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Meghan Cleland

Chicago takes the LEED in eco building | Cities of the Future | Grist - 1 views

www.grist.org/...takes-the-leed-in-eco-building

ecological modernization energy technology

shared by Meghan Cleland on 09 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Meghan Cleland on 09 Sep 10
     
    This article looks at what Chicago is doing to push their development in the green direction. This falls under progressive ecological modernization. It is particularly interesting examining this development in a city that one would more readily associate with the historically negative side of industrialization (birthplace of the skyscraper)
Carley Matsumoto

"To Go Where Compact Fluorescents Cannot" - 1 views

green.blogs.nytimes.com/...re-compact-fluorescents-cannot

ecological modernization energy technology

shared by Carley Matsumoto on 09 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Carley Matsumoto on 09 Sep 10
     
    This entry in the "Green" blog section of the New York Times talks about the progression of lighting products and their efficiency. For the most part it focuses on the movement from fluorescent lights to LED lights which are slightly more efficient. This movement relates to the idea of modernization and technological development as being a positive feature in addressing environmental issues.
Jim Proctor

Science and the Gulf - Editorial - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...20mon1.html

energy pollution oil spill science

shared by Jim Proctor on 20 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Jim Proctor on 20 Sep 10
     
    What if it's true that the effects of the BP oil spill are far less serious than originally predicted?  It would not mean that nothing bad happened at all, nor that no changes are needed to business as usual , but maybe we need to reconsider the perennial sky-is-falling rhetoric of environmentalism.
Jim Proctor

Clean Air Act Turns 40 - NYTimes.com - 0 views

green.blogs.nytimes.com/...clean-air-act-turns-40

air pollution energy clean air act epa

shared by Jim Proctor on 14 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Jim Proctor on 14 Sep 10
     
    One of the cornerstones of the early modern environmental movement, the Clean Air Act is now forty years old.  This brief article reviews events around the 40th anniversary and discusses controversial extensions to control carbon dioxide emissions.
Julia Huggins

Walmart says thin (solar) is in - 1 views

www.grist.org/...wal-mart-says-thin-solar-is-in

energy technology walmart industry ecological modernization

shared by Julia Huggins on 22 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Julia Huggins on 22 Sep 10
     
    "When Walmart announced on Monday that it would install 15 megawatts' worth of solar arrays on as many as 30 of its stores in California and Arizona, it set out to shape the solar market in more ways than one." Good or bad? Part of me feels like this is fine, "great I'm glad they're helping out." But part of me is also very nervous about this. I dont know if I like the idea of Walmart "green coating" their business. I think we're planning on talking about this in class Thursday.
Peter Vidito

Stanford Institute of Design | Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability - 1 views

extreme.stanford.edu/...our_vision.html

agriculture poverty energy health population

shared by Peter Vidito on 27 Aug 10 - Cached
  • Peter Vidito on 27 Aug 10
     
    From their site: "We believe in listening to the needs the poor tell us about, not assuming we know best. We believe in products and services designed for specific cultural contexts, not just Western hand-me-downs. And we believe that careful attention to design can create innovative-and extremely affordable-solutions to the problems of the other 90%."
Lucy Roberts

Solar Panels on the White House ! - 1 views

www.google.com/...M-z3tMC3a3JZRFIqrJKHQD9ILFH9G1

energy technology solar power pollution

shared by Lucy Roberts on 05 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Lucy Roberts on 05 Oct 10
     
    Finally, after Regan took off the panels Jimmy Carter put up, they will be putting solar panel on the First Family's living quarters!
Jim Proctor

F.T.C. Proposes Tighter Rules for Green Claims - NYTimes.com - 1 views

www.nytimes.com/...07green.html

green consumerism food labeling certification

shared by Jim Proctor on 06 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Jim Proctor on 06 Oct 10
     
