EarthBlips - Latest Green News Articles

What's The Catch? Is Albacore Tuna truly sustainable?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

Silver-blue and shaped like a miniature torpedo, the albacore tuna is one of nature's great migrants. Fast and tough, it spends life on a constant journey, covering thousands of miles each year to gorge on anchovy, squid, and small crustaceans that inhabit the upper reaches of our planet's fragile and unimaginably vast oceans. > >

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MEP clashes with bishop over 'climate alarmism'

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

A controversial Conservative Euro MP has careered into a clash with a bishop over his claim that the Church of England has "abandoned religion" to preach the gospel of climate change. > >

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Andrew Kimbrell: New Report: GMOs Causing Massive Pesticide Pollution

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:50:28 +0000

There is one fact about genetically engineered foods that there is no debate about: no one wakes up in the morning eager to buy gene-altered food. There's good reason for this. Genetically modified foods do nothing for the "eating public". They provide no extra nutrition, flavor, safety or any other trait that people actually want. Instead, these food products only offer risks, which include potential toxicity, allergenecity, and lower nutritional value. This presents a tough problem for the Monsantos of the world, who are pushing these GM foods. How can you sell something to the public that offers no benefits to them? And, because of their lobbying power, the biotech companies have ensured that their products are not labeled. So Monsanto's real request of the public is "be unknowing guinea pigs for foods that make us a lot of money and offer you nothing but risk." Obviously this message is a PR nightmare, so Monsanto has come up with a spin that is old as public relations itself: "accept ...

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Energy/Transportation, Colbert Report, General Motors

Brendan DeMelle: Climategate in Perspective, Featuring Isaac Newton

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:25:12 +0000

Climate conspriricists pounced at the opportunity yesterday to draw grandiose conclusions from the illegal hacking of private emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit. They wasted no time declaring global warming a vast science-wing conspiracy, orchestrated by a powerful handful of white-coats who, when not publishing in reputable peer-reviewed science journals, were (gasp) emailing each other to talk shop and vent about climate skeptic “idiots” (how un-PC). The scandalistas say little about the fact that this breach of security and publishing of private communications is a crime, content to enjoy the opportunity to cherry-pick a few lines from these internal emails to push the skeptic theory of a sinister master plan by mainstream scientists to warn humanity that man has altered the climate in dangerous ways. The Telegraph’s resident skeptic blogger, James Dellingpole, immediately labeled this episode “Climategate,” ...

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EPA: Uranium from polluted mine in Nev. wells

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:04:41 +0000

YERINGTON, Nev. — Peggy Pauly lives in a robin-egg blue, two-story house not far from acres of onion fields that make the northern Nevada air smell sweet at harvest time. But she can look through the window from her kitchen table, just past her backyard with its swingset and pet llama, and see an ominous sign on a neighboring fence: "Danger: Uranium Mine." For almost a decade, people who make their homes in this rural community in the Mason Valley 65 miles southeast of Reno have blamed that enormous abandoned mine for the high levels of uranium in their water wells. They say they have been met by a stone wall from state regulators, local politicians and the huge oil company that inherited the toxic site – British Petroleum. Those interests have insisted uranium naturally occurs in the region's soil and there's no way to prove that a half-century of processing metals at the former Anaconda pit mine is responsible for the contamination. That has changed. A new wave of ...

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Kevin Grandia: Stolen CRU emails: Who are the criminals behind the conspiracy theorists?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:39:08 +0000

Former Republican strategist Marc Morano is having as much fun with the stolen emails from the Climate Research Unit that he did with the Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth attack he lead against John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. Morano and his site Climate Depot has become the climate conspiracy hub since this story broke on late Thursday. This cabal of climate deniers seems to think that 12 year-old emails between climate scientists somehow refutes the thousands of research papers produced over decades by thousands of researchers at some of the best scientific institutions in the world. While Morano is the master of right-wing spin and is using these emails for his political agenda, the bigger question here is: Who stole all this private data from the University in the first place? The folder of information contains over 3,800 separate files and it is clear that someone has taken a lot of time to pull together what they thought would be the most damaging. This is ...

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Nazca mystery solved: No trees, no civilization

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:24:17 +0000

A new paper from the French Institute of Andean Studies in Lima which examines ancient Peruvian pollen records has finally uncovered the reason behind the sudden and mysterious disappearance of the once-bustling Nazca civilization in 500 AD. Agribusiness. When you see the Mars-like terrain inscribed with the mysterious kilometer long drawings that Nazca is so famous far, it’s hard to imagine that this

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Green Living

Who's Eating Madagascar's Lemurs?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:40:53 +0000

Bit by bit, the natural resources of Madagascar -- a biodiversity hotspot known for its unique vegetation and wildlife -- are being plundered.

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Thanksgiving Table Decorations : Freshome Facebook Photo Contest

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:23:43 +0000

With Thanksgiving coming you’re probably spending tons of time thinking about the menu and all the possible ways to make this day a unique, because in this day we gather with our family and the most close friends right at the table to eat a tasty turkey. If you want to make an impression on your guests you should not only make a delicious but also very beautiful table. Now with this occasion I’ve decided to start a new contest here on Freshome – we are looking for your best pictures on this theme : “ Thanksgiving Table Decorations “. The best ones will be featured with your name on Freshome. Now read below on how you can share your best picture with us : STEP 1 : The first thing that you have to do to be able to send us a picture is to become a fan of Freshome on our Facebook Page. (You will need to sign up for a Facebook account if you don’t already have one at www.facebook.com .) STEP 2 : Post your favorite photo with some creative Thanks Giving ...

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Animals That Light Up (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:28:18 +0000

Bioluminescence is an incredible thing. Take a look at these photos and videos of the coolest underwater and land animals that have the special ability of light up. Talk about inner glow! Enjoy the slideshow, and vote for your favorite glowing critter. Get HuffPost Green On Facebook and Twitter!

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Merkley wants Senate jobs bill to help finance building efficiency retrofits

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:37:49 +0000

by David Roberts Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with the chairs of six committees that might have some hand in developing the clean energy bill. The question at issue was whether the bill should be pushed back in favor of a short-term focus on finance reform, jobs, and the deficit. Though John Kerry argued vigorously that the clean energy is a jobs bill that won’t grow the deficit, it looks like he lost out and there will be some kind of standalone jobs bill in the interim. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is now advocating that any jobs bill include support for building retrofits to create jobs and reduce energy bills. What he’s got in mind is a variation on his S. 1574: Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act of 2009 . It’s designed to overcome the main barrier to retrofits involving energy efficiency and small-scale renewables: financing. Most such investments are predictable and profitable over time, but they involve high upfront costs. The “ cash for ...

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Michael Plank Strapped 15 Live Lizards To His Chest, Arrested At Airport: Authorities Say

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:52:32 +0000

LOS ANGELES — Federal officials say they arrested a man who strapped 15 live lizards to his chest to get through customs at Los Angeles International Airport. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday that 40-year-old Michael Plank of Lomita, Calif., was returning from Australia when U.S. Customs agents found two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 skinks – another type of lizard – fastened to his body Tuesday. Plank has been released on $10,000 bond and will be arraigned in federal court on Dec. 21. Authorities say the lizards' value totals more than $8,500. All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated and Plank did not have a permit for them.

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'3D solar' panel works underground

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:57:15 +0000

November has been a breakthrough month for the solar industry. On the heels of an announcement by an Australian research team that broke the 43% efficiency barrier is solar PV technology, another team at the Georgia Institute of Technology headed up by Dr.

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Oh-oh: Tamiflu-resistant swine flu rears up in the U.S., U.K.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:19:20 +0000

by Tom Philpott In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat and livestock industries. ————- Ever since evolution of the swine flu virus accelerated in 1998, virologists and veterinary-science have warned (PDF) that factory hog farms create the ideal conditions for generating novel viruses. They worried that three things would happen: That a novel swine virus would jump species and infect humans. That this species-jumping virus would efficiently spread among humans. That such a novel, “promiscuous” virus would resist treatments. Last spring, with the onset of the HINI pandemic, the first two fears came two pass. As for the third one, well .... Epidemic experts say they are investigating the apparent spread of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus among four patients at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and five in a hospital in Wales. These clusters appear to be the first in which a virus resistant to the ...

