Latest Articles
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The natural foods giant stumbles into an E. coli outbreak
In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat industry. Suddenly, Whole Foods can’t get a break. Its share price has plunged about 70 percent since the end of 2005. Its marketing execs are scrambling to shed the company’s reputation for premium-priced offerings — a market position they once reveled in. The […]
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GM prepares to roll out Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
We’ve all been there: You want to go green, but you also want to keep rollin’ the streets in the biggest, blingiest vehicle possible. What’s an eco-minded luxury-SUV driver to do? Well, stress no more: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, billed as the first luxury hybrid SUV, will hit showrooms later this month. The hybrid […]
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New York City’s inaugural Summer Streets event a big hit
StreetFilms writes … … the New York City Department of Transportation held its first Summer Streets event on Saturday by opening 7 miles of city streets to pedestrians and bike traffic only. From 7 AM to 1 PM, roads were car-free from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge with Park Avenue serving as the backbone […]
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Global warming unleashes ‘world’s largest land predators’ on humans
It could be the premise of a new horror movie — based on an all-too-true story. We have “a new and unusual threat: a polar bear stuck on land due to climate change”: Five scientists studying shorebirds in northern Alaska had to themselves take flight after a polar bear showed up at a time of […]
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W. Va. governor Manchin subsidizes his own state’s economic irrelevance with liquid coal subsidies
I’ve written before about the economic and environmental nightmare that is liquid coal. If I were a governor and an energy company proposed opening a liquid coal plant in my state, I would marshal every resource available to fight it off. You get a few dozen jobs in the short-term; in the long-term, you get […]
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Why smoggy skies over Beijing represent the world’s greatest environmental opportunity
The Atlantic Monthly‘s James Fallows, now living in China, has written a glass-is-half-full (air-is-half-breathable?) article, “China’s Silver Lining.” While I think he is a bit soft on China from a climate perspective, I think it is well worth reading because Fallows is terrific and thorough writer. And you have to like any story on energy […]
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Bush admin tries sneaky attack on endangered-species protections
The Bush administration is trying to push through changes to the Endangered Species Act that would — surprise! — be detrimental to endangered species. Under regulatory changes proposed Monday, tens of thousands of projects funded, built, or authorized by federal agencies each year would be exempt from currently mandated independent reviews. Instead, the administration has […]
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Umbra on diet soda
Dear Umbra, My name’s Jon and I’m a diet pop addict. My diet right now is 70-80 percent local, organic, or both, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to getting my fix. I drink several 20-ouncers a day of diet and just can’t seem to stop. Is my habit hurting the earth? […]
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Leading indicators
When the conservative Washington Post editorial board is stumping for smart growth and transit-oriented development, you know the tide is turning!
