The Green Files: June 2005 Archives

The Green Files > June 30, 2005

Myths of social capital

[bottom drawer] I spend a lot of my time thinking about the shape of 'communities' or 'neighbourhoods' or 'cities' in the present and the future - how people relate to each other and what this nice word 'community' really means. I write as someone who has always been wary of whatever community I found myself in, who relishes the anonymity of a big city like London but who now finds themselves happily ensconced in small-town America and with all the community acquaintances and network that the steroetype demands (auto mechanic, gas station attendant, lawyer, judge)

Doors are closing on GMO's

[La Leva di Archimede (ENG)] CHARLOTTETOWN (CP) -- Hearings on whether Prince Edward Island should ban the use of genetically modified organisms in its agriculture industry has international experts on both sides of the debate digging in for a fight.

Posted at 01:28 AM

June 30, 2005

Myths of social capital

Posted at 01:33 AM

Doors are closing on GMO's

Posted at 01:28 AM

June 28, 2005

Governor calls for conservation

[Odograph.com] Taking proactive steps to avoid an energy crisis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking Californians to cut back their electricity consumption before there is a problem

Posted at 11:37 AM

Economic rationalism, water and conservation

[John Quiggin] Howard has moved quickly to oppose the idea of urban-rural water trade. Putting on my economic rationalist hat, it’s hard to see the rationale for this, and certainly those offered in the article are incoherent.

Posted at 11:35 AM

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

[BLACK BEAR SPEAKS] A landmark study released yesterday reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth - such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests - are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

Posted at 11:29 AM

Eco-Restoration Firms See Growing Profits

[sustainablog] From Treehugger, news that ecosystems restoration work is hot. "Keith Bowers, chairman of the Society for Ecological Restoration International, says: 'From an ecological restoration standpoint, there's something on the order of tens of billions of dollars in the pipeline just in this country." On one level, this is encouraging: governments particularly are placing emphasis on repairing damaged ecosystems that provide millions of dollars worth of "services." At the same time, I'm bothered by a fact late in the post: "Funding for such restoration projects far exceeds global funding for basic conservation." I would hope that we could at least equalize this equation so maybe eco-restoration doesn't have to be multi-billion dollar concern down the road...

Posted at 11:09 AM

Stewart Brand’s Environmental Heresies

[house of the hanged man] Environmental Heresies Stewart Brand, author, founder of Whole Earth and co-founder of The WELL, and participant in The Long Now Foundation, writes...

Posted at 10:48 AM

June 27, 2005

Tear the Roof Off

[birdhouse.org] votesolar.org: Each day, more energy falls to the earth from the sun's rays than the total amount of energy the planet's 5.9 billion inhabitants would consume in 27 years.

Posted at 05:38 PM

Weekend Bird News..

[Bird's Eye View] I've seen great flocks of gulls in the Nevada desert (Mono Lake is nearby.) It seems that the gulls are expressing their annoying side in Sheboygan. I have neither advice nor any strong opinion on the standoff in Wisconsin, but I am much taken with the interesting "internal" rhyme..."annoyin' in Sheboygan."

Posted at 05:37 PM

This Week's Good Idea - Send a message to the G8

[Uganda Watch] Next week is the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY festival in Edinburgh before the start of the G8 summit. Even if you can't go, you can send a message to the G8 leaders.

Posted at 05:32 PM

Still In Denial About Global Warming

[Blog for Iowa :: Main Page] Still In Denial About Global Warming by Sunny Lewis, AlterNet.org The Bush Administration’s fingerprints are all over a draft of an international plan to combat climate change, weakening it beyond repair. The G8 plan to combat climate change has been "watered down" to satisfy the United States, an environmental group said last week after viewing a leaked draft prepared in advance of next month's G8 Summit at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

Posted at 05:30 PM

Biodiversity Farming and Restoration for Profit

[sustainablog] It also claims that while there are some serious problems with the whole concept of "mitigation banking" (and the best parallel I can think of is carbon/pollution credits), Dove Ridge may be the picture of the future. I do agree with Alex that thinking of "wilderness" as "a kind of farm which grew not crops, but biodiversity and ecosystem services" may help stem the tide of destruction of these valuable natural resources.

Posted at 05:08 PM

Mud Huts and Fire on a Stick

[Up Your Ego] When it comes to the environment I like to think I’m doing my bit - I turn lights off when I’m not in a room, I only have lights on if there is no natural source of light - I don’t leave electronic items on stand-by but turn them off completely, I don’t use aerosols and I don’t drive. But a post by Chicken Yoghurt gave me he heebee jeebee’s and made me want to start using a pen and paper again instead of my computer!

Posted at 05:07 PM

June 26, 2005

"Sell the car and walk."

[Apanthropinization] Michael O'Leary, the ebullient head of Ryanair, hit one nail on the head when he told those concerned about climate change: "Sell your car and walk." That advice would have made Mr O'Leary a national villain in the United States, where the right to cheap gas is assumed to be a clause of the constitution. For one reason or another, the reign of oil must come to an end.

Posted at 11:08 AM

Must Read: Climate Change is Real

[isen.blog] The National Academies of Sciences of the U.S., India, China, Russia, Brazil and 6 other major nations released a statement yesterday, on the occasion of the Bush-Blair summit, saying that there's strong evidence from direct measurements that global climate change is real. And it is likely -- they use this word advisedly and literally -- that most of it is due to human activities.

Posted at 11:07 AM

Global Call to Action Against Poverty July 1 - International White Band Day

[Sudan Watch] July 1, the first Global White Band Day will see people around the world wearing their white bands and wrapping public buildings in white to send a message to the G8 world leaders that they demand action on trade justice, debt cancellation, and more and better aid. International White Band Day will prove to be one of the largest global actions ever taken.

Posted at 11:05 AM

"Our Fair and Gluttonous Species..."

[sustainablog] Maybe the nutball evangelical born-agains have it right: Maybe it's best to just burn up this whole godforsaken lump of Earth as fast as possible and then watch in giddy flesh-rended glee as Armageddon rains down and only those who've given tens of thousands of dollars to secretly gay televangelists will rise up and be saved and the rest of us will merely drive our Priuses off a collective cliff into the fiery pits of gay-marriage-friendly hell.BTW, take a look at Diana's other posts on peak oil -- she's become a major resource in a short time...

Posted at 10:39 AM

Tsunami relief: Banda Aceh

[If you tolerate this... - the Greenpeace weblog] Today started with the arrival of the Rainbow Warrior in a bay about 50km to the South of Banda Aceh. We had steamed here overnight from our departure from Meulaboh where we had dropped our second consignment to the MSF hospital there.

Posted at 10:37 AM

Stewart Brand’s Environmental Heresies

[house of the hanged man] Environmental Heresies Stewart Brand, author, founder of Whole Earth and co-founder of The WELL, and participant in The Long Now Foundation, writes convincingly about some paradigm-shifting ideas in environmentalism. He argues persuasively that population growth as a problem in diminishing, that genetically modified organisms are potential solutions to problems from hunger to invasive species, and that nuclear power will solve our reliance on fossil fuels.

Posted at 10:30 AM

June 25, 2005

The Greatest Show on Earth: Geldof's Live 8 concerts July 2 to promote G8 Summit and Make Poverty History campaign

[Uganda Watch] Photo: Bob Geldof calls for sailors and boat owners, to form a massive flotilla across the English Channel in July as part of the global call for action against poverty (GCAP). Dame Ellen MacArthur is supporting the Make Poverty History campaign and international transport and travel companies have pledged their support by providing planes, trains, coaches to get people to Edinburgh by Wednesday 6 July when world leaders arrive for the G8 meeting.

Posted at 10:21 AM

Green Counter-revolution

[In the Agora] Now that development interests officially trump property rights, I think it's natural to wonder, "What trumps development interests?" Surveying the firestorm sweeping the blogosphere over Kelo, I had yet another of those Alice-through-the-looking-glass sensations when I realized who the enemy of my enemy is: environmental regulations.

Posted at 10:19 AM

What Peak Oil Will Mean for St. Louis

[Urban Review - St. Louis] Peak Oil is not a new term but many are not familiar with the concept. The basic principal is world-wide oil production is a bell curve and that at some point in time we will hit a peak with production just meeting demand.

Posted at 10:16 AM

Wildwood Natural Resources Committee

[GreenCracker - The Personal Blog of Jonathan Smith] Basically, I spend some time each month walking the trail that has been designated to me making sure brush is kept off the trail and answering questions if any visitors ask. Allen Marshall, who is one of the nicest people I've met has taught me a lot about plants and animals and some tips on how to control certain invasive species.

Posted at 10:14 AM

Analyzing Environmental Economics

[sustainablog] From the MoJo blog, some thoughts on the potential downsides of attaching economics value to public land, including "ecosystem services":

Posted at 09:47 AM

Tsunami relief: Meulaboh

[If you tolerate this... - the Greenpeace weblog] The MSF crew arrived shortly afterwards with all their local help to assist with the unloading, and we quickly got about the process of getting a couple of local boats to unload the RW.

Posted at 09:44 AM

Doors are closing on GMO's

Posted at 09:39 AM

June 24, 2005

Woolly Mammoth Park

[Science News Blog * Science News and Trends *] A group of Japanese scientists plan to build a woolly mammoth refuge similar to the fictional Jurassic Park found in Michael Crichton's bestselling novel. In addition to mammoths the scientists would also like to have woolly rhinoceroses and saber-toothed cats in the park which would be built in northern Siberia.

Posted at 07:10 AM

Design a building like a termite mound for sustainablity!

[Dewayne Mikkelson and Shadow his Webdog] The extraordinary Eastgate Buildingin Harare, Zimbabwe, is just one example of sustainable architecturethat uses dramatically less energy by copying the successful strategiesof indigenous natural systems. The building - the country's largestcommercial and shopping complex - uses the same heating and coolingprinciples as a local termite mound.Termites in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds inside of which they farm afungus which is their primary food source.

Posted at 07:08 AM

Geldof's Live 8 - the greatest show on Earth - promotes G8 Summit and Make Poverty History Campaign

[Sudan Watch] Photo: Bob Geldof calls for sailors and boat owners, to form a massive flotilla across the English Channel in July as part of the global call for action against poverty (GCAP). Dame Ellen MacArthur is supporting the Make Poverty History campaign and international transport and travel companies have pledged their support by providing planes, trains, coaches to get people to Edinburgh by Wednesday 6 July when world leaders arrive for the G8 meeting.

Posted at 07:06 AM

Alternative Energy ~ Renewable Energy: Green Office Guide

[Poor Richard's Anorak] Alternative Energy ~ Renewable Energy: Green Office Guide Link: Alternative Energy ~ Renewable Energy: Green Office Guide...

Posted at 07:03 AM

"Biodiversity and human well-being just cannot be separated..."

[sustainablog] Neville Ash, a member of the Millenial Assessment synthesis team, sums it up nicely: "The bottom line is that you cannot achieve long-term poverty alleviation without sustainability. "In order to reduce hunger and poverty and increase access to clean water and sanitation, we need to have a strong base of environmental sustainability which is providing these services on which people rely for their well-being." Via WorldChanging and the BBC.

Posted at 06:36 AM

Lamno town

[If you tolerate this... - the Greenpeace weblog] Lamno town itself sits about 5km up the river from where we currently are and has missed bearing the brunt of the Tsunami due to its slightly higher elevation, and this is where MSF has set up a hospital to cater for people in the district who have been badly affected, they are also trying to run mobile clinics. Their work in the refugee camps concentrates on water sanitation (no one else is doing this around here), building toilets and showers and they have responsibility for much of the vaccination (measles) and anti malarial work and general medical work that needs to be done here.

Read related posts for „Lamno town“.

Posted at 06:31 AM

Monsanto becomes the largest supplier of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world

[La Leva di Archimede (ENG)] The new acquisition not only makes Monsanto the largest supplier of vegetable seeds in the world, but also, according to the company's calculations, the largest seed and biotech company over all. It would surpass DuPont, which owns the corn seed giant Pioneer Hi-Bred, in terms of revenues derived from seeds and biotech traits.

Posted at 06:25 AM

June 22, 2005

Another side of James Howard Kunstler

[isen.blog] by James Howard Kunstler, who has provided some vivid and ugly scenarios for civilization's (and especially the United States') readjustment to an age of scarcer fossil fuel. The book is gripping and plausible, but Kunstler has turned off some of the best scientists I know by getting several of his big facts wrong.

Posted at 12:55 PM

Where are the Big Conservation Groups on CAFTA?

[sustainablog] In response, I told Michael that I hadn't followed the CAFTA debate nearly as closely as I wanted to, and it's amazing how our leaders in Washington have a hard time grasping the idea that doing the same thing over and over in expectation of a different result is a form of insanity. I agree completely that the silence of groups like the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund doesn't reflect well on them, as the environmental prices we've paid for previous "free trade" agreements have been immense.

Posted at 12:51 PM

Somebody Open a Window

[Waving or Drowning?] With 5m car sales last year, China is already the world's third-largest car market, after America (17m) and Japan (5.9m). “China is going to become the second-largest market in the world sometime over the next two or three years,” says David Thomas, head of China distribution for Ford.

Posted at 12:48 PM

Hong Kong Disneyland: A Shark's Tail?

[superchefblog] By JULIETTE ROSSANT I remember the fiasco over French food at Disneyland Paris and thought Disney had surely learned a thing or two about the importance of American food in an American theme park. Evidently the resounding financial disaster of EuroDisney has not sunk in to those planning Hong Kong Disneyland, scheduled to open September 12th, 2005.

Posted at 12:47 PM

Human's Activities Threaten Earth's Future

[Science News Blog * Science News and Trends *] An alarming survey, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth –- such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests –- are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

Posted at 12:46 PM

wood stove pollution

[tingilinde] Whether the smoke released comes from a woodstove, a fireplace or a campfire, it is not as “environmentally safe” as you might think. According to Environment Canada, a woodstove that is not certified emits as many fine particles into the air in nine hours as does a certified woodstove in 60 hours or a mid-size automobile traveling 18,000 km in one year.

Posted at 12:44 PM

Underground Urban Farming in Tokyo

[Murky View] The first time I saw an Urban farm was in Tokyo. I was visiting my friend there and across the street, in what would have been just an empty lot in...

Posted at 12:42 PM

June 21, 2005

White House Continues Action Against Earth

[theboxtank] G-8 Draft on Global Warming Is Weakened at U.S. Behest

Posted at 01:02 PM

Fate of the renewable portfolio standard

[@ Monkeysign] I do not have time for much comment right now, but RenewableEnergyAccess is running an article discussing the likely fate of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) approved by the Senate last week. According to the article, the Chair of the Senate Energy Committee, Pete Domenici (R-NM), is “not committed to maintain this amendment in conference,” suggesting that if his counterparts in the House of Representatives do not like it, the RPS will be removed from the energy bill before the final votes by the House and Senate.

Posted at 01:00 PM

Cooney Lands At Exxon

[Media Cynic -- Independent Political Blog] Former chief of staff to the White House Council on Environmental Quality Phillip Cooney -- best known for his role in altering scientific conclusions in the U.S. government's climate reports -- has landed a cushy new job with Exxon-Mobil, according to Scott McClellan at yesterday's White House Press Briefing.

Posted at 12:59 PM

Japanese Whaling Duplicity

[Burningbird] This has been in the news a lot lately down here as the Japanese have been having a governmental tiff with Australia in particular on this issue. I seem to remember hearing on the news that they were even infringing on Australia’s southernmost waters.

Posted at 12:57 PM

your credit and the environment

[all about E] your credit and the environment I just opted out of receiving credit card and insurance offers. You can go here and do the same.

Posted at 12:55 PM

I Just Don't Feel Safe in Suburbia

[Urban Review - St. Louis] The exit from Westbound 40 (highway 40, I-64) onto Brentwood is always a nightmare as traffic from Hanley is merging in as traffic is exiting for I-170. At the bottom of the ramp at Brentwood was a minor three car accident.

Posted at 12:54 PM

The Malleability of Words: The Wise Use Movement

[Defrag David’s Brain] Manipulation is manipulation, whether done via an Orwellian (”1984″) mind control or via socially imposed views (i.e. mass media and television).

Posted at 12:54 PM

June 20, 2005

Delete! in Vienna

[The Skakagrall] Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf are covering every sign and advert in Vienna’s Neubaugasse with yellow plastic/paper. It started on 6 June and will last until 20 June.

Posted at 10:39 AM

Backtracks on the Kyoto Pact

[Fresh Politics - Politics from the Student Perspective] National’s environment spokesman, Nick Smith, says the party, if elected, will consider pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol, despite the cost to New Zealand’s international reputation, given the “hammering” the economy will take under the latest numbers.

Posted at 10:38 AM

Pink and Shadows

[Burningbird] Thursday I thought I would try the Castor Shut-Ins, see if the overcast days would help with the photographs. The challenge with taking photos in Missouri is the unusual coloration of much of the environment here–all that pink because of the iron deposits in the state.

Posted at 10:36 AM

Electrics

[Odograph.com] The After Gutenberg blog has been running interesting stories on: Ford electric cars...

Read related posts for „Electrics“.

Posted at 10:34 AM

Civil Resolution in Environmental Case

[White Collar Crime Prof Blog] Many cases are resolved by the government civilly. In some cases it is because the element needed to proceed criminally is not present.

Posted at 10:33 AM

“Extraordinary efforts” by Bush White House to Scuttle International Efforts on Global Change

[Guns, Germs Steeled] The paper reports that the documents reveal how the Bush administration has pulled out of financial pledges to fund a network of regional climate centers throughout Africa which were designed to monitor the unfolding impact of global warming and that the U.S. has reneged on plans to support a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to help developing states develop economically while controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Posted at 10:31 AM

Bush Poll Numbers Continue Their Freefall

[Media Cynic -- Independent Political Blog] In the most serious split over the president's Iraq policy, two Republican House members joined with Democrats Thursday urging President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq in October of 2006.

Posted at 10:29 AM

June 19, 2005

G8 climate plans 'watered down'

[davblog] A version of the communiqué leaked in May treated climate change as a fact and pledged money to energy projects. In the new version the words "our world is warming" appear in square brackets, meaning at least one country disagrees, and all financial pledges have gone.

Posted at 01:11 PM

Friedman on Toyota & 500 Miles Per Gallon

[Our View From Madison: www.Zmetro.com] I generally like Thomas Friedman's writing. However, he fails to mention Toyota's large gas guzzling SUV business while praising their "green" hybrid cars.

Posted at 01:10 PM

“They rewrote everything.”

[billville] “The Bush administration altered critical portions of a scientific analysis of the environmental impact of cattle grazing on public lands before announcing Thursday that it would relax regulations limiting grazing on those lands…”

Posted at 01:08 PM

U.S. Pressure Weakens G-8 Climate Plan

[Odograph.com] U.S. Pressure Weakens G-8 Climate Plan Filed under: General Environment ”” odograph @ 8:42 am Again, it is one thing to argue policy, is another to...

Posted at 01:06 PM

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak Evil

[Politry] Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak Evil June 18th, 2005 The administration thinks evolution disappears if they rewrite textbooks, and global warming...

Posted at 01:06 PM

Federal renewable portfolio standard passes U.S. Senate

[@ Monkeysign] Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and co-sponsored by a slew of others (including the original sponsors of S.AMDT.771), the primary differences between this and original amendment are the timing and required generation levels. As passed, it calls for renewable electricity production levels of 2.5% in 2008-2011, 5.0% in 2012-2015, 7.5% in 2016-2019, and 10.0% in 2020-2030.

Posted at 01:02 PM

exxon makes a cold calculation on global warming

[LarsonsWorld | just another persons waste of time] Along with the Bush administration, Exxon opposes the Kyoto accord and the very idea of capping global-warming emissions. Congress is debating an energy bill that may be amended to include a cap, but the administration and Exxon say the costs would be huge and the benefits uncertain.

Posted at 01:00 PM

June 18, 2005

Scrumptious Human Rice

[Science News Blog * Science News and Trends *] Present GM crops are modified with genes from bacteria to make them tolerate herbicides, so that they are not harmed when fields are sprayed to kill weeds. But most of them are only able to deal with a single herbicide, which means that it has to be used over and over again, allowing weeds to build up resistance to it.

Posted at 05:51 PM

Environmentalism and Nuclear are compatible.

[living, breathing, dancing...] Thanks to Boing Boing for bringing to my attention this article: Environmental Heresies. It's interesting, too, to read that Patrick Moore, Greenpeace cofounder, is pro-nuclear because I thought that Greenpeace had a blanket aversion of all things to do with atomic energy, power plants as well as weapons.

Posted at 05:50 PM

Secrets, Lies and GMOs

[sustainablog] Kurt at Resource Insights connects two recent stories: British discoveries of the effects of genetically modified organisms on wildlife, and US Dept. of Agriculture admissions that it'd kept secret "contamination of corn seed in the United States with an unapproved biotech variety over the last four years." Kurt draws two conclusions:

Posted at 05:48 PM

Diving Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior

[Divester] Two decades later, the Rainbow Warrior is still serving the environment: it’s a popular artificial reef in Northland, NZ.

Posted at 05:48 PM

#

[Tom Morris] # Tim of An Englishman’s Castle points to a really interesting report by the American Soybean Association which hits the environmentalist idiots...

Read related posts for „#“.

Posted at 05:47 PM

Save the Whales

[Laugh Loud and Often] That is an interesting little tidbit about the whales, I had no idea they were still being killed over there while we are over here on eggshells...*gosh* ANYWAY, you know, I am quickly discovering that there are TONS of little interesting things like that. If I concentrate on them to long or to often my brain starts to feel packed to tightly...hmm...

Posted at 05:42 PM

Tsunami relief: Lammo day 2

[If you tolerate this... - the Greenpeace weblog] It turns out that Pierre is a really nice guy, and between the shipments we receive on the keyside -we talk about MSF as an organization and he also tells me about his 14 years in the field. He told me that his assignments are normally between 1-3 years;

Posted at 05:40 PM

June 17, 2005

Gas-Optional Hybrid Vehicle

[After Gutenberg] In the WordChanging post Jamais Cascio rhetorically asks whether a gas-optional hybrid that recharges from the grid when parked at home is really better than a standard hybrid when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions? While the advent of hybrids is commendable since they seem to be fostering a greater preference for electric vehicles over ones that solely rely upon internal combustion engines, as environmentalists are quick to point out, they are other than ZEV (zero emission vehicles).

Posted at 08:59 AM

U.S. Senators Mount Assault on Wind Power

[Odograph.com] This bill has to be a naked attack on wind power, just because its provisions are so nonsensical. It would prevent tax credits to “any wind project located within 20 miles of a coastline”

Posted at 08:58 AM

A Matter of Class

[Blog for Iowa :: Main Page] If you haven't seen this already - the New York Times ran a series titled "Class Matters", with many interactive graphics demonsrating class inequality - and just where you place on the "class ladder" in the United States.

Posted at 08:57 AM

The Inco Mine at Sudbury, Ontario

[Sprol] The high concentration of metals found in the Sudbury Basin are believed to be the remnants of a 1,850 year old meteorite impact crater. When this meteorite smashed into Canada's Precambrian Shield, transition metals like platinum were formed in the resulting extreme heat and pressure.

Posted at 08:56 AM

U.S. Senators to debate federal renewable portfolio standard

[@ Monkeysign] I hope that as the debateunfolds, Senators Jeffords, Kerry, and Cantwell are able to present uswith some independent assessments of the costs of their plan. Good news or bad news, I do not think this amendment stand much chance of approval, but at least it can shine the spotlight on renewables for a few moments in the national energy policy debate.

Posted at 08:55 AM

Spin This

[billville] World Processor is Ingo Günther’s artistic imposition of GIS-like social and environmental data on to traditional globes. It’s beautiful artwork.

Read related posts for „Spin This“.

Posted at 08:54 AM

Design Shouldn’t Make Maintenance More Difficult

[MNteractive] The new Walker Art Center is very cool looking. As I walked by this afternoon, I saw a maintenance person weed whacking the twenty or so perfect circles of grass.

Posted at 08:54 AM

June 16, 2005

CITYHIPPY: Newsletter & Delicious

[City Hippy: The diary of our struggle to live a green and fair life.] Sorry for posting slow-down...summer is upon us...lots of collective peeps away and outdoors, ie not at their pc's, so small slowdown posting...

Posted at 10:30 AM

Cooney Lands Job With Exxon

[Center for Media and Democracy - Publishers of PR Watch] Cooney, the former chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality who resigned last week after it was revealed that his editing of government scientists reports downplayed the significance of climate change. An Exxon Mobil spokesman declined to provide details of Cooney's new job, which he starts in autumn. Deputy spokeswoman for the White House, Dana Perino, told the New York Times "Phil Cooney did a great job and we appreciate his public service and the work that he did, and we wish him well in the private sector."

Posted at 10:28 AM

Pulping The World, Part 2: Gunn Ltd is Pulping Tasmania, Australia

[Sprol] You're looking at clear-cut logging of the oldest growth rainforest in the world. In Tasmania, the largest of the 600 species of Eucalyptus trees found in Australia, and some of the tallest standing hardwood trees in the world, are being felled.

Posted at 10:27 AM

Green energy dilemmas

[Adventures in Ethical Consumerism] Thanks to City Hippy, I came across this interesting wee site. Which Green are in the business of rating energy suppliers according to how much they...

Posted at 10:26 AM

Not in your backyard, eh Senator?

[Odograph.com] WASHINGTON ”” Sen. Lamar Alexander has been vocally opposing wind energy ”” a stance that supporters of the technology are viewing in a new light after yesterday’s financial disclosure forms were filed in Congress.

Posted at 10:25 AM

Iowa's Deer Hunting Woes

[Blog for Iowa :: Main Page] This does work rather well when using shotguns because the shotgun slugs don't travel very far (about 150 yards) and generally everyone knows where everyone else is at. If rifles are introduced into this situation, then people will be shooting at deer that are further away and with that there is an increased chance that members of their own party could get hurt. Or even another party that happens to be over a hill could get hurt because of the distance that a bullet can carry.

Posted at 10:23 AM

The Dead Zone

[Barking Moonbat Early Warning System] The word Chernobyl also long ago became a dreary, shopworn joke, shorthand for contaminated wasteland. But Chernobylinterinform, the zone’s information agency, says its chaperoned tours do not carry health risks.

Read related posts for „The Dead Zone“.

Posted at 10:22 AM

June 15, 2005

INTERVIEW: Debra Lynn Dadd

[City Hippy: The diary of our struggle to live a green and fair life.] In the latest installment of City Hippy interviews, we spoke with Debra Lynn Dadd, The New York Times 'Queen of Green', a pioneering advocate for the consumer and for the planet. Located in the U.S., she is the author of Home Safe Home, which is described by the Library Journal as "is the ultimate reference of its kind, written by the leading authority on eliminating toxics in the home."

Posted at 06:40 AM

G8 Readies Plan for Oil Shocks

[Odograph.com] When the G8 allocates time and attention to oil shocks … something is up!

