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One dime a month is all it takes

Just this morning I had to rip up the zillionth letter I've gotten from some anonymous agency somewhere out in Arizona urging me to reconsolidate my student loan (something I did years ago.) I tossed it into the recycling bin without further ado.

Now a start-up company called Greendimes promises to put an end to this incessant barrage of junkmail. For $3 a month, or a dime a day, the staff at GD will do the legwork to get you off of mailing lists and other pesky databases that flood your postbox with unnecessary paper. And each month they will plant a tree on your behalf through collaboration with Trees for the Future.

GM CEO gets called out

A great piece of guerilla activism at the L.A. Auto Show:

A nice bit of TV

ABC World News is running a three-part series on organic food that concludes tonight. It's worth viewing, if only to see the messages the "mainstream" is getting.

The justices speak

David highlights a few of the difficult and interesting questions facing the Court in Massachusetts v. EPA, which as you all probably know was argued this morning.

I wanted to provide a few thoughts about the argument, gleaned from my seat in the courtroom's last row, reading the transcript (PDF), and watching a fantastic panel at the Georgetown Law School discussing the argument. (You can see a webcast of the panel here.)

The justices were very engaged this morning. A quick review of the transcript indicates that the court broke into the arguments of the Deputy Solicitor General Gregory Garre (for EPA) and Assistant Attorney General James Milkey (for Massachusetts) more than 50 times each.

Below, I try to identify some highlights for each of the three major issues before the court. For ease, I'll refer to the advocates as the United States and Massachusetts.

Know it

There's a great op-ed in the NYT today making the argument that, however much Malthus and his heirs have fallen out of favor, they may have the last laugh. Limits are back, baby!

Here are two memes I'm happy to see getting out into the mainstream:

1. In the words of a recent interviewee (watch for it tomorrow): Coal is the enemy of the human race.
2. This, from the last paragraph:

   ... we really need to start thinking hard about how our societies -- especially those that are already very rich -- can maintain their social and political stability, and satisfy the aspirations of their citizens, when we can no longer count on endless economic growth.

   Yup.

Analysis

Arguments have wrapped up in the Supreme Court for today. Here's a transcript (PDF). SCOTUSblog has good analysis here. Roger Pielke Jr. has some commentary here. Jonathan Adler reacts here. You can watch a webcast of a panel of experts discussing the case at Georgetown here.

Umbra on sustainable sushi

Dear Umbra, My wife and I love sushi, but we’re increasingly concerned about sustainable harvesting. Although we treat ourselves to sushi only once or twice a month, it adds up, and we can’t help but wonder about the impact. There’s no sensation in the world like letting a slab of sashimi salmon dissolve in your […]

Locally grown food shouldn’t be just for those with cash to spare

As a critic of the globalized industrial food system, I often face charges of elitism — in part, likely, because I neglect to acknowledge the system’s clear achievements. So here goes. In the mood for good food? Look no further than your backyard. Photo: iStockphoto In human history, few pampered Roman emperors or African kings […]

Over half of the agency’s employees weigh in

Wow. Via jjwfmme in comments, it seems the rank and file at the EPA want to make their feelings about the CO2 issue crystal clear as it enters the Supreme Court:

In an unprecedented action, representatives for more than 10,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists are calling on Congress to take immediate action against global warming, according to a petition released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). ...

...

The petition signatories represent more than half of the total agency workforce. Addressed to the members of the Senate and House committees overseeing EPA, the petition argues that:

• The Bush administration strategy of "using primarily voluntary and incentive-based programs" to reduce greenhouse gases is not working nor "has [this approach] been effectively carried out;"
• EPA has abdicated its enforcement responsibilities by "failing to investigate coal-electric plants for technical options to control carbon;" and
• "EPA's scientists and engineers [must be able] to speak frankly and directly with Congress and the public regarding climate change, without fear of reprisal."

Here's the full petition (PDF) and a summary (PDF) from the coalition of EPA unions.

There's always been tension between the mid-level career staffers at various federal agencies and the political hacks the Bush administration has appointed to lead them, but this is ridiculous.

But it could be organic

It's a good question, really:

When is a fish really organic?