Interesting tidbit for all those Prius fans out yonder…. “According to Business Week, many Prius owners make more than $100,000 a year. The 3rd generation Prius, which went on sale this year, features a bigger, more powerful engine, more passenger space, and “Lexus” touches. Not to mention egregiously expensive — yet environmentally snazzy — options like a solar powered roof ($3,600).” (Environmental News Network)

posted by Mudd

Just when we thought our new pricey Prius was saving the planet, along comes snarly news from that bastion of sustainability – China:

“Some of the greenest technologies of the age, from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to very large wind turbines, are made possible by an unusual group of elements called rare earths. The world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast. Just one problem: These elements come almost entirely from China, from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country, in an industry dominated by criminal gangs.”

Or so reports the New York Times.

What’s a Greenie to do?

posted by Mudd

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Benjamin Franklin

This just in from Paris, the Sustainable Capital of Dogs – “Man’s best friend could be one of the environment’s worst enemies, according to a new study which says the carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle.”

And, of course, you can read all about it in a new book – “Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living” by New Zealanders Robert and Brenda Vale.

Woof woof…

posted by Mudd

As reported by the New York Times – “Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation in Congress on Monday to protect a million acres of the Mojave Desert in California by scuttling some 13 big solar plants and wind farms planned for the region.”

In a strange quirk of irony, eco-freaks are struggling to swallow this new wrinkle in their plans to support the Obama Administration’s goal of seeding the Public lands with so-called “sustainable” energy. It isn’t every day that conservationists whine over preservation of wildlands.

“This is arguably the best solar land in the world, and Senator Feinstein shouldn’t be allowed to take this land off the table without a proper and scientific environmental review,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmentalist and a partner with a venture capital firm that invested in a solar developer called BrightSource Energy.

Did they say “partner in a venture capital firm” that pushes solar mojo?

The American Desert West is anything but empty of biodiversity and inherent value. The developers and their venture capitalists can stick their solar panels on rooftops where they belong. Except for one small catch, these solar arrays are industrial models that need lots of land to get the juice flowing. Think 30,000 acres for starters. You can’t just plop these hunkers on a Wal-Mart roof and say “Let the sun shine in!”

Every now an then a politician gets something right. Even if the Greenies stand to miss a profit in the exchange.

posted by Mudd

From the New York Times – “But before we cede the entire moral penthouse to ‘committed vegetarians’ and ‘strong ethical vegans,‘ we might consider that plants no more aspire to being stir-fried in a wok than a hog aspires to being peppercorn-studded in my Christmas clay pot. This is not meant as a trite argument or a chuckled aside. Plants are lively and seek to keep it that way.”

Ahoy! There goes the broccoli. Poor omnivores. What silly moniker will they come up with next? How about someone who only eats fruit as it falls from the tree, along with nuts that land in one’s basket by gravity? How about “Es-chewers”? Too cerebral? Maybe “Ethically Galvanized Green Nerd Grazers (Eggnogs)”? Yeah – that works.

And lest we forget – Homo erectus asphaltus must have a wardrobe that’s free of guilt as well. No cotton, silk, or even hemp for Eggnogs. No indeed. We’re talking recycled seaweed, pine straw and tortoise shells. Maybe a used tire to round things off.

Dumpster Divers Anonymous meeting begins in 5 minutes!

posted by Mudd

From The Times Online – A new global body dedicated to environmental stewardship is needed to prevent a repeat of the deadlock which undermined the Copenhagen climate change summit, Gordon Brown will say tomorrow.

“I believe that in 2010 we will need to look at reforming our international institutions to meet the common challenges we face as a global community,” said the erudite Monsieur Brown.

Rumor has it that the elite Chinese Special Forces Unit,Wong Bing Bo Zhou, (aka: Step on Face Klub) is in negotiations with the U.N.’s Climate Consensus Committee to oversee enforcement duties. In return for carrying out climate control, China will receive preferred status for oil, gas, coal, and ethanol futures.

According to the Green Wire Mojo Herald, the Global Community will be fully sustainable within 18 months. Furious selling of gold is expected to occur as a result. Forewarned is forearmed.

posted by Mudd

Our beneficent publisher, who is cultivating a nice tan Down Under, thought y’all might enjoy this screed from Bill McKibben, eco-pundit extraordinaire. I suspect the piece is meant to inspire; but you’ll have to wade through the silliness first.

The President of the United States did several things with his agreement today with China, India, and South Africa:

“He blew up the United Nations. The idea that there’s a world community that means something has disappeared tonight. The clear point is, you poor nations can spout off all you want on questions like human rights or the role of women or fighting polio or handling refugees. But when you get too close to the center of things that count—the fossil fuel that’s at the center of our economy—you can forget about it. We’re not interested.”

See what I mean?

posted by Mudd

For all you Hamburger Eaters Anonymous, here’s a fun blurb reported in the BBC News – “A major piece of recent research found that while vegetarians did seem to develop fewer cancers than meat-eaters they were not protected against bowel cancer – one of the most common forms of the disease and one which had been thought to be particularly influenced by the consumption of red and processed meat.”

Oops – there goes the tofu!

“Even nutrient-rich vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and cabbage do not appear to confer the protective benefits against serious disease once hoped for – at least at the levels consumed by the general population.”

Ah, the proverbial rub – “levels consumed by the general population.”

Later, I’m off to Whole Foods…..

posted by Mudd

“The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself,” wrote Benjamin Franklin. (Christian Science Monitor)