Latest Articles
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Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation president, answers questions
Jeffrey Hollender. What work do you do? I’m president of Seventh Generation, though lately I’ve been referring to myself as the Inspired Protagonist, providing the vision and inspiration to carry the company forward. How does your work relate to the environment? Photos: Seventh Generation. Our company provides nontoxic cleaners, recycled paper towels and tissues, and […]
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Energize America at YearlyKos
I'm still kicking myself for not going to YearlyKos, but I won't burden y'all with my self-recrimination. Instead, check out Jerome's report on the Energize America (yes, apparently you do have to italicize the first word) panel presentation. Here's part one, about the plan itself, and part two, about the process whereby Kossacks put the plan together.
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Ah, Summer in Rwanda
African nations try to bring in eco-tourists African nations are hoping to boost their economies by attracting the ecologically curious, following the example of nations like Costa Rica, which thrives on ecotourism. The island nation of Madagascar has boosted protection of forests and wetlands and boasts biodiversity rivaled only by the rainforests of Brazil. Other […]
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Safe in Sound
Puget Sound orcas gain more protection; Florida manatees downlisted to threatened Ninety endangered orcas in the Northwest may soon swim easier, as the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed Friday to designate nearly the entire Puget Sound — about 2,500 square miles of water — critical orca habitat. The usual suspects took the usual sides: developers […]
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All Right, Heartland, You’re Up
Western governors resolve to combat climate change Western states need to reduce greenhouse gases while meeting growing energy demand, says a resolution passed unanimously yesterday by members of the self-explanatorily named Western Governors Association. However, the pact neglects to prescribe specific actions. “My friends,” California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) chided the group, “it’s long past […]
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Americans and Climate Change: Leveraging the social sciences III
"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, two more social-science analyses: dynamic responses (the conflicts between multiple media messages) and issue cycles (the waxing and waning of public attention to an issue). Good stuff.
And with this, we conclude Part I!
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Umbra on smelly CFLs (and mercury too)
Dear Umbra, We have been replacing our incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, but we notice that the compact fluorescents have an odd smell. Are they emitting something we should know about? Compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury; can the bulbs discharge the mercury into the air? Tom MurphyWellsboro, Pa. Dearest Tom, I don’t know […]
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A piece of truthiness is born
The story of how a quote from my interview with Gore became a right-wing zombie meme, on Blogcritics.org.
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Americans and Climate Change: Leveraging the social sciences 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 we take a look at two social-science questions: first, the efficacy of threat-based vs. solution-based appeals (something we've discussed at length here), and second, the "loss-aversion effect." The latter in particular was fascinating to me -- it changed the way I look at a number of environmental messages.
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Will ADM surrender gracefully to cellulosic ethanol?
Don't miss a great piece by Sasha Lilley about Archer Daniels Midland and ethanol: "The dirty truth about green fuel."
The latter part covers the environmental sins of corn-based ethanol -- familiar to Gristmillians -- but the first part provides some crucial context. It's about ADM.
Here's a taste:
