Latest Articles
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What does coal mining have to do with geoengineering?
The other day, an MSNBC producer asked me, “What is the connection between this coal-mine disaster in West Virginia and geoengineering the planet?” The question is not as strange as it sounds. A few years ago, I wrote a book called Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future. Among other things, I spent […]
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7 weird, yet helpful green tips from celebrities
From cooking recipes for gas-free beans to sipping on sustainably sourced biodiesel, find out which of your favorite celebrities are serving up (at times) more than a little weird, yet helpful tips to leading greener lifestyles. A star finds an unusual cure for acne, excess phlegm, and other unmentionables; a Hollywood heartthrob and HBO star […]
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Smokers to get their greenbutts in gear with compostable cigarettes
green-butts.com We’re not sure how Sir Mix-a-lot would feel about these butts, but hipsters would probably be all over them. Although … if so-called “100% natural” cigarette filters do become a biodegradable, flower-seeding reality, will it also unleash an invasion of smug litterbugs?* *Disclaimer: Smoking is gross. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– Like what you see? Sign up to […]
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Nuclear arms reduction is better than nuclear warfare
Today President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a nuclear arms reduction pact that slightly limits each country’s stockpile, reinstates inspections, and restores relations between the two countries. This is good news. Nuclear warfare is not sustainable. The New York Times explains how it works. Money quote: While the treaty will mandate only modest […]
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Is raw milk becoming too popular for its own good?
Whatha’s looking it? As raw milk’s popularity grows, so does scrutiny. It’s been a tough twelve months for proponents of raw milk. Last April, as many as 81 Colorado consumers were sickened by campylobacter associated with raw milk. Last September, about 35 people became ill with campylobacter, apparently from milk from a Wisconsin dairy. And […]
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The secret life of green roofs [SLIDESHOW]
The city of Portland, Ore., is aiming for 49 total acres of eco-roofs in the city by 2013 (the city’s paying up to $5 per square foot to any home or business that builds one). But what about green roofs outside the urban environment? What’s the appeal there? Blending more with the natural surroundings? Sure, […]
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How to make recycling e-waste fashionable
Steven Rodrig, PCB Creations Don’t e-waste your money on a new pair of shoes when you could rock the look that screams “electronic fashionista” and “responsible recycler.” You’ll be breaking hearts — and circuits — when you strut out in heels that will never leave you feeling board. I suppose this artist either totally rejects […]
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The problem with a green economy: economics hates the environment
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. Economics is critical to getting decent climate legislation passed, as Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman discusses in a extended piece for the New York Times. Economists like me have always suspected that this was true, but then we also suspect that economics is critical to pretty much everything. The problem […]
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Revkin wants to talk ‘energy quest’ not ‘climate crisis’
Andy Revkin’s Dot Earth blog on the New York Times site has moved from the science section to the opinion section, to reflect Revkin’s shift from a veteran staff reporter to a freelancer. He kicks things off at his new digs by explaining why he prefers to think about a collective “energy quest” rather than […]
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The real ‘Food Revolution’ starts with healthy Appalachian cornbread
Why can’t a revolution based on traditional Appalachian foodways be televised?Photo: April McGreger Having watched the first three episodes, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” TV Show. Who can argue with his efforts to get fresh food into West Virginia’s schools? No doubt, the pantries and fridges in most school cafeterias […]