Article on Walmart

http://www.e360.yale.edu/

A Note From the EditorAt Yale Environment 360 this week, science writer Daniel Goleman writes about how Wal-Mart’s new push to develop a sustainability index for its products could signal a breakthrough moment in the effort to make consumers aware of the environmental impacts of what they buy. The move by Wal-Mart, writes Goleman, is potentially the most significant example of an emerging strategy for making life-cycle assessment data for products transparent by labeling them with sound, ecological-impact ratings. Goleman – author of the new book, Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything — points to efforts to develop reliable indexes by Earthster, GoodGuide, and other groups as evidence that what once seemed like “an intriguing idea” is on the verge of becoming a market reality. Read Goleman’s article here.

Also today at Yale Environment 360, author Verlyn Klinkenborg explains why a decade after genetically modified crop were introduced, he still opposes their use. GM crops are now planted on millions of acres throughout the world, he notes, but fundamental questions about them remain — both about safety and their long-term impact on global food security and the environment. Writes Klinkenborg, who is a member of the New York Times editorial board, “Genetically modified crops were introduced with bland assurances of safety based on studies from small test plots, a far different thing from the uncontrolled global experiment we now find ourselves in.” Read the essay by Klinkenborg here.

Check out these and all our features at Yale Environment 360 and add your comments to the discussion. And be sure to keep track of the latest environmental news on our daily e360 Digest.
Roger Cohn, Editor

Earth Day Network newsletter

Earth Day Network Commits to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) next week, Earth Day Network is unveiling several key environmental initiatives in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The CGI is convened each year by the William J. Clinton Foundation and is a high-level meeting of social, environmental and business leaders from across the globe. The Billion Acts of Green™ campaign commitment offered by Earth Day Network will catalyze environmental actions by individuals, corporations, and governments in honor of Earth Day. In addition:ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability USA, will partner with Earth Day Network to organize and host a Global Day of Conversation on Climate Action on Earth Day 2010. Together we will engage 500 mayors worldwide to convene their constituencies for a focused conversation on the power of local action to curb the impacts of climate change. Earth Day Network is partnering with VANOC, the organizing committee for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will broadcast a series of Public Service Announcements in Olympic and Paralympic venues and in countries focusing on the impact of climate change on sport and the earth. This is part of Earth Day Network's Athletes for the Earth campaign, which will connect well known athletes with the climate change issue. Publicis, one of the world's largest advertising companies, will join Earth Day Network in a global campaign to promote the advocacy and service components of A Billion Acts of Green™ and the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in order to engage and activate as many individuals as possible worldwide. Philips is contributing to A Billion Acts of Green™ by re-lamping 25 under-served American schools. Philips is also encouraging customers, partners and 116,000 employees to join Earth Day Network's Green Generation™ and perform individual acts of green, starting with replacing inefficient lighting. Clean a Beach, Inland Waterway, Lake or Steam Near YouThousands of pounds of trash will be removed from our nation's waterways thanks to the International Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Earth Day Network is partnering with the Ocean Conservancy to make this action by thousands of volunteers count toward 400,000 Acts of Green™. Learn more about the 24th Annual International Coastal Cleanup which is the largest volunteer event of its kind on behalf of ocean health.Are you an Extraordinary Environmental Educator? Apply for our Grant!Earth Day Network is looking for teachers who lead by example and make a difference for their students and the environment. If you are working to green a school, implement environmental education, or achieve policy reform, download an application today.Student Climate Change Solutions Contest in Progress - Enter Now!Earth Day Network is holding a back-to-school Student Climate Change Solutions contest for K-4th graders. Winners will be announced by Earth Day Network online and will receive a substantial prize package. Click here for contest guidelines and a corresponding climate change lesson plan themed around the "think green for kids" book, Planet Earth Gets Well. This book is currently available at a discounted rate for teachers, but you must order soon!Earth Day Network Nominee Wins Educator of the Year AwardOne of our Climate Change Educators, Mike Town of Redmond High School in WA, has been awarded the K-12 Educator of the Year award by the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE). Earth Day Network nominated him for this award because of his successful programs, like the Cool School Challenge, and his great work with us. He will be honored at the NAAEE conference in Portland in October.
2009 Earth Day Network 1616 P Street NW, Suite 340 Washington, D.C. 20036 USA +1 202.518.0044

Lester Brown's newest version of Plan B

Plan B 4.0 Data Sneak Peak - Designing Cities for Peoplehttp://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/press_room/C68/pb4_ch6_datareleaseLester Brown’s new book, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, will be released on September 30, 2009. Behind the scenes supporting the book’s text are hundreds of datasets, studies, and reports. Today Earth Policy Institute is offering a sneak peak at some of the data for Chapter 6: Designing Cities for People, on-line at www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb4/pb4_table_of_contents. What you can glean from these charts and graphs:There are now more than 6.7 billion people living on the planet.For the first time in 2008 the world’s city dwellers outnumbered those in the countryside. The share of urbanites is projected to continue increasing, so that by 2030 some 60 percent of the world’s population will live in cities.
In 1950 the world had only two “mega-cities” with over 10 million inhabitants: Tokyo and New York. These two are still the world’s largest, with 36 million and 19 million people in their respective metropolitan areas. Since 1950, 17 others have joined the “mega-city” list; notably Mexico City, Mumbai (Bombay), São Paulo, Delhi, and Shanghai each are home to more than 15 million people. Dhaka, Bangladesh, had one of the fastest growth spurts, its population ballooning more than 40-fold since 1950. In the 1950s the world produced almost as many cars as it did bicycles—close to 10 million units each. Since then, automobile production has increased 6-fold while bicycle production has grown 12-fold. Vehicle sales in Japan peaked in 1990 at 7.8 million units. Since then sales have fallen almost every year, with 2009 sales projected at 4.9 million units. Support for public transportation and bicycling is high.
In an attempt to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution and to improve overall mobility, London instituted a charge on vehicles entering the city center in early 2003. By 2007, trips into the city by personal automobile dropped 36 percent while those by bus increased 31 percent and those by bicycle increased 66 percent.
These are just some of the information tidbits you can find in the Plan B 4.0 datasets. Stay tuned for more at Earth Policy Institute’s freshly redesigned website, www.earthpolicy.org!
Get all EPI releases through EPI’s RSS feeds. http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/press_room/C87Become a fan of EPI on Facebook.www.facebook.com/pages/Earth-Policy-Institute/17045240901Follow EPI on http://twitter.com/earthpolicy