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Umbra on eco-tips in event programs

Dear Umbra, My bat mitzvah is coming up, and at my synagogue, we give out programs. This year, in my program, I would like to include some tips to lead a more eco-friendly life (when to turn off lights, etc.). Will you please help me with these ideas? Talia Minnetonka, Minn. Dearest Talia, Mazel tov! […]

Biodiesel is wack

... by feeding carbon sinks to our cars, trucks, and buses.

My wife pointed me to an article on biodiesel in the business section of the Seattle Times yesterday. I discussed this issue once before. But hey, if the Times can repeat the same story over and over, why can't I?

Let me parse this article out.

Plaza says Imperium's contract provides palm oil exclusively from sustainable farms, and it plans to perform audits to make sure that proviso is honored.

You can't possibly verify where a given gallon of palm oil came from, especially in a third world nation where graft and bribes are still standard operating procedure. What would you do if the person you send to Indonesia on a verification mission discovers that your competitors have hogged up all the palm oil from the "sustainable" plantations (whatever those are supposed to be) and that they are sending you oil from newer plantations (ones that more recently usurped rainforests)? Try to envision how effective this strategy will be.

"Quick! Shut down the refinery and lay everyone off! Recall that last shipment! We are using palm oil being grown on recently cleared rainforests!" Spare me. Had he said, "We will not be using oil imported from third world tropical countries because the incentive to destroy rainforest carbon sinks is just too great and there really is no effective way to verify sustainability," I would have been deeply impressed. You will also note that nowhere in this article was global warming mentioned.

Green power programs at utilities remain teensy

From last week, good news about Portland General Electric:

PGE [has moved to] the head of the pack nationally in terms of demand for green energy. Under its green-power program, Oregon's largest utility sells more kilowatts of renewable power to its residential customers than any other utility in the country, regardless of size. [Emphasis added]

Wow. PGE is nowhere near the nation's largest utility. Still, it leads the nation "green energy" signups -- people who opt to pay a bit extra on their home utility bills to support wind, solar, small hydro, or similar climate-friendly energy sources. Seems like PGE, and its customers, deserve a pat on on the back.

But wait, there's more! (Or perhaps less ...)

R.I.P.

Bling is dead, y'all. At least, it is according to this campaign (which I neglected to mention in my blood diamond post last week).

From the press release:

Two African-born artists are calling for the end of "Bling" this holiday season. Chosan, the Sierra Leonean-born hip-hop artist whose voice is heard on Kanye West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" video, and G. Kofi Annan of award-nominated Annansi Clothing Co. are spearheading an effort to eliminate the bling culture which helps fund bloody wars in Africa.

The "Bling is Dead" project is being launched in an effort to motivate consumers to be more selective in their gift purchases this holiday season. As part of Annansi Clothing Co.'s ongoing Demand Details! initiative, the "Bling is Dead" project features a newly released song by Chosan named "Blood Diamonds" and a special "Bling is Dead" t-shirt which will be used to encourage consumers to stop the illicit diamond trade.

Friedman has his flaws, but he’s a stellar communicator

It's safe to say there are mixed feelings about Thomas Friedman among this blog's contributors.

His advocacy on the Iraq War was and is risible. His cheerleaderly, monochrome enthusiasm for globalization maddens (how come pundits never talk about outsourcing punditry?). And his chipper, un-self conscious cheesiness can occasionally cause even a pacifist like me to want to physically strike him.

But.

Watch this video, where he explains the green thing to Tim Russert:

This Blurb Brought to You By “Your Company Name Here”

Utah basketball arena renamed for nuclear-waste corporation Here in Seattle, home of Qwest and Safeco fields, we know well how corporations have rushed the pro-sports playing field. But our McMonikers are nothing next to Utah’s latest rechristening: The Salt Lake City stadium that’s home to the Utah Jazz, formerly the Delta Center, is now known […]

Shh … It’s Around the Corner

As climate report downplays human impact, scientists struggle to speak freely The U.N.’s new climate report will apparently lower the estimate of human impact on global warming by 25 percent. Skeptics may salivate, but as a top U.K. scientist says, “The bottom line is that the climate is still warming while our greenhouse-gas emissions have […]

By Hook and By Crook

Congress passes drilling, fisheries bills in final days of session Gasping and flopping like a landed fish, the Republican-led Congress passed an offshore-drilling measure during its final days. The legislation, passed by the House and Senate as part of a larger tax bill, will open 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil […]

Discover asks it

Discover magazine's No. 1 science story of 2006: How To Live the Good Life Without Oil.

Solar Revolution author kicks up a stir

Before Gristmill became a claustrophobic circle jerk about animal rights, it used to focus quite a bit on energy issues. In those halcyon days of a week or two ago, we published an interview with Travis Bradford, author of Solar Revolution.

There was disappointingly little discussion of the interview here, but over on Alternet it kicked up quite a stir. I've asked Travis to respond to some of the questions and criticisms that came up there -- hopefully you'll see that in the next few days.