Green Options » health care http://greenoptions.com/tag/health-care Posts tagged 'health care' Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:48:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en House Health Care Bill’s Abortion Amendment Another Hurdle for Obama, Pelosi and Dems in 2010 http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/11/08/obama-pelosi-and-dems-face-tough-2010-fight-after-health-care-bills-passage/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/11/08/obama-pelosi-and-dems-face-tough-2010-fight-after-health-care-bills-passage/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:48:00 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/11/08/obama-pelosi-and-dems-face-tough-2010-fight-after-health-care-bills-passage/ In the late-night aftermath of a too-close-for-comfort 220-215 vote, House Democrat leaders and the White House hailed the passage of a health care bill that would cover more than 35 million uninsured Americans while introducing a limited public option and adding restrictions on discrimination against insurance applicants with preexisting conditions. But, not everyone - not the entire Democratic caucus or even some of its most active interest groups - praised the bill, which included an amendment that codifies the so-called “Hyde Amendment,” and would restrict the use of federal funds for abortion coverage.

The parallels to the House’s Waxman-Markey climate bill - which passed in June in the face of opposition from green stalwarts and Democratic political players like Greenpeace - are significant, and it begs the question: are progressives on board with all of this “progress?”

Presumably, a year ago, as progressives basked in the victory-with-a-mandate of the nation’s first truly progressive president since FDR, they would not have settled for a health care bill that the chairwoman of the House Pro-Choice Caucus called “the biggest restriction of a woman’s right to choose that will be considered on the House floor in my career.” Likewise, they could not have anticipated that they would be left to cheer for a climate bill that not only includes huge subsidies for coal companies and nuclear plants and expansion of offshore drilling, but also does not auction carbon credits under its cap-and-trade program, instead handing the credits as allowances to utilities and other major carbon emitters.

Call it what you like - genuine progress, an important Trojan Horse, political spin - but walking back from hardcore progressive initiatives might have real political consequences as 2010’s mid-term elections approach.

The Known Enemy - GOP Sharpening Attacks and Piling Up Ammo

Of course, the GOP will be taking dead aim at Dems across the country, branding them as government expansionists who have increased the federal debt and mismanaged the financial crisis through free-spending programs like Cash for Clunkers. But, the parrallels to the the 2003 BTU Tax vote also cannot be underestimated.

The House vote on that bill - which put Dems in the lower chamber out there on a somewhat controversial issue in spite of the fact that the Senate never came close to taking a similar vote, and therefore the measure had no chance of becoming law - is often given partial credit for driving the Republican Revolution of 1994. Like ‘94, there is not much evidence that the Senate will be able to pass - or perhaps even vote or move out of committee - a bill that approaches many of the issues that the House rules allowed Speaker Pelosi to put on the floor and take to a vote. Facing high Congressional disapproval already, House Dems are already tacking on the challenges of a still-flagging economy that just breached 10% unemployment, a figure that promises to continue rising right through 2010’s election season. Now they must also defend their vote for this health care bill against GOP challengers. The politics will play out, but there is the chance that the razor’s edge health care vote violated one of the first rules of Washington: never take an unnecessary vote.

A New Enemy Within? Greens, Gay Rights, Pro-Choicers and Peaceniks

More than in 1994 though, Democrats in Congress might be facing backlash from both sides as 2010 advances. The climate bill’s “giveaways” alone would not have been enough to energize hardcore progressives to unseat sitting Democrats, but add in the escalation in Afghanistan; a lack of progress on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” and, now the health care vote and its abortion amendment and Democratic leaders may have done just enough to instigate a mutiny that unites the four most active and important political power players within the party: greens, gay rights groups, anti-war advocates and pro-choice women’s interests.

In other words, it is not inconceivable that by splitting the baby (turning John Kerry’s famous phrase on its head, many Dems from deep blue states voted against the anti-abortion amendment before they voted for the bill), Democrats who were already vulnerable have made themselves beatable.

