“It is only a small leap from caring about what’s going on in a garden to caring about what’s going on in the larger environment,” says Ms. Browning. “Environmental issues are hitting the very place we want to feel safest: home. Home ought to be a sacred place of retreat, rest and peace. It won’t be if we turn our backs on the world. This new column was born in the spirit of paying attention, becoming educated and aware and talking about what we can do now. I’m hoping to give matters of global urgency a human touch.

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Ever stare at the seafood counter and wonder where all that fish comes from? Maybe not, but I do, and a new article in Martha Stewart’s Body+Soul magazine wades through some other issues that might be on your mind - overfishing, fish farming, omega-3s and mercury.

Although the article sugar coats a few things (e.g. wild fish generally being a safe, sustainable option - not true), it contains some good advice. First and foremost, get to know the people that sell you fish. They can be your best ally in making good choices and are often a wealth of knowledge.

Second, don’t be afraid to ask questions like, ‘Where is this fish from?’, ‘Is it farmed or wild?’, etc. This will help steer you in the right direction.

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NOAA recently released a terrific scientific report that explains, in plain English, the current and projected effects of climate change on the U.S. The nonpartisan report, prepared by the 13-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program, tells a grim but important story, clearly and with lots of powerful maps and charts. I encourage you to check it out to see how climate change will affect your area of the country.

Here are some of the “business-as-usual” projections that my colleagues and I find most striking and disturbing:

You think August is hot now?

By the end of this century, we could be in for much more severe summers all across the country (see maps that follow).

• If you live in New Hampshire, summer could feel like it does today in North Carolina (p.107).
• If you live in Michigan, brace yourself for summers that feel like today’s summers in Oklahoma (p 117).
• And if you live in Texas, you now experience 10 to 20 days a year over 100 °F. By the last two decades of this century, look for 100 such days - that’s more than three months (p. 90).

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/06/30/environmental-defense-fund-climate-report-life-in-a-very-different-united-states/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/06/12/environmental-defense-fund-the-new-sardine-thinking-outside-the-can/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/06/12/environmental-defense-fund-the-new-sardine-thinking-outside-the-can/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:16:04 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/06/12/environmental-defense-fund-the-new-sardine-thinking-outside-the-can/ Today’s post is by Kristen Honey, EDF Lorry Lokey Fellow.

Are sardines making a sustainable and sumptuous comeback? The Washington Post attempted to address this very question yesterday in a provocative article about the self-proclaimed “Sardinistas.” According to this group of nutritionists, environmentalists and foodie revolutionaries, the answer is a resounding “yes!”  Sardine advocates and cutting-edge green chefs like Dean Gold and David Myers are bringing this smelly canned food out of the cob-webbed cabinet corner and back into the kitchen in innovative new ways. Or they are trying to, at least.

Just recently, I had the privilege of attending a private luncheon with the Sardinistas at filmmaker Mark Shelley’s Sea Studios Foundation on Monterey’s Cannery Row.  The purpose of this luncheon was to highlight their recent efforts to promote sardines as a delicious and sustainable seafood choice.   What struck me was their point that while Americans love eating tuna and other steak-like fish, we need to eat fish farther down the food chain (like sardines) to help alleviate pressure at the top.

After talking shop, we had the chance to eat delectable canned, frozen and fresh sardine dishes by renowned chef Alton Brown of The Food Network!  If you don’t take my word for how tasty these creatures can be, try out for yourself these sardine-centric recipes for Sarde Arrosto (Griddle Roasted Sardines), Stuffed Sardines and Vuido (widowed potatoes).

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/06/12/environmental-defense-fund-the-new-sardine-thinking-outside-the-can/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/28/environmental-defense-fund-how-capping-carbon-will-create-jobs-and-lift-the-economy/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/28/environmental-defense-fund-how-capping-carbon-will-create-jobs-and-lift-the-economy/#comments Thu, 28 May 2009 20:52:10 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/28/environmental-defense-fund-how-capping-carbon-will-create-jobs-and-lift-the-economy/ “A new energy economy is going to be part of what creates the millions of new jobs,” President Barack Obama said recently.

