Friends

The New York Times recently ran this article on the health benefits of friends. There is some very innovative research and some dramatic results.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21well.html?_r=4&ref=health

Chicken Manure

An interesting set of Frontline interviews with various parties commenting on Chesapeake Bay chicken operations.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/themes/chicken.html

American Clean Energy and Security Act

Statement of Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Hearing on American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
(Washington, D.C. – April 22, 2009) Chairman Waxman, Chairman-Emeritus Dingell, Ranking Minority Member Barton, and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify about the draft American Clean [...]

USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets

An  interesting article about early ideas from the new Office at USDA.
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/02/03/new-us-office-takes-fresh-approach-to-carbon/

New York Times Article: The Working Forest

An interesting article on the work of David Foster at Harvard Forest.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/magazine/19Forest-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine

Some Observations on Measurement

The evolution of ecosystem service markets is dependent upon the ability to accurately measure.
In order to measure, a number of other issues become important. Scale, for example, is relevant to the level of precision. Temporal issues need to be considered because of the ‘changes’ that occur over time with what you are measuring.  In essence, any measurement [...]

An Accountants Perspective on Carbon Markets

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0%2C1002%2Ccid%25253D256832%2C00.html

Food Safety?????

An article on HR 875 The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
http://www.alternet.org/environment/135002/will_new_food_safety_bills_really_outlaw_backyard_gardening_and_end_farmers%27_markets/

A Greenpeace Scientist on Forest Carbon Offsets

From the Macau Times:
Including forest protection measures in carbon markets would cause carbon prices to crash, and could undo efforts to rein in global warming, according to a Greenpeace report released earlier in the week.
Prices in a future carbon market would plummet by 75 percent, making it cheaper for industries in rich nations to buy [...]