000,000.