Latest Articles

Google gets carbon offsets from hog poo

In its recent report on the company's carbon footprint, Google said that it offsets its emissions with high-quality offsets. We are happy as a pig in shit about that. Which is appropriate, because here's one example of what that means: energy powered by pig poop.

The company has invested in a North Carolina project which collects the methane from the waste of 9,000 hogs. A power plant burns the methane to create power for 35 homes a year.

 

World solar market to increase 130 percent by 2020

In 2010 the world spent $30 billion on solar panels. By 2020 that figure will be $70 billion, says Korean electronics giant Samsung.

Return of the Monster Tar Balls!!

The scariest horror movies end with a hint that the killer or monster, though defeated, isn't dead and will rise again. With tropical storms sweeping through the Gulf, coastal residents are finding that zombie residues of the BP oil spill are coming out of their lairs to re-terrorize beach-goers, boaters, and the fishing industry. Tides hustled up by tropical storms are bringing oily residues, tar mats, and tar balls onto the beach. It's as bad as it sounds. Check out these pictures that NRDC collected — if you want to brave the sight of oozy, giant, black tar creatures.

Critical List: Coal companies lavish cash on Boehner; how to stick it to hungry deer

Boehner's got his hands all sooty with coal money.

Uh, guys? Maybe we should check up on the safety of  nuclear plants? Kthx. XOXO, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

California chose solar PV projects over solar thermal projects because the latter use more water.

 

Not your grandma's milk

Buying a gallon of milk at the grocery store practically guarantees that you'll get a mixture of substances from all over the country -- and possibly the world.

Food safety breakthrough: USDA declares 'Big Six' E. coli strains illegal

Until today, six strains of the pathogen -- known to cause almost 40,000 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations, and 30 deaths annually -- were legal in meat.

The stupid politics behind Obama’s ozone cave

Obama's cave on ozone regulations was a) a crass political move, b) driven by new Chief of Staff Bill Daley, and c) based on daft political logic.

U.S. solar projects boom as PV prices keep falling

The U.S. lags behind in solar PV manufacturing, but falling panel prices mean thriving commercial-scale development.

Could California Save 30 Percent or More on Solar Power?

This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. The Golden State has covered over 50,000 roofs with solar PV in the past decade, but could it also save 30% or more on its current solar costs?  Renewable energy guru Paul Gipe wrote up a […]

Don’t buy the job-killing hype: Regulations create jobs, save lives

Environmental regulations often create new jobs, while preventing senseless deaths and improving our standard of living at the same time.