Just how popular is the Prius? If you ask Jim Lentz, President of Toyota’s U.S. arm, it is so popular that it could soon sell even more units than Toyota’s perennial best seller, the Camry. Are hybrid cars really that popular?

To date, Toyota has sold two Camrys for every one Prius, but with over a million of the peppy little hybrids sold, and sales growing stronger every year, the Prius may soon join the Camry on the podium of top sellers.

Read more of this story »

Last week, Fisker Automotive co-founder and CEO, Henrik Fisker, said that his company would very shortly be announcing where project Nina—the company’s upcoming $48,000 plug-in hybrid—would be built. The statement led to all sorts of rumors, but speculation had been growing that the chosen manufacturing spot was a closed GM plant in Delaware.

Read more of this story »

GASP!     WOOT! YES!

President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize today for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples“; as well as for his ongoing work to free the world of all nuclear weapons.

Read more of this story »

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

In one of his first moves upon taking office, President Obama has ordered a freeze on all new or pending regulations from the Bush administration. The bold action could delay, and possibly even prevent, the removal of gray wolves from endangered species lists in more than a dozen states.

In a memorandum released by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Obama has informed all department and agency heads that “…no proposed or final regulation should be sent to the Office of Federal Register for publication unless and until it has been reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2009.”

According to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, the hiatus will give President Obama and new Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar the chance to reconsider the Bush administration’s plans to remove wolves from the endangered species list.

Read more of this story »

You know what we’re lacking, though, right? Our own projects! We are crafty people, and it’s about time that we ourselves make some sweet crafty love with our man of the day, President Obama.

Sweet crafty love? Count me in!

Here’s a breakdown of some craftiness you can get yourselves into:

Read more of this story »

It’s a reflection of the economic environment, said Ron Pernick, a principal at research firm Clean Edge and a co-producer of the conference. “There haven’t been any exits to speak of, which tells you something,” he said.

Read more of this story »

Soon-to-be-President Barack Obama has appointed animal advocate Cass Sunstein to head the relatively obscure, yet powerful Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

The regulatory czar, as the position is generally called, is responsible for every regulatory agency in the country, such as the EPA, and will oversee all administration rules.

Sunstein is best known for his balanced views between government regulations and cost-benefit analysis and for his theory of behavioral economics and he is widely considered to be a great choice for the office. However, a new controversy is arising over his views on animal rights and animal welfare.

Read more of this story »

The UK’s Daily Mail recently posted this great John Lawson-penned cutaway drawing of the upcoming Cadillac One, the heavily armored limousine that President Barack Obama will be cruising home in immediately after his inauguration.

Explore Cadillac One inside and out (to varying degrees of precision) after the jump.

Read more of this story »

So here’s a reminder, Mr. President-Elect, to remember the low-hanging fruit. Take advantage of easy opportunities to showcase the positive, the healthy, and the true “green” in our country. Take the White House Egg Roll, for example. The longest standing tradition of the White House, for over one hundred years children have gathering on the White House Lawn the Monday after Easter for egg rolling fun with the President and First Lady. Don’t just take this event at face value and follow the same plug and play routine the Bush White House succumbed to – use this opportunity to honor our country’s agricultural roots while celebrating how American farmers grow great food by showcasing the breadth of agriculture that now also captures the growth and vibrancy of the organic and sustainable farming movement.

Representing the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture, organic and sustainable farming holds the potential to reinvent our food system to create healthy, fair, green and affordable localized food sources for us all. Look at the diversity of egg alone: from free-range to organic eggs, white, brown and even blue eggs now grace the aisles of some grocery stores and farm stands at farmers’ markets. Such an educational focus for the upcoming White House Egg Roll, scheduled for April 13, 2009, would embrace the face and pace of change transforming and restoring our American farmlands and food system because it will:

1. Root for Fit Kids
Stewarding the land and growing local, fresh, seasonal food sources further strengthens a healthy future for the honored Egg Roll attendees: our nation’s youth. Starting with the egg, arguably one of the most complete and nutritious protein sources available, farm-fresh food fuels our children toward a healthy future.

2. Savor Spring’s Fresh and Local Harvest
The Egg Roll coincides with the opening of the farmers’ market season nationally and can also serve as a timely stimulus for Americans to start home gardens, revitalizing the spirit, sacrifice and responsibility made famous by the Victory Garden era of WWII.

Read more of this story »

The Bush administration has taken steps to open the Californian coast to oil exploration and drilling in as few as three years. The move could potentially tap more than 10 billion barrels of oil, enough to power the U.S. for 17 months.

The proposal has been greeted with horror in environmental circles, wary of the threat of oil spills, air pollution and increased shipping traffic in an area rich with migrating whales, millions of seabirds, sea otters, fish and crab feeding grounds. According to Richard Charter, a lobbyist for the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, “You couldn’t design a better formula to create adverse impacts on California’s coastal-dependent economy.”

Read more of this story »

Endangered US animal and plant species are in danger of losing vital legal protection designed to prevent them from extinction.

The outgoing Bush administration is proposing to rush through legislation that will remove the right of government experts to ensure that dams, highways and other big infrastructure projects don’t pose an unacceptable threat to fragile plants and animals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Crucially, the regulations must be approved by Friday if they are to come into effect before President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on January 20th.

