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The creative genius of Occupy Wall Street

Photo: Paul SteinWhat are cities for, anyway? There are as many answers as there are people who love (or hate) cities. They are engines for economic growth, if you ask economist Ed Glaeser. They are breeding grounds for human innovation, if you ask physicist Geoffrey West. If you’re a dictator or a despot — or […]

Ask Umbra: Is fabric compostable?

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Does polyester ever break down into molecules that return to the natural state? Does dyed wool compost? Evelyn P.Powell River, B.C. A. Dearest Evelyn, You pose two good questions, though the more I peer into the murky world of textile production and disposal, the more I want […]

Gen Y and Gen X get it right on the environment; old folks don’t

Generation Y is more likely than older generations to support clean energy and environmental protection and to believe climate change is happening and is caused by human activity, according to new Pew polling and analysis. Generation X is close behind. Boomers aren’t so bad either. It’s the old folks, the so-called Silent Generation aged 66-83, […]

Pipeline protesters encircle the White House

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 protesters converged on the nation’s capitol Sunday to press President Obama to block construction of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport tar-sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.  The rally, which culminated in a human ring encircling the White House, was a sequel to […]

A message of solidarity to the Keystone XL protesters

I wish I could be there, helping you to surround my old workplace. Only unavoidable family obligations are keeping me away; I would be there with you under any other circumstances, and my spirit absolutely is. We have a duty to support the president when he is right (for instance, fighting for the jobs bill). […]

Fact check: Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline will not create jobs

Cross-posted from ThinkProgress Green. Proponents of the dangerous Keystone XL project claim that construction of the 1,700-mile tar-sands pipeline from Canada to Texas will create tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of much-needed jobs across the country. “Jobs for the 99%!” proclaims a website funded by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The Wall […]

Polling reveals that being anti-clean energy is bad politics

Perry wants to end all energy subsidies. Photo: Gage SkidmoreCross-posted from Climate Progress. Anyone who cares about addressing climate change and strengthening America’s economic competitiveness knows that being anti-renewable energy is terrible policy. Turns out, it’s bad politics too. A new poll conducted by ORC International for the nonpartisan Civil Society Institute finds that 77 […]

Fact Check: Keystone XL will not reduce oil imports from Middle East

Cross-posted from ThinkProgress Green. The Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline will not reduce dependence on imports from the Middle East, an analysis conducted for the Department of Energy revealed a year ago. The hope of getting away from oil from the volatile region is a favored talking point by proponents. “The Keystone project has the potential […]

California pushes back against energy imports

This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. Western grid operators have been making plans for large-scale renewable energy imports into the California electricity market, prompting the governor’s senior advisor for renewable energy facilities to write a “self-reliance” response. Here are a few highlights […]

Friday music blogging: Dolorean, again

One of the very first Friday Music Bloggings I ever did, way back in 2007, was for a band called Dolorean. (I still love that song.) Earlier this year, they came out with their latest album, The Unfazed, which is about the process of shedding old skins and old loves in order to make way […]