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Inhofe press flacks ‘worst people in the world’

The inimitable Keith Olberman named Marc Morano and Matt Dempsey, the press flacks for the Senate Environment Committee, as his "worst persons in the world" yesterday.

OK, they came in second -- got the silver medal -- but still.

Morano himself sent out a press release about it; perhaps in true hack fashion he thinks any publicity is good publicity.

(If you don't recall the background, the committee, chaired by Sen. Inhofe, has started sending out press releases filled with lies and ad hominem attacks about global warming, directed at newspaper articles and now TV specials. With your tax dollars.)

Chemical-safety bill moving oh-so-slowly through Congress

An attack on one of the many toxic chemical plants in the U.S. could endanger more than a million people. Environmentalists, security experts, and even the Army surgeon general have been raising the alarm about this threat since Sept. 11, 2001, but Congress has yet to do anything about it. Its latest efforts are being […]

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — Well, One Out of Three Ain’t Bad

The happiest nations are not the high-consuming ones, survey says A new Happy Planet Index supports the cliché that money can’t buy happiness. The New Economics Foundation, a British think tank, looked at 178 countries’ consumption levels, life expectancy, and happiness, and concluded that people can live long, happy lives without sucking up large quantities […]

Beleaguered of Nations

Britain pledges to involve poor countries in fighting climate change Climate change ain’t gonna be pretty for any of us, but it will have an especially devastating impact on Africa: more extreme weather patterns will cause food insecurity, income loss, higher death rates, and more diseases. Calling the impacts of climate change on poor nations […]

We Hope the Russians Love Their Tube Worms Too

Russians plan to drill into untouched Antarctic lake The world’s seventh-largest freshwater lake is locked under a giant Antarctic ice sheet and has never been exposed to human contact — but Russian scientists have drilled within 425 feet of it, and, despite pleas from scientists and environmentalists, intend to drill in all the way over […]

It’ll Coast Ya

Senate hammers out compromise on offshore drilling GOP leaders in the Senate unveiled a compromise yesterday that would allow offshore oil and gas drilling in the eastern and southern Gulf of Mexico, but protect waters within 125 miles of the Florida coast until 2022 and keep the drilling ban that’s been in place in most […]

Road trip, dudes!

The Kick the Oil Habit road trip is underway -- it was introduced today by Sen. Barack Obama.

Amanda on Marketplace

Following up on Amanda's post below -- check out her appearance on public radio's Marketplace, where she discusses Gore's appearance at Wal-Mart's meeting.

Dispatch from a green-themed gathering of Wal-Mart execs

I write from a quarterly meeting of Wal-Mart managers and execs, focused on implementing CEO H. Lee Scott's eco-friendly vision. (For more on that vision, see my interview with Scott.)  

I never dreamed I'd find myself feeling anything but depressed after a day of immersive conference activities at Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. But now that I'm here, I'm feeling decidedly optimistic.

Granted, I was a tad creeped out when the 800-plus members of the audience erupted in a Wal-Mart chant that involved much gesticulating, grunting, sky-punching, and the like. ("Give me a W ... A ... L ... etc. ... What does that spell? ... Who do we love? ...")

But generally speaking, there's a lot of hopeful news to report. More details will be forthcoming in next week's Muckraker, but here's a snapshot with a few highlights:

Umbra on recycling foil

Dear Umbra, Summertime grilling is in full swing at our house, but I am wondering what the ecological cost is of all that aluminum foil we’re using in place of our regular pots and pans. Sure makes for great clean up, but it is not recyclable as aluminum cans are. Sandra Liebe Paris, Ill. Dearest […]