A force for nature: Barry Commoner, described by one historian as one of the five most influential figures in the modern environmental movement, died on Sunday. Commoner was a scientist, an activist, an educator, an organizer, and a political candidate, and he didn't much care if the lines between those roles blurred occasionally. He staunchly believed that environmental problems were inseparable from other issues like war, poverty, and civil rights, and he was never afraid to speak out on these or any other topics. New York Times
Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, etc.: Can't you practically feel the irony, dripping down your shirtsleeve like rapidly melting polar ice? The good folks at the U.S. Postal Service, God love 'em, have put a picture of a receding glacier on one of their "Forever" stamps. Climate Progress
Really? You didn't see this coming?: Think of it as a parable for our times: the dramatic rise in genetically engineered crops has led to corresponding rises in herbicide-resistant superweeds and insecticide-resistant super pests. The reflexive response by many farmers? More herbicides and insecticides. Sounds just super. Reuters
Guv fracks down: In the face of mounting criticism and a rising tide of public outcry, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has pressed the reset button on hydrofracking in the Empire State. He’s essentially restarting the regulatory process, requiring key environmental agencies to open up the issue for more scrutiny. In Albany, some fracking proponents are saying that he's “consigning fracking to oblivion.” (So maybe there really is something to this whole organized-resistance thing, huh?) New York Times
Black rock down: If Big Coal had their way, they’d be loading up Panamax barges in Pacific Northwest ports and shipping coal over to China first thing tomorrow morning. But some local communities and environmental activists -- who don't understand how it's in America's interests to lease taxpayer-owned public lands at deeply discounted rates to multinationals so that they can mine dirty coal and ship it overseas -- have organized, and are slowing down the approval process. (So maybe there really is something to this whole organized-resistance thing, huh? Wait -- we're sensing a theme here.) ClimateWire
Stanching the flow: Rounding out today's “You Really Can Make A Difference!” package of stories, we take you back to the Tar Sands Blockade, where a group of local landowners and activists has managed to stall progress on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. KLTV, Common Dreams
Truth in greenwashing: Looking for a new gadget or gizmo or doodad, but totally confused by all the cavalier claims screaming out at you from the packaging? Eco-friendly! All-natural! Green! Environmentally friendly! What to believe? The Federal Trade Commission is coming to the rescue. The agency is updating -- for the first time since 1998 -- its “Green Guides,” which set the legal standards for what product marketers are and aren’t allowed to say about the relative environmental benefits of products. Christian Science Monitor
Gives him fever: Poor Brian Vastag. He’s a science writer who suddenly found himself the subject in a developing science story. And this protagonist’s role is no fun at all: West Nile virus-afflicted zombie. Washington Post
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: Climate Progress
