Wednesday, 10 Jan 2007

Flexing His OPECs

Schwarzenegger, E.U. unveil new carbon-cutting schemes

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) may be hobbled by a broken leg, but his mind is still strong. (File that under Sentences We Never Thought We'd Write.) In his State of the State address last night, the green-leaning Governator announced a plan to cut carbon in transportation fuel 10 percent by 2020. "Our cars have been running on dirty fuel too long. Our country has been dependent on foreign oil for too long. I ask you to set in motion the means to free ourselves from oil and from OPEC," he said. "California has the muscle to bring about such change. I say use it." The effort, hailed as an "innovative and exciting" world first, will likely mean ramping up ethanol and other renewables, and could cause a transitional increase in gasoline prices. Across the pond, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso unveiled a plan that would require member states to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Oh, E.U., that is so 2006. Arnie's been there, capped that.

Anything You Can Ban, I Can Unban Better

Bush opens Alaska's 5.6-million-acre Bristol Bay to drilling

Just a few days after a bipartisan push to ban drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge made headlines, the U.S. Driller-in-Chief lifted a ban on resource extraction in Alaska's 5.6-million-acre Bristol Bay. Playing the energy-security card, President Bush is raising hackles left and right: The bay is home to endangered whales, one of the world's largest and most valuable commercial fisheries, and the world's largest sockeye salmon run. "It's incredibly reckless to risk such an outstanding natural resource just to satisfy Big Oil," says Sierra Club Director Carl Pope. And feckless, we might add. Locals backing the project say they'll end their support if drilling is found to harm the environment or the fishery (uh ...), and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne says, "There will be significant opportunities for study and public comment before any oil and gas development could take place." Pending environmental reviews, Bristol Bay leases could be available as soon as 2010.


Though not a week seems to go by without advice maven Umbra Fisk getting a question about cloth vs. disposable diapers, the flow of questions about menstrual products is decidedly intermittent. But readers do periodically wonder about the best choice for today's green-minded woman -- so today, Auntie Umbra revisits the issue.

Dude, You're Gettin' a Conscience

PC honcho Michael Dell announces new green initiatives

Amidst the energy-sucking glitz of Las Vegas, PC magnate Michael Dell announced that his eponymous company is greening up, and encouraged others to follow suit. Dell addressed two green-itiatives at an International Consumer Electronics Show speech yesterday. The first, a new partnership with carbon-offset provider Carbonfund, will let customers opt to have a tree planted when they buy a Dell PC. "This groundbreaking program encourages participation by inviting customers in the effort to address climate change," said Conservation Fund President Larry Selzer. "No other company in the technology space is doing something [this] extraordinary." Dell has also set the bar high with its end-of-life equipment recycling programs. "Today, I challenge every PC maker to join us in providing free recycling for every customer in every country you do business, all the time -- no exceptions," Dell said. "It's the right thing to do for our customers. It's the right thing to do for our earth."


As an urban-dwelling fan of local farmers' markets, Tom Philpott never gave much thought to what happened in the off-season. He just knew he missed his fresh greens. But now that he's tending his own small farm, Philpott understands seasonal cycles like never before. Today, he delves into the economics of farming both big and small, and explains the realities of making it through a long, cold winter.