That’s because a climate bill, once passed, will act like the starting gun in a business innovation race. To illustrate how capping carbon pollution will stimulate the economy and create jobs, EDF designed this graphic (see below the jump).

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/28/environmental-defense-fund-how-capping-carbon-will-create-jobs-and-lift-the-economy/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/13/edfs-national-ad-campaign-why-the-head-of-duke-energy-supports-a-carbon-cap/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/13/edfs-national-ad-campaign-why-the-head-of-duke-energy-supports-a-carbon-cap/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 22:26:44 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/13/edfs-national-ad-campaign-why-the-head-of-duke-energy-supports-a-carbon-cap/ Duke Energy is the one of America’s largest coal-burning utility – so why would its chairman, Jim Rogers, back a cap on carbon emissions? “Because America has to start making smart choices,” he says in a 30-second spot that begins airing nationally today (see video below). “A well-designed cap that provides a smooth transition to clean energy will keep electricity affordable and protect your family’s budget,” Rogers adds.
This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Duke Energy is joining the Environmental Defense Action Fund in a national advertising campaign that supports a “smart cap” on carbon emissions as the climate change solution that protects consumers.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/05/13/edfs-national-ad-campaign-why-the-head-of-duke-energy-supports-a-carbon-cap/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/29/environmental-defense-fund-reinventing-transit-%e2%80%93-11-innovative-solutions-in-communities-across-america/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/29/environmental-defense-fund-reinventing-transit-%e2%80%93-11-innovative-solutions-in-communities-across-america/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:28:04 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/29/environmental-defense-fund-reinventing-transit-%e2%80%93-11-innovative-solutions-in-communities-across-america/ This week’s post is by Edward Burgess, coauthor of Environmental Defense Fund’s new report Reinventing Transit.

Last week, Congressman James Oberstar, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was slated to speak at the launch of EDF’s new report Reinventing Transit — but he got stuck in traffic! The irony was not lost on one commenter in the StarTribune.com blog who noted, “You couldn’t ask for a better footnote to the report.”

Watch our report video showing how people across the country are getting on board these innovative transit systems.

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Editor’s note: Yep, that video’s changed places. Our embedding system is acting up, so here’s the video on YouTube.

Oberstar’s absence was a clear illustration of how traffic congestion is sapping time and productivity across the country. Cars stuck in traffic don’t just waste time, but they also waste fuel.  This has consequences for the environment in terms of health and global warming. In fact, about a quarter of our country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from cars and trucks (see graph of breakdown of transportation sector).

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/29/environmental-defense-fund-reinventing-transit-%e2%80%93-11-innovative-solutions-in-communities-across-america/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/08/environmental-defense-fund-show-us-your-carbon-cap/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/08/environmental-defense-fund-show-us-your-carbon-cap/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:53:11 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/08/environmental-defense-fund-show-us-your-carbon-cap/ Today’s post is by Sam Parry, EDF’s Director of Online Membership and Activism.

Hats say a lot. They can show what we do for a living, what teams we root for, even what part of the country we live in.

Today, your hat can make another statement: Express your support of a cap on carbon pollution by showing EDF your carbon cap.

Please submit your photo today. We’ll feature Action Network favorites in our upcoming Earth Day video.

With climate legislation moving in the House, there is no better time to show your full support of a cap on carbon pollution.

It’s easy and fun to take part. Here’s all you need to do:

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/08/environmental-defense-fund-show-us-your-carbon-cap/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/27/environmental-defense-fund-is-eating-seafood-regularly-really-such-a-good-thing/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/27/environmental-defense-fund-is-eating-seafood-regularly-really-such-a-good-thing/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:33:06 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/27/environmental-defense-fund-is-eating-seafood-regularly-really-such-a-good-thing/ Today’s post is by Environmental Defense Fund scientist Tim Fitzgerald.

