Gem of the day

UK Conservative Party leader Eric Pickles (this is real) on the overall constitution of the government:

"There's as many plebs as toffs in the shadow cabinet."

Another non-green wonder

The Aussies have done it again. Watch it for yourself, folks. Also, sensational props to the chief executive of the Advertising Standards Bureau over there for being named Fiona Jolly.


"THE Brumby government's ''dickhead'' road safety campaign has sparked complaints to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Advertising Standards Bureau for targeting redheads and ''emos''.

The online advertisements, launched on Monday, take aim at ''gingers'' in an attempt to reduce the number of young people killed on the roads."

Bonus gem

Hats off to GreenBiz for actually publishing this whopper of a headline today:

"Efficient Sainsbury's Easter Packaging Lays an Egg on Recycling"

No further comment.

Gem of the day

This is an 'uh-oh' moment for the feds today, courtesy of the NY Times.

"Does a “gasoline-powered alarm clock” qualify for the EnergyStar label, the government stamp of approval for an energy-saving product? Like more than a dozen other bogus products submitted for approval since last June by Congressional auditors posing as companies, it easily secured the label, according to a Congressional report to be issued Friday. So did an “air purifier” that was essentially an electric space heater with a feather duster pasted on top, the Government Accountability Office said."

Bonus gem

This one just couldn't be left out. Giving "short shrift" to the UK government's defence of its Heathrow expansion plans, Lord Justice Carnwath (this name is real) described the plans in the following terms:

"Untenable in law and common sense."

Gem of the Day

More revelations from the Green Confidence Index! It's proving a bountiful source of gems. In the project's latest survey results released today, we find out the shocking truth--that Americans' driving habits "aren't exactly up to par, when viewed from a green perspective."

"The Index found that while there's been some improvement in Americans' driving habits over the years, there remain ripe opportunities to cut pollution and oil use today. For example, only 58 percent of us are moderate drivers, accelerating and braking slowly, rather than engaging in jackrabbit starts and stops."

This one isn't green, but no explanation needed for why it's a gem

When we were asked how many attendees had never been involved in politics before joining the Tea Party movement, roughly four out of every five people raised their hands. On the outside balcony where the smokers gathered, I was joined at a table by an intense, wiry, close-cropped, redheaded woman from southern Virginia who dated her conversion to hearing Sarah Palin for the first time.

"She was me! She's so down-to-earth! If Sarah was sitting here with us now, she'd be just a normal person like you and me. You could say anything to her. She's not like a politician—she's real. And Sarah always keeps her word. If Sarah promises something, you know she'll do it. She's just am-az-ing."

From Jonathan Raban's most excellent article in the New York Review of Books, 'At the Tea Party'.

Bonus gem

The Green Confidence Index, launched in October of 2009, tracks Americans’ perceptions of companies. Each month it asks, “What company, if any, do you think of as being ‘green’?” This is an unaided question, meaning no list is provided. Respondents simply name companies that are top of mind. Clorox and Wal-Mart garnered the most mentions.

Gem of the day

“Consumers are really quite thoughtful in selecting and enjoying a safe, healthy, convenient, calorie-free beverage that’s delicious, refreshing and a very smart drink choice,” said Tom Lauria, the International Bottled Water Association's vice president of communications in a press release. “That’s the real story of bottled water.”