Climate 411

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Environmental Defense Fund can’t comment on the candidates in this year’s historic election because of our tax status as a 501c3 charitable organization. But it’s okay for us to provide interesting sources of information, and here’s one: a site that tracks which lawmakers receive money from the coal industry.

It’s very detailed and very interesting, with multiple ways to browse or search. Take a look!

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

When I went out to get lunch yesterday, I passed a sporting goods store with an interestingly labeled sneaker display. I’d never thought of my feet as an "alternative fuel" before, but I guess that’s right!

Human movement isn’t just for transportation. Take a look at last Thursday’s post for examples from around the world of how human movement can be used to generate electricity. Investment spurred by cap-and-trade legislation will make clean energy technologies like these the norm rather than the exception.

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Yesterday’s New York Times reported that a number of chain stores, including Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods, are putting solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity. There’s a big opportunity here. Stores are the largest energy users in many communities, and solar panels could generate 10 to 40 percent of the store’s electric needs.

Solar power still costs more than electricity from coal, but:

[R]etailers believe that they can achieve economies of scale. With coal and electricity prices rising, they are also betting that solar power will become more competitive, especially if new policies addressing global warming limit the emissions from coal plants.

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