Posted at 06:37 AM

Environmental Chief of Staff Couldn't Take the Heat Over Global Warming

[Media Cynic -- Independent Political Blog] It looks like Philip Cooney couldn't take the global warming heat: he quit his post as chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality over the weekend, saying he's "considering his options." Documents leaked to a whistle-blower project and published last week in New York Times showed that Mr Cooney repeatedly deleted warnings in official policy papers about climate change. He also emphasised doubts about the scientific research into greenhouse gases.

Posted at 06:36 AM

Environment: Chemistry For Fun and Profit

[The Liquid List] WTOP radio news here in D.C. is reporting on an interesting discovery in the lush green waters of the mighty Potomac river. Male fish producing eggs:

Posted at 06:35 AM

Hydrogen Article at San Francisco Chronicle

[Odograph.com] We’ve been hearing a lot about the hydrogen economy lately, touted as the panacea for all our emission spewing, gasoline dependent ways. Fuel- cell cars, powered by hydrogen made from water with electricity from renewable energy, would emit only water vapor. The sin is in the omissions;

Posted at 06:33 AM

TV Alert: Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days"

[Blog for Iowa :: Main Page] A brief synopsis of the show was published in the Village Voice: 30 Days, a six-part television sequel to Super Size Me, warps the line between documentary and reality TV even further as it weaves through American culture.

Posted at 06:32 AM

Plastic People-Oh, Baby Now You’re Such A Drag

[The American Street] Back when I was a kid, when someone was living a life that we perceived was full of lies, self-deception, and shallowness, we would say, “God, he’s so plastic!” Little did we know how prescient that phrase would turn out to be.

Posted at 06:31 AM

June 14, 2005

On average, $5400, no $3300

[Odograph.com] In a discussion at ANWR News, I wondered if people just haven’t added up what they are spending on gas. Hoping to do some math, I tried to find the average miles driven by California families.

Posted at 09:11 AM

Study shows eutrophic lakes may not recover for a millennium

[Biology News Net - Current events, News and Articles in Biology] According to the study, industrial agriculture, with its reliance on phosphorus-rich fertilizers, is the primary source of much of the excess nutrients responsible for fouling lakes. In rich farming areas, like southern Wisconsin, the routine application of chemical fertilizers and phosphorus-laden manure, has resulted in the gradual accumulation of phosphorus in the soil, which, ultimately, has nowhere to go but into the streams, lakes and rivers of the watershed where it is applied.

Posted at 09:10 AM

Political Roundup 6-10-05

[Media Cynic -- Independent Political Blog] Although John Edwards isn't officially running for office, he is already courting a key constituency for a possible presidential bid in '08: left-leaning bloggers. Not only did the former VP candidate spend the week guest-blogging on TPMCafe, a new offshoot of the popular Talking Points Memo, but amid his postings on such issues as poverty and globalization, another blog disclosed that he had been the host of an off-the-record dinner with several bloggers at his house in Washington.

Posted at 09:09 AM

Merck Compiles Dossiers on Doctors

[Center for Media and Democracy - Publishers of PR Watch] But when Singh became concerned about a 2000 study suggesting Vioxx increased the risk of heart attacks, the relationship turned sour. Merck tracked Singh's public comments on Vioxx, eventually contacting his bosses at Stanford and hinting "there would be repercussions .if Singh's statements didn't stop." Merck provides significant research funding to Stanford, a common arrangement between drug companies and universities.

Posted at 09:08 AM

Plant pathologists evaluate eco-friendly alternatives to methyl bromide

[Biology News Net - Current events, News and Articles in Biology] In 1987, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol called for the phase-out of methyl bromide, a soil fumigant used to control soilborne fungi, nematodes, and weeds of more than 100 crops worldwide. The phase out was based on methyl bromide's ability to deplete ozone and disrupt the UV protective ozone layer. The EPA determined that, under the Clean Air Act, this fumigant must be phased-out by 2001, but in compliance with the Protocol, the complete phase-out was scheduled for 2005.

Posted at 09:05 AM

GOP Interest In Emission Cuts Grows

[Thought Mechanics - subjective opinions on political news] "We need to deal with global warming, not only because it's the right thing to do, it's the smart political and diplomatic thing to do" says...

Posted at 09:04 AM

...And Now for Something Completely Different: Should We Be Even MORE Radical in Our Approach?

[Blog for Iowa :: Main Page] A few weeks ago I was watching Free Speech TV and they ran a story on Saul Alinsky. I had never heard of this fellow nor his method of radical activism. The story interested me so much that I found a copy of his book Rules for Radicals and read it while on vacation.

Posted at 09:02 AM

June 13, 2005

Is a warmer world a worse world?

[Adam Smith Institute Blog - Europe's favourite think tank blog] We have heard stories of fertile plains reduced to baking deserts, and of coastal and island communities submerged by rising sea levels. Now Robert Matthews (Telegraph) reports on some scientists who are beginning to question those bleak prophecies, including some who think the changes may be beneficial. They suggest that a warmer earth brings benefits, and that humans can readily adapt to the changes.

Posted at 09:42 AM

REVIEW: Now boarding for Utopia

[City Hippy: The diary of our struggle to live a green and fair life.] After two weeks some services become locked unless you upgrade BUT we have it on pretty good authority that in a very short period of time the whole site will become free for those registered. There will always be a premium level though which will get you reduced ticket prices for Utopia Online events etc...

Posted at 09:40 AM

EVENT: London goes Green...twice!

[City Hippy: The diary of our struggle to live a green and fair life.] This Sunday, on the 5th of June, why not stroll down to Greenwich Park, London, SE10 between 11am and 7pm to enjoy the London Green Lifestyle Show.

