Oil and gas companies spent millions of dollars on lobbying Albany to make a decision on hydrofracking, but the state doesn't seem any closer to allowing the practice and all sides are urging caution. "I wouldn't say it's a given," Republican state senator and hydrofracking advocate Tom Libous tells the Times. "Economically, we need it desperately. But at the end of the day, if the scientists and geologists at the D.E.C. say 'this is not a good thing to do,' I'm not going to challenge it." Did the earth just shift, or what? more ›

In 2009, the city passed tough new regulations requiring drivers to stop their engines after three minutes (or within one minute if parked in a school zone), or face steep fines. The changes were intended to help lower NYC's high childhood asthma rates—the malady is the most common cause of hospitalization for New York children 14 years and younger. It was nice, feel-good legislation, but unfortunately it hasn't been much more than a feeling. Out of the 10 million parking tickets issued each year, traffic enforcement agents have only issued a few thousand idling tickets, and environmentalists are steamed. more ›

Last month we learned that lobbyists for the gas industry spent $3.2 million in lobbying Albany over the last two years to influence lawmakers regarding the controversial tactic of hydraulic fracturing. Now Common Cause has released a report [pdf] detailing that gas companies have contributed $1.34 million to the state's politicians, including $153,816 to governor Andrew Cuomo. "New Yorkers need to be assured that such a controversial issue will be decided based on merit, not money," Common Cause's executive director Susan Lerner tells the Daily News. more ›

The Environmental Protection Agency a.k.a. The Bureau of Bloodthirsty Job-Killing Werewolves released an expansive report [pdf] last month that recommends a 10-year plan to dredge and replace layers of matter kindly referred to as "sediment" in the Gowanus canal, costing close to $500 million. Per CERCLA, polluters are required to pick up Superfund bills, and as expected, gas companies and other businesses who dumped chemicals and had unprotected sex with the Gowanus Canal are doing their damndest to limit their liability. Add the City of New York to that list: the Department of Environmental Protection says the Gowanus' troubles have little to do with the tons of poop that it pumps into the canal each year. more ›

According to a new environmental report, the world only has five years to initiate effective change before the effects of global warming become essentially irreversible. The dire World Energy Outlook report, by the International Energy Agency, looked at the planet's energy trends over the next 25 years and found that action is needed immediately to stem the tide: "The door is closing," Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian UK. "I am very worried—if we don't change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum [for safety]. The door will be closed forever." more ›

Sitting at home staring at the menu screen of your Matrix Revolutions DVD and ordering another chimichanga isn't just hurting your sex life, it's hurting the environment. The Times takes aim at the take out containers that comprise some of the city's 14 million tons of waste each year, and finds New Yorkers torn between convenience and guilt. "There's nothing I can do," a 25-year-old accountant tells the paper while eating from one of those ubiquitious plastic containers. "It annoys me. It's plastic in a landfill." But not as annoying as packing your lunch in a reusable container. more ›

It's no secret that Governor Cuomo has been in favor of hydrofracking, at least under certain limited conditions. However, the process, the goal of which is to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation (no relation to Marcel the Shell), can cause the water poured into the rock formations to resurface full of toxic ooze. Now, despite opposition from the legislature, his dreams of firewater and fireworks might come true. Tomorrow, a report will be released that will provide recommendations on how to proceed with the rather fraught practice. more ›

Victory! After subjecting American consumers—famous for their sensitive hearing—to the annoying crinkling of their 100% compostable Sun Chips bags, the Frito-Lay company has decided to discontinue the bags and go back to their non-recyclable, landfill-clogging packaging. Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people with a Facebook page can change the world—take a bow "Sorry But I Can’t Hear You Over This SunChips Bag!" Maybe now you can do something about those awful wind farm eyesores! more ›

