Does everything in the Big Outside have to be a "resource?"

No, not at all. Why, then, does the revenue from the sale of motor vehicle license plates (in Pennsylvania) go into a pot known as the "Wild Resources Conservation Fund?"
This is especially egregious because it is the automobile, and our society's century-old addition to it, that has destroyed so much of Wild Nature (and continues to).
Go a hearty walk.
Burn some calories, not gasoline.

Harvard University fossil fuel divestment

Just a gesture, or something more? In any case, public institutions like universities and colleges should exercise all their options when it comes to kissing goodbye to the purveyors of dirty rocks. This is what an LTE writer told NY Times readers.

The quote of the week

 "An honest and scrupulous man in the oil business is so rare as to rank as museum piece."

Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, 1936

The Points of No Return

NY Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote this telling piece for today's op-ed page. Somehow, though, I doubt whether any of the deniers will be shake loose from their protective moats of lies.

The globe is running out of time

This editorial from today's NY Times drives (no pun intended) the point home: Earth is running out of time for nations to take real, meaningful action to curtail the constantly escalating burning of fossil fuels. For the U.S. Senate, that means kicking lobbyists out of the chambers and doing the real work its members were elected to do.

U.N. panel's report: Deadline is now for climate action

This NY Times article does all the explaining, but I wouldn't expect the U.S. Congress to act. Hell, it's already too late. I think about this every time I go for a fitness walk or a hike in the woods, burning calories not gasoline as I do so. Proud, well yes I am of myself. But a walk down the hall of the U.S. Capitol is not the same.

EPA charts direction for next four years

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its fiscal year (FY) 2014 to 2018 Strategic Plan today, which provides a blueprint for advancing EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment across the country.

The plan envisions a new era of partnerships with state and local governments, tribes, federal agencies, businesses, and industry leaders to achieve environmental benefits in a pragmatic, collaborative way.

“EPA will address the increasingly complex array of environmental challenges we face by advancing a rigorous research and development agenda that informs and supports our policy and decision making with timely and innovative technology and sustainable solutions,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “We are heeding President Obama’s call for action on climate change, the biggest challenge for our generation and those to come by building strong partnerships at home and around the world. We are working to mitigate this threat by reducing carbon pollution and other greenhouse-gas emissions and by focusing on efficiency improvements in homes, buildings and appliances.”

The five strategic goals in EPA’s plan include:

•           Addressing climate change and improving air quality;
•           Protecting America’s waters;
•           Cleaning up communities and advancing sustainable development;
•           Ensuring the safety of chemicals and preventing pollution; and
•           Protecting human health and the environment by enforcing laws and assuring compliance.

The agency will continue to deliver significant health benefits to the American public through improved air quality and reduced emissions of toxic pollutants, and will take action to keep communities safe and healthy by reducing risks associated with exposure to toxic chemicals in commerce, our indoor and outdoor environments, products, and food.

The agency will also continue efforts to improve water quality, given the nation’s significant water infrastructure needs, focusing on common sense, flexible approaches that rely on sustainable solutions, such as green infrastructure, and build resiliency to help us adapt to the effects of a changing climate.

The plan prioritizes environmental justice, continuing to focus on urban, rural, and economically disadvantaged communities, to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, race, economic status, or ethnicity, has access to clean water, clean air, and the opportunity to live, work and play in healthy communities.

To achieve the outcomes articulated in the FY 2014-2018 Plan, the agency outlined four cross-agency strategies:

•           Working toward a sustainable future;
•           Working to make a visible difference in communities;
•           Launching a new era of state, tribal, local, and international partnerships; and
•           Embracing EPA as a high-performing organization.

The EPA developed the FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010. Reflecting the agency’s interest in reaching out to stakeholders and communities, the EPA requested input on a draft plan last winter from over 800 organizations and individuals and issued a Federal Register Notice to solicit broad public feedback. As appropriate, the EPA incorporated suggestions and comments received in the final Plan.

More information on the Strategic Plan is available at: http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

Why promoting walking conserves human habitat and makes ecological sense

I'm a dedicated fitness walker; have been for four-plus decades. I was attracted to this article by the headline above (which I have repeated above). It's not just human habitat that's conserved, though. It's the habitat that's critical to the lives of our fellow brethren of Earth (the only planet we have). Sure, it's easier to get inside a car and isolate one's self from the world at large, but that's not what life is about. Walking burns calories, not a fossil fuel. Walking does not pollute the air; motoring about in an automobile does.

Forecast: Only moderate rise in gasoline prices

OK, that's good news for the gazillions of American suburbanites who commute hours and hours just so they can get enough cash to keep filling it up. The NY Times has this coverage. Actually, if American motorists had to pay what Europeans do, we might finally start using a lot less gasoline to keep ourselves moving.