Latest Articles

San Diego utility charges ahead with electric-car plan

A Nissan Leaf being charged.Photo: NissanWith the first mass-market electric cars set to hit California roads later this year, the state’s utilities have been working to ensure that early adopters — who tend to be clustered in places like Berkeley and Santa Monica — don’t overload neighborhood transformers and trigger local blackouts. One way to […]

‘Hands Across the Sand’ could be largest Gulf oil demonstration yet

Handsacrossthesand.comSaturday could bring the biggest public demonstration yet about the Gulf oil gusher, when Hands Across the Sand gathers people on beaches around the world at noon to hold hands in support of coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industries. Organized by surfer and Florida restaurant owner Dave Rauschkolb, the dispersed event looks to […]

Farmworkers dare Americans to ‘Take Our Jobs!’

Job opportunities for agricultural workers occupations should be abundant because large numbers of workers leave these jobs due to their low wages and physical demands. -Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition Tired of being vilified as stealing jobs from unemployed American citizens, and hoping to spark realistic discussion of immigration reform, United […]

MMS gets a makeover, smell lingers

Newly appointed Bureau of Ocean Energy Director Michael Bromwich and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar testify before the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee regarding reforms to strengthen offshore oil and gas oversight and enforcement.Photo and caption: U.S. Department of the InteriorIt’s a classic Washington paint job: new name, new leader, new promises about tossing bad […]

Greening homes requires credit, which Fannie and Freddie should understand

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have essentially shut down an innovative program that helps Americans green their homes.  Here’s more on the story: Jeanine Cotter, CEO of California solar installation company Luminalt, has a good explanation of what keeps homeowners from investing in rooftop solar and retrofits that cut energy waste. In her experience, people […]

Taste-testing the best green rosés

(Jason Houston photos) When a certain Grist editor who shall remain nameless, suggested I do an organic rosé tasting, I was eager to comply. The weather has been getting warmer, and I had fond memories of a hiking trip in southern France that involved a familial decision to consume crisp, refreshing rosés in lieu of […]

BP's approval ratings approach Saddam Hussein's

Considering the devastation that BP has caused, it’s not surprising that the company is unpopular. But, as Think Progress reports, a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reveals just how low the company’s favorability ratings have plummeted – below O.J. Simpson’s and approaching those of individuals our nation has gone to war against:   Indeed, the […]

Britain’s Green Deal to unlock billions for home energy efficiency

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne.Photo courtesy Liberal Democrats via FlickrIn the wake of the new budget released in the U.K. on Tuesday, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has been putting some flesh on the bones of the promised Green Deal for households. Huhne is a Liberal Democrat, so his remarks at […]

BP’s most ironic ads ever [SLIDESHOW]

Sometimes you can only fully appreciate something if you look at it many years later. Pictures of celebrities before they were famous, for example. BP’s case, however, is less “Wow! Look at how cute and awkward they were” and more “Wow! Look at how they tried to sucker us!” If you go back far enough, […]

Are Senate Dems going to go for it on climate?

On Thursday, the Senate Democratic caucus held a meeting and everyone emerged giddy as schoolchildren. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) called it “one of the most motivating, energized, and even inspirational caucuses that I’ve been a part of.” Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) called it “absolutely thrilling.” Said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), “It was really […]