    As one consultant says, "It's kind of a wild west, anybody can claim themselves to be green."  Of particular interest in this article is the emphasis on third-party certification, but given the motley array of third-party certifiers out there (this is a growth market, after all), even they cannot necessarily be trusted.  I'm also reminded of our AESS conference theme last summer, "Many Shades of Green": perhaps the whole "green" label is problematic?
Julia Huggins

8th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing... - 2 views

www.epa.gov/...2011_p3.html

sustainability funding grants

shared by Julia Huggins on 05 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Julia Huggins on 05 Oct 10
     
    A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet This grant is open to college student applications with proposals for in the following areas: Energy, Built Environment, Materials and Chemicals, Water, Agriculture. Anticipated Type of Award: Grant Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 64 awards for Phase I; Approximately 15 awards for Phase II Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $2,310,000 total for all Phase I & II grant awards. Potential Funding per Award: Up to $15,000 per Phase I grant including direct and indirect costs. Any proposals requesting an award of more than $15,000 will not be considered. Proposals for Phase I grants must be for only one year. Upon the successful completion of Phase I, grant recipients will have the opportunity to apply for a P3 Phase II grant of up to $90,000 total for two years including direct and indirect costs (see Background section for more information). Proposals for Phase II grants requesting an award of more than $90,000 will not be considered. Cost-sharing is not required for either Phase I or Phase II grants. Anyone interested in working on a proposal? Permaculture garden/research center maybe? Sustainability House? Others?
Julia Huggins

American companies don't want tar-sands oil on their logos - 0 views

www.grist.org/...ands-oil-on-their-logos-creati

energy pollution tar sands canada

shared by Julia Huggins on 21 Oct 10 - No Cached
Julia Huggins

Mountaintop Mining Consequences - 0 views

www.sciencemag.org/...148

coal mountain top removal energy pollution health

shared by Julia Huggins on 21 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Julia Huggins on 21 Oct 10
     
    Also known as Mountain Top Removal, this is an emerging environmental concern out there. According to http://www.ilovemountains.org/science/ this scientific study 'confirms what coalfield residents have been saying for years: mountaintop removal's impacts are "pervasive and irreversible," "attempts to regulate [mountaintop removal] practices are inadequate," and that "regulators should no longer ignore rigorous science." '
Micah Leinbach

Biotech Backlash - 0 views

www.csmonitor.com/...Signs-of-a-biotech-backlash

technology agriculture food news

shared by Micah Leinbach on 21 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Micah Leinbach on 21 Oct 10
     
    Interesting facts and information about the mainstream perceptions of biotech produced foods, GMO, and the like. On one side, they've got a huge percentage of the market cornered (86% I think), which likely strikes fear into the heart of many anti-biotech folk. On the other hand, you have a lot of scientists saying that GMO crops are no more likely to produce more than conventional - why then, are we doing it? To stop weeds, that are already coming back with greater resistance? However you analyze it, an interesting article (and a recommended source - people often write off the Christian Science Monitor because of the first word in its name, but its not a religious news source, it is very high quality, and they have people reporting from all over the world. They do very good analysis of global energy issues, and I would highly reccomend their coverage of China's growing green economy. They've done a lot of work on that)
  • Julia Huggins on 21 Oct 10
     
    "What Monsanto's fall from grace reveals about the GMO seed industry" http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-12-what-monsantos-fall-from-grace-reveals-abo-the-gmo-seed-industry
  • Julia Huggins on 23 Oct 10
Julia Huggins

Product Life Cycle Analysis - 1 views

www.enn.com/...40944

ecological modernization energy corporate sustainability Pollution sustainability economics

shared by Julia Huggins on 30 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Julia Huggins on 30 Sep 10
     
    This relates to my critique of Walmart's claim that they're "working towards zero waste." I assumed no report would actually encompass the true effect of their product, but it seems like I was wrong. Granted, Walmart is not on the list of companies participating in the study, but they do sell products by some of the participating companies. "The term life cycle refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's existence. The sum of all those steps is the life cycle of the product. The concept also can be used to optimize the environmental performance of a single product."
Micah Leinbach