Seafood is often called brain food. It’s a good source of many different nutrients, including long chain omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish — or taking fish oil supplements — has been linked to a number of cardiovascular and neurological benefits. For this reason, most health experts and the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines encourage people to eat more seafood.

However, a new study in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association calls this recommendation into question, contending that the health benefits of omega-3’s have potentially been oversold while the ocean’s ability to provide them is failing.

The bottom line? The jury is still out on how much fish we should eat, so making eco-friendly choices is essential.

The study’s authors accurately point out that the oceans can no longer provide us with fish (and fish oil) at the current pace. Barely one-quarter of U.S. fisheries are known to be sustainably fished, and the United Nations reports that 80 percent of the world’s fisheries are now either fully fished (i.e. incapable of providing more) or overexploited.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/27/environmental-defense-fund-is-eating-seafood-regularly-really-such-a-good-thing/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/10/environmental-defense-fund-discovery-channel-special-airs-tomorrow-the-promise-of-a-low-carbon-revolution-comes-to-life/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/10/environmental-defense-fund-discovery-channel-special-airs-tomorrow-the-promise-of-a-low-carbon-revolution-comes-to-life/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:47:35 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/10/environmental-defense-fund-discovery-channel-special-airs-tomorrow-the-promise-of-a-low-carbon-revolution-comes-to-life/ Alaskan frontiersman Bernie Karl keeps his ice hotel frozen all summer long with the energy of hot springs. For a hundred years, Chena Hot Springs has attracted tourists who come to soak in its healing waters. But Karl — bearded and bursting with can-do spirit — saw the springs as a natural source of untapped energy. “I always knew that the value was in the hot water; I knew I would make electricity,” says Karl, in an original one-hour Discovery Channel TV special premiering Wednesday, March 11 at 10 pm (ET - check your local listings).  Though not your typical energy guru, today Karl is considered a pioneer of geothermal energy.

Karl is just one of the many entrepreneurs and inventors profiled in the Discovery special who are creating new ways to power our planet — tapping sunlight, wind and water, and heat embedded in the Earth. Based on the companion book, The New York Times bestseller Earth: The Sequel, the show details the tremendous strides being made across the nation to solve the energy crisis and curb carbon emissions through new technologies.  From start-ups harnessing hydro-power from New York’s East River to solar power in New Mexico’s high desert, the show chronicles dazzling ingenuity and possibility.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/10/environmental-defense-fund-discovery-channel-special-airs-tomorrow-the-promise-of-a-low-carbon-revolution-comes-to-life/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/02/environmental-defense-fund-less-carbon-more-jobs-in-the-new-green-economy/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/02/environmental-defense-fund-less-carbon-more-jobs-in-the-new-green-economy/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:39:54 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/02/environmental-defense-fund-less-carbon-more-jobs-in-the-new-green-economy/

One bright spot on the dark economic horizon is the number of companies across the U.S. poised for growth under a cap on carbon. EDF president Fred Krupp joined Vice President Joe Biden Friday in Philadelphia for the first meeting of Biden’s task force on middle class jobs.

At the meeting we unveiled our new interactive map highlighting more than 1,200 companies in coal country, the rust belt and other manufacturing regions. These companies all stand to benefit from the demand for clean energy technologies created by a cap on global warming pollution.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/02/environmental-defense-fund-less-carbon-more-jobs-in-the-new-green-economy/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/13/environmental-defense-fund-global-warming-by-the-numbers-13-scary-facts/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/13/environmental-defense-fund-global-warming-by-the-numbers-13-scary-facts/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:38:10 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/13/environmental-defense-fund-global-warming-by-the-numbers-13-scary-facts/ Friday the 13th just got a little scarier. Here are 13 facts about the realities of global warming.

The numbers speak for themselves — we must make 2009 the showdown year for global warming action. There is no time to lose.

35%

Increase in the global carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1992.

388.57 ppm

Average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in May 2008, a record high.

