Climate Technology

More on Superfund

I’ve posted several pieces recently on the recent Center for Public Integrity study of the downfall of Superfund. There are two more pieces out this week that relate — this one on the EPA diverting funds from the program, and this one on the EPA giving clean-up cash to the very same businesses that created […]

Garret Keizer burns in anger about ‘green capitalism’

The new Harper's (June 2007) contains a stunning and powerful "Notebook" essay titled "Climate, Class, and Claptrap," by Garret Keizer -- a minister, if I recall correctly. Keizer writes as well as Wendell Berry, but with a kind of righteous anger that the more ponderous Berry tamps down. This essay is about the contradictions inherent in the environmental community's fast embrace of "green capitalism" and wondertoys.

The intestinal tipping point came for me when a contingent of students from Middlebury College (annual tuition and fees $44,330) found both the gas money and the gall to drive to the town of Sheffield (annual per-capita income $13,277) in order to lecture the provincials on their responsibility to the earth and its myriad creatures. Not to be outdone, a small private school in our area (annual tuition and fees $76,900) has challenged the wind projects as a source of noise disturbance for its special-needs students. This could actually turn the tide. Like a bookie assessing the hindquarters of horses, I've learned to place my bets with a sharp eye on tuition and fees. Don't tell me where you went to school; just tell me what it cost.

Alas, the issue is not yet available online, but like every issue of Harpers, is well worth a read at your library or newsstand. (There is also a nice series of short pieces, including one by Bill McKibben -- of Middlebury College, I seem to recall -- on what needs to be done to repair the damage after W is impeached or limps home in disgrace in 2009.)

To whet your appetite, I'll further shred my carpal tunnels to share more of this powerful piece:

Only 994 to go!

This is kind of a cool idea — a Canadian student is hoping to put up 1,000 green business logos on his site by the end of the year. The gist: 1,000 businesses promote their environmentally friendly initiatives for 2008 in one place The idea is to collect all these plans and ideas in one […]

Sheddy Mercury

Wal-Mart to cut mercury content in compact fluorescent bulbs As energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs move their way into the mainstream, concerns about their mercury content are spiraling up too. Soon, however, consumers will be able to find less-toxic CFLs for always low prices. Yes, Wal-Mart announced yesterday that its bulb suppliers will reduce mercury […]

Oxy Frontin

Indigenous tribe sues oil company over pollution in Peru A group of indigenous tribe members from Peru has filed suit against Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum in a U.S. court, claiming that the company’s operations in the Amazon from 1975 to 1999 contaminated their food and water supplies, hurt their health, and led to the death […]

Doin’ What Comes Unnaturally

GM joins climate pact, Citigroup pledges $50 billion to fight warming This week saw big businesses make big strides toward climate action — or at least talking about climate action. The U.S. Climate Action Partnership doubled its ranks, adding 14 businesses and green groups including GM, Dow Chemical, PepsiCo, and Shell. Since forming in January, […]

Rupert Murdoch launches effort to green News Corp.’s operations and programming

Today, the fast-growing cadre of corporate leaders pressing for climate action welcomes a new member: Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, the media empire that encompasses Fox News, 20th Century Fox, HarperCollins, MySpace.com, and dozens of newspapers in Australia, the U.K., the U.S., and beyond. Rupert Murdoch. Photo: Kelly Kline/WireImage.com At an event held this […]

Clean-up on aisle … earth

Maybe not on price, but on solar.

Wal-Mart just announced about 10 MW of solar on 22 stores.

Nice.

Kohl's, a grocery chain department store, is doing 30 MW.

Nicer.

These are significant contracts, and the companies signing them deserve kudos for putting their money where their mouths are.

Oh what a relief it biz

The United States Climate Action Partnership, the group of corporations calling "on the federal government to quickly enact strong national legislation to require significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions," just doubled in size (PDF):

With its new members, USCAP companies now have total revenues of $1.7 trillion, a collective workforce of more than 2 million and operations in all 50 states; they also have a combine market capitalization of more than $1.9 trillion.

The big news is that General Motors has joined the list:

Traded In His Chevy for a Cad Attack

Speaking in Detroit, Obama tells Big Auto where to go Presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) took his rhetoric to Detroit yesterday, challenging the U.S. auto industry to get with the times. “The need to drastically change our energy policy is no longer a debatable proposition,” he said in a speech to the city’s Economic […]