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Will Whole Foods’ new mobile slaughterhouses squeeze small farmers?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:18:21 +0000

by Tom Laskawy Jennifer Hashley processes a chicken on her Massachusetts farm. Massachusetts poultry farmer Jennifer Hashley has a problem. From the moment she started raising pastured chickens outside Concord, Mass. in 2002, there was, as she put it “nowhere to go to get them processed.” While she had the option of slaughtering her chickens in her own backyard, Hashley knew that selling her chickens would be easier if she used a licensed slaughterhouse. Nor is she alone in her troubles. Despite growing demand for local, pasture-raised chickens, small poultry producers throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and even New York can’t or won’t expand for lack of processing capacity. It isn’t only small producers who are feeling the pinch—a widespread lack of processing infrastructure appropriate for small farmers has caused supply chain problems for the big retailers as well. Whole Foods—the world’s largest natural-foods supermarket—wants to ...

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Dezeen podcast: Dieter Rams at the Design Museum

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:09:13 +0000

Dezeen podcast: in this podcast for the Design Museum in London, industrial designer Dieter Rams talks to managing director of furniture brand Vitsœ Mark Adams about an exhibition of his work at the museum. (more…)

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Smart technology may increase grid’s vulnerability

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:00:53 +0000

As advanced electrical meters and other smart grid devices designed to cut electricity consumption make their way into homes and businesses across the country, some are worried that this technology may make the nation’s power network more vulnerable to attack, according to a recent New York Times piece. Rick Sergel, former CEO of the North American

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Friday music blogging: Harper Simon

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:56:18 +0000

by David Roberts I have a huge, huge soft spot for Paul Simon. Simon & Garfunkel was one of the first bands I ever got into (like when I was eight) and I still love virtually everything Simon’s ever done. My musical tastes were shaped by his catchy melodies, pretty harmonies, and wry, literate lyrics. I’m one of the 12 people that bought the soundtrack to his Broadway play . So I was both excited and trepidatious about the musical debut of his son (with his first wife) Harper Simon. Needless to say, a lot can go wrong with these musical legacy artists. They tend to ... try too hard. Happily, Simon escapes that trap—his eponymous debut is a short (30 minute), modest, likeable affair. It doesn’t stray to far from his father’s template, perhaps with a little less folk and a little more steel-guitar americana. Promising. This track may be the most Paul-like, perhaps because he co-wrote it with Paul. It’s called “Tennessee.” ...

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Bob Dinneen: Reminding Al Gore: 5 'Encouraging Truths' About Ethanol

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:39:41 +0000

Having an appreciation for Al Gore's commitment to science and advocacy of responsible policies on energy, the environment, and the economy, I was disappointed by his treatment of ethanol and other biofuels in his new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. During the late 1970s, Gore was an early supporter of grain-based ethanol and other efforts to promote biofuels. Now, as he writes in his new book, Our Choice , he has changed his mind. Because of his devotion to science and the facts, I have sent him a detailed letter, filled with what I hope he'll consider encouraging, not inconvenient, truths: Encouraging Truth #1: Ethanol has come of age. Ethanol has come a long way since when Gore first championed it. With 10.5 billion gallons set to be produced and sold this year, ethanol is a major factor in America's motor fuel supply. Today's ethanol industry is helping support nearly 500,000 jobs, providing more than $20 billion in new household incomes. Last year alone, ...

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Skeptics claim global warming is fake after top scientists’ emails hacked at CRU

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:12:42 +0000

by Ashley Braun Shucks, we shoulda known!Photo courtesy Andrew Ciscel via Flickr Hackers recently broke into thousands of emails and internal documents from a leading climate research center and dumped them onto an anonymous Russian server. The hacked emails (160 MB worth, unzipped) came from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU). They allegedly include 20-year’s worth of exchanges between top climate scientists who were debating the latest developments in climate research. Global warming skeptics, the internet over , are jumping on the (illegal) hacking to claim that global warming is a hoax , full of fudged data and dishonest, conspiratorial scientists. It’s “ the global warming scandal of the century ,” claim conservative bloggers. A CRU spokesperson confirmed that their server was hacked; however, the spokesperson told the BBC , “Because of the volume of this information we cannot currently confirm that all of this material ...

