Latest Articles
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Follicularly, that is
Whether or not he wins the Oscar, Al Gore can take some small measure of pride in having the thirteenth best-selling book at Amazon.com this year.
If he'd cultivated a righteous 'stache, he could have made it to No. 2.
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A handy biofuels glossary, and videos to boot
With all the talk of biofuels swirling around, things can get a bit confusing. So we’ve put together this handy glossary for your reference. Now you can pontificate at cocktail parties with the best of ’em. And just to keep you awake (yeah, we remember second grade too), we’ve included some explanatory videos thanks to […]
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Richard Branson chats about embracing ethanol and slashing airplane emissions
Does a music mogul who signed the Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson have what it takes to make a pop star out of biofuels? Sir Richard. Earlier this fall, publicity-chasing British entrepreneur Richard Branson made a $3 billion bet that he could do just that — and help solve the climate crisis to boot — […]
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Reflections on the state of organic from an old pro
Bob Scowcroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation and a longtime presence in the world of California -- and national -- organic farming, published a provocative essay recently on where organic came from and where it's headed.
He discusses the hidden history that brought organic regulations into the USDA (which I also talk about in Organic Inc.) and suggests where organic needs to go. Most of all, he provides a much-needed perspective on the debates engulfing the organic world right now, which are leading some consumers to question its worth:
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Inhofe rides out of town with a final blast of dumbness
Departing Senate Environment Committee chair Sen. James Inhofe -- who's gone from sinister to pathetic with dizzying speed -- held one final hearing on global warming and the media the other day.
Yawn.
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An interview with Seattle biodiesel distributor Dan Freeman
Dan Freeman. As a kid, Dan Freeman experimented with using alcohol to run lawnmowers and minibikes. (Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for that parent-son conversation.) These days, he runs Dr. Dan’s Alternative Fuel Werks, a Seattle-based biodiesel retail and distribution company with customers ranging from school districts to organic farmers to […]
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Using grease and other goodies, small biodiesel producers are making a big difference
If you live in a city of any size, you’ve likely seen them out there: boxy little ’80s-era foreign cars, bumpers adorned with pro-ecology and anti-war slogans, and references to “grease.” Even the fumes they emit may smell different: literally like French fries, in some cases; like generic used vegetable oil in others. Foh sizzle […]
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Do federal courts have jurisdiction in Massachusetts v. EPA?
As the court-watchers (or even dabblers) amongst you are aware, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court seemed preoccupied with the issue of standing during the recent oral argument in Massachusetts v. EPA. This debate has echoed in the blogosphere.
- Jonathan Adler argues, both on Volokh Conspiracy (it's a bit buried) and in an amicus brief (PDF), that global warming causes nonjusticiable, generalized injuries.
- Grist's own David Roberts questions whether a court order can provide Massachusetts with any relief.
- The Sierra Club's Executive Director, Carl Pope, believes that an adverse standing decision would have an enormous negative impact on environmental litigation.
In this post, I'm going to try to break down the arguments a little.
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Bra-vo
Victoria’s Secret pledges to end use of endangered-forest paper in catalogs The parent company of sexed-up retailer Victoria’s Secret announced yesterday that it will nip a bad trend in the bud: sourcing its catalog paper from endangered forests. Succumbing to two years of pestering from ForestEthics and other green groups, U.S.-based Limited Brands agreed to […]
