Venice’s seaport plans to become self-sufficient in its energy needs by building a power plant fueled by algae, in what would be the first facility of its kind in Italy, the port authority said. The plant will be operative in two years.

(Read the full story at Reuters) 

They’ll just publish the newspaper themselves! When a rural CO weekly folds, volunteers step up to fill void, forming a non-profit and doing anything they can so they don’t lose their paper.

(Read more in the LA Times) 

Missouri has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country, thanks in part to its juvenile justice system, which emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups, constant therapeutic interventions and minimal force. When someone becomes unruly, the other youths are trained to talk him down.

Missouri and other states are using these new approaches to try to stem the flow of adults behind bars, and it is working…

(Read the very encouraging report in the NY Times)

From the Acropolis in Greece to the Giza Pyramids to the Empire State Building in New York, illuminated patches of the globe went dark Saturday for Earth Hour, a campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.

Photo: The Empire State Building dims during Earth Hour (c) Jin Lee from WWF

The Salvation Army Central Territory-made up of 11 states in the Midwest-announced today that a total of $3.6 million will be distributed to assist newly unemployed persons throughout the Midwest.

The money will be used exclusively for families and individuals who are in crisis as a result of unemployment occurring after Oct. 1, 2008.

Creating a day of global solidarity, 2848 cities and towns in 83 countries across seven continents have signed up to observe Earth Hour by turning off their lights. (Photo, Sydney turned off its lights in 2008)

From the small island nations of the South Pacific to the densely populated cities of the Americas, millions of people from all walks of life and corners of the world will participate in the third annual Earth Hour, including 66 national capitals and 9 of the10 most populated cities: New York, London, Beijing, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Berlin, Rome, Athens, Cairo. L.A., and Washington DC. 

The Great Pyramids of Giza, the world’s greatest symbol of the power of collective action, head up a list of 829 landmarks around the world switching off their lights for Earth Hour, including, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Empire State Building, the Acropolis, the Colosseum in Rome, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Arc de Triomphe, Sydney’s Opera House, the Las Vegas Strip, Niagara Falls and the Sears Tower.

The US Environmental Protection Agency this week called for a halt to select mountaintop removal permits, in order to address their impact on water quality.

Two letters were sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of strip mining practices, particularly mountaintop removal, where the top of a mountain is blown off, showering rock and debris into valleys and stream.