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Environment, Global Warming

John McCain’s troubles are the world’s troubles

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:12:42 +0000

by Jonathan Hiskes You could make a pretty simple argument that the fate of the world rests with the United States Senate Republicans: 1. It takes 60 votes to pass a climate bill in the U.S. Senate (assuming it won’t be done through budget reconciliation). Getting the votes of all 58 Democrats and two Independents will be just plain tough, as they might say in the Blue Dog states. 2. It takes 67 Senate votes to ratify an international climate treaty. That requires Republican votes. 3. The international community isn’t likely to pass a climate treaty without the cooperation of the United States. 4. The world needs the Senate Republicans. The hope is that enough of the most (relatively) independent-minded ones can be peeled away from the obstructionist line and cajoled into supporting a first-step climate bill. That’s why it’s problematic that John McCain (R-Arizona) is acting like anything but a maverick on the issue. There’s been some interesting reporting ...

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‘Twilight: New Moon’ Film House for Sale

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:12:25 +0000

Fans of the “Twilight” films and novels will know that Bella, the mortal girl who comes into very close contact with a covenant of “vegetarian” vampires, is utterly fascinated with the house they live in the moment she sets eyes on it. Now for all the Twilight fans I here are some interesting news. The home used in “ Twilight: New Moon ” film opening today, as the residence for Edward and the rest of the Cullen family is up for sale for $3.3 million. This is not the Hoke home that was featured in the first movie ( also featured here on Freshome ). The 5,000 sq ft, five-bedroom property is located on half an acre on a creek-side lot in West Vancouver. The propriety was designed by noted architect Arthur Erickson and totally renovated in 2001. Just after the “New Moon” filming was completed, the owners decided to capitalize on the fame and publicity and the Twilight house is now on the market. If you are interested in the “ Twilight: New Moon ” house you can find more ...

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Cyclo-therapy: Unleashing thousands of bikes on terror vortexes like the Elephant and Castle could be, well, messy

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

I'm the cycle snob who looks down his nose at hapless riders and their rubbish bikes. But during a recent trip to Montreal I was the one eliciting scornful glances from local pedal pushers. Not because my bike was rubbish – it wasn't bad – but because, with my spidery limbs and hunched form, I looked like I'd ridden out of a Quentin Blake illustration. > >

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Rail travel that hits the heights with carbon footprint site

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

What does Snowcarbon provide for the traveller? Everything you need to know in terms of getting from the UK to a ski resort by train. If you take the carbon footprint of a typical Alpine ski resort, 73 per cent of it is made up of how people get there. So a train is the most important thing that you and a resort can do in terms of preserving the ski slopes. > >

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Fossil-fuel emissions up 2 percent in 2008, tracking worst trends

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose two percent last year to an all-time high, leaving Earth on a worst-scenario track for global warming, scientists reported on Tuesday.

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Dutch build more dunes against rising seas

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

On the beach at Monster, bulldozers painstakingly turn sand dredged from the bottom of the North Sea bed into dunes in an ambitious effort to safeguard the Netherlands from flooding.

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Permafrost thaw threatens Russia oil and gas complex: study

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Thawing permafrost caused by global warming is costing Russian energy firms billions of dollars annually in damage control and shrinking Russia's territory, Greenpeace warned in a new study Friday.

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Obama and Jintao focus net attention on the environment

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

President Barack Obama's November 17 meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao ahead of December's UN Climate Change Conference drove an increased worldwide interest in environmental topics, according to the Nielsen Company's Blogpulse analysis.

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Top 25 Reasons To Care About Climate Change

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:14:34 +0000

For some people, climate change is a tough cause to rally 'round--even those who understand that it's happening and that it's human-caused get distracted by things like eating, working, having sex, watching TV, or watching people on TV have sex. While social scientists ponder the best ways to get the message out and motivate the masses--and since we're gearing up to cover December's climate talks in Copenhagen--we've devised a Grist list of good reasons to care about this global crisis.

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The World's First Green Surfboards

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:12:45 +0000

In San Clemente, a start-up company called Green Foam Blanks is out to change a half-century of surfboard-making tradition. Its founders, Joey Santley and Steve Cox, have created what is thought to be the world's first recycled polyurethane blank -- the foam core of a surfboard.

