Green Options » United States

Exxon Oil and Gas Project to Face Russian Legal Challenge Over Endangered Whales

Andrew Williams — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:05:45 +0000

Russian environmental groups have today launched a legal challenge against a consortium led by U.S. oil and gas giant Exxon, for threatening critically endangered whales in the far east of the country.

Last year, Russian authorities gave Exxon the green light to build a pipeline across a lagoon on Sakhalin Island that is a crucial feeding ground for the world’s last surviving colony of Western Gray Whales.

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Canadian Challenge: Canadian Election Debate, or American Vice-Presidential Debate?

Amiel Blajchman — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:13:42 +0000

Canadian political junkies are all busy programming their VCRs, Tivos, or getting all set up to Bittorrent tonight. Thanks to the vagaries of the Parliamentary process, there is a Canadian election called for October 14th. And, similar to the Presidential debates that have been, and will be happening, the leaders of Canada’s five major parties:

are participating in back to back French and English language debates (you can read coverage of the debates here). For those readers who are wondering, Canada is officially bilingual, and therefore the major party leaders have a debate in each official language prior to the election.

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A Meditation on Being American… and My Role in Global Sustainability

Caroline Savery — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:39:05 +0000

This blog post was written in response to some unusually caustic replies received on my last Sustainablog post, “The Dissonance Between Dreams: Re-writing the Sust Enable Episode Scripts.” It was composed in the interrim between the second-to-last comment, and the final comment, which clarifies the author’s tone a bit and does lay out some common ground. However, based only on reading the comment quoted below, the commenter inspired deep meditation into myself and to what extent I am trying to exploit privilege–even while claiming to be 100% supportive of global sustainability. View the comments here.

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“It’s only irrelevant in the context of one who still feels entitled to the comforts and privileges that being white in Western civilization has afforded her.”

Overall, I think the most crucial component of changing the world is not privilege: it is responsibility. As someone who was born into a world with social systems favoring her, it is my responsibility to address and counteract these effects. As someone who enjoys the benefits (but not the costs) of systems that hurt the environment for future generations, I have the responsibility to try to undo the harm done in my name or the name of the dollar I spend.

You disparage psychology, but I believe that our shared psychological needs-take Maslow’s pyramid, for example-absolutely influences the immediate decision-making process of every human being. For Americans, it means that we often don’t opt to do the most responsible thing, if it is not also the most convenient and most personally-positive thing as well. Once again, this all goes back to perspective-if a hot shower feels good to me immediately, and I will never feel the worldwide damage that such an action causes, then I can hide from such knowledge and forgive myself for a single shower. With millions of people making such inner decisions-in situations with varying stakes-well, most of us can see the problem we are facing now.

I think psychology will be key, too, in fixing this little biological oversight-we can create social systems which enforce a global responsibility in personal situations (where our limited perspectives are failing us). If we can unite on truly valuing the Earth’s biosphere, then we as people, as lawmakers, can create systems of justice-environmental justice-that as validly as possible account for additions and subtractions of valuable assets within the Earth’s limited resources. This idea may sound radical-but it is amazingly simple. Often, the average person forgets that he or she is a lawmaker-that laws are not sacred nor eternal. People make them and break them according to their needs.

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U.S. Helps Chinese Coal Mines Find Ways to Reduce Methane Emissions

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:24:40 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has committed more than $1 million to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of recovering and using methane from coal mines in China. The process of mining coal releases methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, into escape into the atmosphere. If methane recovery programs are implemented at all three project sites, up to 1.8 million metric tons of the greenhouse gas could be eliminated. That’s equal to the annual emissions of up to 330,000 cars.

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New Fiesta Gets 73 MPG, But Ford Says It’s Not For The U.S.

Nick Chambers — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:45:50 +0000

Back in July, Ford released the details of a new Fiesta it plans to begin selling this November. The new car is based on Ford’s ECOnetic platform and can get 63 mpg in the city and 73 mpg on the highway. So why is it only available in Europe? It’s a diesel, and Ford doesn’t think Americans will ever adopt diesel cars.

According to Businessweek, Ford lists a littany of excuses why they could never market this car in the US. Chief among these excuses is that they don’t think they could ever sell enough of them to make a profit. Ford says that in order to produce them for the US market they’d have to build a new plant and then make at least 350,000 of them a year.

