tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60786213261841136792012-01-28T01:15:51.665-05:00exploring environmental issues from a christian perspectivelisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.comBlogger1471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-76740596928431514942010-03-25T14:29:00.003-04:002010-03-25T15:00:18.716-04:00

Another great post today by Sharon Astyk, possibly my favorite online writer. She's starting a new challenge: the challenge to take care of an acre of land that isn't your own. My husband has been talking about something like this for a while; we've been looking at buying a house, and he's been pushing for one near an empty lot. The house we found is not next to an empty lot, but there's plenty

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-83152034127284334672010-03-23T11:04:00.002-04:002010-03-23T11:20:25.160-04:00

Not sure I can add anything to this. Read to the end--especially the bit about peace. Please, everyone, let's remember that. If you have time, the comments on this post are an interesting read, too. A quote from one: "What you [the blogger] are essentially saying is that you're happy your friends with pre-existing conditions can rip off the rest of us, enslave us to the government, and pay

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-90590045952370000402010-03-18T12:07:00.003-04:002010-03-18T12:11:04.476-04:00

The Christian coalition has put out an ad in favor of climate legislation that supports energy alternatives! Which is further proof that you can come at the energy problem from a lot of different angles and still come up with the same solution. Something has got to change. Listen to the ad here. The article by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat John Kerry that the ad references is here.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-66775693484751148642009-09-12T22:32:00.002-04:002009-09-12T22:50:22.048-04:00

My husband Matt and I said jokingly the other day that the real solution to our health care problems would be to put a sin tax on Doritos. But apparently Michael Pollan thought of the same thing--and he was serious. He wrote a great piece in which he argues that forbidding insurance companies to drop people from care could be a powerful incentive to change our food subsidies. Because it would

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-11777571167848515992009-09-10T08:00:00.003-04:002009-09-10T08:33:49.949-04:00

I've never written about health care reform here before, partly because it's not an issue I've ever been too concerned about, and partly because I never thought of it as an issue of Christian environmentalism. But as I've watched this debate gain heat over the last few weeks, culminating last night in the president's speech, I'm beginning to change my mind. Health care may not be an environmental

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-6179428215273237502009-08-28T20:54:00.001-04:002009-08-28T20:54:44.894-04:00

Here's a brilliant idea. I've developed an irrational feeling that can best be described as fear of suburbs (suburphobia?) over the past few years. I don't know if it's somehow related to my growing up in the suburbs and my tremendous unpopularity in high school or if it's an inevitable result of living in the city for too long (hence the common Atlanta fear of "OTP" among those of us who live "

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-15933794012787752462009-07-04T17:59:00.003-04:002009-07-04T18:16:33.607-04:00

I've never known quite how to feel about the Fourth. I've always had a hard time understanding patriotism in the context of a country as big as the United States. What does it mean to be patriotic to a country that's a conglomerate of hundreds of languages, ethnicities, and cultures? Patriotism means being loyal to a particular thing, and you can't be loyal to something you don't understand. What

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-91618882341423219332009-06-06T09:07:00.003-04:002009-06-06T09:26:24.692-04:00

I really should have included this idea in the post along with cloth diapers and labeled it something like "stop using disposable products." But I decided that this one really deserves its own post. So men, well, you might want to stop reading now. Ladies, this is one we all have to deal with. I tried this a few years ago and didn't have much luck with it--I think I got the wrong size, and it

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-76526476588794314442009-04-21T21:52:00.004-04:002009-04-21T22:02:12.147-04:00

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and although most of the Atlanta stuff happened last weekend, there are still a few things you can do to celebrate tomorrow. The Botanical Gardens has half-price admission and events all day to celebrate, and of course Atlantic Station has an upscale evening event that sounds exciting and modern (and pricey). I won't be going to any of those, but I might try to make it to

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-90729341792245140402009-04-18T13:15:00.004-04:002009-04-18T13:20:24.729-04:00

I guess it's youtube weekend here at The Christian Environmentalist. I got this link from a friend and couldn't resist posting it. How cool is this? I know, I know, I'm a gadget girl...and this is really not that green...but I can't help but want one. Luckily, my husband is more sensible and told me that we can compost perfectly well with a pail of worms.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com271tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-20903115094343606522009-04-18T10:32:00.001-04:002009-04-18T10:33:24.467-04:00

You could always do this: I've ridden one of these before. It's pretty fun. But I still like biking better.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-16103136591213326282009-04-16T13:46:00.004-04:002009-04-16T15:01:35.176-04:00

The issue of food has been one of my biggest environmental concerns for a while now. (I think it started when I read The Omnivore's Dilemma.) Not only because it's so important for the environment, but really because it's just important, period. In modern western society, we've become disconnected from the significance of food. We simply don't think about food any more. At best, we think about

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-20483714761082928392009-04-11T13:20:00.000-04:002009-04-11T13:22:38.104-04:00

Lately it seems like I've come across a lot of moms who are concerned about environmental issues. I think a lot of people start to think about these concerns for the first time when they have children. Partly, of course, it's because you start to really think about what the earth will be like for future generations when those future generations have a face. But I think it's also because moms have

