From  NY Times . WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court heard five environmental law cases in the term that ended Monday, and environmental groups lost every time. It was, said Richard J. Lazarus, a director of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown University Law Center, “the worst term ever” for environmental interests. The court allowed Navy exercises using sonar that threatened whales off California. It limited the liability of companies partly responsible for toxic spills. It made it harder to challenge Forest Service regulations and easier to dump mining waste...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have put major environmental legislation on a fast-track, boosting chances a climate change bill will pass this month or next, leading lawmakers said on Wednesday. On May 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill requiring reductions of industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases of 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, from 2005 levels. The climate change bill, along with healthcare reform, are top priorities of President Barack Obama, and House Democrats hope to...

  It's an idea that most of us would rather not face -- that within the next century, life as we know it could come to an end. Our civilization could crumble, leaving only traces of modern human existence behind. To change the future, first you have to imagine it. It seems outlandish, extreme -- even impossible. But according to cutting edge scientific research, it is a very real possibility. And unless we make drastic changes now, it could very well happen. Experts have a stark warning: that unless we change course, the "perfect storm" of population growth, dwindling...

AP Photo/ Cooper-Hewitt , National Design Museum, Dan Whipps By ANN LEVIN, For The Associated Press Tuesday, June 2, 2009 (06-02) 03:45 PDT NEW YORK, (AP) -- Imagine a forest of bamboo poles in your living room, hollowed out and drilled to allow for stereo speakers, lighting, even bottles of wine. The totemlike stalks — elegant yet ruggedly unrefined — are part of a design show commissioned by the Nature Conservancy to show how beautiful, fashionable objects can be produced in ways that don't harm the environment. Ten designers were chosen to fan out across the globe...

Photo by Rmcgervey On April 17, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally announced that six key anthropogenic greenhouse gasses endangered public welfare including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. The agency reviewed possible environmental and health dangers associated with greenhouse forcing of the climate (global warming) focusing on heat-trapping gasses release by motor vehicles, power plants, and industrial sources. The EPA found, "In both magnitude and probability, climate...

Earth Day is the largest annual environmental global effort, mostly because of individual contributions at the community level — yep, that’s people like you making a big difference. Let’s face it folks, since the advent of the polyester leisure suite, fast food, and fiber optic cable we’ve been spending more time piling up trash heaps, mowing down rain forests, and inventing throwaway plastic gadgets than giving a damn about Mother Earth. Good news, it’s hip to be green and slowing down and biking around is becoming more popular. Citizens, countries, and even corporations are...

Proposed in the 1960s and founded by then U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, Earth Day became a reality in 197 0 . Initially the format was an environmental teach-in , riding the coat tails of the then popular grassroots political events that focused on the government’s involvement in the Vietnam War . The first Earth Day produced an impressive turnout; Over 20 million people participated on April 22, 1970 — not bad for grassroots. For Earth Day April 22, 1990 Denis Hayes organized a big campaign; Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141...

  SustainableBusiness.com News On March 2, 2009, an estimated 2,500 protestors blocked the main gates to the Capitol Power Plant in Washington D.C., drawing attention to the nation's reliance on coal--the emissions from which are contributing to global climate change. Capitol Climate Action, which organized the four-hour protest, said it was the largest display of civil disobedience in U.S. history in regards to climage change. Protestors included notable environmentalists and celebrities such as NASA climatologist Dr. James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Noam Chomsky, Paul Hawken,...