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Wall-E Earns 6 Oscar Nominations, Ties Record
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2009 Comment (12)Wall-E, the little robot who saved Earth, is having a big day - six Oscar nominations have been bestowed upon the film for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Original Screenplay. These six nominations tie the film to Beauty and the Beast, long considered the best animated film of all time, and the only animated film to have ever been nominated for Best Picture. I wrote a review of Wall-E last June, and discussed its environmental ramifications.
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Will.i.am Debuts Climate Change Song and Video at Al Gore's Green Ball
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2009 Comment (3)Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas' "Yes We Can" video was a viral video sensation for the Obama campaign, but now that the president is in office, the singer is turning his attention and songwriting chops to another area: climate change. At Al Gore's green inaugural ball on Monday, Will.i.am debuted a new song called "Take Our Planet Back," which addresses our need to get off of foreign oil, use renewable energy sources and hold politicians accountable for enacting enviromental reform.
Entering the event on a green carpet, Will.i.am was asked by reporters how he is green in his personal life. The singer drives an electric car, which he references in his song. "I know we all as a people know that our dependence on fossil fuels - it's tired, it's old," he said. "The technology is there for us to run cars off of electricity. I'm living proof."
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Audio: Green Tips for Inauguration
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2009 CommentObama's doing his part to keep this inauguration green, so if you're coming to D.C. this weekend, here's how you can do yours. I recently talked to WTOP radio in Washington about ways to go green for inauguration. You can find my full list of tips in the Thrifty Green Inauguration Visitor's Guide to Washington, D.C.
LISTEN NOW: A Green Inauguration Visitor's Guide
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Inauguration Getting Greener and Greener
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2009 CommentIn the nearly sysiphean effort to make Obama's inauguration, which will be attended by millions, the greenest ever, new festivities and details keep coming. Earlier this week, I pulled together a thrifty green inaugural visitor's guide to D.C.
- The first of two green inaugural balls is tomorrow, and in addition to a featured performance from Wyclef, there will be a green "Trashion" show from designer Nancy Judd. The centerpiece of the show will be a men's coat made from Obama fliers.
- Speaking of coats - it's freezing here today. Good thing PETA is distributing used fur coats to the homeless in D.C.
- Al Gore's green inaugural ball has confirmed that Melissa Etheridge, will.i.am, Maroon 5, John Legend and Michael Franti will perform.
- If you have the cash for some green pampering, book a room for the weekend at the Fairmont. The D.C. Hotel's eco-inaugural package includes a Lexus hybrid complete with driiver (good luck getting around, though), organic food, a suite made of sustainable materials, and a Linda Loudermilk designer dress.
- For 150 guests at the Philips Collection, famed chef Alice Waters will prepare a locally-sourced meal of oysters, lamb, rockfish soup, saffron tomato and apple tart. The dinner, which cost $500 per guest, benefits area soup kitchens.
- If you can't make it to a ball, Live Earth offers tips for hosting your own green inaugural party.
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Bird Strikes That Caused U.S. Airways Hudson River Plane Crash Are Transportation, Environmental Problem
Tweet Share on Facebook January 15, 2009 Comment (45)A U.S. Airways Flight out of LaGuardia crashed into the Hudson River today after it was struck by birds - a simple, but extremely dangerous hazard for aircraft around the world. The plane is still in the water, but all passengers are reported to have escaped into rescue craft.
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'Cash for Clunkers' Introduced in Congress
Tweet Share on Facebook January 15, 2009 Comment (54)Got an old gas-guzzler in your driveway? Legislation that was introduced yesterday may soon allow you to trade it in for cash - up to $4,500, depending on the car. Said Sen. Charles Schumer, "This is an even better trade-in offer than they could get from any car dealership."
"Cash for Clunkers," as the program is being called, aims to get millions of fuel-inefficient vehicles off the road to help lower our reliance upon foreign oil, and reduce emissons and pollution. According to the Associated Press, by its fourth year the program would save between 40,000 and 80,000 barrels of fuel a day. The estimated cost of the program is between $1 and $2 billion.
The newer the vehicle, the more cash you'll get for it. If your vehicle was made before 1998, you'll get $2,000, while vehicles from 1999-2001 will get $3,000 and any vehicles made after 2002 will get $4,500. A person can also claim the equivalent dollar amount in public transit fares. The cars must be driveable, and must have a fuel economy rating of less than 18 miles per gallon. Once turned in, the old vehicles would be taken apart for scrap.
Find out all the FAQs on Cash for Clunkers from U.S. News' Rankings and Reviews.
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A Green Inauguration Visitor's Thrifty Guide to Washington, D.C.
Tweet Share on Facebook January 14, 2009 Comment (2)Welcome to Washington, if you can squeeze in here. We're expecting it to be packed. The White House has even declared the city in a state of emergency for the event. The massive influx of people certainly won't be good for our carbon footprint, that's for sure. And though the weekend is bound to be a wasteful one overall, there are small things you, as an eco-friendly consumer can do to help when you're visiting.
The inaugural planners are on board, according to the L.A. Times. "Not only are we committed to holding an inauguration that is the most open and accessible in history," said Linda Douglass, chief spokeswoman for Obama's inaugural committee, "but we are also committed to making sure that it is as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible." The Environmental Protection Agency is advising the committee on best practices. And I'll be doing the same for you, the visitor—along with some tips for fun green stuff to do while you're here.
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Google Dispels Energy Usage Claims
Tweet Share on Facebook January 13, 2009 Comment (8)A story in the UK's Times Online set the green blogosphere ablaze with a simple statistic: Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross said that a single Google search emitted seven grams of CO2. Like many other bloggers, I wrote about the findings, and included a few eco-friendly search alternatives.
Google has since disputed the claim. According to the Google blog, one google search releases 0.2 grams of CO2, instead - a huge difference. Here's what Google has to say:
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Mermaids, Aliens and Bigfoot Want You to Believe in Clean Coal
Tweet Share on Facebook January 13, 2009 Comment (6)Last week, a British paper reported that aliens were interfering with one town's clean energy. Now Sasquatch and a mermaid have joined the mix. The Reality Coalition, a group dedicated to clearing up misconceptions about clean coal, has put
up a clever ad campaign in D.C.'s Metro Center, where mythical creatures tell public transit riders that clean coal is just a big greenwash. Just in time for the onslaught of tourists who will be passing through the station on their way to president-elect Barack Obama's inaugural parade, the Coalition hopes the Reality Campaign ads will help people realize that clean coal is no more a present reality than the alien, bigfoot and mermaid pictured holding big chunks of it. More photos below. -
Green Alternatives to Google Searches
Tweet Share on Facebook January 12, 2009 Comment (8)It's just a few clicks a day, but Google searches have an environmental impact too - 7 grams of carbon each, according to a recent study. To put it in visual terms, for every two Google searches you do, you've used the equivalent amount of energy as boiling water for a cup of tea. When you think of the massive amount of searches we do each day on Yahoo, Google and MSN, it adds up to a lot of energy consumed.
All search engines are not created equal, though. Green search engines donate money to environmental causes each time you click - and they're powered by the major search engines, so your results are comparable to a typical Google search. Here are two to try:
