Another Western Australian Family Company Bought

"In a move perhaps motivated by a realisation that the company needed greater perspective and better resourcing beyond just a localised base and parochial attitude TCC Group a predominantly family based company was sold to international oil and gas services provider Cape Plc.The changes that this will bring in regrd to change management/organisational change will be interesting to say the least.To have to have sold to an overseas company is perhaps sad in the sens e that it no longer is a purely western australian owned and operated company but one controlled and based ultimately in the UK.Implications for sustainability devlopment/approaches and health and safety perspectives and fit will be intertesting to see as well.The company goes from approximately 700 workers to connecting with a company that has 8000 workers in 24 countries.similarity in activities is one fit the company has ..but cultures will of course still have to be merged and evolve/be managed effectively to gain the best out of such a deal.Lets hope for the best."

[q url="http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/en-story/1/56085/UK-s-Cape-buys-TCC-from-Iannello-family-for-85m"]Sunday August 26, 2007

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UK's Cape buys TCC from Iannello family for $85m

23-August-07 by Mark Pownall

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UK-headquartered oil services company Cape plc has bought Kwinana-based mining and industrial processing services company TCC Group in a cash and scrip deal worth at least $85 million.

The acquisition follows Cape's failure earlier this month to secure PCH Group Ltd for $1.30 per share(about $230 million) making the offer after conducting due diligence.

The TCC sale is one of a number of recent significant private sell-downs of services companies in Western Australia as founders and management seek to take advantage of the buoyant times.

Formerly Total Corrosion Control, TCC's sellers Terry and Tony Iannello and Sam Cinalli can boost the sale price by up to a further $12.5 million if the WA operation achieves its earnings target for the year ending June 2008.

In a statement released to the London Stock Exchange, Cape said it will pay an initial $65 million in cash and $20 million in new Cape shares, in what is its third acqusition for the year.

TCC, which operates mainly in Western Australia, had earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation of $14.9 million in the year to end-June on turnover of $113.6 million.

TCC has regional offices in Karratha, Port Hedland and Portland in Victoria.Its main customers are BHP Billiton, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, BP Refineries, the Murrin Murrin Nickel Mine and Woodside.

TCC managing director Terry Iannello, who was one of the group's founders 25 years ago, said Cape's international strengths would be well coupled with the TCC Group's long expertise in the Australian market.

Mr Iannello said the existing management planned to stay on and the group would eventually trade as Cape TCC.

He said Cape has a small office in Australia, having downsized its presence here since the two companies last worked alongside eachother on the North West Shelf's third train.

"We need to grow over east and get bigger and have the capacity to take on bigger projects," Mr Iannello said.

Cape has more than 8,000 staff operating in 26 countries, TCC has 700.

Also announced today, Perth's MacCormick family has agreed to sell its Maddington-based engineering and tunnelling business, DJ&MB MacCormick Civil Engineering, to ASX-listed contractor Walter Diversified Services Ltd for $35 million.

Other recent deals include:

Sydney-based Crane Group Ltd bought Welshpool's Kingston Bridge Engineering Pty Ltd for $100 million

English company Intertek Group plc paid $56 million for Maddington-based minerals testing business Genalysis Laboratory Services Pty Ltd.

Belmont-based Paladio Group Ltd paid $54 million for Pilbara construction firm Decmil Australia Pty Ltd.

Northbridge-headquartered VDM Group Ltd acquired Welshpool earthmoving contractor Malavoca for $45 million, the biggest of $98 million in purchases which also included Wylie & Skene, Como Engineers and Barlow Gregg.

ASX-listed Coote Industrial Ltd, another Maddington company, paid $25 million for Kewdale rail company South Spur Rail Services, before also buying North Fremantle-based FCD Container Logistics for $12.5 million. Coote aslo bought GEMCO Rail for $33.8 million.

West Perth-based engineering services company Neptune Marine Services Ltd bought Midland company Tri-Surv Pty Ltd, paying $16.4 million in cash and scrip for the specialist hydrographic surveyor. It also bought Subsea Developments Australia for at least $5.5 million, plus earn-out.

Late last year, NSW-based steel player Bradken acquired Wundowie Foundry Pty Ltd in Western Australia for $8 million.

Cape PLC (AIM:CIU), the international provider of essential support services to

the energy sector, announces that it has agreed to acquire the Australian based

Total Corrosion Control group of companies ("TCC Group").