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Get Inspired By 10 Amazing Examples Of Eco Art

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:04:42 +0000

Maybe it's time we tap into our inner child-artist and try some more creative and open-minded approaches like, as a first step, using green art to convey the urgency without the ideology. But...what the hell is green art? The gang at Eco-Art.org offers this list of how environmental artists often work.

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Regifting: Green Giving This Holiday Season

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:01:15 +0000

Before you flash the plastic, consider shopping at home for the holidays this year. Shop your closets, cabinets and plastic storage bins. Browse your basement, your attic, and the space under your beds. All that accumulated clutter that isn't right for you? It may be perfect for someone else. Yes, it's time we added a word to the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra: "regift."

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Environment, Green Grid

World's Largest Earthquake-Safe Building

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:45:00 +0000

A new 2-million-square-foot terminal at an Istanbul airport is the largest building in the world to sit on high-tech seismic isolators designed to help the building survive earthquakes intact.

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FOX News and TrollCat agree: Global warming is BUNK!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:38:39 +0000

by Brad Johnson FOX News evidently agrees with Global Warming Skeptic Trollcat (see above): Thousands of emails from the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit were hacked recently and dumped on a Russian web server. Fox News and right-wing bloggers believe the illegally obtained emails prove that “ global warming is a MYTH .” Oops, that’s Global Warming Skeptic TrollCat. Here’s the take from FOX News.com (actual screenshot): Here’s an unscientific sampling of the reasoned analysis from prominent right-wing bloggers: “If you own any shares in alternative energy companies I should start dumping them NOW ,” says the Telegraph’s James Delingpole . Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey claims the emails discuss “ repetitive, false data of higher temperatures .” The National Review’s Chris Horner salivates, “ The blue-dress moment may have arrived .” “The crimes revealed in the e-mails ...

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Environment, Global Warming, Australia

Hacked E-mails Fuel Climate Change Skeptics

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:35:31 +0000

The e-mails and documents hacked from a computer server at a British university will undoubtedly raise questions about the actions of some scientists.

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Electric Rolls-Royce Could Be Out By Christmas 2010, Rumors Report

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:19:01 +0000

Rumors of an electric Rolls-Royce Phantom are back, with the word being the super-luxe automaker could have one on the road within 12 months.

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Rewrite Desk : Designed to Take your Productivity to Another Level

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:08:16 +0000

Sometimes I just want to want to work attentively without any disturbance, and the Rewrite Desk designed by GamFratesi is an awesome place to take your productivity to another level. This desk was awarded with Denmark’s Walk the Plank Award 2009 for excellence and craftsmanship in furniture. Showcased at GamFratesi’s solo show at The Danish Museum of Art and Design, the workstation features a cave-like shield that installs a big screen, upholstered and covered with textile to highlight its visual and acoustic aspects, so it can be used as a satellite desk wherever you like. The workstation by the Copenhagen-based designer combines the traditional form with modern technology, while a white lacquered metal box hides all the cables underneath the table, allowing a clutter-free workspace on the table. – Via – Dezeen This is a post from the Freshome Magazine , who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture. Freshome Magazine , who ...

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MNN week in review

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:59:11 +0000

Our picks for the week of Nov.

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Fight to protect California condors from lead ammunition moves to Arizona

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:57:00 +0000

It has been 22 years since the last 22 California condors ( Gymnogyps californianus ) were collected from the wild and placed in captive breeding programs. The species, which nearly went extinct due to habitat loss, poaching, DDT and lead poisoning, has since rebounded to 332 birds, according to counts maintained by the Zoological Society of San Diego . But despite that conservation success, condors still face a major threat from lead poisoning, which often occurs when the birds eat carcasses killed by hunters' lead ammunition. [More]

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Andrew Winston: Why Going Green -- And The Climate Negotiations In Copenhagen -- Matter Now More Than Ever

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:53:03 +0000

For the past few years, the business world has been swept up in a green wave -- a rising tide of interest and concern about environmental issues. The Great Recession has not stopped the pressure pushing this wave. Environmental crises such as climate change and water shortages continue to evolve. Mega-forces such as technology-driven transparency and the rise of the consumer in India and China -- which will force the price of oil and other resources up over time -- continue to advance. Closer to home, key stakeholders are demanding more of companies than ever, especially corporate customers greening their supply chains. For business, going green is ultimately unavoidable. Through this long, hard recession, while many have put their environmental initiatives to the side (a big strategic mistake given the pressures), the leading companies--giants such as Wal-Mart, GE, and IBM--have actually accelerated their green efforts. Using the environmental lens, they've found new growth opportunities and ...