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-35321196602681613502009-04-09T14:43:00.004-04:002009-04-09T15:09:12.080-04:00

It's a funny thing about Atlanta and the city limit. There are few cities in the world with so much urban sprawl, and no city I've ever lived in has such a vague distinction between inside and outside the city limits. It's all highways and strip malls outside of the immediate downtown area, and for most people, cars are as indispensable inside the city as they are out in the suburbs. And yet,

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-12459487919060127932009-04-08T14:27:00.003-04:002009-04-08T14:51:45.550-04:00

It's April, which means that Earth Day is coming up. This month, it seems like everywhere you go you hear advice on greening your life. At Whole Foods the other day (I made a trip to the organic superstore and managed to spend less than $100 in a visit, which might be a record for me), I picked up an "Earth Month Calendar" with "simple daily green tips": advice very day on ways to make your life

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-76057238482722928912009-02-26T17:52:00.003-05:002009-02-26T17:57:24.851-05:00

The Coen Brothers, of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and Fargo fame, made a commercial on clean coal. Or rather, on its nonexistence. Check it out: The commercial, of course, doesn't give any reasons, but the truth is that this is reality: there's no such thing as clean coal. The technology simply doesn't exist. It's a dream, right alongside ideas like electricity powered by solar panels in space.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-88524443169568484952009-02-16T20:15:00.002-05:002009-02-16T20:17:41.651-05:00

Check out the new resource for environmentalists in the southeast at southeast green. They're syndicating my blog, but that's not the only reason I'm recommending them. It's a great site with lots of resources and lots of local bloggers. Take a look.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75986527789147072852009-02-08T22:07:00.003-05:002009-02-08T22:27:43.343-05:00

Rod Dreher of Crunchy Cons just posted a list of "24 things about to disappear in America." Some of them I think he's right about; others I completely disagree. Maybe I'm just biased. But I thought it was a fun idea, so here's my twist on it: 10 things that will make a comeback in America. 1. Family farms. Dreher thinks these will disappear. He's right that they've been disappearing. But they'll

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-22127389835416366112009-02-03T11:54:00.005-05:002009-02-03T12:08:37.802-05:00

Is living in community really worth it? Lately we've been moving deeper and deeper into community. I joked with a neighbor that really we want to live in a commune, but we don't quite have the guts. And there are many benefits to community: the spiritual growth that comes with having to put up with other people; the lower environmental footprint thanks to shared resources; free babysitting

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-19572466860946756742008-12-15T15:39:00.006-05:002008-12-15T17:03:45.816-05:00

My turn has at last come to host Treehugger's famous Carnival of the Green. If you're not familiar with COTG, it's a weekly roundup of posts on green and ecological topics from bloggers all over the world. So, without further ado, here's this week in the environmental blogosphere: First, naturally, we have a lot of holiday tips. From Christmas lights to wrapping paper to plastic toys, Christmas

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-55519158811233315952008-11-20T10:44:00.003-05:002008-12-14T16:12:33.374-05:00

Last weekend we got to go to Enviro Expo. Which was especially fun because my dad was kind of the one who started it. I ended up volunteering at the Sierra Club booth for a lot of the time, so I didn't get to wander around and meet people as much as I would have liked, but I still had a great time. Here are some of the organizations I was most interested in that I discovered there: The Living

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-91035801802068687922008-11-12T15:03:00.003-05:002008-12-14T16:14:07.640-05:00

My favorite blogger, Sharon Astyk, wrote yesterday about the core problem in our thinking about energy decline and transition. In a nutshell, it is this: we want big solutions, but we need small ones. She references Al Gore's recent editorial, where in the glow of Obama's election he calls for sweeping energy reform: solar plants in the southwest, investments in hybrid cars, and a national carbon

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-31499466559468346122008-11-05T11:02:00.004-05:002008-11-05T11:26:40.276-05:00

Like many Americans, I was up late last night. I've been watching this election with all the excitement I usually devote to my favorite television dramas. I've seen every debate, many of the speeches, and absolutely every Tina Fey skit. After two emotional years of following this campaign, last night felt to me like the climax of a really long movie. Cue music and credits as the audience gets

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-51926408540306984502008-11-03T18:28:00.002-05:002008-11-03T18:35:04.477-05:00

I can hardly believe it's almost here. This has been the most exciting campaign of my lifetime, and although I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, I've loved every minute of it. The drama! The emotion! The historical precedents! It's been better than a soap opera. And in just a few more hours, at last, we get to vote. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. I'm not even going to tell you who

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-56104514830596613122008-10-20T12:08:00.005-04:002008-10-20T12:38:14.618-04:00

So my favorite blogger, Sharon Astyk, was featured in a New York Times article on "extreme approaches to living a green life." The article implies that people who go beyond recycling or using mass transit in their pursuit of a green lifestyle might be psychologically unhinged. Really. I will admit there are some weird aspects of the lifestyles the article call "dark green," at least as they're

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-88339576283948355402008-09-22T22:34:00.002-04:002008-09-22T22:48:08.978-04:00

