Plant, Baby, Plant

On March 31, President Obama reversed a campaign pledge by calling for renewed oil drilling off US shores. Unfortunately, this was no April Fool’s joke. Domestic drilling, the president argued, was needed to pump up the US economy by reducing oil imports. But if the president hopes to foster a real “Growth Economy,” he needs to draw inspiration from the First Lady’s organic garden. Instead of soiling the seas, we need to…
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by: Gar Smith – Summer 2010

Breathe … Not So Easy

Now that the EPA has defined carbon dioxide as a pollutant under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act, we should probably mutter “Beg pardon” whenever we respire. On average, an adult human gulps down 250ml of oxygen per minute and puffs out 200ml of CO2. With 6.6 billion human lungs at work, that adds up to 2.16 trillion tons of CO2 a year. Humankind’s carbon “breathprint” accounts for as much as…
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by: Gar Smith – Spring 2010

Solving the Water and Energy Crisis

… in One Swell Poop

Upwards of 3 million people die annually from diarrhea, dysentery, and parasitic diseases – all for the want of clean water. Meanwhile, each year in the water-rich United States, 2.1 billion gallons of the world’s most precious liquid are used, not to water thirsty crops or slake parched throats, but to flush human waste from home toilets to municipal sewers. While harvesting rainwater and recycling graywater are fine strategies, it’s time to…
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by: Gar Smith – Winter 2010

Emissions Trading? I Beg Your Indulgence

The ancient Roman Catholic doctrine of “indulgences” has been born again in the 21st century. The once popular practice allowed rich parishioners to purchase “remission” for their sins by making contributions to the church’s minions. The Council of Trent tried to outlaw the practice in 1562. In June 2009, the US Congress resurrected the concept of conscience-clearing as a key portion of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Instead of requiring…
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by: Gar Smith – Autumn 2009

Planet Girth

Every environmental problem has a population angle. Remember the idea – taken from chaos theory – about how a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas? Well, that Lepidoptera is nothing compared to a million Ford Explorers – not to mention the flood of super-cheap and not-so-clean Tata Nanos now rolling off India’s assembly lines. Or the impact of a billion Big Macs served. Every day, we’re…
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by: Gar Smith – Summer 2009

Hawai‘ians Say Ferry Too Fast to Pass

Update: On March 16, Hawai‘i’s Supreme Court ruled that allowing Superferry to operate without filing an EIS was “unconstitutional.” Declaring itself “hugely disappointed” with the ruling, HSF ceased operations on March 17. Gov. Lingle continues to insist that her illegal maneuvers “were correct and accurate.” Mander believes the Superferry’s days are over and he suspects that HSF’s officials are actually relieved “since they were losing money like mad and they now are…
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by: Gar Smith – Spring 2009

In Ecuador, Trees Now Have Rights

On September 29, the Associated Press reported that Ecuador’s new constitution would “significantly expand leftist President Rafael Correa’s powers.” It wasn’t until the end of a 15-paragraph article that the AP mentioned the new constitution – approved by 65 percent of voters – “guarantees free education through university and social security benefits for stay-at-home mothers.” Also missing from the AP’s report: any mention that Ecuador’s voters had just ratified the world’s first…
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by: Gar Smith – Winter 2009

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