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Chill your beer without using any electricity

A one that is not cold is scarcely a one at all, but keeping beer frosty on a hot day normally sucks up energy. Not anymore. This ancient innovation uses clay pots, sand, and water to keep stuff cool even on a hot day. 

Hung out to dry: Why clothesline bans are wrongheaded

Some homeowners associations ban solar drying, threatening offenders with fines and even forced expulsion for saving energy costs by hanging their wash out to dry. Help map the places with restrictions on the right to sun-dry.

Critical List: New fuel economy standards; flat screens use less energy

Both options currently on the table for raising the debt ceiling would cut environment and energy spending.

The president will announce new fuel economy standards -- cars and light-duty trucks will need to be at 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

The EPA is proposing the first air standards for fracking.

The biggest green scam in America

Wayde McKelvy raised tens of millions of dollars for a new, clean-energy company that the SEC says was nothing more than an old-school Ponzi scheme.

Who put McDonald's in charge of kids' health?

Improvements to the McDonald's Happy Meal just distract policymakers from doing their job of setting boundaries for corporate behavior.

We can save $78 billion by ending oil and gas subsidies

We could save $78 billion by ending oil and gas subsidies.

Freiburg, Germany: A model sustainable city [SLIDESHOW]

There are few better examples of a living, breathing sustainable city than Freiburg, Germany. It’s one of the most livable urban environments in the world, thanks to a deep respect for cultural and architectural roots coupled with bold and unconventional planning decisions. Take a look.

Local ownership means local love for wind power

This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. A new article in the journal Energy Policy supports the notion that local ownership is key to overcoming local resistance to renewable energy.  The article summarizes a survey conducted of two towns in Germany, both with local […]

Obama fuel efficiency deal could leave loophole for Detroit

New fuel efficiency standards, expected to be announced tomorrow, give auto manufacturers a chance to re-negotiate after 2021.

Va-va-vintage: My mom — style maven or hoarder?

The finds from my mom's closet have been so successful that some people think I didn't even have to dig to find them. Oh, I dug. Believe me. I dug.