Latest Articles

Will train travel get annoying too?

As more trains catch up to air travel, time-wise, one thing that can put them over the top is the time saved avoiding the hassles of getting to the airport, parking, security, waiting, etc. But what if one of the first mid- or long-range train systems suffers some kind of attack, or even threat of […]

How to green your entertainment center

When it comes to watching television, it’s practically your environmental duty to gaze at Adrian Grenier on Planet Green and cheer on Major League Baseball’s efforts to become more sustainable. (That’s what we tell ourselves, anyway.) But did you know the chemicals in that idiot box could be rotting your brain even more than the […]

Future of Food director on ‘making soil sexy’

Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia burst onto the sustainable-food scene with her 2004 documentary the Future of Food, a biting, well-researched indictment of Monsanto and genetically modified food. I caught up with her at Slow Food Nation to discuss her current project, a documentary about a topic dear to my heart: soil.

15 creative ways that students and colleges are going greener

Kappa and Trade Green the Greeks, a student organization at UCLA, is trying to educate the school’s Greek system about sustainability issues. Frats and sororities use a disproportionate amount of energy, the group says, so it’s aiming to “harness the resources of the Greek community for the environment,” its website explains. The rush to get […]

Hillary Clinton stumps for public transportation

“Across America places that thought there would never be much demand for public transit are now finding that there is. We can’t keep burdening public transit systems without giving them the money they need to run.” — Hillary Clinton (who introduced the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act and testified about it before the Senate […]

WSJ special package runs the energy gamut

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday produced a special report covering all things energy. The series warns that the gasoline engine won’t be phased out anytime soon; considers the newfound popularity of wood stoves and LED lights; takes a critical look at “clean coal”; peruses the latest in clean-tech; and surveys the energy situation in […]

Renewable energy promotion policies: non-transparent or hidden

Tax credit policies One of the ways the gap between market price and feasible price of renewable energy plants has been bridged is through tax benefits to investors. Just as the oil and gas industries have enjoyed various tax benefits to encourage investment in drilling, exploration, and production facilities, in the last couple decades investors […]

Public transit and oil dependence

Those of you interested in strengthening the ability of public transportation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil should check out Congressional testimony from Brookings metropolitan policy expert Robert Puentes, entitled, um, "Strengthening the Ability of Public Transportation to Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil." I’m not sure the general public — or even the […]

McCain and Obama answer questions on science and scientific integrity

Scientists and Engineers for America sent a questionnaire to the major-party presidential candidates asking them about innovation and a number of science-related issues. Obama responded several weeks ago, and now McCain has delivered his answers. You can compare their responses on climate change, energy, ocean health, water shortages, government-funded research, and scientific integrity. Most of […]

Physics For Future Presidents fails to deliver sound climate science

The following post is by Earl Killian, guest blogger at Climate Progress. —– We all bemoan the low level of scientific discourse in politics. So one might have high hopes for a course, textbook, and book for the general public all titled Physics For Future Presidents as resources that might help educate today’s students and […]