541 – 970 ppm

The projected concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 2100 under a business as usual scenario where we don’t dramatically reduce global warming emissions.

260 – 280 ppm

Average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before industrial emissions.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/13/environmental-defense-fund-global-warming-by-the-numbers-13-scary-facts/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/30/environmental-defense-fund-vote-for-your-favorite-climate-action-video/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/30/environmental-defense-fund-vote-for-your-favorite-climate-action-video/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:46:07 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/30/environmental-defense-fund-vote-for-your-favorite-climate-action-video/ Today’s post is by Sam Parry, Director Online Membership and Activism, Environmental Defense Action Fund.

Forget the Oscar buzz.

Check out our Climate Activist’s Choice Award and vote for your favorite. Voting ends this Monday.

Watch and vote now



Global warming solutions are complicated. So, we challenged filmmakers and concerned citizens from around the country to explain in just 30 seconds how capping global warming pollution could help solve our oil addiction.

We are thrilled with the creativity and insight of our five finalist videos. And now you have the chance to help pick the winner.

The video with the most votes will receive the Climate Activist’s Choice Award, with a prize of $1000. And, we will run the winning video as a TV ad to pressure Congress to pass a national cap on global warming pollution.

Plus, we will offset one pound of global warming pollution for every vote cast.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/30/environmental-defense-fund-vote-for-your-favorite-climate-action-video/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/12/environmental-defense-fund-new-online-resource-will-help-companies-go-green/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/12/environmental-defense-fund-new-online-resource-will-help-companies-go-green/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:40:25 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/12/environmental-defense-fund-new-online-resource-will-help-companies-go-green/ Making green the new business as usual is catching on fast. Smart business leaders are looking for ways to cut costs and reduce their environmental impact — but they may not know exactly how to do it.

Environmental Defense Fund has just launched the Innovation Exchange, a first-of-its-kind online resource that allows businesses to quickly identify steps they can take, from greening their fleets to reducing paper use.

The new EDF site provides companies with recommendations, case studies, publications and tools to make changes that are good for the environment and the bottom line, for example:

• Advice by industry, from financial services to transportation.
• Dozens of case studies from a range of companies.
• Five simple steps to get started.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/01/12/environmental-defense-fund-new-online-resource-will-help-companies-go-green/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/19/environmental-defense-fund-the-green-jobs-youve-been-hearing-about/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/19/environmental-defense-fund-the-green-jobs-youve-been-hearing-about/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:27:08 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/19/environmental-defense-fund-the-green-jobs-youve-been-hearing-about/ This post is by Jackie Roberts, EDF’s director for sustainable technologies.
This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

The thought of revitalizing the economy with green jobs is inspiring, but how will it actually work? What will those jobs look like? Duke University just released a study that starts to answer that question. It looks at five industries, including LED lighting and concentrating solar power. For each, researchers asked what the value chain is and how jobs could be created.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/19/environmental-defense-fund-the-green-jobs-youve-been-hearing-about/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/02/environmental-defense-fund-oceans-of-jellyfish-or-oceans-of-abundance-the-choice-is-ours/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/02/environmental-defense-fund-oceans-of-jellyfish-or-oceans-of-abundance-the-choice-is-ours/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:29:17 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/02/environmental-defense-fund-oceans-of-jellyfish-or-oceans-of-abundance-the-choice-is-ours/ Most of America’s seafood counters display glistening mounds of all manner of fresh fish. But this bounty belies the fact that the oceans are in serious trouble. In the U.S., thousands of fishermen have lost their jobs, and signs of ecosystem collapse are on the rise, as nets get clogged with jellyfish rather than sought-after kinds of fish.

