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I finally got to see Bill McKibben in action

I’ve read Bill McKibben’s work. I’ve admired Bill McKibben’s work. Hell, I’ve even been lucky enough to edit Bill McKibben’s work. But not until Friday did I meet the man in person. A featured speaker at Greenbuild, McKibben — tall, slight, and soft-spoken — held a crowd of hundreds in thrall as he outlined the […]

Greenbuild ends on a note of cautious optimism

When he took the stage for the closing session of this year’s Greenbuild, amid flashing lights and a thumping rock anthem, USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi got right to the point: “When people say green building is over, tell them there were 29,752 people at Greenbuild. That doesn’t sound like we’re at the end of the […]

Food sovereignty needs to be the center of renewed negotiations

With each new event or international conference in 2008’s saga of economic and food crises, there are calls to complete the long-running Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. The international players all act as if achieving a Doha agreement, seemingly any agreement, will help solve one or more aspects of these crises. The latest […]

Carbon is forever

Nature reports that a quarter of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels hang around, essentially, forever. If humanity is to avoid sending the climate into a runaway chaos state, we have to emit far less carbon, fast.

Utah gov bashes fellow Republicans on environmental issues

“If we’re going to survive as a party, we need to focus on the environment. There’s a fundamental tone deafness with our party when it comes to the environment … The last place we can be as a party is be viewed as the anti-science party. That’s not a model for the future.” — Utah […]

In weekly radio address, Obama announces plan to create 2.5 million jobs

In his weekly Democratic radio address this morning, President-elect Barack Obama announced an “Economic Recovery Plan” that he has directed his team to create. The plan, he said, will create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, and though they’re still “working out the details,” he said it will include plans for green development. “We’ll put people […]

Friday music blogging: Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog is an indie band out of Philadelphia. Their new album Fate is their fifth, but their first on a new label (Park the Van). It feels like a breakthrough. And it may be my favorite album of the year. They’re usually called “psychedelic” but that doesn’t quite get it. It’s more like the […]

Wal-Mart CEO will resign

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, who has presided over the company in its era of greening efforts, announced Friday that he is stepping down. Mike Duke, currently head of Wal-Mart’s international operations, takes over Feb. 1. To read up on what was, check out Grist’s interview with Scott and our coverage of Wal-Mart.

Business groups, community activists blast California’s cap-and-trade plans

One day after being applauded at a climate change summit in posh Beverly Hills, California officials faced a different kind of reception during a Sacramento public hearing on the state’s monumental greenhouse gas reduction plan. A standing room only crowd of Latino farm workers, inner city residents, dozens of cities and air district officials, small […]

Waxman may move to put climate allies at head of key subcommittees

As the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has the authority to reorganize the panel’s subcommittees, which could have further implications for climate and energy policy in the 111th Congress. The position many enviro observers are wondering about is the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, which is currently headed […]