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Environment, Green Grid, Climate Change

‘Heretic’ battles straw man

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:50:47 +0000

by Tom Konrad Energy Self-Reliant States [PDF] , a flawed study on local Renewable Energy availability from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ISLR) found that 18 of the 50 states could not meet their electricity needs with local renewables. In fact, no state can meet its electricity demand through local renewables without expensive electricity storage. On a national basis, such storage would cost an estimated $13 trillion, or over 65 times the cost of the transmission investments they oppose. One of the study authors, John Farrell , has been promoting the study as a “ Heresy on Transmission. ” Rather than a heretic attacking misguided establishment shibboleths, this flawed study attacks a simplistic misunderstanding of why we need transmission. Farrell and his co-author David Morris are either intentionally promoting this misunderstanding, or they simply fail to grasp the reasons behind long distance transmission’s necessity. Their straw man is the false choice ...

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Playing catch up: TGI Green

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:36:32 +0000

TreeHugger rolls out a slideshow focusing on surprises at Greenbuild 2009. Re-Nest introduces us to a fabulous new green design firm called Little Pond Design.

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Kevin Grandia: Stolen climate science emails just ain't the conspiracy some want it to be

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:33:05 +0000

I'll admit, as someone who spends most days looking for leaked documents, the package of stolen emails and documents from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University is pretty juicy. Anything provides insight into the inner-workings of your opponents is pretty much manna from heaven in this line of work. I have been going through all the files today and I hate to disappoint but it just ain't the scandal everyone wants it to be. These emails are blissfully being spun by the climate contrarians as proof of some type of worldwide conspiracy by scientists to fake the climate change crisis. Michelle Malkin , who relishes Ann Coulter-esque statements goes so far as to say that call it "the global warming scandal of the century.” Right. As Brad Johnson writes, it's more likely proof that climate deniers are the crazed conspiracy theorists we always thought they were. At the center of the conspiracy claim is a quote in a casual conversation between colleagues talking ...

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Coffee Table that Encourages Clean Surface Space

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:22:38 +0000

The Cornered Coffee Table by Dylan Gold is a coffee table that encourages clean surface space by giving your magazines and table books a home. Here are a few words about this table from the website that sells this coffee table : “ Take your average coffee table, construct one leg as a cross-section of a rotated cube and you get a table that values a clean surface area without losing a place to hold your favorite books and magazines. The Cornered coffee table embodies the inherent function of all coffee tables. ” Finally I think that this idea is pretty clever, but not at $1.900. – Via – Doubletakesblog This is a post from the Freshome Magazine , who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture. Freshome Magazine , who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture. > Freshome Magazine , who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and ...

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Jessy Tolkan: Time Out: Youth Climate Leaders Must Change the Game

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:18:19 +0000

After an emotional week for the members of the youth climate movement, who have staked so much hope on the promise of passing legislation in congress this year and sealing a binding agreement in Copenhagen, we've had to deal with managing our expectations and reframing how we approach the opportunities that are still ahead of us. I wrote on Monday that we would adamantly continue to play our unique role as the generation who will bear the brunt of the negative impact every time our leaders choose to delay decisive action on climate and energy. I still believe this is true, but I also believe we have an obligation to step back and celebrate the victories that will ultimately help us achieve our vision. Using the slower pace of the coming holiday weekend to regroup, as frustrating as it may seem to some passionate activists, can allow us to gain perspective that will allow us to continue to be relevant in the dialogue surrounding legislation - even if it winds up happening in April - and make the ...

