Latest Articles

Utility rate structures can be fun

Let’s say you were a very powerful being, something called Utility God. And let’s pretend you realized climate change was a big problem, and that it was something that needed to be solved using big strokes, not small measures. One of the big things you’d want to do, at least for the average Joe, would […]

A sudsy study of eco-label shampoos

What is it about the women in shampoo commercials who gasp and sigh in orgasmic ecstasy as they lather their locks with glorified soap? If they only knew exactly what was in those suds, their exclamations might be less “oooh” and more “ew.” Thanks to gravity, whatever you rub into your scalp during your shower […]

Stimulating coffee lectures in Seattle focus on sustainability

Ever wonder exactly what goes into your morning coffee (aside from milk and sugar, of course)? A series of lectures this spring at the University of Washington attempts to answer just that question. The UW is serving up its public-speaker series Coffee: From the Grounds Up as a complement to the cultural exhibit Coffee: The […]

White House bombshell: Cap-and-trade for drilling offshore … California!

Buried inside The New Yorker’s profile of Peter Orszag, Obama’s budget director, is this stunning paragraph: Obama’s White House is filled with former members of Congress and congressional staffers. They are legislative strategists and dealmakers, and these days they often use the phrase “grand bargain” when asked how they expect to achieve their ambitious agenda. […]

A website I guarantee you will waste time on and quote, although I’m not sure to what end

Capitol Words “lets you see what are the most popular words spoken by lawmakers on the House and Senate floor.”  It uses the Congressional Record to give “you an at-a-glance view of which issues lawmakers address on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis,” by “Congress as a whole, by state delegation or by specific […]

Climate justice and coal’s funeral procession

Joshua Kahn Russell, the grassroots actions manager at Rainforest Action Network and a lead organizer of March’s Capitol Climate Action in Washington, DC, has written a great assessment of the climate justice movement and its emerging goals. Looking back at the historic protest at the Capitol Power Plant, which ultimately forced congressional leaders to come […]

Sludge, farmer’s friend or toxic slime?

Should what we put down our sewers ultimately wind up back on our plates?Marc Samsom via Flickr Urine, feces, menstrual blood, hair, fingernails, vomit, dead skin cells. Industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, soaps, shampoos, solvents, pesticides, household cleansers, hospital waste. Sewage sludge, the viscous brown gunk left over when wastewater is treated, is more than just poop: […]

‘Ice People’ is packed with plenty of ice, not so many people

Antarctica is warming rapidly, climate scientists report, upsetting fragile ecosystems and threatening the world with a significant rise in sea-levels. With the largely uninhabited and frozen continent melting before humanity’s very eyes, what better time to roll out a new documentary about the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth. Billed as a journey to […]

Think Before You Eat, Agriculture and the Environment

Farmers claim to be stewards of the environment, some would say it’s best friend; others, its worst enemy. The truth is we can be both. Humans have never left a small footprint, we have always tried to shape the environment to suit our needs. Initially farming had one purpose, food; farming provided a more stable […]

Regulating biosolids

Biosolids are regulated under what’s known colloquially (to those who speak colloquially about sewage) as the 503 Sludge Rule, which came into effect in 1993. Technically titled “40 CFR 503 — Standards for the Use and Disposal of Sewage Sludge,” it’s complicated enough that EPA came out with a “Plain English” guide to help make […]