Green groups say more action, less talk needed on environment

Green groups are stepping up their pressure on governments around Australia to make more progress on a range of environmental issues.

Some campaigners say they're tired of the slow pace of reform on issues ranging from container deposit legislation to a ban on plastic bags and what to do with the mountains of electronic waste created by TV sets, mobile phones and computers.

And as Simon Santow reports, they're hoping that a meeting of Federal, State and Territory environment ministers in Hobart today will bring meaningful change, rather than talk and more hollow announcements.

SIMON SANTOW: Environment groups are impatient for change when they say they can see solutions to problems but very few are being acted upon.

Obama Nominates Superfund Polluter Lawyer To Run DOJ Environment Division

President Barack Obama has nominated a lawyer for the nation’s largest toxic polluters to run the enforcement of the nation’s environmental laws. On Tuesday, Obama “announced his intent to nominate” Ignacia S. Moreno to be Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice. Moreno, general counsel for that department during the Clinton administration, is now the corporate environmental counsel for General Electric, “America’s #1 Superfund Polluter“:

Number five in the Fortune 500 with revenues of $89.3 billion and earnings of $8.2 billion in 1997, General Electric has been a leader in the effort to roll back the Superfund law and stave off any requirements for full cleanup and restoration of sites they helped create.

Replace old refrigerator to save money, help preserve environment

Is your refrigerator eating you out of house and home?

Chances are, if it's more than 10 years old, it's gulping enough energy to put a serious hurt on your wallet.Now that the federal stimulus bill is funneling $300 million into rebates for energy-efficient appliances, perhaps it's time to consider upgrading.

Even though the money isn't available now and the rules haven't been set up, common sense says that whenever the program begins, you'll want to be ready. With 112 million households in the country, that $300 million won't go far.

Over all, the trusty fridge is one heck of a guzzler, using anywhere from 5 percent to 8 percent of household energy, more than any other appliance.