Change you can chew on

Every time President Barack Obama speaks, MSNBC political pundit Chris Matthews gets a little shiver up his leg. Auntie Ruth will spare you her physical reaction to the president’s speech to the joint session of Congress last week. Suffice to say that when Obama boldly stated, “[T]o truly transform our economy, protect our security and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy,” it was positively orgasmic. It’s not all talk, either. Lisa Jackson, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has stated that the agency may begin regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions as early as April.

Don’t expect the dinosaurs to give up without a fight. Former President George W. Bush is already prowling the western hemisphere in his promised bid to refill his coffers. First stop: Alberta, Canada, where Bush will speak before a private audience of 1,500 people. But don’t believe Bushie has been banished to the boondocks. Alberta provides two-thirds of Canada’s oil and natural gas and is home to the infamous tar sands project, the largest and most environmentally destructive strip-mining operation in human history. There may be the equivalent of 173 billion barrels of oil beneath Alberta, but extracting it is proving to be more costly and environmentally damaging than it’s worth. In fact, in January, the conservative Economist magazine called the project a bust. Nevertheless, you can count on our fossil-fueled ex-president to squeeze Canada for every last drop.

If you’re still left with an oily residue in your mouth despite Bush’s departure, you’re in luck. From out of the kitchens of Heaven Scent Natural Foods come Eco-Planet organic cookies and crackers. “Our mission is to make great-tasting organic cookies that not only delight kids’ fussy palates, but also inspire them to become environmental stewards of the highest degree,” the company states, and to that end, they use only 100 percent organic ingredients and as much renewable energy as they can pipe into the building. Best of all, the cookies come in fun shapes symbolizing solar power, wind power, the globe and, get this, a Toyota Prius. Check ’em out at www.eco-planet.net. Now that’s change you can chew on.