Latest Articles

Why more government now means less in the future

“Socialism!” the House Republicans cried when the financial bailout was proposed — and they were right, if you define socialism as the takeover of part of the economy by the government. We’ll be in for much more of this sort of thing if the House Republicans and the rest of the federal government keeps worshiping […]

The Wolf Trap Center connects art and nature

    This is a guest post from my travel partner, Todd Dwyer, head blogger for Dell’s ReGeneration.org. —– After our visit to the amazing Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Maryland, Sarah and I hopped in our trusty steed, Cletus the Prius, for a drive to the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts […]

Nearly a quarter of wild mammal species are in danger of extinction

Some 21 percent of the world’s 5,487 known wild mammal species are in danger of extinction, according to the updated Red List maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. (Steller sea lions and tigers and giant pandas, oh no!) “Our results paint a bleak picture of the global status of mammals worldwide,” […]

Enviro news from the presidential campaign trail

  • The New Republic looks at Sarah Palin’s record as governor of Alaska, focusing on toxic waste and the health of the state’s residents. The state has a rate of birth-defects twice the national average, and many believe it’s because of the “toxic stew” from the byproducts of mining and energy development like arsenic, […]

Carbon offsets still booming despite financial crisis

The carbon-offset market in the United States is still booming despite the financial crisis, with offset sellers reporting continued gains even in the face of rising offset prices. Analysts say the carbon market’s relative strength could mean consumers’ green guilt knows no bounds or that the country’s recent economic troubles have not hit most would-be […]

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s HQ is green and gorgeous

Todd and I arrived early at our first D.C.-area appointment, so we wandered down a path leading out of the parking lot (where our Prius was in a “hybrid only” priority spot) and, to our delight, ended up on a sandy beach along the Chesapeake Bay. Shedding our shoes and any stress we might have […]

Sharp to boost thin-film solar capacity six-fold to 6,000 MW by 2014

The world’s second-largest maker of solar batteries plans a massive increase in capacity to meet soaring demand. Bloomberg reports: The company will raise the capacity to 6 gigawatts as early as 2014, from 1 gigawatt estimated for 2010 … Sharp, which lost its market-leading position to Thalheim, Germany-based Q-Cells AG last year, is focusing on […]

EPA declines to set standard for perchlorate in drinking water

As predicted last month, the U.S. EPA said on Friday it would not issue national standards limiting the amount of perchlorate allowed in drinking water. In making its decision, which critics charge was heavily influenced by the U.S. Defense Department, EPA said that even though perchlorate has contaminated over 150 public water systems in the […]

Methane digesters make dairy good sense

When Shawn Saylor was in high school, he built a science-fair-sized solar-powered home, complete with tiny solar cells and working lights. (He got an A.) These days, Saylor is a fourth-generation dairy farmer working on an entirely different renewable energy project. The Hillcrest Saylor Dairy Farm in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, produces some 6,000 gallons of milk […]

Cleantech venture investment hits record $2.6 billion in third quarter

And what are the three hottest technologies? Smart grid, algae (advanced biofuels), and, surprise surprise, thin-film solar. Venture capital investment in clean tech has been soaring in recent years because of high energy prices along with the growing concern and growing action on global warming. You might think that VC investment would be hurt by […]