Latest Articles

Pamela Anderson grows her eco-assets, and more

Build me up, double-D cupPamela Anderson sure has grown her assets over the years. She’s transformed from Baywatch babe to eco-entrepreneur — erecting projects in Canada, Abu Dhabi, and now Montenegro. Just one question: will these green buildings have “twin towers”?  

The three things Cass Sunstein should do on his first day

Cass Sunstein.After some minor drama, it looks like Cass Sunstein is finally on the road to confirmation for director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) after being nominated by President Obama in January.  The Senate should schedule a vote as soon as possible so he can get to work.  As I’ve mentioned […]

Racism allegations mar Senate hearing on clean energy economy

Thursday’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on climate change blew up into an argument over race between Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and the chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. NBCC’s Harry Alford was invited to speak at the hearing titled, “Ensuring and Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness while Moving toward a Clean Energy Economy.” […]

Stopping Blackstone Coal

Last week when we hit the 100th coal-fired plant abandoned or prevented in the U.S., someone asked me, “What’s next?” My answer came quickly: “It’s time to stop the next 100.” And so with that we’ve just launched a new campaign to persuade the Blackstone Group to invest in clean energy instead of dirty coal.  […]

The case for a national building energy code

Recently, there has been a good deal of media attention given to building energy codes, generally and specifically, the codes provision of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), both good and bad. A couple of these articles piqued my interest by asking if building energy codes should be a matter of federal importance […]

With a gust of wind, an Iowa crop duster can squash an organic farm

A crop duster in action.Photo: Roger Smith via FlickrGrinnell Heritage Farm is 152 years old. Andrew Dunham is the fifth generation of his family to work this land about 50 miles east of Des Moines. He is a direct descendant of Josiah Grinnell, founder of the town and the man Horace Greeley once famously quoted […]

The 15 most sustainable U.S. cities

Seattle is the most sustainable big city in the nation, according to a list compiled by Smarter Cities, an NRDC project that looks at the progress American cities are making toward going green. Not surprisingly, San Francisco and Portland are the runners-up. Using data from the EPA and the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as […]

USDA may get Dennis Wolff for food safety post because Gov. Ed Rendell doesn’t want him anymore

Wolff at the Dickinson College farm in Pennsylvania.Here’s a little rumor-mongering for fun, if not profit. Yes, as Tom Philpott reported, Dennis Wolff is for sure heading the list of candidates for the top food safety post at the USDA. But that’s not the fun part. The fun part involves the reason Dennis Wolff is […]

34 Nobel winners write Obama about lack of support for energy R&D in climate/energy bill

This letter was sent to the White House on July 16: The Honorable Barack H. ObamaPresident of the United States1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: You have repeatedly and appropriately called for a Clean Energy Technology Fund of $150 billion over ten years that could be funded from receipts collected from a […]

Big Ag not content with concessions in House climate bill

The American Farm Bureau Federation, not content with the major concessions for agriculture that its congressional allies secured during the House climate debate, is now lobbying the Senate for a better deal. Appearing at a hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman not only pushed for provisions […]