Latest Articles

Who will bail out the McMansion developers?

If you think the economic downturn is bad for you, try being a developer of sprawly McMansion exurbs. Those dudes have it rough! Don’t miss this hilarious story from Kaid Benfield, director of NRDC’s smart growth program. So developer Gladstone Homes builds this development outside Chicago, in Plainfield, Ill., called Chatham Square, filled with McMansions […]

Credit crunch slows clean energy development

A few weeks ago, I made some guesses about how the big picture trends in the economy would affect the development of clean energy. And though it’s still early days for the financial crisis, so far my guesses look pretty good. The Times talks to a few industry insiders, who confirm that the credit crunch […]

A can’t-lose debate strategy for Joe Biden

I have a new mini-article in Salon, “A can’t-lose debate strategy for Joe Biden.” It explains how Biden can win the debate and score big points with independents by bringing up clean energy and global warming as much as possible. This may require more message discipline than the Dem VP nominee has. The article ends […]

Sarah Palin, polar bears, and junk science

There’s lots of buzz around this piece in the Guardian, in which Ed Pilkington shows that Alaska governor Sarah Palin, battling to keep polar bears off the endangered species list, made use of junk science and scientists funded in part by Exxon and the American Petroleum Institute. Those interested in the subject should read this […]

What enviros would like to hear (but probably won’t) in tonight’s VP debate

Joe Biden. Tonight’s vice presidential debate is by far the most anticipated debate of this election cycle. In the right corner, newcomer Sarah Palin. In the left, Joe Biden, a senator who’s been in office since Palin was “in, like, the second grade.” A series of klutzy and unflattering interviews with Palin on CBS this […]

NYC eco-mayor will seek third term; mayors foresee green jobs

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seeking to change term-limit rules and win reelection to a third term; if he succeeds, it will be to the benefit of his ambitious plans to address climate change. Bloomberg’s PlaNYC aims to reduce municipal greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2030 through planting 1 million trees, converting taxis […]

As Halloween nears, beware of the ‘fat-free’ candy corn

It’s the beginning of October and as the cooler temperatures and colorful leaves start to make an appearance, every retailer in America is switching storefronts to include pumpkins and of course, Halloween candy. The orange and black packages are cropping up in drugstores and supermarkets nationwide, and the glycemic high that lasts from Halloween through […]

Oh noes, driving down!

As of July, U.S. driving declined for nine months straight. Average gas prices have dropped almost 50 cents since then — I’ll be very curious to see the figures for Aug. and Sep. This seems like a good time to revisit the fact that our transportation infrastructure is funded by gas taxes and thus is […]

Raising a glass to sustainability at New Belgium Brewery

Our visit to New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, began with a bike ride into town for some lunch at a Mexican café. So too began the New Belgium company itself. But it wasn’t Mexican food that founder Jeff Lebesch was after during his bicycle tour through Belgium. From the seat of that two-wheeler, […]

Oil economist denies peak oil

“Therefore there will never be a moment when the world runs out of oil because there will always be a price at which the last drop of oil can clear the market. And you can turn anything into oil into if you are willing to pay the financial and environmental price.” — Christof Rühl, chief […]