I just got a phone call from my dad. He was supposed to come down from Marietta (about 40 miles away) to have lunch with me tomorrow. But no go. "I don't think I'll be able to make it for lunch tomorrow," he began the conversation. There was a tense note in his voice; he spoke tersely. Something was wrong. "Oh, no!" I said. "Why not?" "I can't find any gas." Apparently stations are out all over

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-87837125240395635862008-08-31T00:41:00.003-04:002008-08-31T01:02:56.202-04:00

We're staying up late watching the storm sweep across the Gulf, thinking of all the people in Louisiana who are probably experiencing a particularly painful brand of deja vu right now. It's surreal how quickly history repeats itself. Mayor Nagin is calling this "the storm of the century," in defiance of anyone who thought that that particular storm had already

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-40444738698043233702008-08-29T09:41:00.003-04:002008-08-29T09:52:15.645-04:00

So yesteday I received a call from a reporter. He'd read this post and wanted to talk to me about the Georgia Power green energy program. He wanted to know what I thought it was, what I expected from it, and why I signed up for it. I don't think I was much help to him, though. See, he's writing an expose of the fact that what Georgia Power calls "renewable, green energy" is actually methane gas

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-6474967116181661232008-06-11T10:27:00.003-04:002008-06-11T10:29:04.691-04:00

Do me a favor next time you see me: ask me if I'm still doing this. I really want to participate in this book club. Oh my gosh. Trashy doomer novels! Could summer reading be any more fun?On a more serious note, does anybody have any good suggestions for her list?

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-8660415816407257742008-05-14T10:40:00.004-04:002008-05-16T11:44:53.300-04:00

I read Ron Paul's book yesterday. I have to say, I love Ron Paul. I didn't vote for him--I've spent too many years not voting or voting write-ins, and I wanted to vote for someone who had a chance of winning, for a change--but I love him. He's right about a lot of things. And it's so refreshing how reframes the questions--reminds me of Jesus, actually. Jesus often replied to questions by shifting

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-66232888673067593152008-05-09T14:01:00.003-04:002008-05-10T23:13:30.844-04:00

Your heart is where your treasure is, right? In that case, home is where the heart is for the average American consumer. According to the New York Times, we spend 42% of our income on housing. And only 0.3% on books?!? I am definitely not average. Although I've often worried about my inordinate attachment to books...

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75557671992265585342008-05-06T21:11:00.004-04:002008-05-06T21:30:21.571-04:00

I'm so disappointed. They've started prosecuting people for stealing used grease. There goes our escape plan for when things get crazy and there's no gas to be bought anywhere. We were going to slip a little grease in our straight-vegetable-oil car if we had to so we could make it up to Virginia. Now we'll have to ride the rails instead... And yes, of course it's wrong to steal. But Jesus'

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-56787369926979634812008-05-05T14:57:00.003-04:002008-05-05T15:20:50.051-04:00

I had to laugh out loud at this article today. Rocky Twiman of Washington has founded a new prayer movement: Prayer at the Pump. He's taking his complaint about high gas prices straight to the top--over the head of the president, whom he blames for not having done something about it already. Exactly what the president--or for that matter, God--is supposed to do, he doesn't say.Meanwhile,

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-82560673226317665672008-04-15T13:50:00.005-04:002008-04-15T15:17:28.321-04:00

I just got an email from this website inviting me to take a look at their post on environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional medicine so I could share it with readers here. I have to admit, a year ago I would have probably ignored the invitation, because I would have been hard-pressed then to see any connection between alternative medicine and the Christian life. At least, I would have

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-69214587101789475092008-03-28T11:19:00.003-04:002008-03-28T12:17:15.786-04:00

After another long hiatus, I'm back blogging, hopefully more regularly again. Since December, I've been too absorbed with being pregnant to think about any environmental issues bigger than cloth vs. disposable diapers. (I found a really good answer to that one, which I'll write about at some point.) But now that little Anastasia is a month old, I should be able to find a few moments to write, at

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-78489652148795518092007-12-20T11:21:00.000-05:002007-12-20T12:01:09.684-05:00

The EPA has decided that the federal energy bill overrides state emissions standards. So states like California that want to set higher regulations on car emissions are no longer allowed to. The states will be taking the argument to a federal court, but, well... This energy bill was definitely a bad idea. 

