Jason Varone
Jason Varone battles the streets everyday during a 9 mile commute on his bicycle from downtown Brooklyn to the Upper East Side. In addition to his efforts on Streetsblog, he is an artist making work related to the environment and technology. Examples of his work can be found at www.varonearts.org.
Recent Posts
Google Staff Get On Their Bikes
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The Guardian reports: Google is improving its green credentials by offering all of its employees a free bike to ride to work. The bikes, manufactured by Raleigh Europe, will be offered to around 2,000 permanent employees of the search engine giant in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. All of the bikes – plus free […]
Ethanol’s Growing List of Enemies
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Businessweek reports on an unlikely group of allies united againt the ethanol craze: The ethanol movement is sprouting a vocal crop of critics. While politicians including President George W. Bush and farmers across the Midwest hope that the U.S. can win its energy independence by turning corn into fuel, Hitch and an unlikely assortment of […]
“People Act as Though the Hybrid Could Solve All Our Problems”
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In a lengthy interview with Spiegel, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn defends his company’s environmental record: SPIEGEL: Isn’t it embarrassing that German carmakers are not achieving the climate protection goals they have set for themselves? Winterkorn: No, because reaching these goals isn’t entirely up to us. The European auto industry made a commitment to reduce carbon […]
CO2 from Shipping Twice as Much as Airlines
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The Guardian reports: Carbon dioxide emissions from shipping are double those of aviation and increasing at an alarming rate which will have a serious impact on global warming, according to research by the industry and European academics. Separate studies suggest that maritime carbon dioxide emissions are not only higher than previously thought, but could rise […]
Schumer & Clinton Backing Upstate NIMBY’s Against Wind Power
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Newsday reports: A high-voltage transmission line running through Central New York could spur the creation of environmentally friendly wind farms across the state, according to Bill May, project manager for the Albany-based New York Regional Interconnect Inc., who hopes to build the line. However, there is intense opposition coming from many upstate residents. Perhaps that […]
Green Collar Jobs for Urban America
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In Oakland, California, the pathway out of poverty is the new green wave. Yes Magazine reports on a new movement for urban renewal: A "green-collar job" involves environment-friendly products or services. Construction work on a green building, organic farming, solar panel manufacturing, bicycle repair: all are "green jobs." The green-collar economy is big money, and […]
European Automakers Are Feeling the Heat
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While the never-ending barrage of automobile advertising is as shameless as ever here in the States, European automakers are beginning to recognize that their product is perceived as harmful and destructive, not unlike cigarettes or trans-fats. The Wall Street Journal reports: Amid growing alarm over climate change and a trend in Europe toward faster, heavier […]
Green Revolution Sweeping Through U.S. Cities
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Neil Peirce of the American Prospect sums up sustainable practices in several American cities, A "green revolution" is burgeoning in America’s cities and towns. If the new, green, urban alchemy has an epicenter, it’s Chicago. A big share of the credit goes to Mayor Richard J. Daley and his allies. There’s a green roof on […]
Taxing Vehicles Based on Their Environmental Impact
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The New Zealand Herald reports: Germany’s government plans to tax cars based on emissions instead of engine size to help tackle climate change, Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said. Tiefensee told a news conference early Sunday that German and other European carmakers had to do more to protect the environment, after the head of the UN […]
Pedaling Protest Takes on Car Show
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The Chicago Tribune reports: Dressed as polar bears and Santa Claus and towing signs that read "True Patriots Don’t Burn Oil" and "Be a Hero: Drive Less," a group of bicyclists gathered Saturday in front of McCormick Place to protest the Chicago Auto Show. "We feel there are enough cars in Chicago," said Dan […]
Robert Moses’s Fundamental Misunderstanding
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In the latest issue of the Regional Plan Association’s Spotlight on the Region newsletter, editor Alex Marshall has an outstanding essay responding to the recent burst of Robert Moses revisionism. An excerpt: It all comes down to capacity. Like many people of his generation, I’m convinced, Moses essentially didn’t understand the different capabilities of […]
Holiday Bonus for U.K. Ikea Employees: 9,000 Free Bikes
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The Independent (UK) reports: Ikea, the Swedish retail chain, showed its green credentials yesterday by giving all 9,000 of its UK workers a free bicycle. The store handed out the £139 fold-up bike and offered a 15 per cent subsidy on public transport at its Christmas breakfast.The bicycle is the store’s second high-profile green gesture […]