Green Daily

Will the Obama administration tackle light pollution? Will Yoko be the first one on the waiting list for a Bentley hybrid? Wanna watch Jon Stewart explain the difference between "cap and trade," "cap'n trade," and our favorite "crap and trade?" Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

The President Hosts Star Gazing Party Last night, the White House was the scene of an off the hook star party. There were Jello shots everywhere and Journey's greatest hits playing on the loudspeaker. I'm kidding. There were 20 telescopes and a herd of amateur astronomers. Light pollution, anyone?

Yoko's Hybrid Dreams Come True Thanks in part (maybe) to Yoko's request that automakers "make hybrid cars as comfortable as a Bentley," now they will. Starting as early as 2011, there will be a hybrid on the market that's not just as comfortable as a Bentley -- it will be a Bentley.

Jon Stewart Discusses "Crap and Trade" You've no doubt heard about the Kerry-Boxer "cap and trade" legislation that's stumbling its way through the Senate, but what do you know actually know about it? Well, once you're done watching Jon Stewart's take, you probably won't learn anything ... but you will laugh.

Dow Unveils Solar Roofing Shingles In the future, solar shingles will become standard equipment on your house, like central air and heat. At least, that's what Dow Chemical is hoping. They've created new solar shingles that are compatible with conventional asphalt shingle roofs. Awesome!

EcoATM Gives You Cash for Your Gadgets Most gadget geeks have the same guilty pleasure: Jumping from device to device and leaving a glut of perfectly good unused gizmos in their wake. Now, there's a ATM-ish machine that makes it easy to convert those gadget into cash ... or at least recycle them.

Green in a Flash:

• Jets could reduce noise/air pollution by taxiing with one engine off.
• Google Earth offers free tours of the world's most amazing rainforests.
• Due to the credit crisis, Irish school children are being asked to byo-toilet-paper. Hope someone has instructed them to buy recycled.
  

Wanna watch the only safe-for-work porno on the internet? Who would win in a battle royale: The Muppets or Big Oil? Would you pay 40 times as much for a bulb that lasts 40 times as long? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Rossellini's Green Porno 3 Launches Online For those of you with an insatiable urge to learn about how other animals do it, you're in luck. Isabella Rossellini's "Green Porno: Season 3" is now available to copulate with your web browser on the Sundance Channel's website.

The Muppets Take on Big Oil Word on the street has it that the next Muppets movie will pit Kermit and the gang against an oil tycoon in a battle over the fate of a cherished old theater that sits on a large pocket of oil. What kind of dirty tricks will the tycoon pull? Haven't they ever heard of slant drilling?

A LEED Certified White House? Small steps have been made to green the White House over the years (e.g. George W. Bush installed a photovoltaic system and solar powered water heaters). Now, the Obamas want to take it a step further -- LEED Certification. It's going to be a major undertaking.

How to Break the Ice with Climate Change Deniers Considering that certain regions of the US are calling 2009 "the year without a summer" (though not where I live),the cooler-than-average summer has invigorated climate change naysayers. Here's some info to help explain the difference between climate and weather.

A Light Bulb That Lasts Two Decades Would you pay more (a lot more) for an LED bulb that's not only super efficient, but you only have to change it every 20 years? Panasonic hopes so. Their new EverLed bulbs go on sale in Japan next month for $40 a pop. The do have 40x the lifespan of an incandescent, however.

Green in a Flash:

• Pamela Anderson's green fashion launch has been pushed back.
• The new CAFE standards have been unveiled: 35.5 mpg by 2016.
• Burger King treated customers to a drive-thru light show powered by their own gas-guzzlers.

Why are our green celebrities threatening to move to Australia? Why has a whole city gone vegetarian one day a week? Looking for ways to be a more eco-conscious wedding guest? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all of the latest green news and tips.

New Auto Standards on the Way The Obama administration wants to put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, when it comes to curbing emissions and fuel consumption. Word on the street is that officials are looking to bump car standards to 42 mpg by 2016. Wow.

Adrian Grenier in Love with Australia's Greenness Australia is apparently out-competing the US in the department of eco-friendliness, and it may cost us a green celeb or two. "Every time I'm here, I just want to move here -- and I might! I might find myself a nice Australian wife."

Belgian Town Adopts Meat-free Day Government officials in Ghent will go meat-free one day a week and they're encouraging all other residents and restaurants to follow their lead. Their goal: Save the planet. Meat Free Mondays has a kinda nice ring to it.