Posted at 09:38 AM

More Good Stuff From The White House

[theboxtank] Official Played Down Emissions' Links to Global Warming

Posted at 09:37 AM

Putting 2 & 2 together.

[Apanthropinization] The fuel must be brought into compliance with a new Texas Commission on Environmental Quality emissions rule designed to limit smog and other pollutants, set to take effect Oct. The Texas Low Emission Diesel rule, a 110-county initiative aimed at cleaning up some of the nation's worst air pollution in places like Beaumont, Dallas, Houston, and Galveston, requires diesel fuel sold in target counties to meet strict requirements designed to reduce multiple forms of toxic air pollution. The rule's main focus is the reduction of nitrogen oxides or NOx, one of the main ingredients in smog.

Posted at 09:32 AM

Yup - It’s Hot

[Stageleft:. Life on the left side] The chief executive of BT has become the first boss of a British company to admit that climate change is already affecting his company, and that environmental damage could threaten the stability of the world’s financial system.As Robert says… happy thoughts to you :-)

Posted at 09:30 AM

Potatoes Fly, Hippies Die

[The Nose On Your Face] Several Greenpeace activists were injured in a potato incident off the coast of New Zealand earlier this week. Angry fishermen aboard the S.S. Trawl-'em-all loaded the large spuds into compressed air guns and aimed them at the Rainbow Warrior as a warning to the approaching environmentalists to stand down.

Posted at 09:28 AM

June 12, 2005

Neighborhood

[Burningbird] I’ve tried taking some photos of the critters, but too much movement scares them away, as it should. The reason we scattered the seed instead of using feeders is that what the birds don’t get, the bunnies will.

Read related posts for „Neighborhood“.

Posted at 11:53 AM

Future Forests

[The Skakagrall] Future Forests is a company dedicated to climate protection. They have made it their business to provide information about the carbon dioxide emissions we cause, as individuals and as companies, and suggest ways in which we can reduce and ‘neutralize’ those emissions through technology and (more usually) tree planting.

Posted at 11:52 AM

Deep Blue? Big Whoop.

[ Irregular Times: News Unfit for Print] It’s an awful summer for movies so far, the kind of movie season that has millions of Americans looking forward eagerly to July, when they will be able to drive past their cinema and visit a book store to get the newest Harry Potter novel. It’s telling that the big movie event of the year was Star Wars version 3.2.4, in which we get to see the backstory to an outdated movie series in which evil is easy for everyone to identify because it snickers and calls itself “The Dark Side”.

Posted at 11:51 AM

Urban Growth Devours Earth at Shocking Rate

[DadTalk] When I began this weblog, I thought I’d be spending a lot more time writing about the environment. I didn’t realize at the time I’d become fascinated by other issues that had not even been on my radar, such as the obesity crisis and housing bubble.

Posted at 11:49 AM

A New 'Environmental' Movement

[Stephen Gloor] "Kersten Gentle is from a third generation timber family. She has a realpassion for forests, rural communities and Australia’s heritage.Kersen is a mother of three young children and cares deeply abouthow they are educated, especially on environmental issues. Kerstencares about the future and wants public policy decisions onenvironmental issues to be evidence-based and solution focused. Kersten believes in negotiation and mediation. She believes thatthe time has come for everyone to work together to ensure Australia’sunique environment is managed for its intrinsic values and for allAustralians.Kersten is currently the Victorian State Manager of TimberCommunities Australia and President of the School Councilat Healesville Primary. Since 1999 Kersten has coordinated the annualHealesville Timber Festival."

Posted at 11:47 AM

Peak Oil Moderate

[Odograph.com] I think of myself as being middle-of-the-road on the Peak Oil issue. I think it is likely that oil prices will rise significantly in the next 10 years, and it is possible that oil will become very tight in the next 20 years.

Posted at 11:42 AM

Consumption and Investment

[Odograph.com] It makes me question my own instinct for conservation. It is (as they say) an audacious idea that investment could be so much more important.

Posted at 11:41 AM

June 11, 2005

Climate change, an international perspective

[Rising Slowly - The UK Weather Blog] Still, all congrats to the Islamic Republic News Agency for having the journalistic guts to report on something like environment policy in the UK. That's why this story caught my eye. After all, it's hard enough for the environment to make the news as a local story in the UK, let alone an international one.

Posted at 01:23 PM

The Untold Story: Global Climate

[isen.blog] The IPCC’s conclusions, that the burning of fossil fuels is indeed causing significant shifts in the earth’s climate, have been corroborated by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. James Baker, former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, echoed many scientists when he said, “There is a better scientific consensus on this than on any other issue I know except maybe Newton’s second law of dynamics.”It is so easy to forget Climate Change.

Posted at 01:22 PM

G8 Scientists Say Act Now on Global Warming

[Science News Blog * Science News and Trends *] Permanent link to this entry. G8 Scientists Say Act Now on Global Warming A joint statement signed by top scientific academies from G8 countries as well as Brazil, India and China, is urging the G8 nations to do something about global warming before it is too late. The Independent has an article about the statement and points out the statement was also signed by Bruce Alberts, president of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Posted at 01:19 PM

More Government Science Deceit

[Guns, Germs Steeled] The Bush Administration really has no shame. When confronted with the fact that a non-scientist, former oil-industry lobbyist, White House staffer deliberately softened government reports, the White House spokesman brushed off this unethical practice by saying this type of editing was part of the normal review before publishing government reports.

Posted at 01:18 PM

Nanotech bad for your health?

