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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 8 2008, 9:34 AM EST (current) | greenvoting | 2304 words added |
| Feb 8 2008, 9:33 AM EST | greenvoting |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
9/10 - Greenland's ice seems to be melting even faster than predicted, further showing physical evidence of global warming
6/26 - Air pollution in Hong Kong is beginning to drive businesses out. Raw sewage and other pollutants are destroying Lake Victoria's ecosystem and if the bordering cities don't do something about it it will destroy their economies as well.
5/15 - Any guesses as to the percentage of China's Yellow River flow that is raw sewage? Ecotality has your answer.
5/11 - The disappearance of honeybees is a story that has received far too little attention. Here is a look at the issue from a Wisconsin perspective. The implications are potentially far worse than any terrorist threats we face, yet our response has largely been indifference.
5/2 - Wisconsin's Green Tier hasn't exactly been catching on like wildfire. This is a problem worth thinking a lot about, how to encourage voluntary compliance by state industries.
5/1 - NPR is running a series this week on climate change that is worth checking out.
4/30 - Computer models have been predicting really scary global warming scenarios, and skeptics have been dismissive of these "fabrications." Interestingly, new data on arctic ice suggest that these models have been TOO CONSERVATIVE!
4/30 - Russian oil flares seem to be one of the greatest contributors of global warming and have killed billions of migrating birds.
4/29 - Menards seems to be especially nonchalant about their potential culpability in spreading the emerald ash borer. File this story under corporations seeking to protect profits at the expense of a potential environmental catastrophe.
4/26 - Wisconsin DNR issued new pollution regulations that will likely result in significant reductions in ozone levels. Befitting the complexity of this issue, none of the interested parties seem happy with the outcome.
4/22 - Mayor Gary Becker of Racine is showing some real political leadership in attempting to put the city on an environmental path. This should be a model for all of Wisconsin's cities.
4/20 - The Journal-Sentinel offers an interesting challenge in its editorial on the KK river today. Here's the relevant passage:
4/19 - CNET reviews the 12 greenest cars of 2007.
4/18 - With Earth Day approaching, it is useful to think about how the event is marked. Most of the ideas are of the inconsequential variety, like teaching kids about their food. More effective would be to take your kids to an industrial hog farm to see how their food that they eat the other 364 days of the year is produced. Except they would get extremely sick from the noxious air pollution that surrounds these cesspools of filth and the experience would be so deeply unsettling that the repercussions would be difficult to predict. Perhaps this can be called food for thought.
4/17 - Home Depot joins the ranks of the environmental economy with a new program to identify eco-friendly products.
4/16 - greenvoting.com was at the Chicago Step It Up event.
4/15 - Thomas Friedman joins the Green Movement.
4/13 - The Journal-Sentinel gets it right on the issue of the fish virus.
4/13 - The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has just recently donated $100 million dollars to fund efforts to curb global warming, with its main focus being promoting the adoption of clean-energy technologies. Last Wednesday Governor Schwarzenegger spoke at Georgetown, saying that environmentalism will become mainstream, with California leading the way. Also in the news, Exxon Mobil and other companies continue to fight the state of California over improving the condition of oil terminals in the port of LA, even though they are in disrepair and in danger of spilling.
4/11 - Saturday is the national day of climate action. Here is information about the rally planned for Milwaukee and here is a list of events scheduled for other cities and towns in the state.
4/9- A new form of clean energy, helium 3, and the best place to get it is from the moon. Also Kazakhstan is taking positive steps in fixing the worst environmental disaster in history, the drying up of the Aral Sea.
4/7 - Wind farms seem a promising source of alternative energy, but they seem to elicit hostility at every turn. The case in Two Rivers, WI is pretty typical.
4/6 - It's pretty scary when the consensus, toned-down report on climate change expects catastrophic consequences from global warming.
4/5-Not only are the arctic regions faced with rising temperatures, they are also being dealt a huge blow from Russian industry. One Siberian city is the largest producer of palladium and consequently of acid rain. In addition to this, Russia has still not done anything about its abandoned nuclear submarines, which are in danger of leaking radioactive material. Luckily Japan has agreed to pay for the dismantling of 5 of these subs, but more support is needed.