These arrangements, which are due to complete on 31 August 2007, are between

Cape Australia Investments Pty Limited ("Cape Australia"), a wholly-owned

subsidiary of Cape PLC and the shareholders of TCC Holdings (2005) Pty Ltd ("TCC

Holdings"), the ultimate holding company of the TCC Group.

Cape Australia has agreed to acquire all of the issued share capital of TCC

Holdings for a consideration that reflects an enterprise value for the TCC Group

of A$85.0 million (£34.3 million)1.. Subject to the TCC Group achieving its

earnings target for the year ending 30 June 2008, up to a further A$12.5 million

(£5.1 million) will be payable.

The initial consideration payable at completion will comprise A$65.0 million

(£26.3 million) in cash and A$20.0 million (£8.1 million) in Cape new ordinary

shares ("Initial Consideration Shares") (at an issue price per share calculated

by reference to the volume weighted average price of Cape's ordinary shares over

the five business days immediately preceding 31 August 2007) which will be

subject to orderly market provisions concerning their disposal over the two

years following completion. The additional consideration will be payable in

cash.

At completion, application will be made for the Initial Consideration Shares to

be admitted to trading on AIM.

The TCC Group, which operates mainly in Western Australia, offers a wide range

of industrial services to blue chip clients in the mining, oil, gas and

construction industries. The TCC Group specializes in the provision of blasting,

industrial painting, protective coatings, thermal and acoustic insulation, sheet

metal fabrication, rubber lining and access scaffolding. The TCC Group is

headquartered in Kwinana where it operates one of the largest blasting and

painting workshops in the world. It also has regional offices at Karratha and

Port Hedland. Its principal customers are BHP Billiton, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, BP

Refineries, the Murrin Murrin Nickel Mine and Woodside.

In the year to 30 June 2007, the TCC Group's turnover was A$113.6 million (£45.9

million), its earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortization were

A$14.9 million (£6.0 million) and it generated earnings before interest and tax

of A$14.0 million (£5.6 million). The approximate value of the net assets being

acquired at completion is A$ 18.2 million (£7.4 million). Cape's Directors are

of the opinion that the acquisition will be earnings enhancing in the first

year. 2.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance and DLA Phillips Fox acted for Cape on

this transaction. Middletons acted for the TCC Group's current shareholders.

1. For the purposes of this announcement a conversion rate of A$1: £0.404 has

been used.

2. This statement should not be interpreted as a profit forecast and does not

necessarily mean that Cape's future earnings per share will match or exceed

Cape's reported historical earnings.

Cape's Chief Executive, Martin May, said:

"Cape's agreement to acquire the TCC Group is a major milestone in the

achievement of Cape's international strategic plan. I am pleased to say that our

dealings with the TCC Group, from initial discussions through exclusivity and

due diligence to completion, have been conducted in a timely and professional

manner which is much to the credit of the TCC Group's vendors, advisers and

senior management.

Cape's Directors believe that following completion of the acquisition

agreements, the TCC Group will bring immediate benefits to both businesses. The

TCC Group will provide a stable platform from which to develop Cape's existing

Far East/ Pacific Rim businesses while significantly extending Cape's footprint

in the region. The TCC Group's blasting, painting, insulation and access

services are all key components of Cape's core disciplines. The TCC Group's

established presence in Australia's booming resources sector offers Cape an

opening into a huge new market. With this platform in place, Cape will not

solely be reliant on making acquisitions in Australia but will also be able to

achieve organic growth by competing on both price and quality of service.

We are also delighted to have secured the continuing involvement of the TCC

Group's highly experienced senior management team and its skilled blue-collar

workforce. Moreover, as part of its commitment to the region, Cape plans over

the coming months to relocate its regional head office from Singapore to Perth,

Western Australia. In the meantime, Cape will shortly complete on a lease of

premises in the Darwin area from which to support offshore works on the North

West Shelf and will continue to pursue other complementary acquisition

opportunities and targets in Australia."

Terry Iannello, the TCC Group's Managing Director, said:

"The TCC Group is excited by the new phase of growth offered by our inclusion in

the Cape group of companies. Cape's international strengths, coupled with the

TCC Group's long expertise in the Australian market, will provide many

additional benefits and services to our clients, as well as additional

opportunities for our staff and management. We look forward to working together

to provide even more high quality services to the energy, mining, oil and gas

industries in Australia. We have also been impressed with the ease of the

process and the negotiations with Cape and look forward to working together as

Cape TCC."

