Latest Articles
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More on clean energy and the culture war
David Frum was once a member in good standing of the Republican establishment — he was the guy who coined the phrase “Axis of Evil” for George W. Bush. Since Obama took office, however, he’s been questioning the wisdom of the GOP’s hard-line oppositionalism and extremism. For his efforts, he’s been booted from his think-tank […]
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Clean energy as culture war
Conservatives say the American way is to use more and pay less, Walmart-style. No wonder they're scared about the shift to clean energy and sustainability.
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Walk Score is now ranking bikeability
The folks who brought you Walk Score, an online tool that ranks neighborhoods based on whether you can get anywhere on foot, are expanding to appeal to the biking crowd. This tool is a little more limited (only 10 cities have been scored) but it’s also more in-depth: Walk Score will assume you can stroll […]
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Farm interrupted: Berkeley’s Occupy the Farm ends in arrests
The farmers and activists who have been farming Berkeley's Gill Tract had a rude awakening Monday morning when 100 police officers showed up to arrest nine people.
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Lots of solar power may reduce, not increase, electricity prices
A version of this post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Whether German feed-in tariffs or U.S. tax incentives, opponents of solar rail at its perceived high cost. But a story making rounds this week, “why power generators are terrified of solar,” presents a powerful image that […]
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Elephants hold vigil for human friend
In case you needed another reason to care about wildlife, here's one: If you devote your life to elephants, they might come to your funeral.
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The surprising reason why Newark Mayor Cory Booker supports wind power
Newark Mayor Cory Booker is handsome, approachable, and once saved a lady from a fire — he’s basically the Ryan Gosling of politics. And one of the reasons people like him, even people like me who know next to nothing about his job performance, is that he’s always willing to make jokes about himself, and […]
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Good news: Americans are using a lot less coal
Here is a bit of energy-use news to feel good about: Americans are using a lot less coal. In the first quarter of this year, the portion of the country’s electricity that came from coal was almost 20 percent less than in the same period last year. And overall, the Energy Information Administration predicts, coal […]
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Mesmerizing data visualization shows a day in the life of a city’s bike usage
[vimeo 40866482] This video is probably what Ralph Steadman sees when he takes half a tab of acid and looks at a map of Budapest, but it’s also a data visualization of the city’s bike usage during a 24-hour period. The size, location, and direction of the bubbles reflect how many people are on bikes at […]
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‘Weight of the Nation’ takes a realistic look at a looming crisis
According to one critic, this four-part HBO series -- which begins tonight -- offers a systematic examination of the obesity epidemic.