Find more top green news, videos, and blogs on EarthBlips: Environment, Climate Change

Trudie Styler: Do We Want To Be The Generation That Destroyed Ourselves?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:14:54 +0000

The following post was originally delivered at the UN General Assembly's meeting on climate change on Thursday, November 19th. It has been 20 years since Sting and I first visited Brazil, and met some of the people for whom the Amazon rainforest is home. On that trip we saw for ourselves the sickening destruction that was taking place. One of the world's most precious resources simply being cleared out of the way, used up, wasted. We met people who lived in the forest, who'd lost their land, their way of life, their families. We met a Kayapo tribesman called Raoni, who asked us to help him deliver a message to the world. Raoni's message was this, as he spoke of the burning of the rainforest: "There is a lot of smoke. My people are very sick. But whatever happens in my forest today will affect all of you, in your lands, tomorrow." Well, as we all know, "tomorrow" is already here. Over 20 years the work of the Rainforest Foundation has spread from Brazil to 18 countries, on three ...

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Jason Wojciechowski: (WATCH) Heather Graham matches wits with Mackenzie Crook (Office, UK; Pirates) in Climate Challenge for Oxfam

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:11:25 +0000

Heather Graham follows on her hilarious advocacy spot for health care reform with a new climate change ad. Graham squares off with Mackenzie Crook (The Office, UK; Pirates of the Caribbean) in this spoof. Graham details the world we are creating through inaction on climate change, while Crook counters with with standard climate change denier wisdom like, "Oh, 2 degrees temperature rise, just unbutton your sweater." When Graham explains the coming resource wars if we don't tackle climate change, Crook shoots back, "Wars are fought over oil, not water!" Heather vs Mackenzie launched this week in support of The Climate Challenge , a flash-based quiz game that puts celebrities in the hot seat, but let's you pick the answer that they give for each question. It's kind of like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire except every question is "ask the audience," with you, the user being the audience. The quiz game includes Gael García Bernal (Amores Perros, Motorcycle Diaries), ...

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Tulsi Tanti: COP15 is in danger of being hot air

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:03:10 +0000

I am a natural optimist; as entrepreneurs tend to be. But I fear that the international excitement in the run up to COP15, with supporters and naysayers drawing battle lines and crossing swords, is perhaps masking reality. The truth, regardless of your views on the issue, is that the renewable targets set - from Australia's and EU's 20 percent of all electricity by 2020; India's 15 percent by 2020; and certain U.S., states' targets ranging up to 20 percent - are unachievable unless a significant and immediate change occurs in the international community's approach to properly tackling climate change. The forecasts are sobering. World energy consumption is set to increase by a staggering 45 percent between 2006 and 2030. In contrast, the International Energy Agency's 2009 report estimated renewable energy growth at an average of just 2.9 percent a year for the same period - barely keeping up with demand growth. So, if we consider "20 by 20" as a global target we need to build toward, we will miss ...

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Luxury in True Sense : Eterne Bathtub by Pearl

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:59:25 +0000

The Eterne drop-in bathtub by Pearl is an awesome idea that adds a lavish retreat to your master bathroom. The sleek and the finest beauty of the bathtub bestow you in comfort and is irresistibly inviting. As comfort is considered top priority at Pearl, Eterne features ingeniously integrated armrests that are perfectly positioned for extra ease and support. The striking amenities comprise Sleek Integrated Handles and Ozonator Whirlpool System. The handle serves as security when entering and exiting the bathtub and the ozonator purifies bath water, providing a safe and clean bathing experience. Pearl allows you to custom design your at-home spa experience by combining the benefits of five therapies : air therapy, hydrotherapy, heat therapy, chromatherapy and aromatherapy, but for more info about this bathtub I invite you to visit Pearl website . This is a post from the Freshome Magazine , who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture. ...

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New photography project provides stark proof of melting glaciers on the roof of the world

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:53:15 +0000

by Joseph Romm Global warming is melting 18,000 Himalayan glaciers—the largest concentration of glaciers outside the great polar ice sheets. If the present melt rate continues, many of these glaciers will be gone by the middle of this century, disrupting the perennial water supply to hundreds of millions of people. To explore this growing collection of glacier images from the “roof of the world”—including a must-see video made by mountaineer and filmmaker David Breashears, Founder and Project Leader of Glacier Research Imaging Project (GRIP)—go to the Asia Society’s “ On Thinner Ice ” website. For some of the underlying science, see my November 2008 post, Another climate impact comes faster than predicted: Himalayan glaciers “decapitated.” It discussed an important paper by leading international cryosphere scientists, including American’s own Lonnie Thompson, “Mass loss on Himalayan glacier endangers water ...

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