Climate Technology
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Clean energy comes to the coalfields
The name says it all. Carbon County, Pennsylvania is a county of 58,000 located in the heart of the Keystone State’s famed anthracite coalfields. The county was famous not just for its coal, but also the notorious Molly Maguires that exemplified the kind of organized violence between workers and bosses that marked 19th century American […]
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The New York Times blows the solar PV story
It would seem like an easy story for the paper of discord record: In recent months, chains including Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores to generate electricity on a large scale … In the coming months, 85 Kohl’s stores will get solar panels; 43 […]
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Umbra on eco-conversions
Dear Umbra, In all sorts of corporate environmental reports, you see claims that compare apples to oranges — “By reducing our emissions by X pounds this year, we’ve saved the equivalent of 17 gazillion trees.” Or “If every person in the U.S. bought our eco-friendly product, we could save all the baby harp seals.” OK, […]
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Annals of demand response
“Fleet plans are made months and months in advance. We’re going to work to get our fleet more in line with what consumers are demanding. But the shift is so quick and revolutionary that we weren’t able to respond quickly.” — Chris Payne, spokesman for rental agency Dollar Thrifty Automotive, commenting on the sudden surge […]
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U.S. economy shifting to — gasp! — efficiency
When it comes to urging environment-mindedness, high oil prices have proven much more persuasive than green groups ever did. The U.S. economy, built on cheap, plentiful energy, is shifting into a new mode. Americans are driving less, riding transit more, ditching SUVs, and moving back into city centers. We’re seeking energy efficiency in our appliances […]
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The natural foods giant stumbles into an E. coli outbreak
In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat industry. Suddenly, Whole Foods can’t get a break. Its share price has plunged about 70 percent since the end of 2005. Its marketing execs are scrambling to shed the company’s reputation for premium-priced offerings — a market position they once reveled in. The […]
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GM prepares to roll out Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
We’ve all been there: You want to go green, but you also want to keep rollin’ the streets in the biggest, blingiest vehicle possible. What’s an eco-minded luxury-SUV driver to do? Well, stress no more: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, billed as the first luxury hybrid SUV, will hit showrooms later this month. The hybrid […]
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As GMO sugar beets sneak into the food supply, citizens fight back
“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Anthropologist Margaret Mead Even if you’ve heard the above quote many times before, the sentiment expressed is so powerful that I think it’s worth repeating. All around the world, small groups of […]
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Government-guaranteed, for-profit businesses are inherently risky
Q: What do the banking crisis and the energy crisis have in common? A: They have both been created in no small part by government policies that have expressly incentivized risky behavior. For the banking perspective, pick up any recent issue of The Economist. They have lately been running a series of rather insightful critiques […]
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IKEA invests in cleantech, may soon stock solar panels
Heading to IKEA for some meatballs and easy-to-assemble furniture? You may soon be able to pick up solar panels as well. The Swedish manufacturer plans to invest some $75 million in a handful of cleantech startups, focusing on the areas of solar energy, lighting, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, and water conservation. Ultimately, IKEA has a […]