Speaking on CNN prior to passage of the House bill, Democratic political guru James Carville noted that Democrats might “lose both chambers” if they could not pass a healthy care bill in this session. The father of one of this generation’s most famous political aphorisms (”its the economy, stupid”) may have proven to be a soothsayer yet again. Although, I’m not sure even Carville saw this coming.

Flickr photo used under a Creative Commons license from BarackObama.com

]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/11/08/obama-pelosi-and-dems-face-tough-2010-fight-after-health-care-bills-passage/feed/ Senate Set to Compromise on Health Care and Climate Change http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/14/senate-set-to-compromise-on-health-care-and-climate-change/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/14/senate-set-to-compromise-on-health-care-and-climate-change/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:04:01 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/14/senate-set-to-compromise-on-health-care-and-climate-change/

Olympia Snowe’s support of the finance committee draft puts health care back in play, but without a public option. The Graham-Kerry compromise climate bill would start to cap carbon, but also allow coal to cash in. Can Obama’s progressive base settle for incrementalism? If Arriana Huffington speaks for the movement, HOPE may not hold out in the face of so little CHANGE during the 2010 mid-terms. </p>

After so much bad news on health care, the White House and Senate Dems are clinging to Senator Olympia Snowe’s support of the Finance Committee draft bill. While the bill does deliver on some of the key provisions the White House wanted - including insurance company restrictions on applicants with pre-existing medical conditions - it does not include a public option. What’s more, with CBO costing the “bipartisan” bill out somewhere north of $800 billion, there is little doubt that as amendments are made and more scrutiny is placed on estimated Medicare savings, a $1 trillion price tag is going to put Snowe’s support at risk (to say of nothing of some already-reluctant Democrats.

Similarly, the climate bill strategy that Senators John Kerry and Lindsey Graham proposed in their New York Times Op-Ed may make passage more likely as some pundits have argued. But, it cannot please progressives to see so many giveaways already - before the Senate has even begun trading horses in earnest. The Graham/Kerry compromise promises to make America “the Saudi Arabia of clean coal,” polishes the drills for more domestic drilling, and lifts restrictions to allow for faster proliferation of new nuclear plants. Not exactly the kind of thing that will warm hearts among hardcore conservationists.

But, a health care bill that restricts companies from discriminating against pre-existing conditions and a cap-and-trade regime (even one with a price collar and a lot of allowances) mean something to the progressive base, right? Not necessarily.

Arianna Huffington, a thought leader of the progressive movement, lambasted Obama and the incremental approach over the weekend on This Week and again on NPR’s On Point. Huffington’s argument is that “No Child Left Behind” is a cautionary tale that the Obama White House should study well. In her reckoning, the Act made no real progress in improving American education, but it gave the Washington establishment cover to say, “we dealt with education,” sapping momentum for any real and renewed action on the issue in the Obama administration.

Could the same happen to Obama’s health care and climate agendas if the Dems take pennies on the dollar for all of the political capital POTUS has invested? And will their base settle for the incrementalist approach anyway? He might have been able to argue the “old college try” if hopes had not been so high, promises so lofty, and the stage seemingly so well set (including the sort-of supermajority in the Senate). Instead, with little more than promises on progressive hot-buttons like Iraq and Afghan deescalation, Gitmo closings, repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” health care and climate change, patience among progressives is wearing thin.

The political calculation is tricky. The White House - and Dems facing fights in the 2010 mid-terms - might be better to take outright losses on these watered-down bills, hold their line, and position the GOP as obstructionists in order to reenergize the progressive base.

Photo credit (CC) JD Lasica, socialmedia.biz

]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/14/senate-set-to-compromise-on-health-care-and-climate-change/feed/ Who’s Counting? Obama’s Olympic Failure Has Meaning for Copenhagen and Climate Change http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/02/whos-counting-obamas-olympic-failure-has-meaning-for-copenhagen-and-climate-change/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/02/whos-counting-obamas-olympic-failure-has-meaning-for-copenhagen-and-climate-change/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:43:47 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/02/whos-counting-obamas-olympic-failure-has-meaning-for-copenhagen-and-climate-change/ After a campaign that resulted not only in victory, but in the transcendence of Barack Obama to something beyond a political figure and the elevation of David Axelrod to membership in the Rove/Carville College of Cardinals in American political life, the White House has not had much time to bask in victory’s glow. The economy remains in the tank, Afghanistan is drawing more frequent comparisons to Vietnam, and the health care and climate change fights have been taxing.

