Uncategorized

Dem wins good news for ethanol industry

Not all investors, CEOs, and lobbyists were sad to see the GOP lose on Tuesday. From Bloomberg:

Shares of Archer Daniels Midland Co. and VeraSun Energy Corp., the two biggest U.S. ethanol producers, soared on speculation that Democratic control of the U.S. House of Representatives will boost demand ...

"A Democrat-led House is likely to amount to a political net plus for the ethanol industry," Stanford Group Co. analyst Mark McMinimy wrote today in a report to clients. "The political climate for ethanol in the Congress will shift from an environment that was already favorable to one that is promising for ethanol-friendly legislation over the coming two years."

In Toilets Is the Preservation of the World

U.N. study illuminates deadly global water and sanitation situation Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice — but it’s more likely to be lack of access to clean water that does us in. A U.N. report says dirty water is the second-leading cause of death among children around the world, […]

Public should think twice about biofuels

The annual forest and biodiversity clearing exercise in Indonesia is drawing to a close. Here's an article telling us that a thousand or so orangutans were burned to death this time around.

Every year, year after year, like a broken record or a slow motion horror movie, we sit around reading articles describing the extinction of the wild orangutan and other unique lifeforms. We human beings have just got to scratch that itch, that insatiable urge to increase one's wealth, position, rank, standing, station, prestige, fame, prominence, distinction, importance, renown, influence, eclat, celebrity, esteem, glory, status, whatever.

Early indication: Agribiz still rules the Hill

There's no denying the joy of seeing such confirmed villains as Pombo, Santorum, and Rumsfeld on ice. (It will be interesting to see which energy/military conglomerate beckons home the latter after his brave tour of duty.) But having delivered a decisive boot to the hindquarters of the GOP-controlled Congress, it's time to turn a critical eye on the new leadership.

What does it all mean for the future?

Reading the polls is a perilous business for an enviro in this country, because Americans who talk to pollsters say they rate protecting the environment highly, but frequently fail to back up that concern with their votes. According to a recent CBS/NY Times poll, nearly three-quarters of the country believes in global warming, and respondents told the pollsters that "environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost." But this year, when it came to voting, voters almost always put the planet at the bottom of their list of priorities. In many polls taken last month, the environment didn't make the list at all, and topped out at at a mere 2 percent, far below the percentages concerned about the war in Iraq, terrorism, Social Security, or even same-sex marriage.

But when it comes to puzzling out the motivations of the American voter, the polls still offer the best available clues ... and some of these clues look promising for enviros this year.

Check out the Environmental Action Tour

Professional climber, filmmaker, and funny-guy Timmy O'Neill is on the road this week hosting a "David Letterman meets David Brower" multimedia show he calls the Environmental Action Tour. Tonight, he'll be in Portland, Ore., at the Hollywood Theatre with special guest Kipchoge Spencer (of InterActivist and really-awesome-name fame).

E.A.T. will then head to San Fran and Asheville, N.C., next week. All the shows start at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8, with proceeds benefitting Patagonia's 1% for the Planet campaign.

O'Neill's motto? Putting the "mental" in environmental since 1969. Hmm ... should be an interesting show.

Rain, mixed with tears

For those under the impression that the events of the past few days represent an exciting opportunity for new course for our country, even reason to hope again -- well, meet Rep. John Dingell, the new head of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In an interview on Wednesday, he gave a preview of what we might expect:

A New Leaf

Billion-tree effort launches as new climate reports issued Ooh, we love reports. A new one from a team of European scientists says the Arctic and Antarctic are linked by powerful currents, creating a “climate seesaw” that connects the fates of the poles and could help scientists predict the effects of polar warming on climate. A […]

A revolutionary bread-making technique, and two new foodie blogs

"Edible Media" takes an occasional look at interesting or deplorable food journalism on the web.

This edition of Edible Media will round up several choice morsels.

Well bread

Mark Bittman, the great cookbook writer and author of the indispensable weekly column "The Minimalist" in the NYT, has a provocative one this week on breadmaking.

Bittman reports that Jim Lahey, owner of Manhattan's terrific Sullivan Street Bakery, has taught him a new method for making bread that delivers professional-quality bread with no kneading or special equipment necessary. The result sends Bittman on a decidedly non-minimalist rhetorical jag. The bread is "incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I've used, and will blow your mind."

There's even a sustainability angle: the technique "may yet change the industry. Mr. Lahey is experimenting with using it on a large scale, but although it requires far less electricity than conventional baking, it takes a lot of space and time."

I will be trying this at home; I'll report back.

The producer of the controversial wind-credit cards speaks out

The following is a guest essay from Ted Rose. He is director of business development at Renewable Choice Energy, the company that makes the controversial Wind Power Cards sold at Whole Foods Market.

-----

We here at Renewable Choice hoped the introduction of the Wind Power Card would spark a discussion. Well, mission accomplished. My only personal regret is that I've been so absorbed with the rollout of the product I haven't had a chance to weigh in on the debate until now.

People have wondered why Renewable Choice introduced the Wind Power Card in the first place. That's easy. The goal of the product -- like everything else we do -- is to provide choices that help move our country beyond fossil fuels.

In the case of the Wind Power Card, we're taking on home electricity. For almost a hundred years, we've been taught that our electricity is invisible, cheap, and harmless. This is an example of what I've started calling dinosaur thinking -- old logic that fits neatly with the interests of fossil fuel companies and hurts just about everyone else.

The truth, as most Grist readers know, is that our electricity is killing us. It's producing air pollution and contributing to global warming. Lots of consumers -- not just hard-core environmentalists -- need to learn this and learn it quick. I believe they also need choices, easy choices, to do something about it. That's why Renewable Choice made the Wind Power Card.