Sustainable (and industrial) farms? - 0 views

www.onearth.org/...whats-new-for-dinner

energy technology food agriculture sustainability

shared by Micah Leinbach on 01 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Micah Leinbach on 01 Nov 10
     
    I don't know if I like this, but if you're into the food thing this is a very real, very under reported force in the sustainable food movement, and there are a lot of big names in it. Its a long article, but worth the read. I guess the question is, if it solves the environmental issues (or if it can, another question worthy of skepticism) is it worth losing on some of the other values the local/sustainable movement has embraced? I'm skeptical on a lot of levels, but its an interesting thought.
Julia Huggins

Nothing Grows Forever - 0 views

www.utne.com/...er-Endless-Growth-Economy.aspx

economics limits to growth no-grow economy politics

shared by Julia Huggins on 11 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Julia Huggins on 11 Nov 10
     
    Economics and Politics. "In essence, endless growth puts us on the horns of a seemingly intractable dilemma. Without it, we spiral into poverty. With it, we deplete the planet. Either way, we lose. Unless, of course, there's a third way. Could we have a healthy economy that doesn't grow? Could we stave off ecological collapse by reining in the world economy? Could we do it without starving?" An old idea revisited with a slightly lengthy (but easily read) background on limits to growth and it's place in economic history, plus a new perspective on how a limit to growth might actually work, and what that might look like. I find the concept of ' "uneconomic" growth-growth that actually drives living standards downward' (to improve happiness, nonetheless), and the argument behind it, intriguing. This is on page 4. After page 5 it starts to look like an idealistic no-grow-utopia. But then this is addressed in the conclusion, as well as some theories about the psychological changes that would have to happen. Then they bring it on back home to politics, and last but not least a reminder of our biological-ecological pending doom. Oh, all the environmental interdisciplinary-ness! "When it comes to determining the shape of our economy, the planet may possess the most powerful invisible hand of all."
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Micah Leinbach on 12 Nov 10
     
    http://www.newsweek.com/2010/03/18/the-no-growth-fantasy.html A counter. The ghost of Malthus will forever haunt no-growth economists, as the ultimate "we tried that already". And the train of thought is reasonable. Malthusian fears about population are one example. There is also a long list of oil/energy scares where people claimed prices were going up and supplies were going down, but adjusting for inflation proved the error of the former and time proved the error of the latter. When history, politics, and economic theory all oppose the no-growth idea, its no surprise that its viewed with a lot of healthy skepticism. That said, I'm a big fan of Herman Daly and the idea that the economy needs to be reformed. Because GDP is an awful way to measure prosperity. But to have an alternative is equally difficult - what should the standard of success be for the great human experiment? Happiness is normally the benchmark. And to academics that sounds all right, because happiness is generally seen as people spending time amongst their families, art, and high culture. But is that naturally what makes people happy? Consumerism was in a large part rooted in a desire for happiness also. Growth was meant to make people happy by making their lives better - and it has. Higher standards of living all over do have economic roots, though that is not neccessarily inherent to them. There is a lot more to say on this, but its a long enough comment as it is, so I'll leave that for another time. I do feel its one of the more serious debates of our (all?) time though, and I'm really glad you brought it up.
  • Julia Huggins on 12 Nov 10
     
    Obviously, I don't know or care too much about economics. I dont know how my conversations keep ending up here. But. "Growth was meant to make people happy by making their lives better - and it has." Really? Who, to you, qualifies as "people"? And how do you define better? Soaring rates of depression, chemical dependency, and obesity? Or maybe it's these lives that are better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL0U_xmRem4)?
  • Micah Leinbach on 13 Nov 10
     
    Perhaps because it relates so much to the various issues we have declared to be running rampant in the world today? It is very much connected to any environmental issue. Among a range of other issues. Anyways, I wrote a pretty lengthy response to your questions. I'll post the primary response to your questions here. A lot of it is based on the differences between economics, politics, industrialism, capitalism, and consumerism. In the tradition of Diigo debates, I have crafted a google site. https://sites.google.com/site/economicresponse/home The main page directly answers the question. The other page sets up some distinctions I see, personally, beteen various economic systems. I do not cite academic sources there, and I'm sure it would not take long to find economists who disagree with me, for what it is worth. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to flesh it out with other's ideas, and I apologize for that.
Peter Vidito

