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Turning toward the sun for energy

One key component of the Plan B climate stabilization strategy is solar energy. Solar is even more ubiquitous than wind energy and can be harnessed with both solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal collectors. Solar PV — both silicon-based and thin film — converts sunlight directly into electricity. The growth in solar cell production climbed […]

10 most climate-ready cities in the U.S. [SLIDESHOW]

What is your city doing about climate change? Boyd Cohen of CO2 Impact ranked the big U.S. cities that are leading the way, based on political commitment, green buildings, university leadership, transit, greenhouse-gas emissions, cleantech investment, and energy. Here’s the top 10.

Solar gets cheap fast

Cross-posted from Climate Progress. There’s a joke in the solar industry about when “grid parity” — the time when solar becomes as cheap as fossil sources — will happen. Ron Kenedi, the former VP in Sharp Solar’s U.S. business liked to throw out random dates, telling me once “November 21, 2012” in jest. The truth […]

Which part of Detroit really needs to be ‘right-sized’?

Photo: Trey CampbellCross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. At the bottom of this post are two short videos about Detroit, both featuring architect and planner Mark Nickita, principal of the city’s Archive Design Studio and a lifelong Detroit resident. In a very refreshing change from the mind-numbing negativity one usually hears about the city, Nickita […]

It’s the McEconomy, stupid

As American as Baked Apple Pie.Photo: Keoni 101Cross-posted from Mother Jones. Up to 30,000 of the 54,000 jobs created in May were the result of a hiring spree by the hamburger chain, analysts at Morgan Stanley told Market Watch on Friday. So hiring at McDonald’s accounted for about half of the nation’s job growth in […]

Rick Santorum froths at the mouth about climate change

No way Rick Santorum is going the Mitt Romney route. Everybody knows that believing in global warming is for liberals, rational people, scientists, and other don't-want-to-win-the-GOP-nomination types. That's why Santorum told Rush Limbaugh (who yesterday announced that Romney had killed his chances by admitting that he understood how science works) that climate change is a […]

Hungry for catfish? Stick out your hand [VIDEO]

You gotta love Mississippi: It’s a land of traditions, where tamales are popular and sticking your hand in a giant catfish’s mouth is a reasonable way to catch it. We experienced both on our way through the piney woods and rivers of the Magnolia State. Mississippi lived up to its other nickname — the Hospitality […]

Stopping pollution that causes asthma attacks

“Air pollution is especially dangerous to children because their lungs are still growing.” I heard those words earlier this week while listening to the Senate Environment and Public Works’ subcommittee hearing entitled “Air Quality and Children’s Health.” They were from Dr. Dona Upson of the American Lung Association in New Mexico, and though I’ve heard […]

Vegan cooking is totally metal

You don't have to go vegan to eat responsibly. But if you want to, you can avoid meat and dairy while still being TOTALLY METAL. <guitar solo by Skwisgaar Skwigelf> With a lot of rubber armor, face paint, and an awesome knife (your knife does not have to be that awesome), Vegan Black Metal Chef […]

Which crop is the biggest water hog? (Warning: You’re not gonna like the answer.)

Agriculture is thirsty work. Growing and processing food takes a ton of water, and it's only going to get worse as the world warms. So which crop has the biggest water footprint? (That's defined, by the way, as the volume of fresh water used to make the product, across all steps of production.) You're not […]