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From Beauty to Burgers

Miss environmentality The newly crowned Miss Rhode Island has taped up her boobies, Vaselined her teeth, and strutted her stuff in a swimsuit and heels — all in the service of fighting global warming. The tiara’d staffer for the Harvard Green Campus Initiative says it’s all part of her plan to push the issue in […]

An assist from an angler scribe

I must admit I reach first for the sports page in the morning. The headlines on the front page of the Washington Post these days are just too depressing to be the first things I face.

So imagine my surprise last weekend when I found biting environmental-policy commentary in section E. Never one to read fishing or hunting commentaries, the pictures of bloviating politicians smack in the middle of renowned wildlife columnist Angus Phillips' column caught my attention.

Titled "Party Talk Leaves Plenty of Room for Action," Phillips absolutely dismantles a Washington press event on the Potomac (literally -- there were optional canoe trips) to announce the everything's-voluntary-and-we-won't-really-fund-it National Fish Habitat Action Plan.

Showing that he could have a second career as a political reporter, Phillips concludes with:

Green-Up on Aisle Six

Supermarket chains now offering store-brand organic foods The hippies-and-yuppies stereotype that’s long stuck to organic food may soon fade, as mainstream supermarket chains in the U.S. introduce hundreds of store-brand organic products. Supermarket organics can cost 10 to 15 percent less than national-brand organics, while still adhering to the same federal standards. Consumer demand is […]

It’s All Happening at the Zooplankton

New species of deep-sea zooplankton discovered Scientists have found 10 to 20 new species of zooplankton deep in the Atlantic Ocean, including teeny-tiny shrimp-like creatures, gooey jellyfish-esque plankton, and swimming worms. Zooplankton form the base of many ocean food chains and act as carbon sinks by feeding on carbon-laden plant phytoplankton and then sinking to […]

The Artful Roger

Roger Mustalish, Amazon researcher and protector, answers readers’ questions For Roger Mustalish, head of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research, a trip to Peru’s Amazon rainforest is, to quote the ubiquitous credit-card ads, priceless. (And by entering Grist‘s sweepstakes, your trip to Peru really could be price-less!) As InterActivist this week, Mustalish chats […]

Read and Green and Urban All Over

Plans for an eco-city in China inspire a green neighborhood in London The world’s largest eco-city is soon to be built in China, on an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai. Dongtan, being developed by London’s Arup Urban Design, will consist of village-style neighborhoods and will emphasize pedestrian-friendliness, renewable-energy generation, and […]

Dirk du Soleil

Interior nominee Kempthorne backs away from plan to sell U.S. forests Senate confirmation hearings began yesterday for Interior Secretary nominee Dirk Kempthorne, and oh, the fun that was had. One hot topic was the Bush administration’s proposal to fund rural schools by selling thousands of acres of public land; the Dirkster, who supported sale of […]

What we can learn from anti-smoking advocates

Jamais Cascio -- late of Worldchanging, now ensconced in a snug new blog home -- has an intriguing post up arguing that there are parallels between the climate-crisis debate and the smoking debate of yore, and furthermore that those pushing the climate-crisis issue have much to learn from anti-smoking advocates.

I think he's right on both counts. But I also think he's being rather optimistic about both the parallels and the lessons. Consider this:

Climate crisis and the 2008 election

Wesley Clark is talking about global warming the climate crisis. I'm really curious to see how the issue plays out as candidates start jockeying, looking ahead to 2008.

Everyone on the Dem side will need to acknowledge it, of course, but I wonder which ones will really grab it and try to make it a signature issue. Most of all I want to see what Hillary Clinton, the front-runner [weeps silently], will say about it. I predict a tepid brew.

And of course the calculus on the Republican side is more complex. There's still enormous skepticism about it in the base, and there's the omni-present corporate lobby to please. But public pressure is building and it's becoming increasingly embarrassing to be an outright denier. So candidates on the R side will be probing and experimenting, looking for just the right balance of pander, misdirection, and earnest expression of concern.

Should be fun to watch.

(via EnergyBulletin)

UCLA student wins Larry David’s hybrid in surprise giveaway

UCLA students in Prof. Sherman's "ENVIRON 188: Effective Methods of Social Change" class got quite a surprise yesterday when Larry and Laurie David showed up to lecture about the climate crisis. One student in particular, Erick Tarula (pictured at left with Larry David; photo: Getty Images, courtesy mtvU), was even more surprised when he was handed the keys to the Prius Larry drives on Curb Your Enthusiasm. The lucky med student is the winner of the Curb Global Warming sweepstakes; he was one of tens of thousands who registered for the Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington (Laurie's pet project) at mtvU.com.

The couple's surprise visit and lecture was caught on film as part of mtvU's (Emmy nominated!) series "Stand In," which has featured other unexpected profs including Sting, Madonna, Bill Gates, Cameron Diaz, Marilyn Manson (!), and Snoop Dogg (!!).

In a press release from our friends at MTV, a staffer said they were honored to have the couple lecture on such a critical issue; Laurie said it was great to talk to students about making an impact; and Larry, well, he claims his wife offered up his car without asking him and had this to say: "This was a great day except for the part when I gave away the car." Oh, Larry, I heart you.

The episode of "Stand In" with Larry and Laurie David will premiere Tuesday on mtvU and mtvU's broadband channel, Über.