Latest Articles

Gridding Our Loins

New energy sources await a smarter energy grid Newsweek has a dandy package of stories on the future of energy. Aside from an interview with ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond, in which he says, more or less, “screw everything else, oil is the thing,” the stories present a relatively hopeful picture. There are bits on getting […]

Have Modified Genes, Will Travel

Genetically modified plants spreading hither and thither Genes from genetically modified grass can spread much farther than previously believed, according to a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study focused on a new strain of creeping bentgrass — commonly used on golf courses for its resilience — developed […]

An interview with green-style guru Danny Seo

If Martha Stewart really is having a new-age awakening as she prepares to enter the clink (she just bought Body & Soul Magazine and rumor has it she intends to give her lifestyle empire a hint, at least, of green), she might want to take notes from one competitor who, at the tender age of […]

Big Trouble in Big China

News flash: China’s environment is bad and getting worse A Washington Post exploration of China’s environmental problems confirms all the sorry tales you’ve been hearing. The country contains at least six of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, experts say, leading to respiratory problems for millions of citizens. Deforestation in north and central China means […]

Umbra on choosing the least evil gasoline company

Dear Umbra, Every week I scan the gasoline signs looking for the cheapest deal, while knowing that what I pay in rock-bottom prices may come at the expense of environmental integrity and social justice. I’d like to choose my brand of gas with more conscience. Would you help? I’d love to see a ranking or […]

Gambler’s Dilemma

Investing in renewable energy can pose ethical dilemmas Over the past two years, the value of fossil-fuel companies has soared while the worldwide stock-market value of renewable-energy companies has declined from $13 billion to $10.7 billion. This, despite ever-renewing hope that a major energy transition will spark a boom in the renewables arena. Many Wall […]

Sturm Und Dang

Climate change and urbanization lead to more natural-disaster fatalities Thanks to global warming and the increasing concentration of the earth’s denizens in densely populated urban centers, more and more people are vulnerable to natural disasters — floods, droughts, storms, fires, landslides, and the like. The number of reported natural disasters rose from 261 in 1990 […]

Brent Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth chieftain, answers questions

With what environmental organization are you affiliated? I am president of Friends of the Earth. What does your organization do? What, in a perfect world, would constitute “mission accomplished”? Friends of the Earth is a national environmental organization celebrating our 35th anniversary this year. We are part of Friends of the Earth International, with member […]

Car Wars II: The Accord Strikes Back

Honda’s new hybrid Accord takes aim at Toyota Toyota has thus far dominated the market for gas-electric hybrid vehicles, with its so-hot-Cameron-Diaz-has-one Prius outselling Honda’s diminutive Civic Hybrid by an almost two-to-one margin in the U.S. this year (and let’s not even mention Honda’s Insight — you ever seen one?). Now Honda is fighting back […]

Sounds Familiar …

Conservative Australian leader gets green during election year Australian Prime Minister John Howard has long been viewed as an implacable foe of environmentalists, scoffing at the Kyoto Protocol, supporting logging in old-growth forests, and declaiming his unwillingness to lose a single job or dollar of economic growth in the name of environmental protection. However, it’s […]