Yesterday, Obama hopped a plane to Denmark for a whirlwind Scandinavian tour where it was thought that his presence and pitch might push Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics across the goal line. Instead, ChiTown did not make it out of the first round of balloting. Safe to say that if the White House knew that, Obama would not have made the trip. The failure marked the first - and probably last - time that a sitting US President schilled in front of an IOC selection committee.

The miscalculation is a familiar one. Just after Labor Day, POTUS addressed a joint session of Congress to drive home his point on the urgency of health care reform happening this year. Now barely into October, the only Senate health care bill thought to have a chance on the floor emerged from committee with no bipartisan support. And, as October begins it is clear that if any health care reform bill is signed in 2009, it will not include the now notorious “public option.”

In both cases, the White House made the decision to put their guy out there, but - evidently - no one counted the votes beforehand. The situation is eerily similar to the early administration flubs in the appointments process (i.e., the Daschle false start and the Judd Gregg quagmire). Any good party whip knows that you do not bring a bill to the floor until you know how the roll is going to be called.

As a result of Denmark, Obama winds up wearing a piece of a defeat that was inevitable and it was not even his fight. The Chicago Olympics story is clearly being played up for everything - and more - than its worth by the Right, but it is worth considering why - given that the Chicago bid was circling the drain - Obama let himself get dragged down with it?

When the call came asking for his support, White House staffers should have told the Chicago team to spend 48 hours having coffee with everyone who held a vote, and bring back their tally. If it looked close, then Obama has a tough call to make. But, if they cannot bring back a straw poll or if they bring back numbers that show the Windy City being blown away, then the White House has an easy answer: “love to help, but…”

As the world closes in on December’s big UN climate change conference — back in Copenhagen — it begs the question: is the White House strategy informed by good ground-level information on where other parties sit? Clearly, that strategy includes putting pressure on reluctant Senators with the prospect (read: threat) of EPA regulation of emissions in the absence of comprehensive legislation, even something as watered-down as Waxman-Markey. The upside to handing things off to Lisa Jackson is that it may force the hands of some of the upper Midwest Dems Obama needs to get to 60. And, even if it is not enough of a prod to move a bill through the Senate, it allows Obama to fly his flag in Copenhagen.

But, what if they are not close to 60? What if the lever is not the right one to swing the votes they need. Based on their recent due diligence, it is difficult to say whether the White House even knows where their votes are, who can be swung, and how. That said, should they roll the dice with an EPA plan? How will the inevitable backlash inside the US look on the global stage?

Strong political interests are already lining up against the idea of an executive power move on carbon, and with a lot of Dems looking more vulnerable for the mid-terms in 2010, you have to wonder if the move does not just paint Obama back into a corner and have allies running in the other direction on climate change.

On the campaign trail - in spite of Reverend Wright - Obama earned the gloss “No Drama Obama.” A little less than a year into his tenure as President, the shine is wearing off.

Flickr photo by RobBeer.

]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/10/02/whos-counting-obamas-olympic-failure-has-meaning-for-copenhagen-and-climate-change/feed/ Cap-and-Trade Depends on Obama’s Health Care Success http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/16/cap-and-trade-depends-on-obamas-health-care-success/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/16/cap-and-trade-depends-on-obamas-health-care-success/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:49:36 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/16/cap-and-trade-depends-on-obamas-health-care-success/ The Sunday talk shows were full of talk about the health care reform fight: are there 60 votes in the Senate? is the public option off the table? are illegal immigrants covered? And, while consensus on any health care answers has been fleeting, everyone agrees on what is the most important question: how is President Obama going to PAY for health care reform?

