Latest Articles

Sad sentences can say so much

“The Federal Highway Administration has approved Utah’s plan for a Mountain View freeway — if the state can afford it.” — “Freeway gets greenlight from the feds,” Salt Lake Tribune

Cell-phone chargers rated on energy efficiency

How energy-efficient is your cell-phone charger? (And why have you never thought to ask?) The world’s five biggest cell-phone manufacturers have rated the chargers they sell, from an energy-sucking one star to an eco-friendly five stars. If everyone with a cell phone “switched to a four- or five-star charger,” declares Nokia, “this could save the […]

ProPublica keeps a close eye on Bush’s last-minute shenanigans

As the Bush administration tries to cement W’s anti-environmental legacy by pushing through last-minute evildoing, ProPublica is keeping a close eye on the shenanigans. Here is a big-picture article on 11th-hour regulations, including speculation as to what President Obama could do to reverse ’em. Here is a list of 20 rules and regulations that the […]

Grist talks to Kansas regulator who took on dirty coal

Grist readers are quite familiar with the coal fight in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) earned props from enviros for repeatedly vetoing (and effectively shelving) plans for new coal-fired power plants. But the unsung hero in that battle was Roderick Bremby, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, who in October […]

Simon, Random at odds over green’s role

A piece in ye olde New York Times today looks at a new line from Simon & Schuster called Little Green Books. Aimed at kiddos, the series promises to “get kids excited about going green!” Whether a book about the journey of a plastic bottle will titillate tots remains to be seen, but check out […]

Actor touts renewable energy 30 years ago

I wanted to post this before editorial found it, because when I see something this cool, I like to plant my flag on it. The following is a segment from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s program "Marketplace," back in 1978. To repeat: Nineteen. Seventy. Eight.

Canada government flip-flops on cap-and-trade

In an apparent policy shift, Canada’s Conservative government declared Wednesday, “We will work with the provincial governments and our partners to develop and implement a North America-wide cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper has to date favored reductions in greenhouse-gas “intensity” over hard caps on emissions.

Farming bluefins not an answer to overfishing

News of the latest negotiations on how many bluefin tuna the world can afford to kill without extinctionating the species (yes, it’s a word … to me) is yet to be inked, and that’s fine, because it’s always such a depressing story. Who us, kill too many of a disappearing fish? But it reminded me […]

Placing coal reserves into trust status would be a nice gift to our kids’ future

A generation before David Brower started raising hell at the Sierra Club, a similarly militant scientist named Victor Ernest Shelford organized the Ecological Society of America, becoming its first president in 1916. Shelford stepped down from that position when the Ecological Society of America shied away from taking controversial stands. With a small group of […]

Panel recommends Waxman over Dingell for energy committee

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has scored a few points in his battle to unseat John Dingell (D-Mich.) from his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This morning, the House Steering and Policy Committee voted 25-22 to recommend Waxman for the post. But the vote that really matters comes tomorrow, when the full Democratic […]