From a green ride to a clean (hand-cranked) shave, it’s all here: this week’s green tech finds.

• Solar that doesn’t stand out: Or, not as much, anyway… Iowa’s Powerfilm has developed “thin, flexible solar sheets that can be integrated with architectural building materials.” (via Springwise)
  
  
• Eco wifi: Australia’s D-Link has announced its Green Ethernet^TM technology which “automatically detects link status and network cable length, then adjusts power accordingly.” It’s also allows a user to schedule wireless up time (like thermostats).
  
  

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As commentators, politicians, and friends mourn the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, much of the discussion has focused on the issue that the Senator himself described as “the cause of my life”: health care reform. A tweet from fellow green blogger Chris Baskind reminded me that Kennedy also had a strong record on environmental issues. Just a few of his accomplishments on this front:

• Targeting the “oil depletion allowance”: according to a list of accomplishments available on his Senate website, in 1975, Kennedy was responsible for trimming a rather generous tax deduction for oil producers.
  
  
• Co-sponsoring fuel efficiency standards: Kennedy co-sponsored the original legislation establishing CAFE standards, and also supported the ‘07 increase in those standards.
  
  
• Supporting mass transit: Kennedy fought to keep Amtrak funded, and to also raise “the monthly amount of the employer-based federal mass transit tax benefit from $105 to $200,” putting it on par with a federal parking tax benefit.
  
  

Of course, Kennedy also raised the ire of many environmentalists in a least one case: he was adamantly opposed to the Cape Wind project off of Nantucket Sound.

Maybe it wasn’t “the cause of his lifetime,” but Senator Kennedy clearly had an impact on environmental policy and legislation during his storied tenure in the Senate. Other issues will likely receive more attention in the next few days, but it’s worth considering — and perhaps even debating — Kennedy’s environmental legacy.

So, what do you think? Will Kennedy be remembered as a champion of environmental protection and conservation? Should he be? Share your thoughts…

Image credit: Kennedy’s official photo via Wikimedia Commons

Richard Louv’s 2005 book Last Child in the Woods introduced the phrase “nature deficit disorder” into our lexicon. Louv argued that kids spend much less time outdoors, and, as a result, not only fail to develop an appreciation for and connection to nature (and, by extension, the importance of environmental challenges), but also suffer from health problems such as obesity, attention deficit disorder, and even depression to a greater degree.

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The House’s passage of Waxman-Markey (aka the American Clean Energy and Security Act) isn’t just a step forward in moving the United States away from addiction to fossil fuels, and towards a cleaner energy economy; it’s also evidence that President Barack Obama plans to fight for many of the campaign promises he made on energy and the environment. Candidate Obama laid out a very ambitious and comprehensive approach to energy policy, recognizing that it’s intimately tied to environmental concerns and economic growth and development.

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Friday’s passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) signaled a definite shift in US policy towards energy use and climate change. Though the bill had its detractors — most notably Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and even progressive Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) — ACES, or Waxman-Markey, set new standards for clean energy adoption, energy efficiency, and, most notably, greenhouse gas emissions.

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“It was only thanks to your massive pressure over the past six months that we could so dramatically shift our climate-change policies…. To those who were arrested, we thank you.”

Ever heard such a statement from a politician? Me either. Yet, last week, EU leaders thanked European citizens who’d participated in months of non-violent direct action on the causes of global warming, and noted this activism had resulted in the political will to address climate change in a meaningful manner.

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The New York Times and the film blog Hot Splice are reporting that director James Longley was briefly detained along with his translator in the aftermath of the Iranian elections. Longley was the winner of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival Best Director, Documentary for his film IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS. He has been working in Iran on a new documentary when the riots broke out this weekend. His translator, who is Iranian, was beaten by the Iranian security forces and also briefly detained before Longley could get him released.

Check out links to the Longley’s impassioned reporting of the incident after the jump.

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Webnewser’s Hunter Walker made an interesting find: North Korea’s repressive regime is apparently selling T-shirts and other kitschy propaganda through Cafepress, the online custom gift store. Promoted on the official website of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the store features stylish offerings like this one:

More at Webnewser.

[via Gawker.]

A couple of young conservatives put together this rap video to “promote constructive debate and tolerance”:

[via Talking Points Memo.]

Al Franken can finally declare victory tonight after a painstaking recount in Minnesota that lasted 62 days and involved the hand inspection of nearly 3 million votes.

Franken, a comedian, author, radio host and host of “The Al Franken Show,” which ran for two seasons on Sundance Channel can now add Senator to his long list of accomplishments. Congratulations Al and good luck. We are counting on you not to be a lying liar, and we’ll be watching! Make America proud. For more on this story CLICK HERE [www.nytimes.com]

Democracy is working. At least that’s the news for now from my friends at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has filed a lawsuit against last-minute Bush Administration plans to lease huge swaths of majestic wilderness in Utah for oil and gas extraction.

Late last night, NRDC and a coalition of environmental and preservation groups filed an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management that could save 100,000 acres of pristine land that are endangered. The deal temporarily prevents the Bureau from issuing leases on 80 contested parcels of Utah wilderness, including land adjacent to national parks, for 30 days (until January 19).

Although the Bureau will go forward with the auction today, based on the agreement it will not issue the contested leases. The delay will give a federal court time to hear the case.
As I’ve written previously, words alone cannot do justice to the beauty of these places, but they do capture the absurdity of the Bush plan. Oil and gas drilling in Desolation Canyon? Industrial development along the meandering Green River? The thought makes one wince.

Utah’s Red Rock country is one of America’s few remaining wilderness treasures . It’s our land, it’s our legacy, but will it still be here for our children and grandchildren?
The Bureau’s agreement has delayed the potential destruction. We will now get our day in court and I know that NRDC, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and their partners will continue to do all they can to protect Utah’s unspoiled landscapes

If you’d like to take action, check out this site and maybe you can help save the Redrocks [bit.ly]

- Robert Redford