4/4 - Headway being made on the effort to control climate changing gas emissions. And while George Bush thinks that his administration is doing enough on that front, Congress and the states are taking matters into their own hands.
4/2 - The X Prize is looking for a 100 mpg car. This might be the suburbanites' dream, but it extends what may be an unsustainable pattern of development - outward - rather than providing incentives to develop inward. Still, with gas prices edging toward $3.00 per gallon, it sounds attractive.
4/1 - Not that this is much of a surprise, but the biggest losers in the global warming sweepstakes are likely to be the poorer nations on earth. That ought to make the US more popular in the world.
3/31 - Plug-in hybrids may be the next big thing in urban markets, and Milwaukee's Johnson Controls is developing the batteries.
3/30 - The mismanagement of government among members of the Bush administration is simply mindboggling, especially in the area of environmental protection. The complete betrayal of the public interest, the undermining of agency professionals and scientists, and the blatant promotion of corporate malfeasance is simply unprecedented in this country. Even Warren G. Harding would be shocked.
3/29 - John Kerry seems to be getting the message. Let's let people back into the environmental movement.
3/28 - While we're just getting started here, one group that's been at it for a while is Clean Wisconsin. Check out their work when you can.
3/27 - Temperatures literally rising.
3/26 - As we edge closer to tax day and more talk turns to the confusing tax code, wouldn't it be nice if in the next couple of years we started seeing more articles in the news discussing the great tax breaks available for environmentally conscious investments like solar panels?
3/25 - A stunning look at the effects of global warming on Wisconsin. This is an absolute must read for anyone in Wisconsin. Reporters Lee Bergquist and Thomas Content deserve major accolades for putting this fine piece of journalism together.
3/23 - If you live in northeast Wisconsin, here are your new brownfield redevelopment sites. 3/21 - Al Gore on the Hill today. Anybody want to bet that the science fiction writer is right instead?
3/20 - Can open-pit mines be successfully reclaimed? Here's evidence that they can, although final reviews still await.
3/19 - Too bad our corporate and community leaders are satisfied with 20th century fixes for our energy needs. If the Oak Creek plant cooling tower is really just a question of trade offs, what would it cost to trade for some progressive leadership?
3/18 - Lake Michigan is shrinking and the implications are vast for economic and environmental concerns. Evidence suggests that a combination of drought, natural hydrology, and dredging for shipping lanes has led to the problem and no easy fix is in sight.
3/17 - The good news is that the United States experienced average temperatures for the winter months. The bad news is that the earth experienced its hottest winter on record (since 1880). Global warming cannot be measured by what the U.S. experiences, a point to be remembered next time someone tries to point out that the Atlantic hurricane season was mild last year.
3/16 - Wisconsin DNR has announced that it will force power companies to reduce mercury emissions by 90% in a little more than a decade's time. Jon Heinrich is the state's lead mercury regulator and Scott M. Manley is the director of environmental policy for the shortsighted Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce association. More importantly Wisconsin will not participate in emissions trading schemes which don't work for a localized pollutant like mercury. For more on mercury in the environment, take a look at the report issued by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
3/15 - The misconnected storm sewer at Miller Park is really gross. And it would be nice if a little more urgency was felt on the matter of responsibility. Consider this excerpt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article today:
3/14 - Step it up. Get inspired.
3/13 - No wonder these guys like ethanol so much.
3/12 - Here come the hit pieces.
3/11 - Lovely thought as the weather warms. Human Feces + Water Recreation = Summer Fun?
3/10 - The Rev. Jim Ball asks, "What would Jesus drive?"
3/9 - European nations have decided that the Kyoto Treaty doesn't go far enough and have committed to further reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
3/8 - Rachel Carson may have warned us of the dangers of industrial chemicals, but we're still flirting with disaster and the chemical industry is working hard to keep us from finding out the truth. Today's chemical is Bisphenol-A.
3/7 - Travelers in Wisconsin spent nearly $13 billion last year, a billion dollar increase from the year before. This is another example of the underlying compatibility between a healthy environment and a healthy economy.