If there’s no way to make a profit on these cars and Americans won’t buy them, why are so many European and Asian car makers bringing these new “clean diesels” to the U.S. starting next year? When I see news that Mercedes, Nissan, Volkswagen and even Honda are all building clean diesel cars with excellent fuel economy for the US market, Ford’s excuses start to seem pretty hollow.

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Australia, Iceland, and U.S. Partner for Advancement of Geothermal Technology

Timothy B. Hurst — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:47:43 +0000

Australia, the United States and Iceland have signed the charter of the International Partnership for Geothermal Technology, designed to facilitate shared knowledge and build strategic partnerships for the development of geothermal energy. The framework brings international collaboration on the diffusion of policy and the technical aspects of advanced geothermal systems (EGS) such as deep drilling and geothermal energy conversion.

“Enhanced geothermal systems have the potential to be the world’s only ever-present form of baseload renewable energy,” said Deparment of Energy Acting Assistant Secretary Katharine Fredriksen.

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Wisconsin Looks to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Amiel Blajchman — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:15:20 +0000

Wisconsin’s Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming has recommended that the state achieve 2005 levels by 2014; reduce emissions by 22% from 2005 levels by 2022 (someone one day will have to explain to me the fascination with number alliteration); and finally, it calls for 75% reductions from 2005 levels by 2050.

The task force has also recommended a two-pronged approach, adopting state level support for either a federal or state-level cap and trade program, as well as a series of policy recommendations for several important state industry sectors:

Energy Sector
Transportation Sector
Agriculture and Forestry Sectors
Industry Sector
Waste Sector
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Suzuki’s Cars Will Run On 100% Ethanol in US, Brazil by 2010

Nick Chambers — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:44:28 +0000

According to the Nikkei Business Daily (via Tradingmarkets.com), Japan’s Suzuki Motor Company will begin selling cars that run completely on 100% ethanol in the US and Brazil by 2010. The company will begin the transition by first offering an E25 sedan for sale in Brazil this coming March.

Currently the most ethanol that a flex-fuel car can run on in the US is E85 — which is an 85% ethanol/15% gasoline blend. Suzuki’s move would mark a huge development in ethanol-powered vehicles, and a huge shift for Suzuki, which hasn’t had any alternative fuel-specific offerings in its lineup to this point.

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Putin, Russia and the North

Amiel Blajchman — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:14:03 +0000

While not new news to any readers who follow international relations, what does it mean when Russian scientists have claimed that the 1,220-mile long underwater Lomonosov Ridge is geologically linked to the Siberian continental platform? While not the start in a race for unclaimed territory, it is simply the latest salvo in an on-going dispute over which nations will be able to control what part of the Arctic, and therefore the ability to exploit or protect.

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Towards a (Re)Definition of Sustainability: Justin Van Kleeck and Caroline Savery. 4-Caroline

Caroline Savery — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:17:09 +0000

Dear Justin,

You make some very effective arguments! You are right to use my own posts in illustrating your thoughts. Granted, those posts, written toward the end of the Sust Enable project, demonstrate that my original concept of Sust Enable did not pan out because its original assumptions were flawed. Indeed, for other people to have success with living sustainably, they must be gentle, have fun, and go slow… three things that I failed to consider for myself when undertaking the “radical” experiment.

I think the strongest point you make with your last post is the importance of living in a way that honors your own health and wellbeing, not just the Earth’s. This is something that I’ve learned to consider the hard way, through the tribulations of the Sust Enable project (during which I ran up against my own physical limits of hunger, sleeplessness, and stress). I completely agree with that: respect for yourself, as a living being with needs, comes first in making a healthy approach toward respecting the Earth and other living systems.

However, I recognize that our level of comfort is learned–it is borrowed from the culture that surrounds us. It is by no means an “absolute” measure of comfort or happiness. Even our very venues for acquiring what you and I need to survive are hugely affected by the culture we were born into. People in Third World and sometimes Second World countries live sustainably every day–and in my experience when visiting Mexico, are considerably happier than the average American. Is this because they have struck a good balance between respecting the natural world and their own personal patterns, in ways that over-worked, over-stressed and over-consumptive Americans can only dream of? It’s a theory.

