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1. Catholic Church Adds Environmental Pollution to the 7 Deadly Sins — What Do You Think?
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2. Daily Sprout
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3. Chu Unveils DOE Changes, Timeline for Stimulus Energy Spending
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4. Two Quick Green Laundry Tips - Eco-laundry
Catholic Church Adds Environmental Pollution to the 7 Deadly Sins —...
susan - Sustainable Ideas
I began reading a science article on Envy by Natalie Angier in the New York Times (always a wonderful experience) which, of course, brought to mind the 7 Deadly Sins – and I picked up a pen to see if I could actually name all seven.
Now I am not Catholic, so this is not what I was raised on. (In fact I am not really religious at all – as a Jew I am really only Jew—ish— so in my family the leading mortal sin was leaving food on your plate followed quickly by not buying on sale.)
Yo—in case you are easily distracted like me and tempted to stop reading to see if you can name them – I will save you the trouble — there’s a cheat sheet below. (Hint, cheating is not one of them.)
Back to the point:
So of course, to check my sin-list, I went to my crib sheet on life — Google and Wikipedia. And there I found this most interesting morsel about the Catholic Church adding ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION to the list of the new, modern deadly sins.
"On March 9, 2008 the Vatican newspaper published an interview with Bishop Gianfranco Girotti (head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body which oversees confessions and plenary indulgences), in which he listed seven modern social sins.[5][6] These “social sins” include environmental pollution, genetic manipulation, obscene wealth, infliction of poverty, drug trafficking, morally debatable experiments, and violation of the fundamental rights of human nature."
I don't know about the rest of that modern list of social sins (genetic manipulation?), but environmental pollution does seem to be right up there with the old standbys (listed below — the virtues, as always, get second billing, in parentheses):
Lust, (chastity)
Gluttony (temperance)
Greed (charity)
Sloth (diligence)
Wrath (patience)
Envy (kindness)
Pride (humility)
Are you wondering what happened to murder and adultery — why didn’t they make the list? Is it because the mortal sins are defined as feelings or emotions that define your character, rather than individual actions? Still, even if that’s the case, certain actions, like murder and adultery, strike me as pretty strong indicators of character, or lack thereof. The same goes for environmental pollution — it’s an action that only someone with a clear lack of character and integrity would commit.
I’m glad the list was expanded. It gives a little more punch to the command to "Clean up your act" doesn't it? Your life – and your mortal soul – could depend on it. I’d like to believe that.
Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Photo credit: Tendring District Council in the UK
Daily Sprout
Josie Garthwaite - Misc
Cali Budget Clears State Senate: The budget plan approved today in the California legislature (after a three-month impasse) includes a provision that will delay requirements for builders to retrofit heavy diesel equipment to reduce emissions. — LA Times
China’s Automakers Step Up: China’s Chery Automobile launched its first self-developed electric car today, the S18, joining BYD Auto in the country’s emerging alternative-fuel vehicle market. — Reuters
Western Resistance: As implementation of the Western Climate Initiative’s regional cap-and-trade system looms, business interests are raising a ruckus about the potential economic impact. — NYT’s Green Inc.
Carbon on the Cheap: The recent plunge in the price of carbon permits in the EU has reopened a debate over the efficacy of the cap-and-trade system to curb emissions, with real implications for U.S. climate legislation. — WSJ’s Environmental Capital
Electric Carmakers Chaaaaarge!: Massive investment in the future of vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure might be the slice of the stimulus that best delivers on its promise to create and save jobs. Now who’s hiring? — Wired’s Autopia
Chu Unveils DOE Changes, Timeline for Stimulus Energy Spending
Josie Garthwaite - Policy
This means new allotments for the smart grid, advanced batteries, alternative-fuel vehicles and the array of clean energy initiatives supported by the stimulus will likely avoid languishing in the kind of multiyear application and evaluation process used for the $25 billion low-interest loan program for fuel-efficient vehicles and the Loan Guarantee Program for clean energy technologies. Planned reforms include:
- Rolling appraisals of applications – instead of delaying the consideration of an application until a far off deadline, the Department will review them when they are submitted so that decisions can be made more quickly.
- Streamlining and simplifying loan application forms and other paperwork.
- Accelerated loan underwriting by using outside partners.
- In cases where up-front fees may deter companies from applying, the Department will offer applicants the opportunity to pay the fees as part of the loan at closing.
- Further reduction of up-front costs by restructuring credit subsidies so they are paid over the life of the loan.
- Additional staff and resources to process applications.
- Working with the industry to attract good projects into the loan guarantee program and helping them navigate the process.
- A web site that will provide increased transparency in both process and results, as well as information to help applicants through the process.
Earlier this month, DOE Loan Guarantee Program Director David Frantz revealed at a Senate hearing that even the most progressed applications under the older program (created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005) would take a few months to process — as opposed to the four weeks that Secretary Chu had mentioned as a goal earlier this month. Today’s announcement confirms Frantz’s timeline.
It also sheds light on Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk’s recent statement about that company’s loan guarantee application. "Regarding funding," he wrote in an email to customers last Wednesday, "I am excited to report that the Department of Energy informed Tesla last week that they expect to disburse funds from our $350M Model S loan application within four to five months." The company later clarified that its application had not been approved, but in fact remained in the financial and technical merit stage of evaluation. If all goes according to Chu’s plan at the DOE, approved projects in Tesla’s cohort could have guarantees disbursed in the 4-5 month time frame that Musk described.
The green light on a loan guarantee, however, does not mean money in the bank. As the DOE explains, “These offers may still require recipients to secure their own share of the financing –- similar to earnest money in a home mortgage – or meet other conditions prior to closing.”
Photo credit Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.
Two Quick Green Laundry Tips - Eco-laundry
jchait - Home & Garden
Two icky chemical laundry issues are bleach and fabric softener. You don’t truly need either.
To soften clothing, add 1/4 cup baking soda to the final rinse cycle. If you can stand the scent, some people swear by adding a cup or so of basic vinegar to the final rinse. Being that I hate the smell of vinegar, I stick to baking soda. If you really like fabric softener, try a natural fabric softener.
For non-bleach whitening solutions read the following:
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