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Big renewable energy purchase

The headline says it all: "Wells Fargo commits to largest-ever corporate purchase of renewable energy in US."

From the press release:

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) said today it will buy renewable energy certificates (RECs) to support generating 550 million kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable wind energy a year for three years.  With this action, Wells Fargo becomes the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the United States according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

...

The purchase will offset 40 percent of Wells Fargo’s electricity consumption with 100 percent Green-e® certified wind energy.  It will help develop renewable energy and prevent the emission of  380,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of reducing the CO2 emissions of 75,000 cars annually or by reducing the equivalent CO2 emissions associated with  40,000,000 gallons of gasoline each year.

Better Off Fed

Federal employees can donate to Grist through Combined Federal Campaign Hark, employees of the U.S. federal government! We’ve got a special offer for you and you only: the opportunity to donate to your favorite nonprofit eco-publication (that’s us) through the Combined Federal Campaign. Grist is recipient No. 2338, and we promise to use your tax-deductible […]

Does Silicone Count?

California will measure chemical levels in people’s bodies under new law The first state to measure how residents absorb chemicals from everyday products will be, of course, Arkansas. Ha ha — you wish, Arkansans. No, it’ll be California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed a “biomonitoring” bill Friday that calls on state health officers to collect […]

A Stroke of Bad Luck

Lead still bad for you, and at lower levels than previously thought Lead exposure levels long considered safe for adults have been linked to higher death rates from stroke and heart attack, says cheery research in the medical journal Circulation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration suggests that safe blood lead levels for adults are […]

Forgive and Let Live

Debt-for-nature swap will protect rainforests in Guatemala About 20 percent of Guatemala’s debt to the United States will be forgiven in exchange for forest conservation efforts in the Central American nation, officials announced yesterday. It’s the largest debt-for-nature swap carried out under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998, which allows debt owed to the […]

Myths shot down

If you hang around much with conservatives, you've no doubt heard the charge that environmentalists, inspired by Rachel Carson, led the charge to ban DDT and thereby "mass murdered" millions of Africans the pesticide could have saved.

It's bullshit.

Jeff Dorchen explains why.

(via Tim Lambert, who owns the DDT issue)

Environmental justice groups gathered in Seattle this weekend

Unfortunately, I only got to catch the tail end of the Environmental Justice for All solidarity event up here in Seattle on Saturday. I missed the tour though ... 'cause I got lost. Hey, I'm new here, OK? But as the national tour drew to a close, it was good to see activity up in our corner as well.

The event, hosted by the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, led folks on a tour of some of the most polluted areas here in the generally-conceived-of-as-green city of Seattle. South Seattle neighborhoods deal with a disproportionate number of environmental woes, including 22 facilities that have been found to release air pollutants, six hazardous waste treatment facilities, and 35 facilities that have reported toxic releases.

Meta

Sorry to be so AWOL from the blog. I'm afraid it's going to stay that way for a few days. I'm working furiously on a few different things.

One of them is a series of interviews on the subject of God & the Environment, focusing for the most part on the recent evangelical environmental movement. All this is in conjunction with a Bill Moyers special on PBS on the same subject.

More -- much more -- on that Wed. Until then, well, keep each other company.

Animal welfare, that is

California governor signs major animal-welfare legislation. If we care this much about dogs, and reflect it in our legal system, it is obvious that moral consistency dictates we extend this consideration to many other animals. I think environmentalists should be among those leading this effort.

Organic Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats and flat screen TVs

I watched Animal Planet on our new TV last night with my daughter. The infrared sensor on our old TV had pooped out. I'd lost the ability to channel surf, and with it a part of my manhood.

Fed up with my inability to flip, I jumped on my hybrid-electric bike, sped down the bike trail to Fred Meyers, bought the cheapest 20" flat screen they had, loaded it into my bike trailer, and was watching commercials within an hour of having set out. The bike, the electric components on the bike, the TV, and the wind-up flashing diode lights on the bike were all made in China.

Two commercials in particular caught my attention: one for organic Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats (about time I say) and the other for Dawn dishwashing liquid. Apparently its new and improved grease-fighting formula works great to clean crude oil off of penguins. I don't know if commercials like this are good for the image of environmentalism. The ad execs obviously don't think we're all that bright.