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Widespread Sustainable Consumerism is More Vital Than Taking Individual Actions

Caroline Savery — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:44:44 +0000

Perhaps no one knows better than I do what it means to take individual responsibility for my environmental impact. For those of you familiar with my blog, you know that for the past three months, I have been trying to live 100% environmentally sustainably within urban Pittsburgh. A formidable task, indeed.

In Robin Shreeve’s provocative article, “Whose Responsibility is Sustainable Consumerism?”, she champions the youngest generation’s recognition that the responsibility for our actions lies with us individually, not mainly with corporations. Three months ago, I would have toasted to her conclusion. (Of course, I then believed we don’t need corporations whatsoever and we could live without them and be sustainable.) Today, however, my reaction to Robin’s article is different. I’m inclined to deeply disagree.

During the sustainable living experiment called the Sust Enable Film Project (which concludes by midnight today), I would argue that I succeeded in living sustainably less than a dozen days of the 3-month project. Does this fact disappoint me? At first, it did. But I will tell you why my experiment failed.

There are systems in the United States–for getting food, for getting rid of our trash, for flushing away our body wastes–that collectively (and historically), we have all agreed to adopt and abide by. They seem(ed) like the best solutions for problems we all face, and as a society (through the government) wereinforce these systems. This was clear to me every time I flushed a public toilet, and another huge chunk was subtracted from my sustainable water use for the day. This became even clearer when I learned that many sustainable living methods–such as dumpster diving, squatting, and building a composting toilet–are outright illegal in many towns.

Doing something illegal (like dumpster diving) if it seems right to you… that’s one thing. Civil disobedience: often harmless, functional, and a true expression of freedom. There’s nothing wrong with that. But going hungry because the society-subverting alternatives are more difficult, demanding or have greater consequences than the unsustainable, mainstream options?

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EPA Enforcement of Clean Water Act Undermined Due To Questions About Supreme Court Decision

Nayelli Gonzalez — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:41:08 +0000

Earlier this week two members of Congress sent a letter citing “grave concerns” over the implementation of the Clean Water Act to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

In the July 7th letter to Johnson, chairmen Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee and James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee credit an internal EPA memo, which was given to them by activist group Greenpeace, for leading them to explore the EPA’s inadequate enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

The memorandum, which was sent on Mar. 4, 2008 from Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, to Benjamin Grumbles, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water, points out the conflicting ideals of the 1972 Clean Water Act and the 2006 U.S. Supremem Court decision Rapanos v. United States.

While the Act protects wetlands from urban development for water conservation, the court ruling challenges water protection provisions and upholds individual’s rights to build over wetlands.

According to Nakayama’s memo, the fundamental discord between the federal law and Supreme Court decision has led to confusion about federal wetlands protections which has resulted in the agency’s “conscious decision not to pursue enforcement of 300 Clean Water Act violations because of the jurisdictional uncertainty.”

In a Washington Post article printed Tuesday, EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar responded to the congressional inquiry. “We will be reviewing the new request and will work with the chairmen to provide information on our enforcement program,” Shradar was quoted.

Part of a series of pivitol environmental laws passed in the 1970s, the Clean Water Act was a monumental step forward for the environmental movement and surface water protection in the United States. The recent Rapanos v. United States ruling, however, overturned earlier decisions that stopped two seperate developers from building on their wetland properties due to environmental regulations connected to the CWA.

In the end, the court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of development and left the CWA in limbo.

Photo: EPA

KING CORN: Film Reveals How Subsidized Corn Is Driving the Fast-Food Industry

GO Media Sponsor — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:13:29 +0000

Editor’s Note: This post was provided by one of our paid sponsors, Earth Cinema Circle, the only DVD club dedicated to increasing social & environmental awareness through entertaining films. Written by Ariellie Ford.

Behind America’s 99-cent hamburgers and 72-ounce sodas is a key ingredient that silently fuels our fast-food nation — Corn. In KING CORN, we meet two college buddies, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, who move from the east coast to the heartland to really learn where their food comes from. They relocate to northern Iowa, home of their great-grandfathers, with a mission. They will plant an acre of corn, follow their harvest into the world, and attempt to understand what all of us are really made of — Corn. This entertaining and informative film is now available from Earth Cinema Circle. The following is from an interview with Curt Ellis, co-producer of the film.