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-78006479296508466922007-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:002007-12-14T09:46:47.187-05:00

Well, the energy bill passed yesterday in the Senate. Sort of. Once they got rid of several of the most important provisions. It's expected to be approved by the House now and signed by the president. But I'm disappointed.Actually, disappointed is a bit too weak of a word.It's not so much that they cut out the repeal of tax credits to oil and gas industries, although of course that's a problem.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-81343786862942906332007-12-11T14:29:00.000-05:002007-12-11T14:41:19.042-05:00

I read a super-scary article on the Grist today about the inevitability of climate change. It's by Ross Gelbspan, the author of The Heat is On and Boiling Point. A few er, highlights (or lowlights?):"The environmental establishment continues to peddle the notion that we can solve the climate problem. We can't. We have failed to meet nature's deadline.""The IPCC...recently stated that it is 'very

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-56700663889275715242007-12-10T15:25:00.000-05:002007-12-10T15:44:47.166-05:00

There's a great article on the Grist today about the danger of letting economics be the deciding factor in environmental problems. I think the article summarizes the problem pretty nicely: "The whole growth thing becomes a toxic addiction." The problem with our economy is that we're addicted to growth, but unlimited, infinite growth is simply not possible in the real world. At some point, the

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-63591574459308208712007-12-06T20:48:00.000-05:002007-12-06T21:16:01.757-05:00

Well, the House passed the energy bill. For the most part, I think this is a good thing. The bill includes some important points:* a long-overdue increase of CAFE standards, requiring an industry average of 35 MPG by 2020* a requirement for energy-efficient appliances* tax incentives for hybrid cars* a repeal of $13.5 billion in tax breaks for oil companies* a requirement that utilities produce

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-5434827492512253302007-12-04T18:27:00.000-05:002007-12-04T18:34:28.418-05:00

Apparently Georgia has finally made a water contingency plan. According to the AP, the state "has lined up contracts with vendors to bring in bottled water and tanker trucks that could dispense water into jugs, jars and buckets." Whew. I feel better now. Not really.Seriously--and I'm sorry to keep harping on this--but does anyone really believe that we're not, at some point, going to run out of

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-48514965281486726932007-11-29T13:34:00.001-05:002007-11-29T13:54:22.782-05:00

So I had to go to traffic court today, although it wasn't for a traffic ticket. I had not renewed my car license tag when it was due (I didn't get a notice for it, but I probably wouldn't have renewed on time anyway, so all in all I didn't really mind paying the fine). But it was very interesting listening to the judge talk to some of the defendents whose tickets really were traffic related.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-43400935005218740542007-11-21T11:05:00.000-05:002007-11-21T14:14:02.256-05:00

There's a great article on The Oil Drum today (gosh, I love that site) on the problem of addressing climate change solely from a demand perspective. Chris Vernon argues that the oft-cited assurance that personal conservation helps reduce CO2 emissions is unrealistic. Sure, if I choose to take the train instead of flying, my personal CO2 use will be reduced, but will it make any difference to

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-30185759607473522682007-11-20T11:14:00.000-05:002007-11-20T11:34:57.774-05:00

Gov. Purdue's prayers for rain last week didn't have much effect, but the Army Corp was more inclined to listen to him than God was. Over the protests of Alabama power plants and Florida fishing industries, they've agreed to reduce the flow of water out of Lake Lanier by 5% starting this Friday, and they'll consider further cuts next month.Will it help? Maybe. It should at least delay the

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-76372175256894896582007-11-15T11:15:00.000-05:002007-11-15T12:04:41.975-05:00

Last night at Atlanta Beyond Oil I heard a presentation on the possible future of cellulosic ethanol in Georgia. Ethanol has become a byword in the transportation industry the past few years, but the opinions on it are shockingly mixed. To hear the industry gurus talk, you'd think that ethanol is a quick, easy switch for gasoline that will support our existing infrastructure with hardly a blip of

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-54392911683540741342007-11-03T10:19:00.000-04:002007-11-03T10:24:28.633-04:00

Don't forget that today is Step It Up, National Day of Climate Action! If you're not going to an action near you, then you should be. And if you're in Atlanta, come to Step It Up Atlanta. There'll be live music, games for kids, and information on how you can reduce your carbon footprint. Ann Fauver of the Atlanta City Council will be speaking, as well as representatives from Pat Gardner's office

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-62789893515562757382007-10-29T11:23:00.000-04:002007-10-29T11:32:31.974-04:00

Wow. This is possibly the coolest action I've ever seen on climate change: the International Carbon Action Partnership. I'll freely admit the truth: I think this is so cool, not because it's an international cap-and-trade--it's not--or because it's a solution to climate change--it's not that either. I think it's so cool because states and regional governments are bypassing the U.S. federal

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-72279225874193151172007-10-26T17:27:00.000-04:002007-10-26T18:00:53.922-04:00

Yesterday I attended the Georgia Tech Energy Symposium on the intersection of technology, policy, and economics. I was hard-pressed not to lose my temper at times, because although the symposium was supposed to be about "innovative strategies that provide synergistc solutions," it seemed that much of the symposium was actually about...coal. Yes, coal, otherwise known as the enemy of the human

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-63727072246146980652007-10-22T12:52:00.001-04:002007-10-22T13:01:18.703-04:00

My mom emailed me this morning with a continuation of a discussion we've been having about climate change. Although she's made arguments on both sides of the issue, I was under the impression that she didn't think there was sufficient evidence for human activities causing global warming. However, in her email today, she told me that she actually has always been in favor of getting off fossil

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-89534127981137277632007-10-20T11:30:00.000-04:002007-10-20T11:35:04.423-04:00

