Monday, 09 Jul 2007

Hope There's a High Ceiling for the Kangaroos

Australia to build 1,740-mile corridor for wildlife affected by climate change

State and federal leaders in Australia have agreed to create a 1,740-mile wildlife corridor spanning the east coast of the continent -- in part to allow plants and animals to flee the effects of global warming. "The effects of climate change will likely be less severe in systems that have some resilience and that we haven't gone in and buggered up," says David Lindenmayer, a conservation biology professor at Australian National University. "A lot of that forest and vegetation spine is already there. But there are still blockages." The project will link national parks, state forests, and government land, as well as private property conserved by landowners. The move comes amid a continuing spate of bad climate news for the drought-stricken land down under, including a recent study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization that shows that waters off Australia's southeast coast are warming faster than anywhere else in the southern hemisphere. Maybe they need a fish corridor too.


Oh, toilets. So necessary to our daily lives, yet so overlooked. A reader in California who's selling her house wonders whether she needs to follow her inspector's advice and replace her old toilet with a more efficient, low-flow model. Or maybe a ziplock bag or other adaptation would do the trick instead? Advice maven Umbra Fisk suggests that her dearest reader take the plunge -- find out why in today's column.

And the Peanuts Are Free-Range

With fans and fanfare, Boeing unveils new fuel-efficient aircraft

Yesterday, Boeing unveiled a new fuel-efficient airplane to a crowd of more than 15,000 workers and onlookers, as tens of thousands more watched by satellite. The 787 Dreamliner -- nicknamed the "greenliner" -- boasts a body that's half carbon-fiber composite; because the material is lighter than the traditional aluminum, the aircraft will use 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized planes, says the company. According to Jeff Hawk, who oversees environmental efforts for the model, the 787 consumes about one gallon of fuel per seat per 100 miles of travel -- "less than a typical sedan, and a half to a third the fuel consumption of an SUV." Let's see, multiply that by 250 passengers traveling the 787's range of 9,400 miles, and ... oh, never mind. Boeing has already received nearly 700 orders for the plane from global airlines eager to green their image. Said a rep from the U.K.'s First Choice Airways, "The 787 has become a large part of our commitment to trying to help the environment."


Some CEOs are just discovering social responsibility, but for Michael Kieschnick, it's old hat. This week's InterActivist is the cofounder and president of Working Assets, a wireless, long-distance, and credit-card company that directs a portion of customer charges to social-change nonprofits. This week, Kieschnick got on the line to talk about battling coal plants, the marriage he frowns upon, and how he's just a typical Dallas-born, football-playing environmentalist. Send Kieschnick a question by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

The Day the Music Lied?

Live Earth reaches an estimated 2 billion, critics harp on hypocrisy

By all accounts, Live Earth (perhaps you've heard of it?) was a smashing success. Organizers say the shows reached about 2 billion people in 130 countries. More than 150 musical acts crooned, and supporters held more than 10,000 registered "fringe events" in addition to the main concerts on every continent. Al Gore appeared in person (and in hologram form!) to urge crowds to commit to a seven-point pledge to green their lives, and launched a three-year campaign that will "get the scientific [climate] evidence in front of people all over the world." From Shakira shaking her hips to the Beastie Boys bedecking themselves in green to the Police sending out an S.O.S., the shows -- well, rocked. And while critics made noise about the event being too resource intensive and featuring "hypocritical" artists who own big houses and fly a lot, they didn't dampen the day. ("I'm flawed," Dave Matthews shot back. "Cows fart and so do I.") For more on the scene, catch up with Emily Gertz in Gristmill.