As the Presidential race nears the finish line - - with the candidates and voters both gasping for air amidst the ubiquitous onslaught of commercials on everything from lawn signs to Saturday Night Live - - there are no shortages of ...READ»
What do Starbucks and smog have in common? Opportunity. As I walk around Beijing, the signs of the 2008 Olympics fading into memory, I am struck by the fact that every corner has a Starbucks, not to mention other ubiquitous American ...READ»
Congress passed the bailout plan with a price tag of nearly a trillion dollars, but the ink was hardly dry on this new Monopoly money when quite a few experts began to predict it wouldn’t be enough. Some estimates hope the ...READ»
The financial crisis seems overwhelming, with dire warnings that things may still get worse, bailout or not. People are worried about what lies ahead for business, but believe it or not the news is not all bad. There are still ...READ»
As Washington and Wall Street dicker over a financial rescue plan, everyone is missing the real opportunity to fix the problem. Some see the variously proposed plans as bailouts of dumb borrowers and dumber lenders, while others ...READ»
Much is written about our oil addiction, but we are addicted to another fossil-drug - - coal. And while oil steals the breath from our kids and incentivizes our bad behavior around the world, coal is the major contributor to global ...READ»
When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed me to serve as the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2003, my first challenge came not from the smoggy skies of Los Angeles or the pesticide-laden drainage ...READ»
Political conventions are largely mass entertainment for the party faithful, punctuated by self-serving interpretations of both current events and history. Like summer big-budget movies, this year’s Democratic and Republican ...READ»
Commentators have coined a term that is being hotly debated in business, political, and social settings these days - - the “China Price”.
A quick Google search shows that the China Price is variously defined as:
- The ...READ»
I came across two very different sources of fortune-telling this week. The first was the Border Governors’ Conference (BGC), held at Universal Studios in Hollywood and focused on building a green economy (check it out at ...READ»
Last week, Senator Obama called on American drivers to properly inflate their tires as one of many ways we can cut our energy bills and our carbon footprints simultaneously. Although this simple call to action was caught up in ...READ»
I was in Beijing last week and noticed the smog, of course, but as China grapples with Olympics and air quality I also saw something much more important. China is serious about energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse ...READ»
You know the agitators in any revolution always put up posters and banners to make their point to the public (and to anger the authorities too, of course!). In a Los Angeles suburb last week a dry cleaner named Ogden struck just ...READ»
As we scramble for solutions to climate, energy, and environmental problems, companies, governments, and individuals are taking action - - so does anyone have a monopoly on great ideas for true “sustainability” or “social ...READ»
In the past week I’ve seen three companies and one surprising manifestation of the cleantech revolution that’s shaping up worldwide. All of these observations are worth sharing as a means of peering into the cleantech crystal ...READ»
Governor Charlie Crist hosted a Climate Summit in Miami this week and here are a few observations from the front row…
In his opening keynote, Governor Crist showed the value of leadership - - just one year ago, he challenged ...READ»
It’s ironic that the images of flooding in the mid-west are accompanied by stories about government agencies pleading with people in those hard-hit areas to conserve water, because the floods have contaminated drinking water ...READ»
Yes, it finally happened. We’re down to two in the race. The
others have dropped out, the final holdout brushed aside and the main event
begins.
Of course I’m talking about the NBA finals. Great east-west
rivalry with ...READ»
OK, so while many environmental leaders are moaning the loss
of the Warner-Lieberman climate bill (S2191) I think we may have actually won
an important battle in the war to get Congress to take this issue seriously.
Given that ...READ»
In a recent blog, I told you
about a trip to Walmart and how they have slashed waste in all of their stores,
saving money and the environment at the same time. The more I talk about this,
the more I realize how many companies are ...READ»
With Mother’s Day just behind us, I was particularly moved by a letter
written four decades ago by a very special mom. My friend and colleague, Joe
Lyou, a brilliant advocate and strategist for environmental justice and ...READ»
Senators John McCain and Hilary Clinton are among many in Congress
clamoring for a gas tax “holiday” as fuel prices rise and the summer driving
season fast approaches. Never mind that they focus entirely on poor consumers
and ...READ»
Everyone hates their taxes being spent on subsidies - - unless it’s to
subsidize their own industry. It’s time for an honest debate about the role of
subsidies in a 21st Century economy and, at least, a restructuring
to a ...READ»
The world today is facing an unprecedented set of crises.
The most recent to burst upon public awareness is that of global warming, and it is indeed a matter of urgency and of critical importance. We have, according to the ...READ»
