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Author Claire Hope Cummings dishes the dirt on genetically modified food

One of the most encouraging things about the sustainable-food movement is how effortlessly it crosses traditional political-party, religious, ethnic, and other lines. The right to good, clean, and fair food, to borrow Slow Food‘s shorthand, seems to unite people who’d never otherwise find themselves chatting at the same party: Home schoolers and dreadlocked hippies, libertarian […]

From Pork to Poke

Eat your hat Tried to go whole hog, but still have leftovers? Haberdash over to this site to save your bacon. Because “one always looks neat, in a hat made from meat.” Crop of the Kreme Put a spring in your step with these grass-lined flip-flops, created by Krispy Kreme to give stressed-out workers a […]

Common, EPA-OK’d insecticides causing health problems

More than a quarter of all significant pesticide-related health problems reported to the U.S. EPA in 2007 involved a class of insecticides deemed safe by the agency, says a new report from the Center for Public Integrity. Naturally occurring pyrethrins and their synthetic counterpart, pyrethroids, have been touted as safe alternatives to nasty organophosphates. In […]

Congress goes on recess without passing energy legislation

Congress broke for August recess today without making any notable progress on energy issues — as expected. Despite multiple attempts in both the House and Senate to pass legislation that would curb oil-market speculation, release some oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and extend tax credits for renewable energy, members of Congress will go home […]

Conservatives will drill-and-burn this planet to the point of destruction

Great Paul Krugman column in The New York Times today. And another absurd Charles Krauthammer column in The Washington Post -- yes, I know, that's a dog bites man story.

They both teed off Nancy Pelosi's statement that one of the reasons she was blocking a vote on coastal drilling was, "I'm trying to save the planet; I'm trying to save the planet."

Krugman understood that, notwithstanding the fact that offshore drilling would never have a significant impact on oil prices, she was talking about global warming: "Beyond that, Ms. Pelosi's response shows that she understands the deeper issues behind the current energy debate."

As Krugman points out, that point is utterly lost on Senator McCain, who has now become "a standard drill-and-burn Republican." Krugman's worry:

From New Jersey, bad news for factory farms

Thomas Hobbes famously described life in a “state of nature” as “nasty, brutish, and short.” The U.S. meat industry appears to have taken Hobbes’ statement as a prescription for proper animal husbandry. Every year, millions of farm animals are slaughtered without ever knowing anything besides life in a grim, crowded cage. Many are subjected to […]

Create a video for our next president

If you had 60 seconds to talk to our next president and other political leaders about climate change, what would you say? Well, get your speech ready because the Climate Matters Video Contest is offering that opportunity to 10 lucky videographers. They’re accepting submissions on Vimeo until September 22, and the top ten most-viewed videos […]

Greyhound and other intercity buses gain popularity

High gas prices are helping Greyhound and other intercity buses shun their loser-cruiser reputation. Ridership on the U.S. intercity bus system fell by a third between 1960 and 1980, by half again by 2006 — but jumped 13 percent in the past two years. “People are starting to feel good about stepping aboard a bus,” […]

Marketplace commentary gives a misleading picture of government’s role in energy use

In a commentary on Thursday's Marketplace, the Cato Institute's Will Wilkinson critiqued T. Boone Pickens' new energy plan. In doing so, he painted a misleading picture of the government's role in our energy usage.

Pickens wants wind energy to replace natural gas in electricity generation, and use the freed-up natural gas to fuel vehicles so we can use less foreign oil. There are problems with this energy plan, but Wilkerson is most concerned that the government might be "picking a winner" if it helps Pickens realize his scheme. (Wilkerson doesn't specify exactly what Pickens wants the government to do, but Reuters reports that under the Pickens plan, the government would need to create power transmission corridors.)

Wilkerson doesn't seem to think the government should get involved; his criticism of the Pickens Plan is that it's "not about offering you, the consumer, a choice." This is where he overlooks one crucial factor in the energy puzzle. He says:

Campaign Money Watch looks at McCain’s donations from Big Oil

John McCain’s call for more offshore drilling has resulted in an influx of oil money to his campaign coffers, as we reported earlier this week. Yesterday, Campaign Money Watch put out a comprehensive report [PDF] on just how much much money Big Oil has been sending to the GOP candidate, and how it compares to […]