3/6 - It is truly amazing that it has taken so long for solar energy to reach the household market. But, programs like WE Energies buyback plan, where the utility will actually purchase electricity from a solar-equipped house, will go a long way toward spreading the use of solar technology. Other innovations like micro-metering point to breakthroughs in the way we think about electricity supply. If you get a chance, make sure to visit the Urban Ecology Center of Milwaukee's east side. It is the largest producer of solar electricity in the state.
3/5 - The environment is a huge crossover issue and the issue of rural development is one of the most opportune for forging new alliances. How do we get farmers and environmentalists on the same page on this issue?
3/4 - The Fox River Valley is trying to figure out how to do mass transit on the small scale and a forthcoming loss of federal subsidies will make things even more difficult. Is it worth the effort?
3/3 - New emission estimates show that the United States will make virtually no progress in the next decade in reducing the release of gases that contribute to global warming. Wonder if the New England maple syrup farmers have anything to say about that?
3/2 - Pulp and paper mills in the United States are having a hard time competing with cheaper Chinese products. If the job losses are inevitable, wouldn't this be a good time to start subsidizing new, environmentally friendly technologies that would provide the paper mill with a specialty niche? If the company profiled in this article bore a certified "green" stamp of approval, is there any doubt that certain customers would buy their products instead of the dirty, polluting Chinese alternatives?
3/1 - Somehow I missed this critical examination of Wisconsin's contribution to global warming when it ran earlier in the month. Wisconsin apparently contributes greenhouse gases at a pace about a third faster than the national average and the primary culprit seems to be coal.
2/28 - Waukesha still trying to balance urban sprawl and a lack of fresh water to sustain itself.
2/27 - Is anybody else concerned about the disappearance of honeybees?
2/26 - An Inconvenient Truth took home the Oscar for best documentary. What does this portend for environmental politics in the next two years? Comment below.
6/26 - Air pollution in Hong Kong is beginning to drive businesses out. Raw sewage and other pollutants are destroying Lake Victoria's ecosystem and if the bordering cities don't do something about it it will destroy their economies as well.
5/15 - Any guesses as to the percentage of China's Yellow River flow that is raw sewage? Ecotality has your answer.
5/11 - The disappearance of honeybees is a story that has received far too little attention. Here is a look at the issue from a Wisconsin perspective. The implications are potentially far worse than any terrorist threats we face, yet our response has largely been indifference.
5/2 - Wisconsin's Green Tier hasn't exactly been catching on like wildfire. This is a problem worth thinking a lot about, how to encourage voluntary compliance by state industries.
5/1 - NPR is running a series this week on climate change that is worth checking out.
4/30 - Computer models have been predicting really scary global warming scenarios, and skeptics have been dismissive of these "fabrications." Interestingly, new data on arctic ice suggest that these models have been TOO CONSERVATIVE!
4/30 - Russian oil flares seem to be one of the greatest contributors of global warming and have killed billions of migrating birds.
4/29 - Menards seems to be especially nonchalant about their potential culpability in spreading the emerald ash borer. File this story under corporations seeking to protect profits at the expense of a potential environmental catastrophe.
4/26 - Wisconsin DNR issued new pollution regulations that will likely result in significant reductions in ozone levels. Befitting the complexity of this issue, none of the interested parties seem happy with the outcome.
4/22 - Mayor Gary Becker of Racine is showing some real political leadership in attempting to put the city on an environmental path. This should be a model for all of Wisconsin's cities.
4/20 - The Journal-Sentinel offers an interesting challenge in its editorial on the KK river today. Here's the relevant passage:
Still, the cleanup is hardly a done deal, as Peter McAvoy of the Sixteenth Street center pointed out to us on Thursday. The governor has earmarked the money, but legislators - this would be a good priority for the Milwaukee delegation - need to make sure the earmark stays intact through the budget process. And both the city and the sewerage district also need to follow through on their plans.One of the purposes of this site is to monitor public officials to see if they follow through on promises to protect the environment. So, we're going to create a page that is specifically designed to follow the case of the KK river as cleanup efforts wind their way through the various mazes of bureaucratic politics. If you have any updates, send them along to our email address.
4/19 - CNET reviews the 12 greenest cars of 2007.
