Latest Articles
-
![]()
![]()
The love child of a tractor and a bicycle
Some people really put the “alternative” in alternative transportation. Just meet the Monsterbike. After a few weeks with it, and you’ll have Monsterquadriceps. Via thecityfix.com.
-
![]()
![]()
New Urbanist progress in Atlanta
Sick of those bloggers going on about sustainable urbanism and walkable neighborhoods? You might like the film version: the new American Makeover project has a short video about the Glenwood Park, a New Urbanist project in the sprawl epicenter of Atlanta. Unfortunately, they don’t get into the economics of who can afford to live in […]
-
![]()
![]()
Graham says he won’t vote for the climate bill he wrote
Lindsey Graham — an original cosponsor of the Senate climate bill — has been backing away from that bill for a while. Now, according to CongressDaily, he’s gone entirely: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., today said he would vote against a climate change strategy he helped develop with Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., […]
-
State of the planet: Cynical tweets edition
Lindsey Graham, one of the “more sensible” Senate Republicans, said he won’t support a climate change plan, because, well, the challenge is too hard. The National Journal reports (behind a paywall): Graham said his advice to lawmakers is to “start over and scale down your ambitions.” This includes allowing electric utilities more time to meet […]
-
![]()
![]()
Tailpipe fumes are five times worse for bikers than for drivers, study finds
Well this is a bummer: A Belgian study finds that bicyclists on urban streets inhale tens of millions of toxic nanoparticles with each breath, taking in five times as much as drivers and pedestrians on the same streets. The U.K. Times reports on the new research: Because they are exerting themselves, cyclists breathe harder and […]
-
![]()
![]()
The best books about the deep blue sea, just in time for World Oceans Day
All reading lists are incomplete and arbitrary. This is especially true of a list limited to a dozen works about the ocean, the blue immensity that comprises 71 percent of our planet. So take this list with a grain of sea salt — and suggest your own favorites in the comments section below. ———————————————– Log […]
-
![]()
![]()
BP gears up to win over Washington and the rest of us
A BP trash bag — not quite big enough to contain its mess.Photo: abrahamhyat via FlickrA little less than a month ago, back before he was madly tripping over his tongue, BP CEO Tony Hayward was sounding almost inspirational as he channeled Winston Churchill: “We are determined to fight this spill on all fronts, in […]
-
Hold Your Breath and Sell BP
I am very cautious about giving investment advice and downright reluctant to just pile onto the media frenzy attacking BP for its blunders in the Gulf of Mexico. That said, I feel compelled to warn America about the greater disaster that looms ahead for anyone who owns BP stock or anyone east of the Mississippi […]
-
![]()
![]()
The oil spill’s challenge to corporate sustainability
I generally don’t write much about big business, but in light of the implosion of BP’s “green” oil company image — it’s looking more Exxon than eco these days — I went to a dinner Monday night in San Francisco attended by dozens of Fortune 500 executives committed to corporate sustainability. (There were reportedly a […]
-
![]()
![]()
Does Obama need more oilmen, not fewer, in his administration?
Does good governance require a certain amount of this? Last week, I suggested that Obama “purge his administration of oil hacks.” I identified three: William Reilly, co-chair of the administration’s oil-spill investigation commission and a well-compensated director of ConocoPhillips since 1998; Steve Koonin, who took the a top Department of Energy post in 2009 after […]
