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Greener Than Thou: SF Scores

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Greener Than Thou is our report on San Francisco’s obsession with all things green, calling bullshit in the poseurs and lavishing praise on those who have secured their place in environmental paradise. Recycle your food into cloth or, better yet, shoes? Holler!

This week's been a hell of a go on the green front, as San Francisco has scored both wins and losses in the fight to save Mumsy Earth from All Things Environmentally Unsound. To wit:

WIN: Mayor Gavin "Hair" Newsom introduced a move to "[help] industry and consumers balance their impact on global warming" by filling a piggy bank with proceeds gained from carbon offset fees. City government departments will be required to kick in a chunk of change for each and every air/ road trip embarked upon, with the hope of an overall decrease in travel. No fun! Newsom has criticized offset programs in the private sector as having "no transparency or accountability." Let's see how this one stands up in comparison. [SF Gate]

LOSS: Denied! The EPA shot down Callie's move to be the first in the U.S. of A. to place greenhouse gas limits on S.U.V.'s, trucks, and regular old cars. The Bush and his Administration cited the need for "a clear national solution — not a confusing patchwork of state rules" said EPA admin Stephen L. Johnson. [USA Today]
WIN: Gavin and company hustled $82 million in federal funding for cleanup of the Hunters Point Shipyard in the coming year. Quote: “With these funds in hand, the City will be able to continue moving forward with its plans to transform the long-shuttered Shipyard from a environmental blight on the community into a world-class location providing waterfront parks, thousands of jobs, affordable housing and a major clean technology campus.” End quote. [SF Sentinel]

[Hunters Point Shipyard courtesy mindfully.org]