Cape PLC is the parent company of a number of service providing organizations

operating primarily in the oil and gas, petrochemical and power generation

industries.

In the year to 31 December 2006, Cape reported turnover of £295.5 million.

Cape currently employs c. 8,200 people in 23 countries worldwide.

Cape specialises in the provision of scaffolding, insulation, fire protection,

specialist cleaning and other essential services to major industrial clients in

the energy sector.

Cape's ability to provide specialist cleaning services was enhanced by the

acquisition of DBI Group Limited in October 2006.

On 23 April 2007, Cape's shareholders approved the placing of 26,923,077

ordinary shares at £2.60 per share to raise £70 million (before expenses).

On 6 June 2007, Cape acquired Total Rope Access International Limited.

On 22 June 2007, Cape acquired Endecon Limited.

[/q]

10 kinds of people: Sustainable practitioners and the guzzlers

An interesting article from Computing for Sustainability.It takes some interesting perspectives and reflections upon sustainbility as a lifestyle choice that at times needs focus and clarification.It cites also the importance of education.

[q

url="http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/10-kinds-of-people-sustainable-practitioners-and-the-guzzlers/"]10 kinds of people: Sustainable practitioners and the guzzlers

Posted by Samuel Mann under CfS_Agenda , CfS_Agenda4-CurrentStatus , Education for Sustainability , curriculum , sustainability , ethics , research

The world is made up of 10 kinds of people: those who are sustainable practitioners and those who aren’t (OK, old computing joke). Suggesting that there are only two groups is clearly far too simplistic, but we need to know where people are so that we can work with them for the better.

The fourth item on the CfS Agenda is to work towards an understanding of current levels of sustainability:

4. Develop an understanding of the current status of sustainability (values, awareness, knowledge, skills & behaviours) of all our stakeholders (students, intake, stakeholders, staff, graduates, professional/trade connections and our respective Iwi partners).

How might we describe people’s sustainabilityness as a basis for computing education for sustainability? What matters is both perceptions and actions. The Accountability21 report identified that the majority of people recognised the issue (in that case of climate change), but didn’t know what actions to take (my review).

In Integral Communications for Sustainability Barrett C. Brown describes five ecological selves. He then describes different methods of communicating with these groups. The “EcoGuardian”, for example can be described as:

Eco-Guardian, romantic ethos, respects Nature; return to lost ecological, paradise; “tribal”

their ‘hot buttons’ in successful communication are:

Refer to traditional rituals, ceremonies, icons; reference mystical elements, superstitions, magic; appeal to extended family, harmony, and safety; honor blood bonds, the folk, the group, taboos; rely little on written language and facts; use storytelling, emotions, drama, songs, dances, imaginative 2D images

The “Eco-Warrior” by contrast can be described as

Eco-Warrior heroic ethos, Conquer Nature; reject civilization; fight “the system”; macho

and is excited by:

Demonstrate “What’s in it for me, now?”; offer “Immediate gratification if…”; challenge and appeal to machismo/strength; point out heroic status and legendary potential; be flashy, unambiguous, reality-based, and strong; use simple language and fiery images/ graphics; appeal to narcissistic tendencies

In a different approach, although old, Dunlap and Van Liere’s (1978) New Environmental Paradigm is widely used. This environmental attitude survey essentially seeks to establish the extent to which people agree with this set of statements:

# We are approaching the limit of the number of people the earth can support.

# The balance of nature is very delicate and easily upset.

# Humans have the right to modify the natural environment.

# Humankind was created to rule over the rest of nature.

# When humans interfere with nature it often produces disastrous consequences.

# Plants and animals exist primarily to be used by humans.

# To maintain a healthy economy we will have to develop a “steady state” economy where industrial growth is controlled.

# Humans must live in harmony with nature in order to survive.

# The earth is like a spaceship with only limited room and resources.

# Humans need not adapt to the natural environment because they can remake it to suit their needs.

# There are limits to growth beyond which our industrialized society cannot expand.

# Mankind is severely abusing the environment.

What is not clear is how these attitudes are related to a person’s professional roles and actions.

