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Do as we say …

This piece on Bush's meeting with Chinese President Hu is positively surreal. The gist is, the U.S. is upset because China is:

• striking oil deals with unsavory regimes (Sudan, Burma, Iran);
• attempting to increase its geopolitical influence;
• growing quickly and polluting heavily.

Sound like anybody else you know?

Presumably Bush isn't going to say flat out, "we don't want any competition." But what else does it mean?

Update [2006-4-20 15:59:42 by David Roberts]: I should also note that The Grey Lady has a blistering editorial on this very subject.

AOL celebrates Earth Day

AOL is celebrating Earth Day with a special website that features 11 ways to "save the planet & your wallet" (ubiquitously sponsored by GM's "Live Green, Go Yellow" campaign).

Topics include: driving, wear, home, yard, appliances, careers, investing, travel, eating, partying, and kids.

Several of the categories are accompanied by 30-second video clips featuring Peter Horton, Bradley Whitford and, of course, Laurie David (she's everywhere!).

And for all you AOL instant messenger users, Earth Day buddy icons!

And they even list Gristmill under their green blogs recommendations. Gee, thanks AOL!

Are you America’s most energy-inefficient person?

Just got word that Lowe's, Whirlpool, and the U.S. EPA Energy Star program will search this summer for the country's 10 most energy-inefficient families. The lucky winners will receive a home energy makeover "to lower their monthly bills and help save the environment" and a return visit a year later to see how it's all going. During the search, Lowe's stores will host hands-on energy-conservation clinics. It's all in honor of the 10th anniversary of people ignoring Energy Star.

It’s All in the List

The First Ever List of Grist Superlatives is now live. Who's the hottest eco-model? The mustachiest geo-green? What's the kinkiest eco-innovation? The most self-defeating anti-Kyoto argument? Check out our picks, then tell us what we botched, missed, or totally nailed.

Chip in the news

Still more laudatory press coverage for our Maximum Leader, this time in the form of a story from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), in which Chip participated lo many years ago.

It's a great story, but if I can raise the question on everyone's mind: Why must every story about Chip feature him standing on his head? What's up with that?

Death Rides a Slightly Less Pale Horse

Climate change may not totally wipe out the human species In what passes for good news on global warming these days, a new study has determined that climate sensitivity — the extent to which climate will react to increased greenhouse-gas levels — is likely within the mid-range of predictions. That means an atmospheric doubling of […]

Knock, Knock. Hu’s There.

Oil issue looms as Chinese prez visits White House Buying oil from unsavory regimes, thus ensuring their grip on power. Attempting to lock up oil supplies to increase geopolitical influence. Growing heedlessly and unsustainably, polluting the air and water. These are the kinds of behaviors the world can no longer tolerate from … China. Wait, […]

We’re So Vain, We Think This Party’s About Us

A dispatch from the launch party for Vanity Fair‘s green issue In case you haven’t noticed, we’re pretty dang excited that our own Chip Giller made the glossy green pages of the latest issue of Vanity Fair. And Vanity Fair‘s pretty excited to exclaim to the world that they’re turning an environmental corner. This week, […]

One for the Record Books, If They Survive the Floods

U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions hit record high This week, the feds quietly — as in, tiptoeing in socks, holding breath — released annual stats on U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, as required by the U.N. climate-change convention. The news is roughly as good as you would expect: The U.S., with only 5 percent of the world’s population, is […]

It’s All in the List

Our list of environmental goodies, oddities, and inanities We thought about being earnest this Earth Day — compiling some sort of inspiring list of in-the-trenches eco-heroes who need recognition and encouragement — but then we remembered: we’re Grist. So we bring you instead a capricious rundown of our favorite highs, lows, and wacky bits of […]