You have got to watch this video. It's a simplified explanation of why we have to take action on climate change. The risks of not acting are so much worse than the risks of acting. I've been saying this for a long time: how can we compare the risk of an economic downturn with the risk of global catastrophe and possible extinction? They're not even in the same playing field. As this science

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-25329868492186143042007-10-19T18:48:00.001-04:002007-10-19T18:51:47.017-04:00

This article I just read was so cool that I had to share it. It's a detailed discussion of how new bikeways more than pay for the cost of building them through advantages like less wasted fuel and less expensive wear and tear on car roads. Not to mention putting more money in the pockets of people who use them instead of paying for gas, which they then are able to spend on the local economy. And

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-53931494594408157372007-10-19T08:40:00.001-04:002007-10-19T09:48:36.907-04:00

For the first time ever, a state (Kansas) has rejected an air permit for a coal-fired electricity plant--because of concerns about carbon dioxide pollution. Kansas's decision is supported by the Supreme Court ruling in April of this year that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act and is therefore subject to regulations under the EPA. My favorite political commentary blog, The

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-66618744801881265092007-10-18T10:20:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:21:19.781-04:00

That's all I have to say. It's supposed to keep raining through tomorrow, at least with scattered showers...

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-53490180767381300692007-10-17T09:24:00.000-04:002007-10-17T09:49:59.260-04:00

On Tuesday the Georgia Congress proposed changing the Endangered Species Act to allow suspension of federal protection during times of severe drought. This would allow Georgia to temporarily stop pumping water from Lake Lanier to Florida and Alabama, where it helps protect the habitat of endangered mussels and sturgeon. On the surface, this seems like an easy decision--for politicians, it's a

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-65230522757145206292007-10-16T12:42:00.000-04:002007-10-16T17:39:47.293-04:00

Somehow it seems worse when the national news is talking about it. Of course I already knew that Georgia was in the middle of the worst drought in 100 years, and I knew that without rain, Atlanta could be out of water in three months. But talking about Lake Lanier being dry in 90 days just sounds even scarier somehow.But then, just the thought of needing to conserve water terrifies me--if it were

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-33233092927553651732007-10-01T10:08:00.001-04:002007-10-01T10:21:12.889-04:00

Here's an idea I really like. Eight to nine in the evening--prime television time--is a perfect hour to voluntarily scrap your electricity use. Dinner's finished, so you don't need to cook; it's after dark, so you can't read without artificial light...what on earth will people do?!? Play a game? Go for a walk? Maybe even--gasp--talk to their housemates or their neighbors! Ok, sorry about the

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-24891388244433783052007-09-27T12:16:00.001-04:002007-09-27T12:31:10.931-04:00

Here's a cool idea for urbanites: Clif Bar (you know, those yummy super-healthy energy bars) has issued a 2 mile challenge encouraging people to bike instead of drive for destinations within a two-mile radius. Since 40% of urban travel falls within that circle, this could cut down on a lot of car trips and carbon emissions.Their website offers all sorts of options for personalizing your challenge

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-52418541117701721322007-09-26T11:08:00.000-04:002007-09-26T11:21:26.439-04:00

The U.N. representatives meeting to discuss climate change this week should really pay attention to this poll. The president of the international polling firm GlobeScan, which conducted the poll, concluded from these findings that it's "difficult to imagine a more supportive public opinion environment for national leaders to commit to climate action." A few highlights:A majority in all countries

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-89559370191895158202007-09-25T09:10:00.000-04:002007-09-25T09:39:28.997-04:00

Capitalism as if the World Matters by Jonathon Porritt is being released in paperback this month, and it's one that I really ought to read. Like Capitalism 3.0, which I read earlier this year, it argues that it's our methods of capitalism, and not the system itself, that puts our economy and the environment in such seemingly irreconcilable opposition. I've blogged about this question before. For

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-60195636811666460162007-09-24T12:09:00.000-04:002007-09-24T12:32:49.720-04:00

Today I discovered that Bill McKibben, the national organizer of Step It Up, is at it again and calling for another movement of local actions on November 3. I do feel a bit out of the loop for not having discovered this until now, especially since I was on the organizing team for the Step It Up Atlanta event last April. But no matter. Late is better than never.I have no idea yet what the November

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-8161064448345378062007-09-21T10:07:00.000-04:002007-09-21T10:45:27.136-04:00

The news from Jena, LA lately has started me thinking again about the inequality often hidden in environmental issues. Environmental justice has been a concern of activists for a long time, and it might even be coming to light soon at a national level (if Clinton's environmental justice bill gets off the ground). But the reality is that environmental concerns have rarely been recognized as an

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-70045375557650529772007-09-05T08:27:00.000-04:002007-09-05T09:04:39.736-04:00

A priest in Suffolk offered festival attenders the opportunity to confess their sins against the environment this past weekend. Yes, you read that right. People could go to a green confessional booth (made of recycled materials) at the Waveney Greenpeace festival and confess that they didn't recycle enough.Of course I think it's great that the Catholic Church is encouraging parishioners to

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-43423129897575403752007-08-07T10:19:00.000-04:002007-08-07T10:27:32.808-04:00