We need to develop a measure that can be widely applied (to students and other stakeholders) in order to drive CfS curriculum planning. In addition to getting a scope of actual curriculum areas (Green RFPs, Energy management and so on), we need to come to an understanding of people’s perceptions regarding sustainability. Once we have a feel for the characteristics of groups of our student body we can sensibly address their learning.

This means we need a system to investigate understanding of sustainability, beliefs about sustainability, current actions and change agents, understanding about the role of sustainability in their future careers. As part of this, we need to consider current understandings of discipline specific areas - what, for example can we assume about naive understandings of ethical priorities.

What else do we need?

One Response to “10 kinds of people: Sustainable practitioners and the guzzlers”

1. c! Says:

August 5, 2007 at 9:14 am

> What else do we need?

We need educators themselves to take such an environmental attitude survey and consider what it means for their own ability to teach certain things. While sustainability as a concept may not be inherently pluralistic, there is a tremendous plurality of people pushing a huge variety of methods to reach sustainability. Some of these are undoubtedly mutually exclusive, and I would expect to see the same problems extend to education unless there is some serious soul-searching and consensus among educators at a large scale.

[/q]

Sustainability Auditing,Coaching and definitions

In the ongoing discussions I have with many workers and employees,consultants working in the broadly catered for area of sustainability there is still much gettoising and narrow viewing of sustainability practices and indeed trying to not make transversalist connections and solidarities, but fragmenting artificially off sectors,industries and connections to green politics,art and other 'balanceing' and overall justice making activities.This is not helpful because the concept of sustainability though vague at times,covering and being used as a deceptive blanket at times for imperfect approaches...can be used as a unifying and solidarity/collaboration making banner to open and involve many conceptually linked root children and branches of the core striven values of sustainability..., if only the values can be seen expressed ,clarified and doors open to them in the various sectors.

Deep Green in the US elections?

''Who would have thought that in such a conservative state of politics that in the USA such a candidate would arise .I suppose the extreme state of USA politics can breed such responses. How popular a reading and support he will get will be interesting to follow.I have 'nt seen any equivalent statements by any of our local Australian politicians in the green arena made public as yet...though I am sure there are those with many sympathetic ears and eyes for this sort of belief.We will see what impact he has on USA politics and defacto Australia as this person gets more coverage."





Kucinich on the Record
An interview with Dennis Kucinich about his presidential platform on energy and the environment
By Amanda Griscom Little
01 Aug 2007
Read more about: climate | Dennis Kucinich | elections | energy | politics | presidential race 08 | all of these topics
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Grist and Outside
This is part of a series of interviews with presidential candidates produced jointly by Grist and Outside.
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich.
Photo: SEIU via flickr

He may be eating the front-runners' dust in the polls, but among deep-green voters, Dennis Kucinich is considered a trailblazer. A Democratic U.S. rep from Cleveland, Ohio, Kucinich is calling for a radical overhaul of the U.S. government and economy -- one that infuses every agency in the executive branch with a sustainability agenda, phases out coal and nuclear power entirely, and calls on every American to ratchet down their resource consumption and participate in a national conservation program.

A vegan who counts Ralph Nader among his heroes, Kucinich doesn't exactly embody the sensibility of the average American. He says his commitment to sustainability "extends to everything I am and do" -- from the food he eats and clothes he wears to the policies he espouses. It's the same progressive platform that made him a darling of the far left when he ran for president in 2004. Will it take him any further this time around?

I reached Kucinich by phone at his home in Ohio.

For more info on his platform and record, check out Grist's Kucinich fact sheet.



question Why should voters consider you the strongest green candidate?

answer Because mostly our candidates aren't going to be able to do anything about the underlying issues that threaten our environment. Many of the candidates -- Edwards, Obama, and Clinton -- are heavily funded by hedge funds on Wall Street, which are driven by a psychology of short-term profits and investments. And with candidates taking that kind of money from those interests, it defies belief that they're going to be in a position to take this country in the direction it needs to be taken.


question What sets your green platform apart from the rest?

answer As president of the United States, I'm going to shift the entire direction of America. We need to see the connection between global warring and global warming, and it's oil. Sustainability is the path to peace. And I'm the only true peace candidate in this election. So peace means being in harmony with nature. If you're in harmony with nature, you don't exploit nature. You don't ruin the land, you don't extract the oil, you don't take the coal out of the earth.

