Monday, 23 Jan 2006

Julia Butterfly Hill made worldwide headlines with a two-year tree-sit to save an ancient California redwood and surrounding old-growth forest from chainsaws. Now, six years later, she's still fighting to protect the environment -- but from ground-level. As this week's InterActivist, Hill talks about disdaining disposables, being a joyous vegan, founding the group Circle of Life, and more. Send her a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday; we'll publish her answers to selected questions on Friday.

Time to Bust Out the Scare Quotes

Feds indict 11 people for alleged eco-crime conspiracy

On Friday, 11 alleged "eco-terrorists" were indicted on a total of 65 counts in connection with a five-year string of arsons and vandalism. The indictments were announced at a press conference attended by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, FBI Director Robert Mueller, ATF Director Carl J. Truscott, U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut, a marching band, and a squadron of F16 fighter jets (OK, we made up the last two). Labeling the crimes part of a "vast eco-terrorism conspiracy" centered in Eugene, Ore., federal prosecutors described nine years of investigating two groups, the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. The 17 incidents described in the indictments -- including arson at Colorado's Vail ski resort, a lumber-company office in Oregon, and a horticultural center in Seattle -- damaged or destroyed about $23 million in property, but caused no deaths. Still, the FBI says that stopping "eco-terrorism" remains its top domestic terror priority.

We're No. 28!

U.S. environmental performance ranks below Malaysia, Chile, 25 others

We beat Cyprus! Yeah, boyee! The Mediterranean island nation comes in at 29th in a landmark pilot study ranking countries by their environmental performance. The U.S. comes in at a blazing 28th -- just behind most of Western Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Chile, and, uh, Slovakia. The 2006 Environmental Performance Index -- jointly produced by Yale and Columbia Universities -- ranks New Zealand No. 1 for overall success in attaining such environmental goals as sustainable fisheries and greenhouse-gas emission cuts. The U.S. scored at the top for environmental health factors like indoor air pollution and sanitation, but poorly on agricultural, forest, and fisheries management. The final report will be released at the World Economic Forum, the exclusive annual summit of business and policy pooh-bahs taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland.


A shivery Grist reader wonders: Is it more eco-friendly to use a fireplace or a gas-powered central heater? Or, um, just keep freezing? And, speaking of fireplaces, what's up with those prepackaged logs? Advice maven Umbra Fisk warms up to the topic.

A Greening Tide Lifts All Boats

Reports say cutting greenhouse gases will enhance California's economy

Curbing greenhouse-gas emissions will massively boost California's economy, according to two independent analyses of the state's ambitious plans for fighting global warming. The Center for Clean Air Policy, a D.C.-based environmental think tank, found that California could meet its proposed 2010 emissions goals -- mandated last year as part of a climate-change action plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) -- at no cost to citizens. And researchers at UC-Berkeley determined that cutting greenhouse-gas emissions would save on fuel, putting money in Californians' pockets, and create new clean-tech jobs. Dirty industries are fond of claiming that emissions reductions will hurt the economy, but in light of these new studies those claims look suspiciously self-interested.