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Blogs

For some reason I missed this New York Magazine article on blogs when it came out, but if you're interested in the medium and the social relationships that shape it, you really should check it out. Most mainstream media articles on blogs sound like they're written by dimwitted, half-ass anthropologists, but this one came from an insider. It's fascinating.

Albatross numbers dwindling

It's no surprise that long-line fishing is depleting our fish populations in staggering numbers. But many don't realize that the effects are felt above the ocean's surface as well. As the BBC reports, up to 100,000 albatrosses a year get caught on the baited hooks of long-lines and are pulled down to drown. Populations of three species breeding on South Georgia (country, not state!) and outlying islands have declined by about a third in the past 30 years. Dr. Sullivan of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said simple measures such as "flying streamers behind the fishing boat or adding weights to the line so they sink more quickly would help to stop albatrosses being killed."

That's easier said than done. If fishermen were willing to take "simple measures," we wouldn't have the massive dirty fishing problem we have today.

Bio-Skate

As Sarah mentioned, this week's InterActivist co-owns Comet Skateboards. I first learned about the company from this video that aired on Current TV.

Check it out if you want to see their solar-powered factory, learn how they make their sustainable 'boards, and watch some skaters tearing it up at over 50 MPH.

An interview with Dick Lugar, GOP crusader for energy independence

If you had to name the foreign-policy heavyweight who has brought more political muscle to the energy-independence crusade than any other, it would be Dick Lugar. Republican from Indiana and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lugar is no stranger to superlatives: Named one of the “10 Best Senators” in a recent issue of […]

Train of Thoughtless

Railroad from Beijing to Tibet tries to outmaneuver climate change A railroad connecting Beijing, China, to Lhasa, Tibet, has been completed, despite considerable political and environmental obstacles. The project, conceived over 40 years ago by Mao Zedong, is a symbol of Chinese domination and has faced opposition from proponents of Tibetan independence. The railroad runs […]

Shiver Our Timbers

Washington state timber industry gets exemption from species act For the next 50 years, the Washington state timber industry will be shielded from prosecution under the Endangered Species Act for harming salmon. In return, the industry has agreed to help the fish by leaving more trees standing near critical streams, reducing logging on unstable slopes, […]

That Thing Utah Do!

Bill to sell federal land in Utah could set off cascade of land sales In the American West, many of the fastest-growing regions contain the most federally owned land, which limits expansion. This puts developers, local officials, and the vacation-home set in conflict with the public interest, and … well, we hardly need to finish […]

Across the pond looks like over the rainbow: Business and gov’t dealing with climate change together

The Guardian reported yesterday that "heads of some of Britain's biggest companies are meeting Tony Blair today to demand tougher targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions."

What's this? Industry demanding that government set tougher targets? Has the metric system created a different economic system where business likes regulation?

Americans and Climate Change: Setting goals II

"Americans and Climate Change: Closing the Gap Between Science and Action" (PDF) is a report synthesizing the insights of 110 leading thinkers on how to educate and motivate the American public on the subject of global warming. Background on the report here. I'll be posting a series of excerpts (citations have been removed; see original report). If you'd like to be involved in implementing the report's recommendations, or learn more, visit the Yale Project on Climate Change website.

Today's excerpt is long but I love it -- it's one of my favorite bits of the report. It's about the "four paradoxes of urgency."

A commute point

Tomorrow is Commute Another Way Day! In Maine, at least (anyone know of this happening elsewhere?), this is an annual event to promote carpools, vanpools, public transit, biking, walking, pogo-sticking, and other eco-friendly alternatives to that long, lonely slog to and from the 9-to-5. According to the CAWD website:

Last year, more than 500 employers and 5,000 commuters got involved statewide, helping to reduce traffic congestion and auto emissions by eliminating 6,000 auto trips; 62,000 auto miles; 1.65 tons of harmful pollution; and $32,000 in commuting costs ... all in a single day!

And you know what else those commuters did? They won prizes! Who doesn't love prizes?

So hop in/on/around/to one of these official Transportation Mode Choices and commute another way!

And speaking of earth-friendly commutes, this week's InterActivist, Don Shaffer, is co-owner of Comet Skateboards -- a San Francisco company making eco-'boards at the world's only solar-powered skateboard factory. Shaffer takes his work home (and then back to work?) by commuting via a skateboard + BART combo.

And as InterActivist this week, he's also taking questions from the Grist peanut gallery -- until the deadline tomorrow at noon (PDT), that is. Ask him about poppin' ollies on the way home from work. Or ask him about his other passion -- providing support to small, local businesses trying to fight corporate cronyism. Ask him anything! We'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.