4/18 - With Earth Day approaching, it is useful to think about how the event is marked. Most of the ideas are of the inconsequential variety, like teaching kids about their food. More effective would be to take your kids to an industrial hog farm to see how their food that they eat the other 364 days of the year is produced. Except they would get extremely sick from the noxious air pollution that surrounds these cesspools of filth and the experience would be so deeply unsettling that the repercussions would be difficult to predict. Perhaps this can be called food for thought.
4/17 - Home Depot joins the ranks of the environmental economy with a new program to identify eco-friendly products.
4/16 - greenvoting.com was at the Chicago Step It Up event.
4/15 - Thomas Friedman joins the Green Movement.
4/13 - The Journal-Sentinel gets it right on the issue of the fish virus.
4/13 - The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has just recently donated $100 million dollars to fund efforts to curb global warming, with its main focus being promoting the adoption of clean-energy technologies. Last Wednesday Governor Schwarzenegger spoke at Georgetown, saying that environmentalism will become mainstream, with California leading the way. Also in the news, Exxon Mobil and other companies continue to fight the state of California over improving the condition of oil terminals in the port of LA, even though they are in disrepair and in danger of spilling.
4/11 - Saturday is the national day of climate action. Here is information about the rally planned for Milwaukee and here is a list of events scheduled for other cities and towns in the state.
4/9- A new form of clean energy, helium 3, and the best place to get it is from the moon. Also Kazakhstan is taking positive steps in fixing the worst environmental disaster in history, the drying up of the Aral Sea.
4/7 - Wind farms seem a promising source of alternative energy, but they seem to elicit hostility at every turn. The case in Two Rivers, WI is pretty typical.
4/6 - It's pretty scary when the consensus, toned-down report on climate change expects catastrophic consequences from global warming.
4/5-Not only are the arctic regions faced with rising temperatures, they are also being dealt a huge blow from Russian industry. One Siberian city is the largest producer of palladium and consequently of acid rain. In addition to this, Russia has still not done anything about its abandoned nuclear submarines, which are in danger of leaking radioactive material. Luckily Japan has agreed to pay for the dismantling of 5 of these subs, but more support is needed.
4/4 - Headway being made on the effort to control climate changing gas emissions. And while George Bush thinks that his administration is doing enough on that front, Congress and the states are taking matters into their own hands.
4/2 - The X Prize is looking for a 100 mpg car. This might be the suburbanites' dream, but it extends what may be an unsustainable pattern of development - outward - rather than providing incentives to develop inward. Still, with gas prices edging toward $3.00 per gallon, it sounds attractive.
4/1 - Not that this is much of a surprise, but the biggest losers in the global warming sweepstakes are likely to be the poorer nations on earth. That ought to make the US more popular in the world.
3/31 - Plug-in hybrids may be the next big thing in urban markets, and Milwaukee's Johnson Controls is developing the batteries.
3/30 - The mismanagement of government among members of the Bush administration is simply mindboggling, especially in the area of environmental protection. The complete betrayal of the public interest, the undermining of agency professionals and scientists, and the blatant promotion of corporate malfeasance is simply unprecedented in this country. Even Warren G. Harding would be shocked.
3/29 - John Kerry seems to be getting the message. Let's let people back into the environmental movement.
3/28 - While we're just getting started here, one group that's been at it for a while is Clean Wisconsin. Check out their work when you can.
3/27 - Temperatures literally rising.
3/26 - As we edge closer to tax day and more talk turns to the confusing tax code, wouldn't it be nice if in the next couple of years we started seeing more articles in the news discussing the great tax breaks available for environmentally conscious investments like solar panels?
3/25 - A stunning look at the effects of global warming on Wisconsin. This is an absolute must read for anyone in Wisconsin. Reporters Lee Bergquist and Thomas Content deserve major accolades for putting this fine piece of journalism together.
3/23 - If you live in northeast Wisconsin, here are your new brownfield redevelopment sites. 3/21 - Al Gore on the Hill today. Anybody want to bet that the science fiction writer is right instead?
3/20 - Can open-pit mines be successfully reclaimed? Here's evidence that they can, although final reviews still await.
3/19 - Too bad our corporate and community leaders are satisfied with 20th century fixes for our energy needs. If the Oak Creek plant cooling tower is really just a question of trade offs, what would it cost to trade for some progressive leadership?
