News

Philly, it's hot. And it's going to get hotter. As many of Philly-ites head to the shore this weekend to cool off (myself included!), we should be thankful we're testing the oil-free waters of NJ & DE. After 80 days of Gulf oil spilling, apprx 86 - 169 million gallons oil, a pathetic lack of clean up effort from BP, a new BP backup plan regardless of fate being left in the hands of Kevin Costner, and wildlife tragedy, it's hard to even read the news. For those of you who have been upset for 3 f'ing months too long, here's a little comic relief courtesy of the BP Spills Coffee video:

Back in the day, I remember a Saved by the Bell Episode where Bayside started drilling for oil to get rich... and instead, Zack & co's hearts were broken as Zack's favorite duck Becky dies and the football field is ruined. Lucky for Bayside, Zack makes a 2 minute presentation to the oil tycoons and they end the drilling because of his speech. Unfortunately, the Gulf of Mexico doesn't have a Zack Morris. 1 month ago today, BP had (arguably) the largest environmental disaster with its massive oil spill. Recap of what's currently going on in the Gulf:

School's out for summer... which means a new batch of students are coming in the fall! Besides factors such as location, campus size and party school ranking, students often take a university's sustainability into account for deciding on a college. The Princeton Review & Green Building Council published a “Guide to 286 Green Colleges” to help students find the top green schools - It's the 1st college guidebook to list schools with the most environmentally-responsible campuses and school-wide commitment to sustainability. The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 286 Green Colleges” looks at an institution’s

Good news for sports fans and environmentalists alike - the NFL's first ever LEED certified stadium will open as early as 2011. LEED (Leadership in Environmental Initiative and Design) gives certificates to buildings that adhere to stringent environmentally sustainable building practices. The Los Angeles stadium has not been named home to a team yet. But, the stadium is already making history...

Last week Bloom Energy revealed their electricity-in-a-box-product . The Bloom box was eight years (and 4 million dollars) in the works. Bloom Energy has finally come out of the shadows and produced a product that has other green technology companies wondering why didn’t I think of that… So, what is this box and what’s all the fuss?

We wish we could report Copenhagen was a brilliant success, but unfortunately not so folks. Initiatives fell severely short of our hopes. Here's guest blogger Clay Bedwell's take: Years of anticipating a climate conference where the US was represented by anyone but a half-witted oil baby quickly faded away when Win Jabao of China eagerly took the roll of DoucheLord, stripping the deal of almost every meaningful goal. (Mark Lynas provides a spectacular first hand account of the negotiations.) Ultimately, like Bush at Kyoto, China chose the all mighty dollar over the environment, failing to understand that economic growth and sustainability are anything but mutually exclusive. To a certain extent though its clear that China understands the value of sustainability. They tout some of the fastest growing and most aggressively subsidized solar and wind industries in the world, and they have made their intention perfectly clear; one day they will supply the rest of the world with Chinese made renewable energy hardware. Whether this prophecy comes true or not, it's important to understand the distinction between renewable energy implementation and responsible renewable energy implementation. Not surprisingly, China has a preference towards

Copenhagen Climate talks are all over the news. This NY Times article was sent to me by a friend - Great reading while you're snowed in! Enjoy!

Copenhagen is all over the news this week... so what's the deal with the Climate Conference? This week our guest blogger, Clayton Bedwell, shares his expertise. With the largest and most anticipated global climate conference in history kicking off in Copenhagen, here are a few story lines that are shaping expectations: US & China Ready to Play Ball - Last Wednesday The Obama Administration announced they were ready to take a plan to Copenhagen that would reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels, by 2020, and an 83 percent reduction by 2050. One day later China announced a plan to slow the growth of greenhouse gasses by 2020. Clearly the US and China have realized that the age of running from global climate reform has come to an end, but given how little both countries are willing to sacrifice in relation to their European counterparts, its hard to imagine that the Copenhagen Climate Talks will yield the profound results that was once expected. East Angelia University & The Emergence of "Climategate"

Happy Monday! (Hmmm... Is that an oxymoron?) Here's something to brighten the start of your week: Check out the Reusablebags.com major fall sale! If it's time to invest in some new bags or you just have the shopping itch - this site has a good selection. I'm a big fan of these bags. They're sturdy enough to handle heavier items and are made of 100% recycled fabric.