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Obama taps marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco to head NOAA

Obama has selected Oregon State University marine scientist Jane Lubchenco to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Reports The Washington Post: Lubchenco, a conservationist who has devoted much of her career to encouraging scientists to become more engaged in public policy debates, is also a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global […]

Monica Segovia-Welsh’s Chocolate Panforte

Photo: Justin Russell Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Visions of sugar plums dancing. A partridge in a pear tree. The holiday season is rife with gastronomic traditions, as well as delectable memories of shared meals past. To get in the spirit, and perhaps encourage a few new traditions, we asked some all-star sustainability-minded chefs […]

The right-wing caricature of environmentalism inhibits action on matters of human welfare

Recommended: "Earth Worship," an article from the latest issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report. It offers a window into environmentalism as seen feverishly imagined by the far right. It begins: Addison, Texas — "Environment is not about saving nature," the founder of Freedom Advocates, Michael Shaw, sternly warned an audience of antigovernment […]

Enviros and urban planners puzzled by Obama’s transportation pick

Ray LaHood.Wednesday’s surprise pick of Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) to head the Department of Transportation caught greenies and urban-planning types off guard. Though they’re not condemning the pick, they are emphasizing that transit will be a major challenge and that the next secretary needs to be up to the task. LaHood has served on the […]

Of ice and biomass

As one of thousands still without power after the Northeast’s ice storm last Thursday, I’m feeling more thankful than usual for my woodstove (it’s also great that my place of employment dodged the storm, so I can at least escape the darkness at the Orion office). I’ve got three cords of wood stacked up to […]

Falling commodity prices unlikely to reduce power costs

I find this E&E story on the costs of building power plants troubling ($ub. req’d). The lead is accurate, but dangerously and deeply misleading: The cost of building power plants and transmission lines have begun falling after years of steep increases, promising to temper electricity rate spikes for consumers, according to a new report. Are […]

Images of oil addiction in Canada’s tar sands

Pop quiz: After Saudi Arabia, which country has the most proven oil reserves? Wrong. Not only wrong, but wrong part of the world. Unless you are among the .00001 percent who guessed Canada — in which case, congratulations! Canada has 179 billion barrels of proven “oil” reserves. I use quotes because it is not normal […]

Prehistory called, it wants its worldview back …

“Environmental issues are a luxury good. Now we have to tighten our belt and to cut the luxury.” — Czech President Vaclav Klaus, criticizing the newly signed E.U. climate deal

It was inevitable

Santa Goes Green. It’s a kids book about a little boy who, instead of toys, wants Santa to spread awareness of global warming because the boy is friends with a polar bear. Two thoughts come to mind: A kid who doesn’t want toys? Srsly? I bet the polar bear eats the boy before the end […]

Vilsack’s appointment is representative of the narrow range of viewpoints in Obama’s Cabinet

Tom Vilsack is going to be secretary of agriculture, hmmm … Let’s see, ethanol proponent, enthusiastic supporter of GMOs and biotechnologies, and political debtor to agribusiness. Yup, it seems clear that Obama really took Michael Pollan’s "Farmer in Chief" piece to heart. Short of actually appointing, say, Monsanto’s chairman, it is hard to imagine a […]