Latest Articles

CAFE still saves money

Sam Smith at the Progressive Review was taken by a press release that shouted “New gas MPG rules will cost over $6000 per car.” Mostly Sam knows that a basic rule of good journalism (as opposed to what the corporate media does) is think a bit about such press releases and looks for the flaws. […]

Stop the giant fish blenders!

Antiquated cooling systems of power plants throughout the nation grind all manner of aquatic life into a fine paste.

Rick Perry on climate change and Texas agriculture: 'We'll be fine'

It's just a bad year for the crops, the Texas governor assures farmers. What will he tell them in 2050, when his whole state could be a barren desert?

Revival of 117-year-old canal cuts cargo emissions 65 percent

Turns out shipping by barge is crazy efficient. It's also kind of picturesque! (According to this video from CNN there are no mules anymore, but we choose to imagine mules to up the picturesqueness factor.) 

Mythbusters: debunking the claim that fuel economy standards ‘kill people’

Opponents of fuel-efficiency standards say the push toward smaller cars increases traffic fatalities, but it could be big cars that pose a danger.

Animated film from 1957 predicts explosion in energy use

The only thing about this 1950s educational cartoon that’s more remarkable than its stylishness is how badly it botches its core prediction. It projects that between 1957 and 1975, electricity use in the U.S. would increase four-fold. But America's electricity consumption didn't quadruple from 1950 levels until 1989. Cartoons, we trusted you! How could you get it so wrong?

Colbert gets a checkup from a GOP spin doctor

Stephen Colbert is now getting communication coaching from lead GOP spinmeister Frank Luntz, the man who rebranded oil drilling as "energy exploration" and counseled Republican politicians to "make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue in the [climate change] debate." Luntz has done a lot to armor the GOP with the rhetorical weapons it […]

Solar could be as cheap as coal by end of decade

A report from the Chinese government asserts that solar power will be as cheap as coal by 2015. Industry watchers have already predicted that the cost of solar will drop by half by 2020, putting it at parity with coal-fired power. And solar is already competitive on sunny days when utilities pay a premium for "peak" power.

London pumps up bike infrastructure

In London, two bicycle parking lots are now equipped with beautiful, shining new public bike pumps. They work just like the hand pump generally native to the dusty garage, except they’re bolted to the ground. The pumps’ gauges also can deal with any tire they might be asked to handle.

New made-from-scratch school lunches trick kids into eating healthy

Schools in Greeley, Colo. are forgoing the frozen pizzas and assorted horse parts in favor of meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients. That's obviously better for students, who get better nutrients and fewer additives, but children are not historically great at doing things that are good for them. How do you sell kids on freshly cooked food when they're clamoring for junk? Greeley's new chef has some tricks up his sleeve:

Take macaroni and cheese, for example. It will still be a staple on the new menu and will still have that bright, strange yellow color that children have become accustomed to, but it will not be artificial. “No natural cheese is that color,” he said.

Greeley’s version will be colored by turmeric, a spice associated with Indian cooking. “Adds a really interesting, subtle flavor, too,” Mr. Coates said.