Looking to Add Diversity in Environmental Movement - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...10move.html

politics culture environmentalism law

shared by Peter Vidito on 03 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Peter Vidito on 03 Nov 10
     
    "National environmental organizations have traditionally drawn their membership from the white and affluent, and have faced criticism for focusing more on protecting resources than protecting people. But with a black president committed to environmental issues in the White House and a need to achieve broader public support for initiatives like federal legislation to address global warming, many environmentalists say they feel pressure to diversify the movement further, both in membership and at higher levels of leadership."
  • Micah Leinbach on 04 Nov 10
     
    Lisa Jackson has been going around the nations meeting with local environmental organizations for a range of reasons lately, and she has definitely been pushing - perhaps subtly - this agenda. When she came to Milwaukee, where I live, she had her meeting in an urban nature center in the very heart of the inner city, a generally impoverished, overwhelmingly African-American area of town. Not the usual place for high-level government officials to have meetings, so I feel like she means what she says in this article. Anecdotal evidence, but I was still impressed. Makes me nervous given than the new plan for Lisa Jackson is summed up this way: "I think she'll be very much in demand on the Hill, at times not of her choosing," said a former staffer on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "It will diminish her free time, shall we say." I hope the environmental movement really addresses this seriously, if its going to expand to the scale many seem to think it needs to for serious, rapid change. Really interesting article, thanks!
Micah Leinbach

The "Which is Greener" game - Cities or Off-The-Grid - 1 views

www.treehugger.com/...yd-alter-nick-rosen-debate.php

energy sustainability

shared by Micah Leinbach on 11 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Micah Leinbach on 11 Nov 10
     
    One of environmentalism's favorite past times: ragging on other environmentalist movements for not being as green as the other guy (forgive my cynicism). For what its worth, that may help direct action in the right direction. Or it may stall action due to debate. I find its often a fine line to tread, and calls heavily into realms of psychology and the other social sciences (also a favorite victim of another line of thought in environmentalism) regarding people's various reactions to environmental initiatives or ecologically sound decisions. A lot of folks that I know who are into environmental things have started off trying to bring about ecological change, gotten frustrated, and joined the off-the-gridders. They're very happy people now - but are they doing as much environmental good? It is a worthy question. A lot of great environmental minds have been lost to the off-the-grid, live-in-the-woods mentality. And a lot of great environmental minds have come out of it. Wish they had a little more in terms of research they're citing, since they both make a lot of claims about consumption but don't cite any sources beyond their own experience. That said, its a good intra-movement debate, one I've had with others on this campus, and continue to have with myself.
Micah Leinbach

Electric Postal Vehicles - 1 views

www.csmonitor.com/...rt-Postal-Service-goes-greener

government technology energy

shared by Micah Leinbach on 08 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Micah Leinbach on 08 Nov 10
     
    More of a fun story than a striking one, but also a good example of how changing the little things can do a lot - especially when its a lot of little things.
Peter Vidito

Climate: Interior West forests on verge of becoming net carbon emitter -- 11/11/2010 --... - 0 views

www.eenews.net/...1

energy agriculture pollution forests

shared by Peter Vidito on 16 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Peter Vidito on 16 Nov 10
     
    "Forests in the Interior West could soon flip from carbon sink to carbon source, forest experts say. The region's forests once absorbed and stored more carbon from the atmosphere than they released. But huge conflagrations -- like the 138,000-acre Hayman Fire in Colorado in 2002 and the Yellowstone fires of 1988, which scorched 1.2 million acres -- combined with a series of severe bark beetle infestations and disease outbreaks, have left large swaths of dead, decomposing trees in almost every major Western forest. Those dead trees are releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide, turning the region into a net emitter of carbon rather than a CO2 sponge."
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