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Click It and Stick It to King Coal’s Dirty Bankers

Today, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is joining with thousands of friends and allies on the internet to send a message to JP Morgan Chase to stop financing mountaintop removal coal mining!  This Thursday morning at 9am EST, DirtyMoney.org revealed a list of simple actions people can take online, letting Chase know that America is aware […]

NEWS: Occupation, Day of Action against mountaintop removal

<em>Racketeering: The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) (18 USC §§ 1961-1968) prohibits (1) acquiring, establishing, or operating an enterprise with illegally derived income, (2) acquiring or maintaining an interest in or control of an enterprise through illegal activity, and (3) using an enterprise to commit illegal acts (Extortion, Blackmail, Etc. , 31A […]

Veggies not challenging enough? Try home ‘aquaponic’ gardening

Last year, thanks in large part to the White House kitchen garden, the country saw a resurgence in interest in backyard gardening. But this being America, where one-upsmanship sometimes seems like a national pastime, the vanguard has apparently moved on … to “aquaponics.” The New York Times illustrates what makes this “breeding edge” of backyard […]

On the one year anniversary of the Recovery Act, clean energy leaders celebrate jobs and savings

The Recovery Act, a key component of America’s tectonic shift away from foreign oil, should be celebrated for what it has saved — jobs, money and energy. By making smart investments in clean energy technology and cutting taxes for 95 percent of Americans, the Recovery Act kept America on track to double our renewable energy […]

Why Bill Gates is wrong

Bill Gates is sad that David Roberts thinks he’s wrong.Photo: redmaxwell via FlickrBill Gates, the Microsoft founder and philanthropist, made waves last week when, at the much-celebrated tech conference TED, he proclaimed that climate change is the most important problem facing the planet. Wo0t! Obviously having someone of Gates’ stature supporting the clean energy race […]

Using Coal Ash to Melt Ice?

Co-written by Lyndsay Moseley, Associate Washington Representative for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign. On Thursday, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start using coal ash to melt the thick ice on the Platte River in Omaha, Nebraska, to prevent ice jams and severe flooding. From the article: […]

A $22 Billion Decision on Water Heaters? Tell DOE to do the right thing

Most of us only think about water heaters when forced to take a cold shower – shudder – but those boring tanks in the basement actually account for up to 25% of the energy used in your home.  No surprise then that the current rulemaking on new federal minimum standards for water heaters would turn […]

Live chat with David Roberts

Editor’s note: The chat’s now over, but you can replay it in full. February’s Friends with Benefits Live Chat with staff writer David Roberts covered topics ranging from “beard music” to Senator Cantwell’s CLEAR bill.  The conversation had a little something for everyone. Join us for March’s Live Chat with food expert Tom Philpott. Want […]

80 percent of the world’s emissions are taking steps to curb their global warming pollution

As I mentioned here by the end of January countries were to register their actions to reduce global warming pollution as agreed under the Copenhagen Accord. And by deadline countries accounting for over 80 percent of the world's global warming pollution (and a bit more) have registered their actions to reduce their pollution. So what does this all mean?

Why Congress must revise the Clean Air Act

Most Americans breath dirty air — in many places, levels of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and ozone are in violation of federal air quality standards. And now, those standards are getting even stronger, which will put even more of the country out of compliance: EPA recently upped standards for nitrogen dioxide and is working on […]