BYOB at the grocery store

We've come a long way since Mr. McGuire offered his famous one-word career advice to Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate" back in 1967.

But nowadays, plastics has become as taboo as coal-fired power plants.

Just in time for Earth Day next Tuesday, Whole Foods Market is scrapping its sturdy khaki plastic bags, leaving clerks to simply offer, "Paper, or your own?"

BYOB in shopping parlance these days refers to bringing your own re-usable bag to the grocery store -- perfect for those picking up a few fresh items.

Whole Foods is getting rid of its plastic bags to help the Earth -- and save face as a company that cares about things such as fair trade and locally-grown produce as a means to combat world hunger and global warming.

The revolution, if it's actually coming, is going to take some getting used to. The Whole Foods bags are incomparable in quality for re-use as trash can liners and for holding the dreaded scoopings from the cat's litter box. Paper bags just don't double as good scent containers or moisture battlers.

And if I'm now off to the store to buy plastic garbage bags, it doesn't seem as though I'm reducing the landfill problem much.

But in the spirit of helping where I can, I'm switching to paper at the grocery store. And in case you're in the mood, too, other chains are stressing re-usable bags for your shopping needs.

Vons will give you one for free if you spend $50. Albertson's has the bags on sale for $1 each. Smith's circular also stresses the availability of re-usable bags for purchase.

I kind of wish I was still young enough to get career advice from Mr. McGuire. Seems to me the future is still in plastics -- but today, it's about how to make them biodegradable.

The Summerlin Earth Faire will be held Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. in the Summerlin Centre Community Park. The event, sponsored by Howard Hughes Corp. is in its fifth year. This year's fair features 60 exhibitors including the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association, the Red Rock Audubon Society and Solar NV.

It's free, and it's the biggest Earth Day celebration in Southern Nevada. And, this being Las Vegas, there are also some interesting "conservation" groups on the exhibitor list. For instance, there's the ubiquitous Americans for Balanced Energy Sources. You know, the coal lobby making us all feel good on TV with "Celebration."

Anyway, Earth Faire doesn't discriminate, so you're likely to find mining alongside the Sierra Club, and everything in between.

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Renowned climatologist James Hansen received the Nevada Medal from the Desert Research Institute this week for his scientific achievements, which for the past three decades have focused on raising awareness about global warming.

Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is not shy about raising his voice. And after the Bush administration tried to silence him after a speech he gave on global warming, Hansen should speak up.

So on the occasion of his award, Hansen wrote to Gov. Jim Gibbons urging him to "come down firmly on the side of clean energy and energy efficiency" by blocking permits for Sierra Pacific's planned coal-fired power plants in Eastern Nevada.

Gibbons was out of town for the big dinner in Reno on Tuesday evening, And that just helped Harry Reid step into the void with another ally in his battle against the planned power plants.

In his letter for the DRI program, Reid wrote directly to Hansen: "Your study of the effects of greenhouse gas and your consistent call to reduce emissions serve as an important reminder that we all bear responsibility in maintaining a healthy world. As we strive to understand the delicate ecosystem in which we live, we are fortunate to have your body of work available as the basis for environmental policy decisions."

In her letter for the program, Rep. Shelley Berkley thanked Hansen for his work and his "bravery."

Both Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jon Porter essentially credited Hansen as a leading climatologist.

Rep. Dean Heller actually read the guy's bio and seemed impressed at the length of time the scientist has devoted to becoming a leading authority on climate change.

So as long as we're politicizing Nevada's top scientific honor, Gibbons deserves to be slammed for a) being in absentia to attend a political meeting; b) ignoring Hansen's letter and c) failing to hold Sierra Pacific to cleaner technologies that truly sequester the emissions.

If we're going to have more coal as part of our future energy mix, we should make it something to really celebrate.

Maybe as it awards its 40th scientific medal, DRI will be focusing on the scientists who helped make Nevada a renewable energy leader in solar, biomass and wind. Maybe it'll take until the golden anniversary for the Silver State's medal.

Scientific progress certainly won't happen under Gibbons.

Contact Erin Neff at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.