I posted a while ago on the problem of living in the city as compared to living in the country, and the challenge of finding a sustainable way to live that's somewhere in between the two--small enough to have sufficient natural resources (like land for food) while big enough to provide a good amount of human resources (such as educational and cultural opportunities). But the whole question of how

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-83535291245621795672007-08-02T23:15:00.001-04:002007-08-02T23:24:38.234-04:00

Tomorrow the House will be debating some important energy legislation. Possibly most important is H.R. 3221, especially amendment #96, which calls for a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Currently, many states have renewable energy standards in place, but the (sometimes incompatible) differences between states makes it difficult for utility companies to develop renewable energy,

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75824681761261689422007-08-02T09:39:00.000-04:002007-08-02T09:44:19.665-04:00

If Mexico starts importing oil, then our available oil supplies in the U.S. will be seriously affected. Currently Mexico is our second largest source of oil--slightly bigger than Saudi Arabia. But since Cantarel (the largest oil field in Mexico) production has begun declining, there's a very strong liklihood that Mexico's oil exports will decrease significantly in the next few years. Meaning...

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-86220267002279250412007-08-01T13:32:00.001-04:002007-08-01T14:13:39.352-04:00

The 2007 Farm Bill passed Congress on July 27. Unfortunately, the bill mostly maintained the status quo, with a few cosmetic changes that are mosty ineffective.The problem with the mostly-unchanged 2002 version of the farm bill is that it ties the amount of subsidies farmers receive to the amount of crops they produce--mostly a few favored crops such as corn, wheat, and soy. Farmers who produce

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-91808046586267627572007-07-25T09:36:00.000-04:002007-07-25T10:18:08.524-04:00

I apologize for my long hiatus over the past few weeks. I've been traveling a lot (weddings and such) and busy with various things. I've also been having trouble motivating myself to blog, which is typical for me--I have a personality that tends to get excited about new ideas and then tire of them quickly. But that started me thinking about some of the most difficult challenges for me personally

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-34457258288095816412007-07-02T09:28:00.000-04:002007-07-02T09:30:27.707-04:00

This story was just too funny not to post. I have to feel sorry for the poor rubber ducks. Washing up on shore at last, after fifteen years of the freedom of the open sea! Do you suppose that any of them will be consigned to the doubtful pleasure of becoming what was once their purpose in life--a bath toy? A baby and a tub of bathwater will seem awfully boring to them after years of circling the

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-22264302211814749702007-06-28T10:28:00.001-04:002007-06-28T22:19:56.101-04:00

I was surprised this morning by an article in New Scientist on the trend of increasing urban population growth. The article refers to a UN report, The State of World Population in 2007, which apparently argues that poverty and slums in cities are the result of poor urban planning and not at all an inevitable byproduct of urban growth. In fact, the report implies that it's better to be poor in

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-7622558593344250682007-06-15T13:14:00.001-04:002007-06-15T13:17:02.388-04:00

We went to a lunch n' learn at the zoo today. What better place to host a lunch n' learn about transportation options? (Because, um, animals don't need cars?) Anyway, I never did figure out the connection between topic and place, but we did get to see some tigers and giant tortoises. Fun.Then, I came back and saw this video, and it cracked me up:

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-40404894958825635212007-06-14T09:46:00.000-04:002007-06-14T17:05:27.320-04:00

It's nice to see mainstream media finally talking about the connection between energy and food. I particularly like how Openshaw lists animals that eat corn--cow, chickens, and hogs. None of these animals eat corn in the wild; all of them are fed corn on farms in order to supplement a lack of sufficient green pasture or insect protein. But anyway.But I found her list of ways to respond to rising

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-40224083444385858262007-06-08T09:16:00.000-04:002007-06-08T09:30:18.545-04:00

There's a great article on The Oil Drum about corn-based ethanol. If you like hearing the facts about energy issues presented clearly and debated intelligently, there's no better place than The Oil Drum. I've written before here about my concerns on ethanol, so I won't reiterate that here, other than to say that it's nice to know lots of smart people on The Oil Drum agree with me.One interesting

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-35300981243599038602007-06-07T09:10:00.000-04:002007-06-07T14:29:58.270-04:00

Yesterday evening I stopped by my garden to water and weed and was amazed to discover that my beans were ready for picking. I am still always amazed by fruits and vegetables that actually ripen. It seems impossible somehow that a seed I tossed in the ground, almost carelessly (although I tend to put a lot of care into my planting, and I can never quite avoid thinking of my plants as children),

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-66802966109653889212007-06-05T12:36:00.000-04:002007-06-05T13:00:21.161-04:00

This is the scariest global warming solution I've ever heard. Quick fixes are always scary, but the worst thing about this is that it's messing with systems we understand very little. There's absolutely no way to predict the outcome of this kind of action, because we have no understanding of so many of the factors involved. It's like trying to perform surgery on yourself without knowing anything

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-59390957910609369182007-06-05T10:09:00.000-04:002007-06-05T10:11:00.361-04:00

Part of the calling of man, in a quote posted by Father Stephen: "to offer nature to God in his soul as on an altar."

