Friday, 27 Apr 2007

Nevada Mined

Newmont Mining Co. will undergo social-responsibility review

It wasn't enough to be acquitted of pollutey wrongdoing in Indonesia; the world's largest gold-mining firm is begging for more green cred. This week, 91.6 percent of Newmont Mining Co.'s shareholders approved an independent review of the company's environmental and social impacts worldwide. Along with the high-profile trial in Indonesia, Newmont's operations in Ghana, Peru, and Native American lands in Nevada have provoked "a pattern of community opposition," said Julie Tanner of Christian Brothers Investment Service, which introduced the resolution. Tanner noted that protests were beginning to affect stock prices, and giving faith-based shareholders moral qualms. For its part, Newmont took the unprecedented step of advocating for the review. Said a Newmont spokesperson, "We do need to know where we can improve. There's nothing worse than having an issue out there and not knowing about it until it's too late or festered into a big problem."

How Much Wood Could a Wood Check Chuck?

California restricts formaldehyde in wood products

It may be a land of earthquakes, smog, and drought, but California's doing something right. In the latest in a string of forward-thinking green policies, state air regulators passed restrictions on formaldehyde in wood products that are the restrictiest in the world. "There is no safe threshold for this carcinogen, and we know how to eliminate it," says Harry Demorest, CEO of Oregon's Columbia Forest Products. His company, like some others, has moved away from formaldehyde, which is often used as a glue in plywood, fiberboard, and those cute little "you can build it!" furniture kits you've been buying. The new rules are slated to be phased in between 2009 and 2012, cutting formaldehyde emissions by nearly 60 percent. Nice for the lungs, but not so nice for the pocketbook: replacement products and plant tweaks are expected to cost manufacturers and retailers $19 million a year initially and $127 million a year down the road, and something tells us they're not going to eat those price hikes.


National Downshifting Week has drawn to an end, but by no means should you stop aiming to simplify your life, says Tracey Smith. Amidst TV and radio interviews, the British writer and broadcaster found the time to be Grist's InterActivist this week -- but we bet she took plenty of relaxing tea breaks in between. Today, Smith answers readers' questions about the great responsibility of celebrities, her newest made-up word, and downward-shifting dogs.

America is Dragon

China's carbon-cutting more ambitious than many assume

Used to be, the U.S. couldn't do anything about climate change because climate change wasn't real. Now the U.S. can't do anything about climate change because ... China's not doing anything about climate change. But surprise! Turns out China, despite being the huge energy-sucker that slipped through the Kyoto Protocol's developing-country loophole, is working on emissions cuts of its own that could equal or outpace those in the U.S. and Europe. A program to cut energy use at factories, for instance, could cut 168 million tons of greenhouse gases by 2010 -- nearly as much as the voluntary U.S. goal of 183 million tons per year by then -- and a plan to increase energy efficiency 20 percent by 2010 could, even if only halfway met, lead to bigger cuts in emissions growth than Europe agreed to under Kyoto. Says Mark Levine of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab: "We in the U.S. would be better off to deal with the reality of what China is doing rather than the perception of where China stands."

Yeah, In My Back Yard

Americans digging eco-friendly home improvements

If your weekend plans involve puttering in the yard, you'll dig these eco-trends. Interest in sustainable landscaping is up, with some professionals in the field seeing a 15 to 25 percent increase in business over last year. With native plants, rain barrels, recycled decking, and solar lighting catching on, DIY retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's are adjusting their lawn-term strategies: Home Depot makes sustainable-gardening experts available for house calls, and Lowe's has increased the number of lawn and garden eco-products it carries by a third since last year. Developers are waking up to the benefits of beneficial yards, too; a project in Santa Fe will provide rainwater-recycling systems for each new home. And finally -- OK, this isn't a trend. But how could we resist pointing you to President Bush's African dance routine in his own Rose Garden this week, in which he shook his booty for Malaria Awareness Day? May you have a happy weekend, and may you beat your bongos with abandon.