[@ Monkeysign] About a month ago, BoingBoing ran a story on an anti-nanotechnology protest directed at an Eddie Bauer store in Chicago. I considered mentioning it then, but it slipped through the cracks until a post on Slashdot today pointed to a fresh article at Wired.com today.

Posted at 01:17 PM

Major Biofuel Projects

[After Gutenberg] The United States is the world’s biggest oil user while second to largest biofuel producer, and ethanol production is predominant focus of efforts at promoting biofuel development. In part, this focus in national energy policy is the result of advocacy by “corn-state” representatives and agri-business interests.

Posted at 01:15 PM

Bolivians move toward elections

[Murky View] Over the past weeks and months Bolivians have been protesting against their government. The protests have been intense, but largely peaceful. It has...

Posted at 01:14 PM

June 10, 2005

Beyond Cynical

[CommonPrejudice] President's George Bush's decision not to sign the United States up to the Kyoto global warming treaty was partly a result of pressure from ExxonMobil, the world's most powerful oil company, and other industries, according to US State Department papers seen by the Guardian... In briefing papers given before meetings to the US under-secretary of state, Paula Dobriansky, between 2001 and 2004, the administration is found thanking Exxon executives for the company's "active involvement" in helping to determine climate change policy, and also seeking its advice on what climate change policies the company might find acceptable.

Posted at 09:50 AM

While I was out

[sea level :: new york] The river is the man. You can work with it or let it whip up on you." Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans find solace -- and challenges -- kayaking on the Potomac.

Posted at 09:48 AM

Reign of Disassembly

[Odograph.com] Nonetheless, and regardless of any disagreements Webster’s might have with his definition, Bush declared last month that the accusations of torture and abuse by detainees at Guantanamo weren’t credible because they were made by “people who hate America, people that had been trained in some instances to disassemble.”

Posted at 09:47 AM

Arundhati Roy picks on the mobile phone revolution

[vichaar.org] As regards the impact on the environment that Ms. Roy rather slyly alludes to, she would do well to look at this example from the real world:

Posted at 09:46 AM

Bush v. Gore on Global Warming

[Raising Kaine] Come to think about it, no matter how bad an adjective you manage to come up with here, it won’t be bad enough. The fact is, President Bush has put an oil industry lawyer/lobbyist with absolutely no scientific credentials in charge of the top government office charded with helping “devise and promote administration policies on environmental issues.” Sadly, this is utterly typical of an administration that is almost completely immune to reason, science, and empirical evidence, as former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill explains so well in his book, The Price of Loyalty.

The Green Files > June 30, 2005

Myths of social capital

Doors are closing on GMO's

June 30, 2005

Myths of social capital

Doors are closing on GMO's

June 28, 2005

Governor calls for conservation

Economic rationalism, water and conservation

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Eco-Restoration Firms See Growing Profits

Stewart Brand’s Environmental Heresies

June 27, 2005

Tear the Roof Off

Weekend Bird News..

This Week's Good Idea - Send a message to the G8

Still In Denial About Global Warming

Biodiversity Farming and Restoration for Profit

Mud Huts and Fire on a Stick

June 26, 2005

"Sell the car and walk."

Must Read: Climate Change is Real

Global Call to Action Against Poverty July 1 - International White Band Day

"Our Fair and Gluttonous Species..."

Tsunami relief: Banda Aceh

Stewart Brand’s Environmental Heresies

June 25, 2005

The Greatest Show on Earth: Geldof's Live 8 concerts July 2 to promote G8 Summit and Make Poverty History campaign

Green Counter-revolution

What Peak Oil Will Mean for St. Louis

Wildwood Natural Resources Committee

Analyzing Environmental Economics

Tsunami relief: Meulaboh

Doors are closing on GMO's

June 24, 2005

Woolly Mammoth Park

Design a building like a termite mound for sustainablity!

Geldof's Live 8 - the greatest show on Earth - promotes G8 Summit and Make Poverty History Campaign

Alternative Energy ~ Renewable Energy: Green Office Guide

"Biodiversity and human well-being just cannot be separated..."

Lamno town

Monsanto becomes the largest supplier of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world

June 22, 2005

Another side of James Howard Kunstler

Where are the Big Conservation Groups on CAFTA?

Somebody Open a Window

Hong Kong Disneyland: A Shark's Tail?

Human's Activities Threaten Earth's Future

wood stove pollution

Underground Urban Farming in Tokyo

June 21, 2005

White House Continues Action Against Earth

Fate of the renewable portfolio standard

Cooney Lands At Exxon

Japanese Whaling Duplicity

your credit and the environment

I Just Don't Feel Safe in Suburbia

The Malleability of Words: The Wise Use Movement

June 20, 2005

Delete! in Vienna

Backtracks on the Kyoto Pact

Pink and Shadows

Electrics

Civil Resolution in Environmental Case

“Extraordinary efforts” by Bush White House to Scuttle International Efforts on Global Change

Bush Poll Numbers Continue Their Freefall

June 19, 2005

G8 climate plans 'watered down'

Friedman on Toyota & 500 Miles Per Gallon

“They rewrote everything.”

U.S. Pressure Weakens G-8 Climate Plan

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak Evil

Federal renewable portfolio standard passes U.S. Senate

exxon makes a cold calculation on global warming

June 18, 2005

Scrumptious Human Rice

Environmentalism and Nuclear are compatible.

Secrets, Lies and GMOs

Diving Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior

#

“Extraordinary efforts” by Bush White House to Scuttle International Efforts on Global Change

“They rewrote everything.”