Would You Buy a Car from This Company?

According to news reports, GM chair Robert Lutz thinks global warming is a "...crock of shit." Yea, uh-huh. So my question is this. Why would anybody buy a car from General Motors? I don't know about you, but The Author would like to rest assured that companies he graces with his currency share his values. Just when the new Saturn Aura was really starting to look good.

But why should we be surprised? It was General Motors, along with their auto industry cohorts, that convinced many US cities (LA comes to mind) to abandon perfectly good, rail-based rapid transit systems in favor of busses and more freeways for cars. Seems counter-intuitive at this point in our history. Just another example of what happens when significant decisions with long-term consequences are based entirely on economic interests and lobbying. One thing the collective, progressive blogosphere can do to send a clear message around this issue is to refrain from spending with companies who hold stubbornly to old, discredited models and beliefs. So forget about that Saturn. I'm looking for some of those new European diesels with 60+ MPG and a new generation of hybrids to do the job until a real fuel-cell hits the market.

Project Budburst Needs Citizen Scientists

Project Budburst 2008 got underway yesterday. Thanks to NPR's "Living on Earth" for showcasing the new project and website in today's radio broadcast. Project Budburst is a bottom-up data collection effort that needs citizen scientists of any age (many current participants are children) to observe the timing of bud blooms in their gardens and communities. Observations are logged, by plant species and geographic location, in a centralized database which can then be used by participating academic partners to chart climate change. The project is part of the National Phenology Network (NPN) field campaign. The now inevitable process of global warming makes the once obscure field of historical climatology very timely and germane.

So if you've got a garden, or take daily walks in your local park you can contribute to this bottom-up, web-driven effort. This is one of the really great benefits of the Internet age. If you've got an interest, there is a job for you to do, and a community of like-minded peers that you can join.