Last December, I moved into one of the most expensive places in the world to live, the gated community known as “Seadrift” in Stinson Beach, Marin County. I can count Senator Diane Feinstein and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh as neighbors (though they only sneak out here upon occasion.)

The move ended up being a disaster on (more…)

US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar likes to tout his department’s support for clean energy development on federal lands. But a decision last week to open 7,400 acres in Wyoming to increased coal mining calls into question how strong the Interior Department’s commitment to clean energy really is. If we’re serious about transforming the US economy to run on (more…)

Australian Paul Gilding straddles the NGO and the corporate worlds. A former international head of Greenpeace, he subsequently moved into consultancy with global corporations and others on the transition to sustainability. Transition can sound a comfortingly gradual process, but that’s far from the case with the transition (more…)

Gas prices are over $4 a gallon in some markets recently and headed through the roof it seems, with some analysts talking about gas heading toward $5 a gallon by the summer. As unrest across the Middle East roils the oil markets and the price of gas leaps upward, we’re all scrambling for ways to save. Some strategies we’ve heard (more…)

Some recent stories in the press have attempted to paint a picture that an agreement on energy issues signed during the President’s trip to Brazil shows a lack of commitment to domestic oil and gas production. Let’s be clear – this administration is committed to developing a broad range of energy sources, and we (more…)

Brazil, the world leader in sugar cane ethanol production and consumption, has announced that its national Development Bank (BNDES) and the Brazilian Innovation Agency (FINEP) have signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement, pledging R$1 billion between 2011 and 2014 for a Joint Plan to Support Industrial Technological Innovation in the sugar-based Energy and (more…)

One of the common hurdles green brand owners have to overcome to protect their brands is U.S. trademark law’s proscription against registration of marks that are “merely descriptive” of the goods or services.

The rationale for this rule is that registering a generic or descriptive term would restrict (more…)

Led by WWF, today several landmarks will be going dark to celebrate Earth Hour. It’s a global event that anyone can join.

Among the places that are going to switch off for the planet are Niagara Falls in Canada; Times Square in New York; the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio; Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Big (more…)

American journalist Mark Hertsgaard understands what lies ahead for humanity as climate change unfolds, some of it already unavoidable though hopefully manageable, but with outright chaos lurking if we fail to rein in emissions. He harbors no illusions. The fact that his little daughter will be part of the generation living through the coming turmoil gives an extra edge to his writing in his new (more…)

There are numerous cities across the United States which can be considered “cleantech capitals.” With a large array of renewable resources, a dedication by businesses and homeowners to become more energy efficient, and a large hub for research and development, a lot can be accomplished when it comes to creating new, efficient and sustainable clean (more…)