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Japan Says We are Witnessing the Death of the International Whaling Commission

Levi Novey — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:01:37 +0000

On Friday, the International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting came to a close with a whimper. This year’s gathering was held in Chile, and the meeting’s chairperson, United States delegate William Hogarth, made a gutsy and stupid decision. Hogarth wanted to avoid confrontations at this year’s meeting, with the hope of creating good will among countries. He pontificated that this good will could be used to find solutions in the future (not now). Translation: he pleaded for member countries not to vote on or discuss important issues that concern whales. Based on what happened (or more accurately, did not happen), the meeting was very unsuccessful.

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Peru’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Might Be Unstoppable

Levi Novey — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:57:22 +0000

Several days ago, I read a story about how Peru’s butterfly exports had increased 43% from January-April of this year. These are the butterflies that are pinned into glass frames for sale as gifts and souvenirs. I wondered if all of these butterflies included those that are exported illegally and those that are endangered. Questions of this kind were on my mind as just several days earlier my family had passed by a street vendor who sold animals illegally.

One of the animals was a baby monkey, caged and frightened. We live in the highlands region of Peru, so the monkey was far from its former home in the rainforest. My wife, who in the past worked as a biologist throughout Peru, told me that she thought this was an endangered monkey. As we walked home, I wished I had brought my camera. This I thought, is a story that needs to be pursued.

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Obama’s Plan to Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence

Sarah Lozanova — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:15:13 +0000

As Americans spend $41 million in foreign oil an hour and are left broke at the pump, what plan does Obama have to solve this problem?

Oil is destined to be a heated issue in this upcoming presidential election and Barack Obama’s opposition to the gas tax “holiday” has already been a hot topic. Obama has made it clear that national energy policy needs to be taken in a new direction.

“We send a billion dollars to foreign nations every single day and we are melting the polar ice caps in the bargain,” said Obama. “That has to change.”

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Biodiesel Myth (Or Fact?) #23: Biodiesel is Raising Food Prices

Clayton B. Cornell — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:12:43 +0000

Increased world demand for grains and vegetable oils due to population growth (esp. in China and India), the weak dollar, agricultural production problems around the world, and $100/barrel oil are some of the driving factors accounting for increasing food prices.

After covering 22 of the most popular myths about biodiesel, I realized I’d only given lip service to a major issue: increasing food prices. In Myth #2, I mentioned that the goal of biodiesel production is to move away from food-based feedstocks.

But until that happens, the question remains: if I use biodiesel made from soybeans right now, am I contributing to the larger problem of increasing commodity prices and starving poor people?

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Tangled Up in Green: NAFTA…Only If We Absolutely Hafta

Ranjit Arab — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:34:20 +0000

I don’t know if you caught it, but the whole Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama flap over NAFTA exposed a dirty little secret: The North American Free Trade Agreement isn’t about American jobs or cheap Mexican labor—it’s about Canadian oil.

Think as far back as two weeks ago. I know you can do it. Remember, Britney’s dad started taking control of her life… everyone you know bugged the hell out of you by constantly saying: “I drink your milkshake…”

Anyway, back then, Hillary and Obama were campaigning among blue-collar crowds in Ohio when news broke out that someone from the Obama camp called the Canadian government and reassured them that the tough talk on NAFTA was all just an act. Later, it was revealed that Hillary probably made a similar call.

All of which begged the question: Why would they care so much about Canada if this was about NAFTA? Hasn’t Uncle Lou told us time and time again that NAFTA is all about Mexico: its cheap labor, and its non-existent regulations, which entice American factories to relocate south of the border?

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Welcome to EcoLocalizer!

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:48:47 +0000

It’s been said that all politics is local, but environmentalism works the same way: knowing that far-flung parts of the world face environmental problems is one thing, but seeing environmental problems in our own backyards makes us take things far more personally. It’s NIMBY in reverse.

In the U.S., every state in the Union — from California’s legal hassles with the feds over its greenhouse gas emissions standards to Georgia’s water struggles — faces its own unique environmental challenges and opportunities. The challenges, in particular, seem to be growing daily.

And that’s where EcoLocalizer comes in. Our goal is to provide you — both readers in the U.S. and readers elsewhere who are interested in state-side concerns — with highly local news and commentary about environmental issues from Hawaii to Maine. It’s not even necessarily stuff that attracts traditional media attention, but it’s serious for the people who live there, which is why we cover it.