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Mongo and Found uncover the hidden pleasures of reduce-reuse-recycle

Flo and Channing, a pair of occasionally employed, twentysomething hipsters in lower Manhattan, live well. At least, they eat well. They favor sushi and vegetarian pizza and soy milk and artisan bread, and they also like to indulge in custard pastries, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate croissants, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They're especially fond of waffles. And they eat it all for free. All they have to do is spend a few hours each night lurking outside restaurants, rescuing their favorite menu items from the trash. "Sometimes, people see what we're doing and say, eee-yew, how gross," says Flo. "Other times they offer to buy us a meal. We just say, no thanks, we have plenty of food here."

A clear eye from Britain

Leave it to the British Independent to cut to the chase and succinctly summarize the environment-ravaging agenda of a second Bush administration and its cronies in Congress. Even the title of its article succinctly summarizes it: "Bush sets out plan to dismantle 30 years of environmental laws."

Reporter Geoffrey Lean notes that three laws in particular are in the admin's sights:

1. the Clean Air Act,
   
2. the Endangered Species Act (as Amanda Griscom Little has reported), and
   
3. the National Environmental Policy Act.
   

Hate something

Via Green Car Congress, the story of a Honda U.K. ad for new, quieter diesel engines, featuring a catchy ditty sung by Garrison Keillor that's becoming so popular there's talk of releasing it as a single. It's pretty amazing. You can watch the ad here.

Lakoff worship

George Lakoff, framing guru and pundit to the (lefty) stars, is officially hitting the halls of power. Tomorrow, he will meet with House Democrats, who are desperate for someone, anyone to help them craft a winning message.

The danger, of course, is that Lakoff's work on framing, which actually has deep roots in cognitive science, will be watered down to the point that it's just about a new collection of catchphrases. To wit:

He has suggested that same-sex marriage should be referred to as "the right to marry." Trial lawyers like vice presidential nominee John Edwards should instead be called "public protection attorneys," and the term environmental protection, which brings to mind big government and reams of regulations, should instead be termed "poison-free communities."

Lets hope the Dems take the underlying message to heart, and don't just view this as a soundbite buffet.

Bjorn again

Bjorn Lomborg has an editorial in yesterday's L.A. Times, presenting -- in extremely rudimentary form -- the results of his already notorious Copenhagen Consensus. While the composition of Lomborg's group and its specific conclusions have been harshly criticized -- in particular see John Quiggin's blog here, here, here, and here, and also this Disinfopedia entry -- it's worth saying that the enterprise itself is entirely worthy, if done properly and honestly.

It is true that aid money is not spent rationally. If it were possible to get a serious, empirical accounting of the world's problems from a wide variety of experts and use it to rationalize and prioritize spending, every enviro should be foursquare behind it, even if some enviro priorities get bumped down the list.

Sadly, Lomborg's enterprise bears little resemblance to that ideal.

Up the Leak Without a Paddle

New documents point to Union Carbide culpability on Bhopal Since the Bhopal disaster in 1984, Union Carbide Corp. (UCC), owner of the leaking chemical plant, has denied responsibility, saying that its Indian subsidiary (Union Carbide India Limited, or UCIL) was solely responsible for the plant’s design and management. But newly uncovered documents cast doubt on […]

Grousal Abuse

Sage grouse unlikely to receive protection under ESA A panel of biologists and managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended against listing the greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act. FWS Director Steve Williams will make a final decision by Dec. 29, but observers say he’s likely to follow the panel’s […]

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Poison Spray

Afghan poppy fields mysteriously sprayed with chemicals Recently, planes have been flying over the poppy fields of Afghan farmers, spraying them — along with houses, orchards, and perhaps even families — with toxic chemicals apparently intended to kill poppy crops and keep them from being converted to heroin. Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed shock at […]

States Hafta NAFTA

International trade treaties hamper states on environmental protection When the U.S. signed on to international trade treaties like NAFTA, enviros warned that it could hamper efforts to pass and enforce eco-friendly laws and regulations, and there’s mounting evidence to support those dark predictions. After a period of caution and reticence, U.S. trading partners are more […]

“De-urbanizing” Yosemite

Think everything is going to hell? Well, you're right. But still, the fact that Yosemite National Park is undergoing something of a renewal is happy news nonetheless.