Wedding Season is Here You might as well get your mind and your wallet ready. If you want to make all the weddings on your calendar, but still keep a nice and tidy footprint, check out Grist's video on how to be a green wedding guest.

Should We Be Jealous? The Vauxhall Corsa ecoFLEX is cheap, gets 59 mpg combined, doesn't need to plug in, and doesn't use a hybrid drivetrain. Oh yeah, it's also not available in the US. What gives?

Green in a Flash:

• Bike to Work Day was a big success in NYC.
• You may soon enjoy a Coke from a new, more eco-friendly bottle.
• Lime trees in the UK monitor air pollution and help researchers make pollution maps.

The nation's "first dog" has been selected, polar bears and humans don't mix, and Kanye's launching a green beverage. Today's Eco-Beat has got the scoop on all sorts of awesome green news.

Obamas Disappoint with Kennel Puppy Most animal activists were expecting the Obamas to pick out a rescue puppy for the "first dog." Instead, it looks like they've decided not to recycle. Are you feeling betrayed right now, or are you OK with dogs from breeders?

Woman Bitten by Polar Bear at Berlin Zoo Yet another great example of why not to jump into a polar bear enclosure. Police haven't revealed why the woman thought it was a good idea to jump in. FYI, it was an older, grumpier bear -- not Knut.

Kanye: The Guru of Organic Energy Drinks? We knew Kanye had a flair for hip-hop, fashion, and moody blogging -- but did you know he was an energy drink connoisseur? He's teaming up with GURU to release his own line of natural, organic energy drinks. Get ready to guzzle some "Clean Energy for Dirty Minds."

Eco-Tourism Takes Off With the Airplane Hotel Wanna get away from it all in your own private jet? Book a night in the Airplane Hotel, near Quepos, Costa Rica. This awesome hotel (looks more like a B&B) was built in the fuselage of a retired 1965 Boeing 727 -- no need for carbon offsets.

America's Shrinking Weedprint Along with a rising interest in gardening across the board, many in the cannabis industry are switching to homegrown pot rather than importing it from Mexico. Does that mean the locavore movement has spread into the drug culture?

Green in a Flash:

• The Obama administration is going to buy 17,600 of the most fuel-efficient cars from the Big 3.
• Today's container ships are now traveling slower than yesteryear's sailing freighters to save gas money. Hmm.
• Watch Woody Harrelson talking about the end of the world as part of the hype-building for his upcoming flick 2012.

Ouch. The news just keeps getting worse for GM. Even though the Volt has enjoyed unprecedented hype for the last 2+ years, and Jay Leno thinks its a superior ride, President Obama's new car task force is not super impressed by the long-range hybrid. They've begun questioning the Volt's commercial prospects as they take a good hard look at GM's sustainability plan. From their report:

"GM is at least one generation behind Toyota on advanced, "green" powertrain development. In an attempt to leapfrog Toyota, GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt. While the Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable.

One of the biggest concerns is that GM's 'leapfrog' strategy relied on selling the Volt at a loss, not exactly great for sustainability in the near term. While no official price has been set for the Volt just yet, all signs seem to indicate a price tag right at $40K. At that price, the Volt will be competing with the very sporty, very classy-looking Tesla Model S all-electric sedan. What do you think about the Volt's commercial appeal?


[via Treehugger]

This will be a refreshing change. Lisa Jackson, President-elect Obama's pick to head up the E.P.A. is a fan of science.

How long has been since we've heard that in Washington D.C.?

At Jackson's confirmation hearing last week, committee chair Senator Barbara Boxer also expressed her happiness that the E.P.A. would have new, qualified leadership, calling the past eight years "nightmarish", which is true for so many reasons.

Jackson worked at the E.P.A. for 15 years, and has degrees in chemical engineering from Tulane and Princeton Universities. She's leaving a post heading up New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection, so we know she's tough.

I was excited to read that she is going to put science before politics:

"Science must be the backbone of what E.P.A. does ... if I am confirmed, political appointees will not compromise the integrity of E.P.A.'s technical experts to advance particular regulatory outcomes."

Let's hope that means the oil company lobbyists should pack up their bags of money and lies, and take an early retirement. Also, that going forward the Bible will be referenced in fewer footnotes in papers about climate change.

Best of all, Jackson believes that taking care of the environment will actually stimulate economic growth, which is what the green movement has been saying forever. Good for the environment is good for business!