November/December 2008 Issue

Table of Contents

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the challenge

Can We Save the Planet and Rescue the Economy at the Same Time?

Al Gore on America’s next moon shot.

By Al Gore

The Seven Deadly Deficits

What the Bush years really cost us, and how President Obama can get the economy back on track.

By Joseph E. Stiglitz
Illustration by Guy Billout

turning point

The Most Important Number on Earth

Now that we’re way past the carbon tipping point, it’s time to freak out—and get to work.

By Bill McKibben
Illustration by Sam Weber

Are Shorter Showers Beside the Point?

We did the math.

By Steve Aquino and Gary Moskowitz

A Glossary of Sustainability Lingo

We decode green lingo, from “upcycling” to “LOHAS.”

By Elizabeth Gettelman

lose carbon now

Diet for a Warm Planet

The secret to cutting carbon? A dieting support group.

By Julia Whitty
Illustration by Katy Lemay

Your Top 20 Econundrums—Solved!

Disposable or cloth diapers? Netflix or video store? Our green advice guide goes way beyond paper v. plastic.

By Ben Whitford
Illustration by Mark Allen Miller

Ecogeek Deathmatch: Ed Begley Jr. v. Bill Nye, Science Guy

Which Hollywood do-gooder has the greenest crib? A no-holds-barred fight to the furnished.

By Kiera Butler

industrial revolution

The Truth About Green Jobs

When they’re coming, who will get them, and how to prevent their outsourcing.

By David Roberts
Photo Collage by Tim J Luddy

What About the Dirty Jobs?

Why green-collar gurus should stop condescending to the brown-collar crowd.

By Chris Lehmann
Illustration by Jonathan Twingley

How Ford Lost Focus

For a decade, Bill Ford Jr. talked up fuel economy while his company peddled gas-guzzling SUVs and monster trucks. Is it too late for the automaker to shift gears to alternative fuels?

By Fara Warner

The Science Project

How to kick-start clean tech.

By Chris Mooney
Additional reporting by Sheril Kirshenbaum
Illustration by John Hersey

When Tree Sitters Heart Lumberjacks

America’s most hated loggers are trying to hug change. Does the Lorax need a new BFF?

By Josh Harkinson

Big Green Brother

When Wal-Mart tells its workers to live and breathe sustainability, is it (a) creepy, (b) innovative, (c) greenwashing, (d) all of the above?

By Katharine Mieszkowski

Greens Gone Wild

Who says skivvies, sex, and booze can’t factor into the sustainability equation?

By Elizabeth Gettelman

Ripe for the Pickens

Has legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens really gone green?

By Josh Harkinson

capitol improvements

Earth to Washington

What will it take for DC to wake up to global warming?

By David Corn
Illustration by Steve Brodner

Let’s Go Europe

The EU embraced sustainability. Could Brussels’ green economy sprout in America?

By Mark Schapiro
Illustration by Jean-Francois Martin

The Great Persuader

Can Obama walk his talk?

By Kevin Drum

MacGyver Without Borders

Five cool ideas for saving the world on a shoestring.

By Nikki Gloudeman

Cats v. Dogs: Which Pet Is Greener?

Tallying your best friend’s carbon pawprint.

By Ben Whitford

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payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

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