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New bill should spark lots of discussion

The New York Times (and everyone else) reports that California has reached a deal for a cap and trade program on carbon emissions.

California passes Global Warming Solutions Act

After weeks of wrangling over the details, Fabian Núñez and the Democratic Legislature on Wednesday presented Governor Schwarzenegger with a bill he could not refuse (that is, if he wanted to give himself any chance at reelection.)

The new bill -- which I discussed in detail here and here -- will be settled Thursday when the Congressional session ends.

It is indeed a breakthrough piece of legislation, calling for a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and controls on the largest industrial sectors, including utilities, oil refineries, and cement plants. And soon, California's passage of this bill will cause a domino effect prompting other states, other countries, and -- who knows? -- maybe even the United States government to jump on board.

And a shout out to my own assembly rep., Fran Pavley, who co-sponsored this bill. Proud to be your constituent.

Umbra on toxic schools

Dear Umbra, My four-year-old daughter is attending a brand-new preschool program in a brand-new building this fall. Nothing was missed in setting up the school for the best possible education […]

Are there downsides to the retail giant’s efforts to up sales of CFLs?

We've heard scads about Wal-Mart turning over a big, fat green leaf (here and here and here and probably lots of other places, too).

Well, here's another one reported by Fast Company that really left my jaw hanging open:

In the next 12 months, starting with a major push this month, Wal-Mart wants to sell every one of its regular customers -- 100 million in all -- one swirl bulb. In the process, Wal-Mart wants to change energy consumption in the United States, and energy consciousness, too.

An Eden Break

Birds return to Iraq marshes, but long-term recovery in doubt Birds have begun to return to restored wetlands in southern Iraq, the famed marshes rumored to have been the location […]

Today’s list of places you don’t want to live

Hello, and welcome to this edition of Whew-I'm-Glad-I-Live-Here-and-Not-There. Today's list of places you're glad you don't live:

Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming

A blistering drought is bringing on conditions that are being compared to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, leaving farmers and ranchers desperate. No really, desperate:

Gov. Michael Rounds of South Dakota, who has requested that 51 of the state's 66 counties be designated a federal agricultural disaster area, recently sought unusual help from his constituents: he issued a proclamation declaring a week to pray for rain.

Urchins evacuated in preparation for storms

With the height of hurricane season approaching, and the Katrina anniversary monopolizing the media, it's fair to say America's got hurricane on the brain. While coastal residents and (let's hope) the government prepare for this year's storms, so too do marine creatures.

Scientists and volunteers near Conch Reef rounded up about 500 long-spined sea urchins (critical to the health of coral reefs) in a shallow rubble zone and moved them to deeper water on the coral reef where they'll be safer.

Take note, Mr. President. Preventative action before hurricanes = good. Still in the "beginning" stages of recovery a year after the fact = bad.

Grist staffers sample organic beer variety pack

You can't go wrong. Last week, an unusually heavy box made its way to Grist List HQ, and we were oh-so-pleasantly surprised to find out that a) Lakefront Brewery had sent us a case of their beer and b) shameless begging really does work. We actually received a variety of brews -- including the New Grist beer that we had oh-so-subtly requested as well as an organic variety called Organic ESB and the coffee-blended Fuel Cafe Stout.

At a Seattle-staff gathering on Friday, we sat down to taste-test these Lakefront Brewery beverages -- and believe me, we took our task seriously. Our verdict? Tasty. Seriously. And not just because Lakefront Brewery sent us a free case. Although Lakefront Brewery did send us a free case. Did I mention Lakefront Brewery sent us a free case?

And that's not to say we wouldn't accept free cases of beer from any other organic brewers out there. Because we would. And we would also accept more free cases from Lakefront Brewery. In fact, I'm just going to say Lakefront Brewery a few more times. Lakefront Brewery. Lakefront Brewery. Lakefront Brewery.

So in conclusion, we'd like to thank you, Lakefront Brewery, for allowing us to sample our namesake beer. You did name it after us, right?

The Army Corps of Engineers is the real culprit behind New Orleans’ devastation

The fate of this navigation channel on the Louisiana coast, shown in 1970 (left) and 2001, offered a glimpse of things to come. Photos: White House OMB  If an unsafe […]

A new blog by pigeons gives a bird’s eye view of air quality

A recent article announced a new milestone in the blogging world -- the very first blog by pigeons. A team at University of California Irvine is gathering data on smog particles in the atmosphere using pigeons outfitted with "backpacks and cell phones." (Because they don't already gab enough on apartment windowsills.) The project was inspired by WWII homing pigeons equipped with spy cameras.

The team devised a feather-weight minipack with an antenna, a cell phone SIM card, global positioning system equipment, and a pollution sensor. The GPS tracks the pigeon's exact location, the sensors pick up airborne pollutants, and the information is text-messaged to the website.

The naturally meandering route of a pigeon gives the experiment a random quality that creator Beatriz da Costa intended. The project does have its detractors, though.