Our recent report on air pollution connected living within 500 feet of heavily used roadways to increased risks of asthma, lung and heart disease, and cancer. While the facts in the report are alarming, there are a lot of solutions out there to reduce traffic and the pollution it creates, like congestion pricing – a solution recently proposed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Want to help push for solutions to traffic? Share your traffic story with us! Is it hard for you or a loved one to breathe in a congested area? Ever miss an important event because of traffic? Are the streets where you live or work unsafe for pedestrians or cyclists? Share your story and help us put a face on the effects of traffic.

After last November's election, we challenged the new Congress to take on five big ideas for environmental progress in 2007:

• Fight global warming AND grow the economy
• Protect endangered species by working WITH landowners
• Reward farmers for conservation-friendly farming
• Create a trust fund for the ocean
• Protect Gulf Coast communities AND wildlife by restoring coastal wetlands

The 110th Congress has now been at work for 100 calendar days. We thought this was a good time to pause and assess how we're doing. Check out the accomplishments made so far and vote for your favorite!

Talk about the accomplishments on your blog or profile? Drop us a line!

The new headline animator is available through our MySpace profile. (What?! You didn't know we had a MySpace profile? Friend us!)

Here's a preview of the animator:

You can also get handy instructions on how to add it to each of the following:
Blogger blog
MySpace profile
TypePad blog
Email signature

If you use it, let us know!

On Facebook? Be sure to join our newly created group, aptly named "Environmental Defense". If you have ideas on content I should add to the group, or ways to use it, I'm open to suggestions! Drop a comment here or add it to the wall on the group page.

News was everywhere today about ConocoPhilips becoming the latest member of USCAP, the coalition of corporations and non profits supporting cap and trade legislation.

If you're looking for an inside scoop, check out this Q&A with Environmental Defense Media Director Anthony Kreindler on AOL's Down to Earth blog.

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune listed our guide to compact fluorescent lights as a helpful resource for finding the right bulb. It's also noteworthy that the article appeared in the paper's "Spending Smart" column. Aside from the environmental benefits of switching to CFLs, there's a distinct cost-saving benefit!

Don't take my word for it, calculate your savings.

A recent cartoon on the Supreme Court ruling, published in the Washington Post, speaks volumes! After it made the rounds in our offices, we thought it was worth sharing more widely.

See what you think…and while you're at it, be sure to tell EPA Administrator Johnson to take the Court's ruling to heart and get moving on global warming measures.

We were just tipped off to a cool non-profit/search engine site. It's called GoodSearch.

The idea is, you use GoodSearch as your default search engine. GoodSearch donates 50% of any search advertising money it makes from you to the charity of your choice.

And lo and behold, Environmental Defense is on there as one of the charities you can shoose. Just type in "environmental defense incorporated" into the "WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR?" box.

It's a neat idea, and the search itself is powered by Yahoo!, so you're getting good results. You can learn more about it on their site, and spread the word about it, if you like.

If you end up using it, let us know in the comments, and tell us how much you end up raising!

Once our staff has had more time to review the details of the rulings, we'll have more to share, but for now, here's the word from SCOTUSblog:

Ruling 5-4, the Supreme Court on Monday found that the federal government had the authority to regulate greenhouse gases that may contribute to global warming, and must examine anew the scientific evidence of a link between those gases and climate change…That decision came in Massachusetts v. EPA (05-1120).

The second decision…upheld EPA's view that changes in power plants that may contribute to air pollution must be done only with a permit if there is an annual increase in emissions…The case was Environmental Defense Fund v. Duke Energy Corp. (05-848).

Want to know more about the cases? Here's some great background on Massachusetts v. EPA, referred to by many as "the most important environmental case the Supreme Court has ever considered", and a brief timeline of the case. You can also find details on Environmental Defense Fund v. Duke Energy Corp. on our site.