The White House still lists climate change legislation as one of its priorities, but with Senate action on a bill getting pushed deeper into September - and closer to oblivion for 2009 - greens cannot help but worry that their cause will not only be eclipsed by health care, but also by the economy generally, unemployment specifically, and even foreign policy issues like the escalation in Afghanistan.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/16/cap-and-trade-depends-on-obamas-health-care-success/feed/ Senate Climate Debate: Six to Watch on the Climb to Sixty http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/06/senate-climate-debate-six-to-watch-on-the-climb-to-sixty/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/06/senate-climate-debate-six-to-watch-on-the-climb-to-sixty/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:42:48 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/06/senate-climate-debate-six-to-watch-on-the-climb-to-sixty/ Back in late spring, critics on the left attacked the Waxman-Markey bill for compromising on carbon credits even as the right slapped on the “energy tax” label, and - at least if early September is any indication - that label has stuck.

It is not clear that President Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid (pictured left with New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman - another key climate voice) can win a simple majority for carbon-capping climate change legislation this year, with industrial state Dems already defecting, but the lift for Reid and his whips will be even tougher: they cannot overcome a GOP filibuster without a 60 vote super-majority.

If those Senators in favor of climate legislation get the 60 votes they need to block a filibuster and pass a climate bill, they likely can’t do it without a little help from these six. These are the six Senators that lobbyists will be courting, the White House will be pressing, and you should be watching in the coming days and weeks as the Senate addresses climate change.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/09/06/senate-climate-debate-six-to-watch-on-the-climb-to-sixty/feed/ Inspired Economist: Pick of the Week http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/31/inspired-economist-pick-of-the-week-13/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/31/inspired-economist-pick-of-the-week-13/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:20:01 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/31/inspired-economist-pick-of-the-week-13/  

This column highlights the top economic stories of the week.

While Detroit has benefited from Cash for Clunkers, foreign automakers have gained even more. Some critics of the program warned that because it let consumers buy domestic or foreign cars, Clunkers could end up spending more American tax dollars to help foreign companies than American ones. More on this story here.

With irresponsible banking practices taking the blame for bringing about the global economic crisis, there has been a surge of interest in Islamic finance.Now, a slew of academic courses are springing up to meet the demand of those wanting to break into an expanding market. According to ratings agency Moody’s, the global Islamic finance sector is worth $700 billion and has the potential to be worth $4 trillion. More on this story here.

n an effort to curb solid waste pollution, China banned the import of scrap polysilicon at the beginning of August, an effort supported by its current environmental laws according to its Environmental Protection Ministry. Scrap polysilicon is a low-grade form of silicon not pure enough to use in microchips. However, it can be used as a component of solar wafers, which contain a variety of types of silicon, including up to 30% scrap polysilicon. More on this story here.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/31/inspired-economist-pick-of-the-week-13/feed/ Did John Mackey Create a CSR Nightmare for Whole Foods? http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/27/did-john-mackey-create-a-csr-nightmare-for-whole-foods/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/27/did-john-mackey-create-a-csr-nightmare-for-whole-foods/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:01:13 +0000 Cindy Tickle http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/27/did-john-mackey-create-a-csr-nightmare-for-whole-foods/ Did Whole Foods CEO John Mackey cause a brand reputation, CSR nightmare for the company with his Wall Street Journal op-ed against healthcare reform?

In my work in Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable business, Whole Foods has always been a company to benchmark against.  They were one of the first major retailers to offset 100% of their energy use with wind energy credits; voluntarily stop using plastic bags company-wide; join the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program; and develop a certification program, the Whole Trade Guarantee, in partnership with non-profits.  Plus, the company has received a plethora of sustainability and environmental awards and recognition.  So I was just wondering…with a track record like that, can a renegade CEO damage the company’s brand reputation as a socially responsible company?  Well, John Mackey, co-founder and chief executive of Whole Foods, is sure giving it the old college try.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/08/27/did-john-mackey-create-a-csr-nightmare-for-whole-foods/feed/ Three Ways Obama Wins Republicans on Climate Change http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/23/three-ways-obama-wins-republicans-on-climate-change/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/23/three-ways-obama-wins-republicans-on-climate-change/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:49:54 +0000 Joe Walsh http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/23/three-ways-obama-wins-republicans-on-climate-change/ Obama\'s \Energy didn’t get a sniff in last night’s Obama press conference. That wasn’t really a surprise given the way that health care has elbowed its way into the political spotlight. You can count climate change among the “priorities” now in the shadows. Health care is all touch-and-feel…it plays with everyone.

Climate change? Not so much. If Jon Stewart is snoozing, we know that the rest of America - a goodly percentage of which is far across the spectrum from Stewart and outwardly hostile to climate change arguments - is tuned all the way out. That is partly because climate change, energy and the environment still are considered Birkenstock and granola issues. The Obama operatives that are still engaged on climate change have finally started to tweak the message in a way that might help sell a bill even to science skeptics and the generally apathetic.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/23/three-ways-obama-wins-republicans-on-climate-change/feed/ Taking a Bite Out of Health Care Costs http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/16/taking-a-bite-out-of-health-care-costs/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/16/taking-a-bite-out-of-health-care-costs/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:52:35 +0000 Gavin Newsom http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/16/taking-a-bite-out-of-health-care-costs/

As Congress debates how to pay for national health care reform, here in California we are showing there are ways to make coverage both universal and affordable.

In San Francisco, we are finding that one of the most effective reforms, and the most affordable by far, is simply using the purchasing and persuasive power of our city to promote the kind of healthy habits that keep residents away from costly medical interventions and prevent chronic diseases.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/07/16/taking-a-bite-out-of-health-care-costs/feed/ Health Care Facilities to Get Green Evaluations http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 16:44:10 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/ In the middle of 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council is rolling out a new rating system specific for evaluating health care. Named the LEED HC, the system will take into account the limitations in health care buildings and the relationship between staff members and patients in a way that the normal LEED system is incapable of doing. Certification requirements, as a result, will be less stringent than normal LEED requirements.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/feed/ How To Live Richly: Go Green on a Budget http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/15/how-to-live-richly-go-green-on-a-budget/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/15/how-to-live-richly-go-green-on-a-budget/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:13:26 +0000 John Ivanko http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/15/how-to-live-richly-go-green-on-a-budget/ Go Green on a Budget - Green Piggy BankThere should be no secrets among those who continue to prosper in mostly non-financial ways despite the challenging economic times.  These people live (and perhaps work) following the laws of nature more than the “laws of supply and demand” of the increasingly dysfunctional “free” and global marketplace.

Here’s how to thrive in the abundance of renewable energy, organic food and a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle. While not all frugality rules, this approach to living more sustainably does require some degree of curtailment, scaling down and living within our means.  It means using credit cards less and relying on community members or family more.  However, the result can be a rich life filled with health and well-being, friends and family, more time to do the things you love to do (imagine that!), a greater sense of purpose, and, my favorite, happiness.

Below are a few suggestions to get you started or continue your journey.  Please add some of your own in the comments.  Maybe some of the BIG banks or BIG government folks might take notice that a few ideas do not involve printing and spending trillions of dollars to “spur consumption.”

•  Powering the renewable energy revolution

Times couldn’t be better for installing your own renewable energy system or improving your energy efficiency of your home or business (or both!), depending on the state you live in.  The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 extended the Energy Policy Act of 2005. These new acts extend and expand the federal tax credits available for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements made in 2009 and beyond.  There are numerous renewable energy cash-back incentives, tax credits and low interest loans that can help ease the transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to one that thrives on solar income.  Check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (www.dsireusa.org) to see what’s available in your state.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/04/15/how-to-live-richly-go-green-on-a-budget/feed/ New Organics Campaign Aimed At Young Families http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/27/new-organics-campaign-aimed-at-young-families/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/27/new-organics-campaign-aimed-at-young-families/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:18:16 +0000 Sonya http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/27/new-organics-campaign-aimed-at-young-families/ A new U.S. organics education and marketing campaign is aimed at families with young children.  The Organic Agriculture and Products Education Institute (Organic Institute) has launched ‘Organic. It’s worth it’, its first national consumer campaign.

