SHFT Sampler 2-11-11

GOP vs. EPA: The Congressional Republican attack on the Environmental Protection Agency began in earnest this week, as GOP leaders assailed EPA chief Lisa Jackson about her agency's authority to combat climate change under the Clean Air Act. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said that the proposed emissions limits will put the US economy in a "straitjacket" and cost the country "millions of jobs and......read more

SHFT Sampler 3-18-11

Plant Plastic: Drinking soda is bad for you, yes, but petroleum-based plastic bottles bad for everyone. In 2012, Pepsi will drop the world's first fossil fuel-free plastic bottle, made from 100% plant-based materials like switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. Bike Share, Yo: Inhabitat reports that Brooklyn will join Washington D.C., Boston, Denver, and Minneapolis as the first cities in the......read more

North America's Greenest Cities Ranked

We tend to look at environmental legislation through a national lens, and the view these days is depressing. With Capitol Hill stuck in political gridlock, national action on climate and energy is proving to be a practical impossibility. Luckily, U.S. cities aren't waiting for Congress to climb out of the mire. Today at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Siemens and the Economist Intelligence Unit......read more

CarbFix Looks to Lock CO2 in Rock

There are no shortage of novel engineering ideas for slowing or halting global warming (anyone remember space sunshades?), but a new joint American-Icelandic experiment may actually hold some promise. The team of scientists involved int he project are proposing to pump carbon dioxide deep into limestone bedrock, where they hope it will be locked away for good. The carbon sequestering project......read more

The Climate War's Second Front

We have long known that carbon dioxide is not the only pollutant that causes climate change. But, to date, the global effort to address global warming has largely centered on that grandaddy of greenhouse gases -- with next to no meaningful progress. Now, the climate war is opening a second front. Last week, the the United States and five other countries announced a new initiative to......read more

Carbon-Eating Algae Tested in Germany

Algae is being studied globally for its potential in various commercial and environmental applications, from biofuels to animal feed to industrial grease. In Senftenberg, Germany, the "Green Mission" project is studying the organism for a new, different purpose. Scientists from European energy giant Vattenfall are looking to algae as a way to reduce emissions at Germany's abundant......read more

The Business of CO2 in Corporate America

Last week Fortune Magazine held a 3 day conference called GREEN BRAINSTORM on the gorgeous cliffs of Laguna Niguel and SHFT was there for the second year. It’s a rare opportunity to see leaders of industry mingle with government policymakers, leading environmental thinkers, and venture capital moguls. In the wake of Copenhagen, where the outcome was underwhelming to say the least, the......read more