My underlying philosophy is a green philosophy. It means that I'm looking at a total reorganization of the federal government to create a cooperative and synergistic relationship between all departments and administrations for the purpose of greening America.

question You propose, for instance, the Works Green Administration.

answer The Works Green Administration harkens back to the days of Franklin Roosevelt and the Works Progress Administration, where he put millions of people back to work rebuilding America's infrastructure. I too have an infrastructure-rebuilding program which will put millions of people back to work. Picture this: You take every area of involvement in the federal government -- whether it's the Small Business Administration, or the Housing and Urban Development Department, or the Department of Agriculture, or the Department of Labor. Each would incorporate green goals. We'd have billions of dollars loaned to the states at zero interest for green development programs, we'd have programs furthering green housing, agricultural policies would relate to green.

question Do you think Americans are ready to answer the call to conserve?

answer Of course they are, they're just waiting for leadership, and it has to come from somebody who's not tied to any of these interest groups, or is worried about whether he's going to offend a contributor. And so, yes, I think people know that their future's at stake.

What I intend to do as president is to call for that instinct which is within every person for not just survival but to be able to thrive. We need to make the connection between prosperity and sustainability. And it also means we have to turn toward peace. We have to stop warring, because war is ecocide, war destroys the environment. And so I'm going to call forth the people of this country for a whole new direction. I think America's not just ready for it, it's overdue and people know that.

I will also ask the American people to participate in a grand and great conservation effort. Imagine if tens of millions of homes suddenly had an awareness that when you don't need the electricity, don't flip the switch. That you use only the water that you need and you don't use any more, you don't let the faucet run.

question Do you believe that we need a carbon tax in addition to a cap-and-trade program, or neither, or both?

answer We need to do whatever we can do to create disincentives for the use of carbon-based energy. But that's not enough. Carbon-based taxes alone won't cut it, because some people may be willing to pay an extra tax to use something that's bad for the environment. Inevitably we need a requirement to move away from all carbon-based technologies, and to fund fully all alternative-energy research that is in harmony with the environment.

question So you would propose a strict cap on carbon emissions, a carbon tax, and a massive government-supported plan to promote renewable technologies?

answer Yes, but I'd want to put the emphasis first on the government supporting renewable technologies. A tax could reflect the full cost to society of certain types of energy. But the answer is not simply punishing those people who are using carbons. You have to do everything you can to move people toward renewable energy.

question You've been calling for years for a renewable portfolio standard that would have the U.S. get 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2010. Now that 2010 is around the corner, what sort of RPS plan would you implement as president?

answer Well, obviously we've lost the advantage of that particular time frame. For the next time frame, I think we could set something by 2020 and look to 30 or 40 percent. But that means we're talking about a very sharp turnaround here.

question How would you shift the utility industry toward renewables, toward this whole new paradigm?

answer One of my proposals is to have millions of homes with wind and solar technologies, and people can sell energy back to the grid. The role of utilities will change dramatically because it's not going to be a centralized approach toward energy production. They'll have to figure out different ways that they might be able to provide support for green alternatives. I want to see, eventually, all the homes in this country have the option of that technology. In turn, you can create millions of jobs building alternative technologies.

question Would nuclear power play any role in your energy policy as president?

answer Nuclear has to be phased out. The hidden costs of nuclear are enormous -- of building these plants and storing the waste forever. It's not financially or environmentally sustainable.

question Nuclear makes up 20 percent of America's electricity supply. What would you replace this with?

answer You don't want to leave a gap in our energy needs, but at the same time, with a program of conservation and movement toward alternative energy, we can begin phasing out nuclear.

question What about coal, the source of more than half of our electricity supply? Would you phase that out, or do you believe in the promise of advanced coal technologies?

answer No, coal has to be phased out. In the same way that the Department of Agriculture for years was paying some farmers not to grow, I think we can get to the point of paying coal miners not to mine. Why should the miners have to suffer from the lack of foresight of our energy policies? That's something that I intend to address in my Works Green Administration.

question The electric utility industry would argue that such a massive shift would pass along huge rate hikes to consumers. How would you protect Americans from these expenses?

answer We do not need to be held hostage by the utility industry. I'm not someone who's going to roll over when these utility industries issue their threats. We're going to break up the monopolies in utilities, that's No. 1. No. 2, these utilities are going to be closely regulated for their activities. No. 3, they're going to be required to go green as license conditions. No. 4, they're going to be closely monitored and shut down if they violate the Clean Air Act. We're going to have a very aggressive EPA, and utilities are not going to be dictating energy costs. I don't mind working with them, I don't mind moving toward areas where they can be cooperative in protecting the environment, but they're not going to run energy policy.