Read more of this story »

From a biofuels standpoint, the choice of Vilsack would be a clear indication of the direction an Obama administration would likely take. As a political leader from a corn farming state, Vilsack has shown strong allegiances with the corn ethanol industry in the past and has been an outspoken advocate of alternative energy.

Read more of this story »

Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff Designate

Emanuel introduced a far-reaching cleanup package for the Great Lakes in 2003 committing millions of dollars to clean up toxic hot spots. He is a man who swims in Lake Michigan for exercise and has an intimate connection to the environment. One environmentalist called Emanuel “the godfather of Great Lakes restoration”(Cleveland.Com).

Read more of this story »

Who do you want to be the next President of the United States of America?

(A) An unbranded cow.

(B) A politician who doesn’t listen to his/her associates (AKA “The Decider”).

(C) A tool of war.

(D) None of the above.

Image credit: maverick. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved October 28, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maverick

Recently, 1Sky and Brighter Planet ran a user generated video contest called Climate Matters, asking people to send in videos that address the problem of climate change. The winning submissions from the Climate Matters video contest will be distributed to all presidential nominees and each member of Congress. The winning video, created by Steven Dempsey features a child’s voice talking about making the difference to today for a better tomorrow. Ask the Children, the video that came in second place was created by Barbara Lucas who asked her niece why we should be concerned about using fossil fuels and was touched by the depth of her awareness and fear. To view Ask the Children click here.

Read more about the winning videos and watch Climate Matters, the video that came in first place.

<< Previous Post: Big Oil, Part Four

Is it gross - sure. Yet the picture sums up the last eight years of foreign policy quite nicely, don’t ya think? We’ve suffered through too much of this cowboy politics crap (pun intended) to allow it to happen again.

But that’s exactly what we’re getting with Palin - more crap! Hell, even Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of this lady. It’s the same political myopia as George W. but with a nicer rack. For example, how could any politician admit to not focusing on the war in Iraq…much? What has she been doing since 2003? And can we afford another administration who thinks God speaks to them? Seriously, that kinda thing never really works out for the best.

More on Palin >>

From Think Progress

Palin Hasn’t Given The War In Iraq Much Thought. Palin told the Alaska Business Monthly, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place.” [Alaska Business Monthly, 3/1/07]

Palin Has Never Been To Iraq. In her only trip overseas, Palin visited Alaska National Guard troops stationed in Kuwait and Germany in July 2007. [AP, 7/25/07]

Palin Believes That The Iraq War Is A Task ‘From God.’ Speaking at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June, Palin said that “our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God.” [Huffington Post, 9/2/08]

Palin Believes The Iraq War Was Fought Over Oil. “We are a nation at war and in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources,” Palin told BusinessWeek in an interview. [BusinessWeek, 8/29/08]

Palin Didn’t Have A Passport Until 2007. Palin first obtained a passport in July 2007 for her trip to Kuwait and Germany to visit Alaska National Guard troops. Her only other trips outside of the United States have been to Canada and Mexico. A Palin spokeswoman had previously said that Palin had also been to Ireland, although it was actually just a “refueling stop” on her Germany/Kuwait trip. [New York Times, 8/29/08; Politico, 9/2/08; ABC News, 9/12/08]

Palin Has Never Issued An Order To The Alaska National Guard. Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the service commander of the Alaska National Guard, has stated that Palin has never personally ordered the National Guard to do anything. [McClatchy, 9/4/08]

Palin Is Unaware Of The Bush Doctrine. During an interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, Palin was stumped about the Bush Doctrine, thinking it was the President’s “worldview.” [ABC News, 9/11/08]

Related posts:

Amy Poehler does the ‘Sarah Palin Rap’ on SNL [w/ video]
Palin Protests Federal Listing of Beluga Whales as Endangered
Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

Image source: saintbob on Flickr

Having initially proposed to make Chile’s offshore waters a whale sanctuary earlier this year, on Wednesday President Michelle Bachelet officially signed the whaling ban into law.

On the previous day, she helped designate a new national park and also announced that six additional protected areas will be created in Chile next year.

She’s setting an excellent example for other world leaders on the conservation front.

Read more of this story »

Perhaps smarting over a judge’s recent decision to scratch the Bush administration’s plan to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park, now Bush has said, “Damn it! If I can’t snowmobile in Yellowstone, at least I want to go mountain biking!”

Read more of this story »

Everyone seems to be in agreement these days that green jobs are part of the key to solving the current financial crisis. Barack Obama outlined his ideas for how to accomplish this in yesterday’s speech. Here are some excerpts:

• “We’ll create 5 million new, high-wage jobs by investing in the renewable sources of energy that will eliminate the oil we currently import from the Middle East in 10 years, and we’ll create 2 million jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges.”
• “It is time to protect the jobs we have and to create the jobs of tomorrow by unlocking the drive, and ingenuity, and innovation of the American people. And we should fast-track the loan guarantees we passed for our auto industry and provide more as needed so that they can build the energy-efficient cars America needs to end our dependence on foreign oil.”
• “I won’t pretend this will be easy or come without cost. We’ll have to set priorities as never before, and stick to them. That means pursuing investments in areas such as energy, education, and healthcare that bear directly on our economic future, while deferring other things we can afford to do without.”

John McCain is also interested in creating “green jobs” to help boost the economy.  How’s his plan different?  McCain’s talking about the nuclear sector, while Obama’s talking about the research and development of clean fuels and cars.

Read the transcript from Obama’s economic speech here.

Source:  nytimes
Photo:  Wikimedia Commons