2007-04-02

brdgt: (Pollen death balls by iconomicon)
2007-04-02 11:12 am

Some Monday Morning Good News...

This is BIG folks and I am honestly surprised:

Court Rebukes Administration in Global Warming Case
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, The New York Times, April 2, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming.

In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.
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This is totally doable. Now that the weather is nicer our hybrid is finally getting near 50 mpg (in cold weather, the need to run the heater decreases gas mileage):

Seeking a Car That Gets 100 Miles a Gallon
By NICK BUNKLEY, The New York Times, April 2, 2007

The race is on to develop a commercially viable car that can travel 100 miles on a gallon of gasoline.
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I just love my cloth bags and I even have cloth produce bags (that [livejournal.com profile] kazoogrrl made me!). They fit the same amount as plastic or paper and are so much stronger, so you can actually bring all the bags up in one or two trips.

The Basics: Taking Aim at All Those Plastic Bags
By CHRIS CONWAY, The New York Times, April 1, 2007

Paper or plastic?

San Francisco last week offered an answer to the question. Paper is fine. But plastic isn’t — unless it’s biodegradable.

By a 10-1 Board of Supervisors’ vote, San Francisco became the first major American city to ban the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags by supermarkets, drug stores and other large retailers.
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And it's so nice to see religious groups promoting environmental issues:

U.S. Churches Go ‘Green’ for Palm Sunday
By MARC LACEY, The New York Times, April 1, 2007

SIERRA MORENA, Mexico, March 29 — Clutching a tiny knife in his big calloused hands, Laizon Corzo wound his way through the thick foliage in one of southern Mexico’s forested areas in search of living treasures.

When he found them — big, leafy palm fronds — he did not cut right away. Instead, he inspected the leaves, back and front, for stains and other imperfections. “This one, no,” he said, pushing aside one and grabbing another. “This one — see how perfect it is?”

Mr. Corzo is one of the indigenous farmers who puts palms in the hands of North American churchgoers on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. He is also on the cutting edge of a new movement to harvest what are being called “eco-palms.”

Slightly more expensive than the average palm, eco-palms are the rage in churches across the United States because of the social and environmental benefits they represent. They are collected in a way that helps preserve the forest, and more of the sale price ends up in the pockets of the people who cut them.
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