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75973459704300230472007-06-04T16:51:00.001-04:002007-06-04T16:53:47.947-04:00

Just a little bit of research provided me with some useful information regarding utility decoupling. Baltimore Gas and Electric in Maryland apparently earns profits based on the number of customers it serves instead of the amount of power it sells. The downside of that for the utility company, I assume, is that the number of customers served has a great deal more to do with population growth than

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-9687717017449668112007-06-02T23:14:00.000-04:002007-06-03T23:15:05.830-04:00

Yesterday at the Southface Roundtable, I had some conservations about the art of convincing people on environmental issues. We agreed that there’s been a lot of change in most people’s mindsets over the past few years, and that we’re definitely seeing a turn of the tide. But we also agreed that many people still seem easily swayed in either direction, and as we were talking, I realized

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-51870177266959305322007-06-01T11:12:00.000-04:002007-06-03T23:13:56.467-04:00

This morning I attended the Southface Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable. I try to go every month, but—as with any event that occurs less often than every week and more often than every year—it’s always easy to put it off till next time. But this morning was definitely the one not to miss, because the agenda consisted of a discussion with representatives from Georgia Power.If you’re not from Georgia,

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-83076656274759413422007-05-23T09:01:00.000-04:002007-05-23T09:21:02.646-04:00

Posted on the Green Lent blog this morning was an article by Sharon Astyk from Georgia Interfaith Power and Light called "The Theory of Anyway." In a word, she argues that all the things we try to do as environmentalists--garden, or bike, or live in small houses--are not just things we are doing because of peak oil, or climate change, or environmental justice, or survival. "We would like," she

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-3275564590777913902007-05-22T18:07:00.000-04:002007-05-22T18:27:35.809-04:00

This morning on the way to work, while I was riding MARTA, I continued my reading of Jane Holtz Kay's The Asphalt Jungle. My reading this morning was in chapter 5, which discusses the health effects of our car culture. From accident-related deaths to chronic back problems to obesity to asthma, an astonishing range of human health problems can be traced, at least partly to the car.Ironically, I

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75467133572622390062007-05-18T10:32:00.000-04:002007-05-18T10:34:41.081-04:00

Today is national Bike to Work Day. Happy cycling, everyone!And all you SUVs: keep off my road. (At least today.)

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-9724371669916593982007-05-18T10:13:00.000-04:002007-05-18T10:28:08.405-04:00

Great article in the oil drum today on biofuels from algae ponds. I've occasionally heard talk about algae being the answer to all our fuel problems. I've been curious about it for a while, because some of what I've heard sounds very legitimate. But apparently, alas, like all technology, its bark is bigger than its bite.My favorite part of this article is the final paragraph: There are no silver

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-35232727804670748332007-05-17T09:27:00.000-04:002007-05-17T09:32:16.781-04:00

This chart requires no explanation. I was pretty excited when I heard the price this morning--it's gone up a penny since yesterday. Record price, record climb...this could be the moment we've all been waiting for. And yes, I know it's mostly a shortage at the refinery level. But still. I really do think we could be watching the downturn from the peak right now. The funny thing is, nobody seems to

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-56501069955166410932007-05-16T09:09:00.000-04:002007-05-16T14:59:48.521-04:00

Most of the google-driven hits on this blog are a search for the phrase "christian environmentalist." I find this encouraging, because it wasn't that long ago that this phrase was, in the minds of most people, a paradox. The growth in the past few years of a rising tide of Christian environmentalists is just one of many signs of how the face of American Christianity is changing. But I felt that

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-29316325593481242202007-05-15T12:25:00.001-04:002007-05-15T12:36:39.992-04:00

Here's another example of why species preservation is so important. It's easy to mock the doomsaying cry of environmentalists calling for the salvation of some insect you've never even heard of before you discovered it was in danger of extinction. But, despite all the work of science, the interelationships among the millions of species on our planet is still an utter mystery. Who's to say that

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-27678044707024206312007-05-15T12:25:00.000-04:002007-05-15T12:28:45.282-04:00

I hesitate to post about this kind of thing. It seems too much like sensationalism, a call to action with tongue in cheek. But what do you think? Is it entirely out of proportion to be thinking about renaming Glacier National Park due to the imminent diseappearance of its glaciers?Never having visited it, I'm completely at a loss for an appropriate new name.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-43374605498047016032007-05-14T13:04:00.000-04:002007-05-14T13:29:00.632-04:00

I was debating with a group of friends over the weekend on what the next greening industry will be. The current one, we agreed, is architecture and development: for developers, new urbanism is the latest thing, and for architectures, LEED is hot. (Or, as the case may be, cool.) But--despite the growing popularity of hybrids and CFCs--most industries don't seem to have jumped on the green

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-75180087482779647662007-05-10T21:12:00.000-04:002007-05-10T21:22:43.238-04:00

...designed by science fiction writers. Orson Scott Card, the brilliant author of Ender's Game, has some great ideas about how to improve our zoning laws and neighborhoods. I don't think he fully understands the real reasons behind high oil prices, but I like his method for replacing big-box retail with local grocery stores. What I like about his idea of computerized stock is his ability--the

