Today on NPR's BBC news, there was a lead story about the latest findings about the cost of global warming to society ($7 trillion), and they had some sustainability wiseguy saying how we shouldn't worry so much - industry leaders like GE have recognized the crisis and are modeling their behavior and taking care of the problem - don't make a big deal about the fall of the global economy, as the corporate jets are aloft. Well, I'll point to a different story, on transfats, and dispute that claim.

New York is starting hearings to outlaw transfats in their fine city. As a result, all the fat ass chain restaurants like KFC are reformulating their garbage food to eliminate transfats from their recipes. As a result of New York leadership wisdom, the entire USA country and world will be more healthy. The food industry is of course fighting this, but they lose. Not only does a market of the size of NYNY have more power than the food industry MBA BS, but when something as big as the banning of Transfats by a city the size of NYNY hits the news, people listen. Cleveland can do the same, if our leadership ever takes a leadership position caring about something that matters.

In the report I saw on the NYNY transfat issue on ABC world news tonight, a Yale Public Health spokesperson said you can't count on industry to do the right things, and he is so right. In NEO, we have allowed industry and mainstream media to corrupt environmentalism to rationalize pollution here, and kill the environmental movement, and we call that sustainabilty.  But, what I see from the battle over transfats is, we cannot trust industry to do anything but maximize profits, and that has nothing to do with environmentalism. As such, we have very little in the way of environmentalism here, and lots of money being spent on spin.

To change all this, we need new environmental and health activism. What is in place has failed, and we are a mess, in NEO environmentalism. Can we do better? I'm only one voice, but I say yes. Lead? We are now suing Sherwin Williams. Smoking? Good battle around Issue 5. Transfats? Nothing. Global warming? Nothing. Great Lakes? Nothing. Long way to go.