Mayor Bloomberg will be in Times Square today, to celebrate Earth Day (which is 40 years old) with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, City Council Quinn, and others, including a virtual Vice President Al Gore. Which makes it perfect timing to look back at Earth Day 2007, when the mayor announced PlaNYC 2030, his list of 127 initiatives for the city to achieve sustainability by the year 2030. (Hey, the Mayor's Office Tweeted this morning, "Welcome to NYC, where every day is Earth Day.") And, for what it's worth, that 2007 speech is also the one where he broached the topic of...congestion pricing. more ›

Yesterday a group comprised of community leaders and elected officials got together to discuss small business owners going green. NY1 reports that the meeting took place in front of Camilo Grocery store in Washington Heights—one of the many businesses that could benefit in the long run from becoming more energy efficient. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said, "We need to make sure that people who fed our city for generations get to have the economic benefit of turning green." Congressman Steve Isreal has introduced legislation that would provide funding to help businesses like bodegas reach a greener goal—this would help with their own skyrocketing electricity costs, as well as be beneficial to the environment. Now, how about getting rid of those plastic bags? more ›

Even though the average New Yorker has a smaller carbon footprint and uses about one-half less energy than other Americans, our Mayor — who has been widely praised for his ambitious environmental agenda — might be one of "the worst individual polluters ever to hold public office," according to the Times. more ›

Yesterday, the City Council passed legislation "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing government, commercial, and residential buildings." Mayor Bloomberg praised the Council's work and said, "By requiring buildings to conduct energy audits and improve their energy efficiency, the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan will reduce the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions while creating thousands of jobs and dramatically reducing annual energy costs. I thank Speaker Quinn and the members of the City Council for their efforts to make New York a greener, more sustainable city.” more ›

Mayor Bloomberg loves to travel, so it should come as no surprise that he and aides are going to Copenhagen next week for the U.N.'s climate change conference. The NY Times reports, "His schedule, for now, includes delivering a speech at a reception for mayors and other delegates, and attending another reception for 100 mayors from around the world who are taking steps locally to address climate change." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has abandoned the most ambitious part of his plan to reduce greenhouse gases, which would have required the owners of the city's largest buildings to undergo mandatory energy audits to determine green renovations — and forced the landlords to pay for the improvements. more ›

A network of earth-loving organizations (Waterkeeper Alliance, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, and Friends of the Earth) descended upon 270 Park Avenue early this morning with a bevy of costumed demonstrators. more ›

According to CBS News, data from a British team of explorers suggests "the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within 20 years, and that much of the decrease will happen within 10 years." The Catlin Arctic Survey was working with the World Wildlife Fund, and the WWF warns, "Such a loss of Arctic sea ice cover has recently been assessed to set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself...This could lead to flooding affecting one-quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes." more ›

Since time immemorial, the only thing protecting the world's precious banana fruit from contamination has been the boring old peel. Well, Momma Nature, it's a new millennium, and it's time for a brand new bag! So 7-Eleven has come up with a new twist on an old classic: The company will now begin individually wrapping each banana sold in its stores in plastic. It's a start, but ultimately we'd like to see each banana also packaged in a bruise-resistant Styrofoam shell. more ›

It's been a couple months since we last checked in on the Waterpod, "a sustainable, sculptural art and technology habitat, with 4 artists living on and off it, generating food, water, and power in a contained and self-sufficient environment." The floating experiment is currently in Brooklyn Heights, so if you're nearby check it out on Pier 5 (where it will be docked through August 17th). Visitors are welcome Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. While on the shore, you can track the Pod here. more ›

After the AP blew the whistle on Mayor Bloomberg's SUV idling away as he attends various events, Bloomberg's spokesman Stu Loeser says the mayor "made it clear" to his police detail that the administration "should set a better example." The administration being one that has supported laws for tougher restrictions on vehicles idling and touted reducing carbon emissions by 30% by 2030. The AP points out that "the city's three-minute idling limit ... does not legally apply to the mayor's SUVs, which are classified as emergency vehicles," but adds, "The mayor isn't just violating his own environmental agenda when he lets his SUVs idle. He's wasting fuel and money." We'll keep an eye on Idle-gate. more ›