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-25953521273469774292007-05-09T13:25:00.000-04:002007-05-09T13:28:57.470-04:00

Here's more evidence of the conspiracy to suppress anyone who questions the consensus view on global warming. All those climate scientists are trying to shut up the naysayers (because they make so much money off selling...carbon offsets? Or something like that).Yes, Virginia, that was sarcasm. Sometimes I can't help myself.But in all fairness, I should admit that I didn't watch the show. Then

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-11518162221286781142007-05-08T21:58:00.000-04:002007-05-08T22:11:38.191-04:00

This is the sort of question that keeps me up all night. Should I shop online or at a local store? Does the packaging used in shipping from Amazon outweigh driving three miles in a biodiesel car? What if I can bike to a big-box store (like Border's) but have to drive to a local store?--which one should I shop at then? How many friends do I need to bring in my car to make the longer trip

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-57190327562708403192007-05-07T13:47:00.000-04:002007-05-07T14:04:58.579-04:00

The fourth IPCC report came out on May 4. One of its most pertinent--and, to me, surprising--points was the statement that there is "substantial economic potential" for the mitigation of carbon emissions. In other words, we can eat our cake and have it too.It's a nice idea, and one that's gaining a lot of ground in recent years. Last week I attended a presentation by the Clean Air Campaign in

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-5669442972187348972007-05-02T09:08:00.000-04:002007-05-02T09:11:42.774-04:00

I just found my new calling in life. The first thing I read this morning was this report, and, well, what a great idea! I could start a program that would train urban youth for green-collar jobs.There goes my free time...

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-80718639835764941832007-05-01T12:23:00.000-04:002007-05-01T12:45:09.737-04:00

I had a scary revelation last week.I keep harping about how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint: change lightbulbs, ride your bike, turn off your A/C, blah, blah, blah. And I do believe that's true, because I'm doing it, and it's not hard. At least not right now.But I was thinking about the goal of reducing emissions by 2% a year, which will bring us to the gold standard of 80% by 2050.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-52082048305890583252007-04-30T12:53:00.000-04:002007-04-30T12:55:19.424-04:00

Over the next month I'll be posting quite a bit on my new blog, Atlanta Without Oil. It's part of an internet game called World Without Oil, and I should tell you that it is fiction. Nothing on it is real. Well, most of it isn't, anyway. But it could be. Maybe even soon.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-52176068947076198542007-04-27T00:12:00.000-04:002007-04-27T00:35:20.400-04:00

I love the Grist.This article raises an issue that I've harped on a lot already, but it was actually one of the comments that really drew my attention. Jabailo writes:People eat junk. It's cheap and they like it. Yes, you could offer them high quality organic food from local farms but they wouldn't want to pay for it and they don't want to cook it either.It's sad and often inexplicable to me, but

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-28865134076931033102007-04-24T22:36:00.000-04:002007-04-24T22:46:59.823-04:00

Should we be happy about this?On the one hand, it'd be nice to see the U.S. finally give up its first place position in this inglorious category. There's a part of me that can't help but feel a bit proud at the thought, as though it had some connection to something good we did instead of being a mere byproduct of something bad that someone else did. On the other hand, it's discouraging to see

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-9277584974133800242007-04-24T09:26:00.000-04:002007-04-24T09:31:27.017-04:00

Cool post on the subversive Christianity blog. I'm not a 100% vegetarian, although most of the time I would like to be. I just don't enjoy meat that much. But one of the things I most appreciate about the Orthodox church is its tradition of fasting from meat--anyone who follows the guidelines of the church fast eats vegan for more than half the year. While I've often thought that humans ought to

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-3981902718635588932007-04-24T09:12:00.000-04:002007-04-24T09:24:29.854-04:00

Be afraid. Be very afraid.General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says we should make a wholesale switch to ethanol. It's laudable that he's promoting renewable fuels, but come on...ethanol?!? Let's feed our hungry cars all our corn while people starve to death.But maybe he meant cellulosic ethanol. Except that the technology for that definitely isn't ready yet for a wholesale switch. Sigh.

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-74258457889211510812007-04-20T08:57:00.000-04:002007-04-20T09:11:02.106-04:00

Last weekend, as I was recruiting signatures for postcards to be sent to this commission in preparation for the hearings next Tuesday, a lot of people asked me exactly how we were asking for Georgia to accomplish the goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. They were worried about crazy environmentalist rules, taxes, subsidies, and general government interference. And a part of me, as a

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078621326184113679.post-72178306234610491652007-04-18T11:44:00.000-04:002007-04-18T11:49:29.014-04:00

Over the past few months, my struggle to pin down the source of some chronic stomach problems I've had for years has been gradually narrowing down to gluten as the likely culprit. In light of the gluten-free (i.e., wheat-free, barley-free, malt-free, oat-free, pretty-much-everything-I-like-to-eat-free) diet I've been struggling to maintain, I found this article encouraging. I've never felt much

lisa c. bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04342787511915222457noreply@blogger.com2