Latest Articles
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Celebrate Earth Day by ditching annoying green clichés
I’m all about the three R’s that have been the standby of every Earth Day since 1970: reduce, reuse, recycle. Got it. Even so, this Earth Day, I’m beseeching the world to do the unthinkable: stop recycling … those annoying green clichés, that is. I think it’s gee-golly-swell that environmental issues have started gaining such […]
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Snippets from the news
• Then-EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman is found not liable for touting the breathability of the Manhattan air after 9/11. • Bush administration’s spotted-owl plan still unimpressive. • Can airlines achieve carbon-neutral growth? • China will model its emissions reduction after California. • Toys “R” us will phase out baby bottles containing BPA. • Meet […]
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Time hearts Grist, Grist hearts flattery
In tandem with its green issue, Time magazine has made a list of its fave green websites. And my, my, who is that at the top? “Grist is the Colbert Report of climate change, the Daily Show of deforestation, the Oprah of oil dependency — except with real reporting and analytical journalism,” says Time. “The […]
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Putting a bounty of paper towels to the test
Are your paper towels poisoning the planet? OK, I admit it: it’s not the sexiest product to test. Hard as I tried to convince a recent pair of weekend houseguests to take part in my experiments, they left without touching a single sheet. But paper towels are an everyday item that can make a big […]
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Pollan envy
For people involved in the TV business, I imagine watching The Wire — David Simon’s novelistic depiction of big-city dysfunction on HBO — generates mixed feelings. On one hand: Damn that’s good. On the other: Damn. That’s really good. It makes what once seemed excellent appear merely adequate; what was once adequate now worthless. It […]
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The candidates are overlooking the ultimate green-collar job
Amid the din of the Pennsylvania primary and Earth Day, it seems a fitting time to talk about where the Democratic candidates stand when it comes to Mother Earth. Have the leading Dems forgotten America’s greenest job? Photo: Freaking News Both candidates have called for ushering in a new green economy. Sen. Barack Obama has […]
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No difference between McCain and Dems on climate
I got home yesterday from canvassing for Barack Obama in the outskirts of Harrisburg, Penn. and found last week's edition of The Patriot-News (whose politics reporter, Brett Lieberman, describes the state as "Pennsyltucky" for its unique mix of urban, industrial, and backwoods), including a "Find Your Match" voter guide with a chart that's supposed to help people figure out which candidate is closer to them on key policies. Here's what the chart said about Obama, Clinton, and McCain on global warming:
Clinton: $150 billion, 10-year energy package for new fuel sources; backed stringent caps on greenhouse-gas emissions.
Obama: $150 billion, 10-year program for "climate friendly" energy supplies, favors stringent caps on greenhouse-gas emissions.
McCain: Led Senate effort to cap greenhouse-gas emissions; favors tougher fuel efficiency. -
Smog can kill, says report
Short-term exposure to smog is clearly linked to premature deaths, a National Academy of Sciences report has concluded. Some Bush administration officials have claimed that the link between ground-level ozone and health is, well, hazy: when the U.S. EPA was determining acceptable air standards for ozone last month, officials in the Office of Management and […]