“The mission of this campaign is to answer consumer questions about organic with the clear message that organic is worth it in every way from health care and economics to farming and the environment. It will increase consumer trust, knowledge and purchase of organic products,” says Christine Bushway, president of the Organic Institute and executive director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the campaign sponsor.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/27/new-organics-campaign-aimed-at-young-families/feed/ “We Will Recover”: President Obama On The Economy http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/25/we-will-recover-president-obama-on-the-economy/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/25/we-will-recover-president-obama-on-the-economy/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:01:56 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/25/we-will-recover-president-obama-on-the-economy/ This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Watch the speech that President Obama delivered to the nation last night. (MSNBC)

President Barack Obama gathered politicians and the public last night to talk about how to avert the worst economic disaster in since the depression through his plan to improve health care, schools and the environment.

The president recognized the enormous impact of the recession and pledged to rebuild the United States of America  to emerge stronger than before.

Here is what he said about the main issues on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which has recently become law.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/25/we-will-recover-president-obama-on-the-economy/feed/ World’s Youngest Transsexual: 16-Year-Old Undergoes Sex Change Operation http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/04/worlds-youngest-transsexual-16-year-old-undergoes-sex-change-operation/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/04/worlds-youngest-transsexual-16-year-old-undergoes-sex-change-operation/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:35:59 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/04/worlds-youngest-transsexual-16-year-old-undergoes-sex-change-operation/ 16-year-old becomes youngest person to undergo a sex change operation

A German 16-year-old named Kim (born Tim) has become the youngest person to undergo a sex change operation.

Paid for by the German health service, psychologists stated he/she was “without doubt a girl in a boy’s body“. Since the age of 12, Kim has been undergoing hormone therapy.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/04/worlds-youngest-transsexual-16-year-old-undergoes-sex-change-operation/feed/ President Obama’s First Weekly Video Address http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/24/president-obamas-first-weekly-video-address/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/24/president-obamas-first-weekly-video-address/#comments Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:58:31 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/24/president-obamas-first-weekly-video-address/ This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/01/24/president-obamas-first-weekly-video-address/feed/ Ten Winning Ideas for Change http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/17/ten-winning-ideas-for-change/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/17/ten-winning-ideas-for-change/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:47:36 +0000 Becky Striepe http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/17/ten-winning-ideas-for-change/ Since Obama’s election in November, the website Change.org has allowed anyone with an idea for the new administration to post it on the site for folks to vote on. Today, they revealed the top ten Ideas for Change in America.


[Creative Commons photo by Steve Rhodes]

Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media who is responsible for President Obama’s transition website, Change.gov, accepted the ideas on behalf of the Presidential Transition Team. There were over 8,000 ideas and 600,000 votes, and over 175,000 people participated! They’re going to pair up each winning idea with a nonprofit to help work toward making these things that folks care care about into policy. Here are the ten winning ideas:

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/01/17/ten-winning-ideas-for-change/feed/ Children’s Health Care Reform to Come from Cigarettes http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/13/childrens-health-care-reform-to-come-from-cigarettes/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/13/childrens-health-care-reform-to-come-from-cigarettes/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:20:27 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/13/childrens-health-care-reform-to-come-from-cigarettes/

Barack Obama may be celebrating an early victory in his campaign promises of health care reform, as the U.S. House of Representatives votes today to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan and increase taxes on cigarettes to fund it.

