The decision by Supreme Court Justice David Souter to step down from the bench may not be as game changing as it seems at first blush.

Although Justice Souter was nominated by George H.W. Bush in the hopes of getting a conservative on the bench, his voting record since has been that of a centrist and a real disappointment to the right. His decision to step down in Obama’s first year in office, rather than moving the decision up to the end of the Bush presidency, would seem to confirm his allegiances.

The fact that it may not completely swing the balance of power on the Supreme Court does not mean, however, that deciding on a replacement to Souter is not an extremely important decision for Obama’s administration. …read more of Supreme Court Nominee – Environmentally Friendly? here

This past Earth Day Vice President Biden announced $300 million of the Recovery Funds Act to be applied to the Clean Cities Program – a program that brings sustainable vehicles and their infrastructure to cities across the country. “…We’re going put Recovery Act dollars to work deploying cleaner, greener vehicles in cities and towns across the nation that will cut costs, reduce pollution and create the jobs that will drive our economic recovery,” said Vice President Biden.

These programs are expected to bolster the country’s infrastructure, reduce our dependence on oil – foreign and domestic – and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are a great cause of global warming.

In addition, these new programs will help boost the economy and bring job growth in local economies and the country as a whole. …read more of Recovery for Clean Cities here

Earth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with the planet and celebrate our passion for a healthy environment. Recently, more faith groups are joining in this dialogue. As environmental messages ring from pulpits and the ‘go green’ mantra is chanted worldwide, faith communities are providing a new moral mandate in the green movement.

Diana Cartwright of Ottawa, Canada is a founding member of Faith and the Common Good (FCG), a national not-for-profit group that brings faith communities together on environmental initiatives.

“There’s many ways that religion motivates people in a very positive way,” says Cartwright, an Environment Canada employee and member of the Bahá’i faith. “When [environmental action] is within a faith context, and people feel it’s part of the moral mandate, they’re more likely to act on it.”

Cartwright is part of a growing global movement that sees faith and environmentalism as inextricably linked. By taking a closer look at religious teachings and working together on campaigns, faith-based environmental groups like FCG are reaching new sectors of society and providing insight into the current environmental crisis. …read more of Faith Goes Green here

There are an abundance of events in my local town of Madison, Wi to celebrate Earth Day throughout this week and coming weekend. As with previous Earth Day events in town, Madisonians show a lot of interest in these events.

Many events are focused on environmental awareness with activities at area nature preserves and conservation sites. The UW Arboretum will feature a luncheon lecture on Native American rock and cave art in Wisconsin. The Arboretum will also host nature and wildflower walks for Earth Day.

Friends of the Lakeshore Marsh will feature a meeting on the Class of 1918 Marsh that is centered on area birds, insects, plants, and plankton and will discuss effects of watershed land use on the marsh. …read more of Celebrating Earth Day Locally here

Coal mining has been a big part of our nation for a very long time.  My great-great grandparents came over from Czechoslovakia and became West Virginia coal miners.  Coal mining has been traditionally associated with underground caves and total darkness.

But in the past few decades, the face of coal mining has changed and it’s changing the landscape around it.

Mountaintop removal mining is a method of mining coal in which mountaintops are deforested and literally removed with explosives to expose the coal beneath. …read more of Singers Come Together to Protest Mountaintop Removal Mining here