Tuesday, 29 May 2007

We've Got Frenzy In Low Places

U.S. continues to stonewall climate progress ahead of G8 summit

In the diplomatic scramble leading up to next week's G8 summit, there are two sides: the Bush administration and the rest of the world. The burning issue, of course, is climate change. Following weeks of grumbling from both sides, leaked documents show that U.S. red pens have slashed a draft from G8 chair Germany, citing "fundamental opposition" to proposals that include cutting global greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and increasing energy efficiency 20 percent by 2020. German and U.S. envoys are meeting this week to work on an agreement, and Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to meet with President Bush just ahead of the summit to try to knock some sense into him. U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with Merkel today as part of a European tour, echoing the notion that "[climate] solutions must be multilateral." Which won't help. But Germany's determination is summed up by its foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier: "I trust that we will fight to the last minute."


So a rabbi walks into an interview ... and inspires with his wit, passion, and wisdom. Rabbi Warren G. Stone has made quite an impact on the green world: he serves at a sustainable temple, has testified before Congress, and represented Jewish groups at the 1997 climate-change talks in Kyoto, Japan. As this week's InterActivist, Stone shares about staying optimistic in the face of frustration, and attempts to institute an 11th commandment. Send Stone a question by 2:00 PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

And the Mining Seems So Safe and Clean

Congress considers legislation that would give coal a boost

What if there was a liquid fuel with the potential to produce nearly twice as many greenhouse gases as petroleum? And it would cost nearly four times as much to build a processing plant for this fuel as for petroleum? You'd say no thanks. But Congress is saying yes please to this flawed fuel, commonly known as "coal." Legislation currently making its way through House and Senate committees includes federal tax credits, subsidies, and loan guarantees to the tune of billions of dollars, as well as a plan for 25-year military contracts for coal-to-liquid fuels. "For so many, filthy coal is a dirty four-letter word," says Rep Nick V. Rahall (D-W.Va.), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee and coal captive. "These individuals, I tell you, have their heads buried in the sand." Because coal is from Middle America, not the Middle East! And the industry is figuring out how to separate and bury carbon emissions! And coal is the magic solution! Oh wait, no, it's still the enemy of the human race.


As a model who's devoting her career to the eco cause, Summer Rayne Oakes has an up close and personal view of which trends are taking off and which ones are, well, lying in a crumpled pile on the floor. Today she offers her take on "ethical fashion," a movement that goes beyond environmental concerns to include fair trade. Which companies are involved in fair-trade fashion, and why haven't you heard much about them? Summer explains in Gristmill.

Two Green Builders Take Trains Leaving From Different Stations...

U.S. schools betting on benefits of going green

When we were kids, the only thing green about our schools was the vomit-hued paint on the bathroom walls. But times change, and these days, schools across the U.S. are incorporating green features that save money, improve student performance, and help protect the planet. The trend is growing so much that the U.S. Green Building Council recently adopted school certification standards; 27 schools have been certified, and nearly 300 are on the waiting list. Lindsay Baker, who manages the program, says the past six months have been "overwhelming. There is a general agreement in schools that this is the issue that schools need to be thinking about." Innovations ranging from green roofs to solar panels to daylit work areas give students an appreciation for their surroundings, say parents and teachers. And administrators are giddy over the fact that, though green construction costs about 2 percent more up front, it can cut energy costs by up to 50 percent. Ooh, we feel a math problem coming on.