The graph below paints a sobering picture of how much fish populations have dwindled – and where they might be headed if we don’t act soon: In 1950, just 15 percent of stocks were overfished; in 2003, 70 percent were overfished or had totally collapsed



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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/02/environmental-defense-fund-oceans-of-jellyfish-or-oceans-of-abundance-the-choice-is-ours/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/06/environmental-defense-fund-map-in-2008-people-flocked-to-public-transit/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/06/environmental-defense-fund-map-in-2008-people-flocked-to-public-transit/#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:01:09 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/06/environmental-defense-fund-map-in-2008-people-flocked-to-public-transit/ Americans are driving less, spurred by steep gas prices for much of this year. We are also turning to transit like never before — especially for essential trips like going to work. Demand for public transit is at an all-time high, soaring to rates not seen since 1957. Across the country, places as diverse as New York City, Southern California, North Carolina and Wyoming are witnessing sharp rises.

EDF produced an interactive map (using data from the National Transit Database) showing the many places where transit ridership jumped along with gas prices.

Scroll over the map and see eye-popping jumps in people using public transit — not just in big cities but places like Terre Haute, Indiana, and Sherman, Texas, which saw huge leaps in ridership.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/06/environmental-defense-fund-map-in-2008-people-flocked-to-public-transit/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/environmental-defense-fund-new-sushi-selector-whats-good-whats-not/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/environmental-defense-fund-new-sushi-selector-whats-good-whats-not/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:02:57 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/environmental-defense-fund-new-sushi-selector-whats-good-whats-not/ Now sushi lovers can make informed seafood choices that please the palate and safeguard the oceans. Environmental Defense Fund’s new Sushi Selector lists choices by Japanese and English names, and ranks them according to whether fish are caught or farmed in an environmentally responsible way and if their contaminant levels pose a health risk.

For sushi aficionados, that means both pleasant surprises — and some disappointments. Popular items like toro (bluefin tuna) and unagi (freshwater eel) are on the Eco-Worst list, as is most sake (made with farmed or Atlantic salmon). These species are either overfished, caught in ways that destroy ocean habitats or kill large amounts of other sea life, or they are farmed with methods that pollute the ocean or threaten nearby wild fish populations.

But such choices as sake made from wild-caught Alaska salmon, hotate (farmed scallops )  and hirame (Pacific halibut ) are Eco-Best choices, in part because they come from abundant, well-managed fisheries or — in the case of scallops — are raised using eco-friendly aquaculture methods.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/environmental-defense-fund-new-sushi-selector-whats-good-whats-not/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/10/environmental-defense-fund-ask-dr-john-school-bus-pollution-and-health/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/10/environmental-defense-fund-ask-dr-john-school-bus-pollution-and-health/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:16:35 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/10/environmental-defense-fund-ask-dr-john-school-bus-pollution-and-health/ Every day, half a million school buses safely carry 24 million American children to school, field trips and athletic events.

Unfortunately, most buses are powered by diesel engines that actually pollute the air inside the bus. Studies show the pollution gets trapped inside the bus, where kids breathe it in.

Dr. John Balbus, EDF’s chief health scientist, answers common questions about school bus pollution and your child’s health.

Q:  I don’t see billowing clouds of black smoke behind the school bus. Does that mean the bus exhaust is clean?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Even clean-looking exhaust from tailpipes, and from the engine itself, can contain small particles and other toxic pollutants that can get inside the school bus, and in children’s lungs.

Q: How does diesel pollution get inside a school bus?

Diesel pollution can enter a school bus from both the tailpipe and the engine. In school buses, the engine is in the front, right near the door, so every time the door opens, engine and tailpipe exhaust get sucked inside.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/10/environmental-defense-fund-ask-dr-john-school-bus-pollution-and-health/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/19/environmental-defense-fund-new-offshore-drilling-in-perspective-cool-graph/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/19/environmental-defense-fund-new-offshore-drilling-in-perspective-cool-graph/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:36:22 +0000 edfblog http://sustainablog.org/2008/09/19/environmental-defense-fund-new-offshore-drilling-in-perspective-cool-graph/ This post is by Gernot Wagner, an economist in the Climate & Air program at Environmental Defense Fund.

A picture is worth a thousand words:



Source: Architecture2030, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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