3/18 - Lake Michigan is shrinking and the implications are vast for economic and environmental concerns. Evidence suggests that a combination of drought, natural hydrology, and dredging for shipping lanes has led to the problem and no easy fix is in sight.
3/17 - The good news is that the United States experienced average temperatures for the winter months. The bad news is that the earth experienced its hottest winter on record (since 1880). Global warming cannot be measured by what the U.S. experiences, a point to be remembered next time someone tries to point out that the Atlantic hurricane season was mild last year.
3/16 - Wisconsin DNR has announced that it will force power companies to reduce mercury emissions by 90% in a little more than a decade's time. Jon Heinrich is the state's lead mercury regulator and Scott M. Manley is the director of environmental policy for the shortsighted Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce association. More importantly Wisconsin will not participate in emissions trading schemes which don't work for a localized pollutant like mercury. For more on mercury in the environment, take a look at the report issued by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
3/15 - The misconnected storm sewer at Miller Park is really gross. And it would be nice if a little more urgency was felt on the matter of responsibility. Consider this excerpt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article today:
At this time, he does not intend to fix blame on a contractor for the one known mistake..."We would have to reconstruct whether plans were in error or if inspections were in error, and that could involve several parties," Duckett said. "And if it is an old Milwaukee County Stadium connection, I don't know who would be asked to pay for that."It is precisely this type of attitude that has resulted in the general degradation of the waters around Milwaukee. How about ditching the "it's too hard" attitude and instead finding the responsible parties, holding them accountable for their actions, and having some pride in the quality of the water around here?
3/14 - Step it up. Get inspired.
3/13 - No wonder these guys like ethanol so much.
3/12 - Here come the hit pieces.
3/11 - Lovely thought as the weather warms. Human Feces + Water Recreation = Summer Fun?
3/10 - The Rev. Jim Ball asks, "What would Jesus drive?"
3/9 - European nations have decided that the Kyoto Treaty doesn't go far enough and have committed to further reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
3/8 - Rachel Carson may have warned us of the dangers of industrial chemicals, but we're still flirting with disaster and the chemical industry is working hard to keep us from finding out the truth. Today's chemical is Bisphenol-A.
3/7 - Travelers in Wisconsin spent nearly $13 billion last year, a billion dollar increase from the year before. This is another example of the underlying compatibility between a healthy environment and a healthy economy.
3/6 - It is truly amazing that it has taken so long for solar energy to reach the household market. But, programs like WE Energies buyback plan, where the utility will actually purchase electricity from a solar-equipped house, will go a long way toward spreading the use of solar technology. Other innovations like micro-metering point to breakthroughs in the way we think about electricity supply. If you get a chance, make sure to visit the Urban Ecology Center of Milwaukee's east side. It is the largest producer of solar electricity in the state.
3/5 - The environment is a huge crossover issue and the issue of rural development is one of the most opportune for forging new alliances. How do we get farmers and environmentalists on the same page on this issue?
3/4 - The Fox River Valley is trying to figure out how to do mass transit on the small scale and a forthcoming loss of federal subsidies will make things even more difficult. Is it worth the effort?
3/3 - New emission estimates show that the United States will make virtually no progress in the next decade in reducing the release of gases that contribute to global warming. Wonder if the New England maple syrup farmers have anything to say about that?
3/2 - Pulp and paper mills in the United States are having a hard time competing with cheaper Chinese products. If the job losses are inevitable, wouldn't this be a good time to start subsidizing new, environmentally friendly technologies that would provide the paper mill with a specialty niche? If the company profiled in this article bore a certified "green" stamp of approval, is there any doubt that certain customers would buy their products instead of the dirty, polluting Chinese alternatives?
3/1 - Somehow I missed this critical examination of Wisconsin's contribution to global warming when it ran earlier in the month. Wisconsin apparently contributes greenhouse gases at a pace about a third faster than the national average and the primary culprit seems to be coal.
2/28 - Waukesha still trying to balance urban sprawl and a lack of fresh water to sustain itself.
2/27 - Is anybody else concerned about the disappearance of honeybees?
2/26 - An Inconvenient Truth took home the Oscar for best documentary. What does this portend for environmental politics in the next two years? Comment below.