Forget about that depressing national debt ticker, there's a new way to track our nation's (and planet's) inevitable collapse: the real-time carbon counter ticker! Yesterday Deutsche Bank "launched the world's first scientifically valid, real-time carbon counter, displaying the total of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." It's located at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, outside of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Maybe you'll see it as you pass by in your cab or SUV! more ›

It's been months since we last heard about Bloomberg's plastic bag tax plan, which was officially proposed last week—and since November the fee has gone down one cent (from 6 to 5 pennies). As the mayor seeks approval from Albany, CityRoom takes a closer look at some questionable figures estimating just how many plastic bags we use in the city. more ›

Solar One, the non-profit Community Environmental Center here in New York, is raising some funds for the new year. Their latest $100 donation plan is dubbed Environmental Health on a Half Shell. It's simple...if you donate 100 bucks, they'll plant 100 oysters in the East River for you. They explain: "The lowly oyster provides a natural filtering system - they eat algae, and well, raw sewage. They purify our waters. When the Dutch arrived, the lower Hudson River Estuary contained 350 square miles of oyster beds. These many millions of bi-valve beauties cleaned the lower Estuary in a single day. They contributed mightily to the wealth of New York as well - pickled oysters became important trade with the British West Indies. Oysters were produced in all 5 boroughs...sold on every corner. Sadly, sewage and pollution exhausted the last beds in 1927." Last year they planted 3,000 oysters, and this year they have a goal of 10,000 (you can help). Just imagine a swimmable East River! And quick, someone dump some oysters in the Gowanus. more ›

As mentioned yesterday, the New Year's Eve 2009 sign is being powered with a little help from Times Square visitors. The Duracell Power Lodge has been set up to accommodate snowmobiles, that are really stationary bikes with a snowmobile shell around them. When passerby pedal the snowmobikes, it will generate electricity that will in turn be stored to help power the lights on their big night. more ›

This is Greenhouse, a new 6,000 square foot, bi-level club that opened last week in Soho in the former Club Shelter space. As the name suggests, they're working the eco-friendly angle here with (deep breath) high-efficiency heating, an LED lighting system, fabrics made from recycled materials, bamboo floor and wall coverings, and furniture made with FSC wood. Owner Jon Bakhshi, who is applying for more ›

The MINI people have announced their 100% electric, zero-emissions car, and a New York field trial program to go along with it. They're looking for 500 people in the area who want to be "motoring pioneers" -- sounds pretty exciting, right? Wrong. While the prospect of electric cars hitting the streets is exciting, one look at the laborious application and FAQ section and you'll quickly learn that the trial will cost you no less than $850 a month. That's just for the car. On top of that, you'll have to get yourself a garage and update the electrical wiring in your home. By the end of the year, you'll be broke, but the company declares that "as motoring pioneers, you'll proudly go down in MINI history as a widely respected group who helped pave the road to the future for us all." They will then take your MINI away. If you decide you want to take part anyway, be sure to read the fine print before signing up. more ›

This morning the Today Show took a look at the subway cars that retire from the underground of New York, and (at the cost of the MTA) are sent to create artificial reefs off the coasts of other cities. (The program may soon benefit us as well, however.) Consider the below clip subway-reef-porn, with footage of the old cars being made suitable for the sea, and dumped off barges to meet their final watery resting place. more ›

Will the plastic bag controversy ever end? With the recent news of Bloomberg pushing a plastic bag tax, The NY Times is the latest to take a look into the sordid grocery packaging habits of New Yorkers. Perhaps as some believe cigarettes should be, instead of a tax, they just need to be made illegal; even reusable grocery bag users are finding they accept a plastic bag here and there.

“I’d pick up 50 bags a week instead of 2 or 3 if I wasn’t conscious of it,” said Mr. Thrasher, 31, a freelance writer from Fort Greene, Brooklyn. “You’re always having a plastic bag put in your hand.”