On a global stage, an historic election is settled but how much attention will President Obama give back to the globe?

Anxious enviros await appointments to Obama’s Cabinet-level environmental positions.  Possibilities include loyal campaign supporters like Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Iowa Governor and foreign oil reductionist Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of Energy and Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson, and of course the face of the current environmental movement Al Gore.

But it’s not just cronies and politicians who’ve got a shot at contributing to Obama’s environmental team, it’s open to everyone!  Readers of the New York Times column Dot Earth have been asked to submit climate and energy proposals and the 10 best will be delivered directly to Obama’s transition team.

Clearly, this President’s environmental strategy will include collaborative thinking in bringing people together in a new way to solve old problems.

For up-to-the-second coverage of the new Green administration, visit this special Green Air News vertical series.

Photo by zyrcster.

Welcome to the first addition of “Renewed World Order,” a vertical news thread of opinions and observations concerning President-elect Obama’s emerging environmental agenda.  Keep up with what gets passed and what gets passed on right here.

Full NYT article here.

The plumage of clean coal puffs its way back into the political face at a special panel discussion at Stamford University with an emphasis on “dis.”  Al Gore took aim at misconceptions of “clean coal” and “Big Coal” in his speech giving advice and awaking eco-demons summoned during this past election.

This article points out is how most swing states are coal states and how playing the sweet song of the clean coal peace pipe could soothe voters whose livelihoods depend on mining.  As a tactic, it was used on both sides and we’ll see if Obama chooses to make good on his promises to develop clean coal technologies as did President Bush… and we can see how much got done there.

If you’ve got a suggestion for President-elect Obama, submit it directly to him on the official website of his administration, Change.gov.

While the economy hits the skids, environmental issues are taking the back burner.

Is it possible for America to save money and save the planet?

A recent Gallup poll found that 66% of Americans said the economic crisis was hurting their personal finances.  Further, people are more willing to save the environment over economic growth, but not by much.

It’s misrepresented in the main stream media that the problems with the environment and the US economy are inversely related. There’s is no proof that sacrifices of one actually hurt the other.

Anne Thompson, Chief Environmental Correspondent for NBC-Universal,

How do we become less dependent on foreign oil, that is first and foremost in everyone’s mind.  I think that is what’s driving people’s interests to find more environmentally friendly ways to do all sorts of things today.

While there’s panic on Wall Street, the message is that the protection of the environment is directly related to a stabilization of our economy.

For more on the environment’s role in the economy, click here.

Photo by the USDA.

Click below for more of our interview with Anne Thompson.

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As our economy free falls toward a recession and possible depression, what can the government really do?

Letdown after failure after empty promise has more than discouraged American voters and investors.  But there is one bright spot in the government’s plan to rescue us and it begins with the environment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) have unveiled a $56.2 billion “economic recovery package” which includes funding for things like public transit, home weatherization, and environmental cleanup.

But that’s not all, by an overwhelming 93 to 2 vote, the full Senate approved the Baucus-Grassley tax extender bill, which includes a one-year extension of the production tax credit given out to producers of clean energy specific to solar and wind.

In this day and age of the politics of fear and the inability of large government bureaucracies to get anything done, this recent development seems to be an exception to the rule.

For more on our government going Green, the bailout, and other shreds of hope, check out some of the links below.

How the US Government Engineered the Current Economic Crisis (TechCrunch.com)

Government IT Goes Green (FCW.com)

Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty

Photo by Cubadad.

Are we being drugged by our drinking water?

According to the latest results from an investigation conducted by the Associated Press, 24 major metropolitan ares from Southern California to Northern New Jersey have tested positive for traces of prescription drugs in the drinking water.

This is being caused by drugs entering the watershed through sewers and landfills. Samples taken from reservoirs serving at least 41 million Americans are showing everything from anti-pshychotics to sex hormones streaming right from our tap.

While short term effects may go unnoticed, what’s troubling scientists are the long term human health consequences.   As aquatic life adapts, genetic mutations travel up the food chain and ultimately effect us.

While studies are ongoing it would be wise to think twice before flushing expired prescription drugs down the toilet.

For more on drugs and the environment, click here.

Photo by Carly & Art.

Editors Note: Due to the timing of our production of this piece, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was not yet announced as McCain’s running mate thus excluding her from the audio.  To be thorough and fair, we believe her environmental record should be made public.  Click here for a full article on the matter.

Can you save the planet with your vote this November?

We’re taking a hard look at the candidates through the eco-microscope and leaving nothing to chance when it comes to this decision of global consequence.

Meet the Republican Presidential Candidate, John McCain:

He is a self-proclaimed federalist which means he believes the onus is on the individual states to decide if they want off shore oil rigs or put a cap on their carbon emissions.

Like his hero Theodore Roosevelt, McCain believes that “we are vested with a sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American Life depends.”  He knows that history shows that poverty is a poor steward.

McCain also scores a 53% by the League of Conservation Voters, the political voice of the national environmental movement.  It’s a mixed record but he has supported a ban on commercial whaling and higher EPA standards.

Make the candidates work for your vote and click here for more on the McCain/Palin ballot.

Photo by Tom LeGro.

Is it audacious to hope for an environmentally conscious President?

Meet the Democrats!

The Democratic National Convention roared through Denver with as many protests, covert meetings, and celebrity sightings as staged celebrations.  Here are some of the key points to consider with the Obama/Biden bill:

1.) Senator Obama’s so-called New Energy Plan promises 5 million new green collar jobs by strategically investing 150 billion dollars over the next 10 years to build a new clean energy grid.

2.) Deleware Senator Joe Biden has a fairly consistent voting record with environmentalists and has stated that “energy security” is his top priority.

and 3.) The team pledges to implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent before the year 2050.

Make the candidates work for your vote and for more on how the DNC went Green, click here.

Photo by Learfield News.

As Americans, we’re confronted with a host of issues surrounding health care but few of us have stopped to think about the environmental impact hospitals create through their treatment of hazardous waste and even daily operations such as food service.

We recently caught up with Dr. Ted Schettler, Physician, Science Advisor for the Health Care Without Harm campaign, and Coordinator for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Science Working Group.  He is one of the driving forces behind the new Green garde of hospital operations restructuring and shares with us some of the inner workings of this visionary and vital process.

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Full coverage here.

Green Air Filter:

It is official. Barack Obama has finally won the Democratic nomination that many have long expected him to take reign of. And of course we all know what this means (at least for us at Green Air); it is time to put his environmental policy under close scrutiny.

Obama is a fan of carbon cap and carbon credits. Setting up incentives for proper climate control is the latest trend in appeasing the captains of industry for whom making money comes first. Obama also totes the renewable fuel cellulosic ethanol as the solution for the nation’s oil dependency. However, one does have to consider whether Obama’s enthusiasm is influenced by the importance of the Iowa Caucus.

The most inspiring part of Obama’s environmental policy lies in the leadership he plans to take. Obama aims to create forums that can focus on the global energy crisis as well as work on an international level. Obama also plans on furthering research and education that will no doubt act as the innovation that can finally make a real change in the way the nation deals with our fuel and energy problems. Surely, if we could put a man on the moon 40 years ago…

Photo by Thomas Brodahl.