Latest Articles

Relax, climate hawks, it’s not about the science

Yes, my sources say the White House communications shop muzzled the Office of Science and Technology Policy from offering a robust defense of climate science after Climategate. And yes, Obama has utterly failed to offer a strong, coherent message on climate science and related energy policy (see “Obama calls for massive boost in low-carbon energy, […]

Can states keep clean energy jobs at home?

Photo: GreenforallCan a state with a renewable energy mandate require green jobs to stay at home? Litigation has made states into tepid defenders of their job rights, but states have the legal ground to go great lengths to keep more of the economic development from their renewable energy industry inside their borders. No renewable energy […]

When are we going to stop seeing farmers as rubes and hayseeds?

Is this really what farmers look like? Our culture abounds with images of farmers. Sadly, many of them are insulting. Stereotypes tell us that farmers are male, white, uneducated, dirty, backwards-thinking, and talk with a funny accent. Farmers don’t get off the farm much, they like chewing on the ends of long stalks of grass, […]

The Clean Air Act’s incredible economic benefits

Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Times were great in the 1990s real estate market: If you got in right before the market took off, and cashed out just before it crashed, you could have made a whopping 75 percent return on your money. But … it was all paper; chances are high the […]

Recent college grads contributing to society whether they like it or not

Okay, not ALL public-spirited millennials are becoming chuggers, i.e. those well-meaning people with clipboards who waylay you.Photo: Howard LakeWell, The New York Times has finally found a trend to report on that doesn’t consist of three people in Park Slope. The trouble is, they’re not sure exactly what that trend is. Either millennials — otherwise […]

Why enviros should care about unions and collective bargaining

Photo: Andrew ButittaIn the past few weeks, we’ve seen the fiercest attacks in recent history on collective bargaining. We’ve also seen the dramatic responses of people taking to the Wisconsin statehouse and the streets to stand together for their rights. Why are some environmentalists among them, and why should all environmentalists join the fight?    On […]

If Watson can win Jeopardy, can IBM make cities smarter?

Photo: Rodrigo SennaIBM has generated a lot of buzz lately for Watson, its game-show-playing supercomputer that recently bested a couple of skin jobs on “Jeopardy.” Less high profile is the expansion of Big Blue’s computer and software systems designed to monitor and control municipal water, energy, and transportation systems. Developed under the umbrella of IBM’s […]

New number quantifies greenness of your unitard

Something in the water.Photo: Google MapsDenim sucks — at least, environmentally speaking. If there’s any doubt in your mind, check out the image to the right. New York Times writer Tom Zeller Jr. found the Google Maps photo of Xintang, China, the No. 1 denim producer in the world. That dark blue stuff? That’s dye […]

Move over, Banksy: Candy Chang’s art might actually save the world

Photo: Cesar HaradaCan art save our cities? If it’s Candy Chang’s crowdsourced fantasy urban planning, then yeah, probably. Chang’s “I Wish This Was” project challenges New Orleans residents to project their ideal neighborhood onto the still-struggling post-Katrina landscape. The installation is simple: just a bunch of blank “my name is”-style stickers that say “I Wish […]

Hit by cars, pedestrians are ticketed in hospital [VIDEO]

Imagine that you get hit by a car when you’re trying to cross a busy road in a place where you can’t even see the nearest crosswalk. You’re airlifted to a hospital for treatment of your injuries. And before you leave, you get a traffic ticket. Yes, that really happened. You can hear people talk […]