Articles by Sara Barz

Questions for Gore’s energy plan?

This Sunday, Al Gore will appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" to talk about the energy action plan he unveiled in Washington this week.

So, Grist readers, in tribute to the late Tim Russert, what kind of tough questions do you want host Tom Brokaw to lob Gore's way? Offer your suggestions here.

Looking ahead, is it safe to say that Gore stands to get a very warm reception from interim "Meet" host Brokaw? After all, the ex-NBC anchor hosted an Emmy Award-winning Discovery show back in 2006 that explored the reality of climate change and the need to address it. And he's a self-proclaimed environmentalist -- a lover of the outdoors (travels the world with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard) who touts his personal efforts to conserve energy.

Brokaw also did his part to flack Gore's movie, "An Incovenient Truth."

Will Brokaw embrace his inner Russert and grill Gore about how exactly the nation can meet a 100 percent renewable electricity goal by 2018?

Blogosphere responds reservedly to Gore’s call for 100 percent renewable electricity

Al Gore stood up in Washington today to call on Americans to join a crusade for 100 percent renewable electricity use by 2018.

The blogosphere's response? A golf clap and general round of nitpicking ...

Some see the renewable energy goal as a touch impractical, and his beating of the carbon tax drum (1993 ... anyone? anyone?) irked plenty of conservatives -- no surprise -- and congressional Democrats on the grounds of poor timing as the American economy limps along.

A roundup of reactions:

MLB, NRDC, and Chevy partner for ‘greenest’ All-Star Game

Tonight's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in New York should be the "greenest" MLB event ever, according to Reuters. In partnership with Chevy and NRDC, MLB incorporated a number of "green" initiatives into tonight's game: Athletes will be transported to and from Yankee Stadium in FlexFuel Chevy Silverados, post-consumer recycled waste content and bio-based materials will be included in paper products, and NRDC green teams will roam the stands of Yankee Stadium encouraging debauched and inebriated baseball fans to recycle.

However, the centerpiece of the green All-Star Game is the giant "green" red carpet upon which the all-star players paraded for 18 blocks down Sixth Avenue. The 95,000-square-foot carpet, created by Bentley Prince Street, Inc. of California, was made completely out of recycled fiber content, and 100 percent of electricity was generated by an on-site solar array or financed through the purchase of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates.

Too bad the FlexFuel Chevy Silverados in which the All-Stars paraded were less green than the carpet upon which they rolled.

Fox will broadcast the final Yankee Stadium All-Star Game starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.

A semi-comprehensive sportin’ round-up

Beijing Olympics 2008: With less than 30 days to the Olympic games, Chinese officials and businesses have actively been touting efforts to reduce air pollution. Even as visibility was down to a few hundred meters in the pollution-laden misty July weather, Beijing's environmental bureau insisted that there will be clear skies for the August games.

Chinese corporations are trying to do their part to curb the smog. The Beijing Shougang Group has cut steel production by 70 percent and will take a 2 million yuan loss for the third quarter. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told the AP, "We are confident that atmospheric pollution will have no major impact on the Olympic Games."

However, Olympic athletes are not quite as confident as Rogge in the Beijing climate. In the lead-up to the games, the Canadian Olympic Road Racing Team will train in Kyoto, Japan, thereby avoiding the streets of Beijing until the last possible second.

Perhaps the Canadians are right to raise a skeptical eyebrow at Rogge's claims. As of early July, Beijing's smog was five times over the safety limit and a few recent health studies have indicated that polluted air may affect blood circulation and athletic performance for asthmatics and non-asthmatics alike.