ak in the news: shishmaref and wal-mart

Shishmaref was in the news today for reportedly dodging the climate change bullet. A big storm was forecast, but sea ice that blew in with the storm ended up protecting the eroding village. It looks like KTUU flew a reporter out there for the storm. Doug O'Harra had a report, too, as did the ADN.
O'Harra had this on big-picture temperature records for '07, and KTUU reported that Alaska Airlines put wingtips on its first 737-900 in a move that's expected to reduce fuel consumption in the plane by three percent, saving about 100,000 gallons a year.
In national news, the IPCC is planning to release a summary report soon, and Wal-Mart has just put out its first sustainability report. Here's Grist's take. Here's Wal-Mart's own info. People have lots of reasons to complain about the super chain, and there's probably interesting arguments over their environmental impact. But when a giant like that starts using language like this, it's a pretty big deal.

What we are learning about our footprint on the environment is both shocking and inspiring. Despite our excellence in efficiency, commerce creates a lot of waste. Fortunately, we've identified plenty of opportunities that, if captured, can transform our entire industry. Because we're experimenting in many areas, we expect to make mistakes along the way.

Wal-Mart's stated goals include "to be supplied 100% by renewable energy" and "to create zero waste."
Oh, and Jill Homer, bike blogger and Juneau Empire layout person, is famous!