Monday, 28 Mar 2005

Robyn Griggs Lawrence seethes when she sees SUVs with "Love Your Mother" bumper stickers; her own Honda Civic Hybrid reads "Real Patriots Drive Hybrids." She discusses her magazine, her efforts to teach people they can live green and live well, her amazement at the generosity of the green building community, and the environmental movement's need for a Gandhi -- in InterActivist, today on the Grist Magazine website. Send Lawrence a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday, March 30; we'll publish her responses to selected questions on Friday.

Oil Together Now

Bipartisan coalition presses Bush to get behind oil-use reduction

Lambasting U.S. oil addiction: It's not just for America-hating radical homosexual vegetarian Schiavo-killing eco-terrorists anymore! A growing bipartisan coalition is arguing that U.S. dependence on foreign oil is a serious national security threat. Today, a letter signed by 26 former national-security officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations is winging its way to the White House, bearing a plea for President Bush to kick off "a major new initiative to curtail U.S. consumption." "I don't often find myself in agreement with those at the Natural Resources Defense Council, but ... I do think there is common ground," said neocon Frank Gaffney, a former Reagan administration official. The letter was organized by the bipartisan Energy Future Coalition, which arose in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to advocate for tighter fuel-economy standards and higher subsidies for alternative fuels. Auto-worker unions, automakers, and farming groups -- traditional foes of environmental groups -- are on board, perhaps more comfortable around the manly men of the national-security apparatus.

Ban of the Cave Bug

High court to decide whether to hear challenge to Endangered Species Act

The fate of the Endangered Species Act may rest in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, if they decide in coming weeks to hear a case from a Texas man hoping to remove development restrictions on his land. Revoking the ESA protection of the tiny cave bugs inhabiting Fred Purcell's property would, of course, also affect protection for some 600 other species. Financed by the American Land Foundation, which uses landowner donations to fight development restrictions, Purcell's lawsuit began in 1999 and argues that the government should never have been given the right to protect rare species like the cave bugs, which have no commercial value and are found only in Texas -- meaning they don't cross state lines and, Purcell's lawyers argue, should be a state matter. Although the Supreme Court has rejected similar cases in the past and greens say chances are slim that the case will be heard, property-rights advocates are hopeful that this is the case they've been waiting for to undermine the ESA.

Bog Bites Man

Everglades restoration stagnating after five years

Restoration of the Florida Everglades is, well, a bit bogged down, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers internal memo. Written by Everglades project manager Gary Hardesty, the memo was addressed to Army Corps colleagues preparing to write a five-year update on the 30-year restoration plans. Hardesty noted that the undertaking was over budget, behind schedule, slowed by paper pushing, and facing negativity from the Hill. "We haven't built a single project during the first five years," the memo states. April Gromnicki of Audubon Everglades says the memo's frankness is an indication that the Army Corps will produce an "honest assessment of the current state of Everglades restoration." But others worry that the memo's admissions about ballooning costs -- including a $1 billion price increase for the first four projects -- and questions about the project's science could simply give critics additional impetus to siphon money away from the already pricey venture.

Girl, You Trippin'!

Cameron, Arnold lead brigade of celeb eco-spokesfolk

What formative experiences led to movie star and galactic hottie Cameron Diaz's commitment to the environment? "Nothing, dude. Life! Life!" We couldn't have said it better. Or hotter. Diaz will be bringing her commitment to a new MTV series called Trippin', debuting tonight, in which she travels around the world to ecological hotspots, toting an entourage of fish-out-of-water celebrities. On upcoming episodes, rapper DMX will go camping in Yellowstone and Diaz boy toy Justin Timberlake will demonstrate his beat-boxing skills to Masai tribe members in Kenya. My god, our brains might explode with the sheer meta-meta-meta-ironic glory of it all! Diaz is not the only celeb trippin' on the environment. Actors Ed Norton and Matt Damon will each provide narration for upcoming green-themed PBS series. And just yesterday, action movie star -- and, wait, this just in ... we're told he's also governor of California! -- Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to demonstrate the wonders of photovoltaic solar panels. Truly, we live in interesting times.