Adam Werbach, former president of the Sierra Club, made a pretty powerful speech a few weeks back in which he argued that the environmental movement needs to re-integrate itself with the broader progressive movement in order to win a new generation of victories.

Adam works over much the same territory as Shellenberger and Nordhaus do in their recent “Death of Environmentalism” paper, but does it far more eloquently, and couches a strong critique in a more positive, less antagonistic tone. Because of this, I think it stands a better chance of generating the kind of conversations this movement desperately needs to have.

Well worth a read (or a listen.)

On a related theme, Alex Steffen thinks that “bright green thinking” is the way forward.

Look at the explosion of interest in bright green technologies in the design professions, in business and in popular culture. From Hollywood to Wall Street to the radical fringe of design innovation, there’s a sense that a cultural moment is unfolding. An awareness that sustainability can be cosmopolitan and urban, stylish and dynamic, profitable and progressive.

I know I can provide anecdotal evidence for the trend myself: I’ve been getting a bunch of calls from journalists and requests to speak to groups in the last month or so. Other allies I’ve spoken to report a similar buzz. Heck, even the parties are getting better, like the Treehugger launch party the other night, which was jammed with hip, interesting people having a fabulous time and talking about how to change the world.

Having a fabulous time. Changing the world. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Alex Steffen at WorldChanging enthusiastically recommends a short essay by Chris Mooney in the Columbia Journalism Review called Blinded By Science: How ‘Balanced’ Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality, calling it “one of the finest pieces I’ve seen on how and why the media has failed so completely to educate the American public on the massive environmental dangers we face.”

Indeed. This short-but-powerful piece is a great lesson in the dangers of “phony balance” in scientific journalism, and is well worth reading for any environmental activist who is concerned about how the media presents science to the public.

Having just returned from a two-day pow-wow of Northwest and Southwest conservation leaders, it was with some pleasure that Dave Roberts at Grist drew my attention to PPI: Four Ideas for the Next Four Years from the Progressive Policy Institute.

I was even more pleased to see that their “big four”ideas were:

1. Champion Clean Growth
2. Win the West
3. Green the Suburbs
4. Modernize Environmental Management

Good stuff. I look forward to reading this report more closely.