Susty

The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) says that it is close to being able to produce a jet fuel from algae for the same cost as its fossil-fuel equivalent. Testing is to begin next year with production to come in 2013. This could be big news despite the problem faced by all biofuels that the need to grow a continual source crop with attendant associated costs and energy inputs may not prove to be as sustainable as true renewables such as solar and wind. That said, pushing jet fighters and commercial airplanes through the air is a tough nut to crack using electric batteries, thought perhaps not impossible some time in the future. So a cheap, low-carbon fuel would not only help the US military, the United State’s single largest consumer of energy, wean itself off its dependance on oil both foreign and domestic, this new fuel could also lead to lower-carbon driving and flying for the rest of us.

Scientific American’s 60 Second science podcast explores what winter weather reveals about global warming. And the answer is that no single weather event proves or disproves the fundamental science of climate change, but extreme weather is what scientists expect from global warming.

id Stephen Colbert seem to have a little extra energy and zazz on the December 16th episode of his titular report? Does he seem a bit livelier during his interviews, or is he just being creeped-out by Stephen King? What’s causing the strange twinkle he’s got in his eye? Is it the presence of veteran TV journalist Tom Brokaw or could it be something he ate? Watch the video and judge for yourself, but what we do know is that sustainable chef and caterer Louisa Shafia provided lunch for the staff that day. Over at Lucid Food, Lousia describes how the scene went down with the quintessential writers room running commentary around the, farm fresh buffet spread. But when Colbert approaches her she get a wee bit star struck and events begin to blur. So just which menu item did Mr. Stephen Colbert choose and just what physical reaction did he have to it?

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is holding a pre-holiday swap meet tonight. Given that the exchange and reuse of items is oh so susty in that we’re not tossing stuff that’s still good into the landfill, and since I am a NYFA Fellow, we thought it would be nice to plug the event. All proceeds will go toward keeping NYFA Current, the New York Foundation for the Arts’ online arts magazine, a stable, sustainable program. Jeff Hnilicka of FEAST (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics) will emcee — check out the sust projects FEAST has been providing financial backing for: Green My Bodega and Underground Library.

Is this new Red-tailed Hawk a relative of Ruggles the Red-tailed Hawk of Gramercy Park?

The Jimmy Kimmel show went out on the street to ask kids what they knew about the Tiger Woods scandal. Turns out these tots know a lot. So it begs the question: how?

You can now bring in your number 5 plastic items for recycling in the Whole Foods Manhattan Union Square store. See the nifty bin and the bummer sign shutting down the battery recycling program (but with a url to where you can go now) after the jump.

A day after Al Gore canceled a lecture he was to give at the international climate summit in Copenhagen comes news from the White House has announced that President Obama will now be attending the on Dec. 18 during what is considered a crucial period when key leaders will be in attendance (rather than as originally planned on Dec 10). Gore’s would-be lecture was to occur on Dec 16 and one is left to wonder whether Gore was privy to the Obama schedule change in advance and either decided to or was asked to no upstage the president. Or perhaps worse, be a palpable reminder of the ghosts of Kyoto when Gore in a cerimonial gesture signed the Kyoto treaty only to have the Senate, as anticipated, reject ratification of the treaty based on the Kyoto Protocol.

Elizabeth Warren, Professor of Law at Harvard and currently the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, uses some key statistics to frame what now squeezes American’s middle class. For those who count themselves as middle class, as well as for anyone otherwise who summon compassion from their heart to seek to understand the collective situation of all classes interconnected via the economy, Warren’s argument provides clarity. Warren points out that the fall-behind during economic busts has gotten worse while the surge-ahead during booms has stalled out.

Adrian Grenier & Honey Brothers rocked the NAU house on Tuesday night. If you in the NYCity again tonight, GOOD has another line-up at the NAU Pop-Up Shop. And for your video viewing pleasure, here once again is Ian Yolles of NAU on their oh-so-eco-friendly Courier Windshirt.

n 2008 we almost saw the Marilyn Monroe sex tape only to have it change hands to be quashed, not by Joe DiMaggio this time, but by a wealthy businessman buyer with 1.5 million dollars on hand. Now comes unearthed video purporting to show Marilyn Monroe smoking marijuana in the company of others.

NRDC Switchboard brings news that Beluga whales, known as the “canaries of the seas,” have something truly beautiful to sing about: the National Marine Fisheries Service announced its proposal to permanently designate critical habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale under the Endangered Species Act.

Proposal Relies on Science Over Politics to Protect 3,000 Square Miles as Critical Habitat for Endangered White Whale

ANCHORAGE, AK – The federal National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today took an important step toward protecting critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the Cook Inlet beluga whale in Alaska by proposing to designate more than 3,000 square miles of the imperiled whale’s habitat for protection. The overdue proposal comes after a 2007 petition by various local and national groups to NMFS to list the beluga under the ESA, and on the heels of a formal notice of intent to sue by the Center for Biological Diversity.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement has yet to be made, says President Obama will be going to Copenhagen on Dec. 9 before heading to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. The official said any U.S. policy espoused at the climate conference would reflect the unfinished state of legislation on Capitol Hill and would not seek to get ahead of it. So will Obama’s presence be symbolic or something more substantive? And did you know a U.S. official signed the Kyoto Protocol? If you don’t already know, find out who after the jump.

Eco-chef Louisa Shafia’s first-ever cookbook, Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life officially hits store shelves today. The book is gorgeous and makes a great gift, so if you need a present for the foodies in your life, look no further. The first reviews are in, and Library Journal says, “Shafia’s dishes are original and inspired. Cooks are sure to find new recipes to jazz up a meal. How about Persian Stuffed Dumpling Squash with Rose Petals and Chickpea Cakes (Indian-spiced cakes)?” Phila City Paper says, “Shafia’s non-preachy tone and sparkling enthusiasm make the book an inspiring read, and even the converted can learn a thing or two….No matter the season, the book’s biggest gift is its lack of stereotypical self-denying, joylessly “green” environmentalism.” Hey, those are some tasty word-bites!