question But such a transition would create huge costs. How would you pay for them?

answer It pays for itself. See, the whole idea about sustainability is that you conserve, you save, and then you use the savings for other things. However, where we need financial incentives, this is where the government can play a major role in putting money into circulation for the production of these [green] products, and to put people to work. Roosevelt understood in the '30s that there were things he had to do to move the economy. And I understand what we need to do to move the economy in a green direction.

question Do you support subsidies for ethanol or other gasoline alternatives, like biodiesel?

answer I don't know about subsidies. I think those technologies are transitional to fuel-cell technology. I wouldn't want to create incentives to lock us into usages that are not where we ultimately want to go. And there is a serious issue with ethanol and its impact on food supplies.

question Many argue that the U.S. shouldn't commit to a global greenhouse-gas reduction target that doesn't involve China and India. Do you agree, and how would you bring them to the table?

answer First of all, as president, I'm going to let the rest of the world know that the days of America trying to be a nation above nations is over. We have to quit trying to dominate other countries, and we have to step out of our isolation and into the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. I think the world is ready for an American president who puts the sword down, so that nations won't have to spend a tremendous amount of their resources trying to prepare for war.

We have to be ready to take the lead, but we need to have harmony with other nations. As president, I intend to work with the leaders of China and India and other nations to promote an environmental consciousness and sustainable economies. I will use trade as a vehicle to try to raise the level of living for all people, and environmental sustainability must be the watchword. All of our trade agreements must have within them requirements for protecting the air and the water and the land of all the countries we do business with.

question After climate and energy, what do you think is the most important environmental issue facing the nation?

answer Agriculture -- the way we grow our food -- and we really need to make sure that we protect our water supply. These issues are closely tied to each other.

question Who is your environmental hero?

answer Oh, I have many. Thomas Berry, whose book The Great Work talked about how our great work in life is to achieve a real harmony with the environment. I think Lester Brown has done some incredible work on raising the consciousness of people. Amory Lovins has done some excellent work, and I think Ralph Nader has pointed to a lot of the environmental implications of corporate conduct and trade laws. And John Robbins has been so incredible in his awareness of the impact of the food we eat on our environment.

question What was your most memorable wilderness or outdoor adventure?

answer As a child, we lived in the city, we moved around a lot. But there was one place we lived, above railroad tracks, and on the other side of the tracks was this vast acreage called "the gulley" that was created with the blasting of the railroad. It had these huge rock piles and vegetation everywhere and it almost looked prehistoric. It was a place that I would go to often and find solitude and be able to just think. So much of my own life has been connected with a desire to be close to nature, to be close to the water, to be close to green.

question If you could spend a week in one natural area of the U.S., where would it be?

answer I would say somewhere in northern Maine. The whole state is beautiful, but northern Maine is just extraordinary, and I've seen all 50 states. I also love Maui.

question What do you do to lighten your environmental footprint?

answer My philosophy of life extends to everything I am and do. If I say I'm for peace, I'm for peace in the kind of products that I use, in the kind of shoes that I wear, and in terms of the clothes that I wear, in terms of my eating habits. I'm always thinking in terms of sustainability. That's the way I live. I live in a small house and we're very conscious of our energy usage. I drive an American car, a Ford Focus, but it's one of the highest fuel-economy cars.

I've been living an essentially vegan lifestyle since 1995, and that has led me to a condition of extraordinary health and clarity. Now, I'm not, as president, going to tell everyone what they have to eat, but I will share my own story about how the choices that I've made have meant, for myself, a better life, and a happier life. I'm 60 years old, but I'll bet that I'm in better physical shape than a lot of people a lot younger.

question If George Bush were a plant or an animal, what kind of plant or an animal would he be?

answer I don't want to go there.

question Fair enough. Would you spin it around on yourself? If you were a plant or animal, what kind would you be?

answer An eagle.

question How so? Truly American?

answer No. Keenness of vision.



Read more about: climate | Dennis Kucinich | elections | energy | politics | presidential race 08 | all of these topics

Amanda Griscom Little writes about environmental politics and interviews green luminaries for Grist. She is a contributing editor for Outside magazine, and her articles on energy and the environment have also appeared in publications ranging from Rolling Stone to The New York Times Magazine.

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