The bill intends to expand SCHIP health care coverage to over 11 million children by raising the cigarette tax to $1 a pack, with taxes on other tobacco products being raised as well. 6.7 million children in low income families are currently covered by the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/13/childrens-health-care-reform-to-come-from-cigarettes/feed/ An Eco Child’s Play Donation: The Children’s Defense Fund http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/22/an-eco-childs-play-donation-the-childrens-defense-fund/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/22/an-eco-childs-play-donation-the-childrens-defense-fund/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:09:28 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/22/an-eco-childs-play-donation-the-childrens-defense-fund/ It is time for another Eco Child’s Play donation on behalf of our readers and writers.  This month, I have selected the Children’s Defense Fund for a small contribution.
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The Children’s Defense Fund’s Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/22/an-eco-childs-play-donation-the-childrens-defense-fund/feed/ Sustainability Becomes a Priority in New Hospital Construction http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/02/sustainability-becomes-a-priority-in-new-hospital-construction/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/02/sustainability-becomes-a-priority-in-new-hospital-construction/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:29:22 +0000 Kristin Dispenza http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/02/sustainability-becomes-a-priority-in-new-hospital-construction/ Rendering of the Sacred Heart Medical Center in OregonAccording to the Washington Post, the United States is currently seeing a dramatic increase in hospital construction. American Hospital Association senior vice president Rick Wade is quoted in the article as saying that we are experiencing the most significant hospital building boom since after World War II. (For discussion of the various social and financial trends that are influencing this boom, as well as its economic ramifications, see the Washington Post article referenced above and Health Beat by Maggie Mahar.)

The Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Oregon, which opened in August 2008, features many of the amenities that newer hospitals are becoming known for. The building is over 1,000,000 sq. ft in size, is set amidst 181 riverfront acres, and blends hospitality design with health care design. In fact, the design architect for the building was WATG, a firm that specializes in destination design and hospitality. Anshen+Allen was the architect of record, and focused on health care design.

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/02/sustainability-becomes-a-priority-in-new-hospital-construction/feed/ Do Eco-Friendly Dentists = Green Teeth? http://sustainablog.org/2007/02/21/do-eco-friendly-dentists-green-teeth/ http://sustainablog.org/2007/02/21/do-eco-friendly-dentists-green-teeth/#comments Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:24:00 +0000 Jeff McIntire-Strasburg http://sustainablog.org/2007/02/21/do-eco-friendly-dentists-green-teeth/
I’m certain they don’t. And, yes, there are now green dentists. Springwise takes note of Transcendentist, a Berkeley, CA, dental practice that keeps your teeth white the green way. According to their post,
Certified by the Alameda County Green Business Program, the office practices ecologically sustainable dentistry — from serving organic chamomile tea to using amalgam separator filters to prevent mercury entering the environment. (Transcendentist doesn’t use amalgam, but does remove old fillings.) Transcendentist also uses digital imaging instead of x-rays, which means less radiation for patients and employees, and no need for the chemicals that are used to process x-rays.

The eco approach extends to the rest of the office: non-toxic paint on the walls, chemical-free wool carpet and cloth headrest covers and bibs instead of paper disposables. Transcendentist was founded in 2003 by Fred and Ina Pockrass, with the aim of creating a calm and healing experience for clients. To this end, Transcendentist isn’t just environmentally friendly, but also incorporates elements of a spa. Every visit includes a foot massage, sound and color therapy are used to soothe patients, and the office even has its own line of essence-infused, natural body products.

While some will write this off as a hippy-dippy experiment, the practice is taking off: partners were told to expect 10-15 new patients a month. In reality, they’re getting 30, 40, even 60 in a few really good months. It’s been so successful, in fact, that the owners plan to roll out the concept as a licensed business model!

While the success of Transcendentist certainly points to the power of green marketing (especially when it’s the real deal), I’m guessing the efforts to create a calm, soothing environment also really contribute to the practice’s growth. An awful lot of people are still afraid to go to the dentist, and the assembly line approach I’ve seen in recent years (at least at the couple of practices I’ve used) isn’t likely to make patients look forward to that six-month cleaning. The Pockrasses aren’t just creating a greener dental office: they’re creating a better experience for their patients. Nothing quite like a foot massage to prepare you for the pick-and-water treatment.

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