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So I took off from work Sunday to go to Pearl Jam’s show at the Verizon Center in Washington (and I have to say it was one of the better performances I’ve seen from the band out of five concerts now — just check out the set list) and going in, I wondered how many songs it would take Eddie Vedder to address the audience about something political.

For the record, he made it through a whopping 13 songs before prefacing “Green Disease” with some comments about President Bush’s proposal to lift federal bans on offshore oil drilling in the face of soaring gasoline prices. Eddie came close earlier in the show, urging the crowd before “Do the Evolution” to “pay attention” amid “some good things” and “some bad things” going on with the country, but the offshore drilling remarks were the overt anti-Bush administration comments that I fully expected to hear ahead of the show. I mean, this is a guy who wrote “Bushleaguer” in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks — you think he’s going to take the stage down the street from the White House and stick to singing? That’s never been the socially conscious band’s style.

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A report released today by the National Wildlife Federation details the effects of sea-level rise on the Chesapeake Bay.

If global warming does indeed lead to rising sea levels as predicted, a sea-level increase of two feet would cause 415 square miles of dry land and marsh in our area to be replaced by open water. About 60 percent of the region’s beaches would also disappear. As a result, many habitats would also change or disappear, causing some species to thrive and others to suffer.

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Will people stop littering to avoid a tax hike? A local survey says yes.

Baltimore-area residents are bothered by the amount of trash in the harbor, but few who were surveyed realized that it was not tourists who were tossing empty bottles into the water. Most of the garbage washes into the harbor via storm drains from area neighborhoods. The city has already spent $1 million on four trash filters, which just last year caught around 134,000 pounds of debris. However, residents seem reluctant to fund additional filters.

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Carroll County commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to zoning ordinances yesterday — one that will allow homeowners to install small wind turbines in their yards.

Residents began calling the county last year with questions about installing the turbines. Because the issue wasn’t addressed in the current ordinance, the commissioners began working toward the creation of a policy.

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The Jones Falls Trail expanded a bit further on Saturday, when another 2.75 miles of the hiking/biking pathway opened to the public.

The new portion of the trail circles through the woods of Druid Hill Park, completing the section that extends from Penn Station to the Woodberry Light Rail station. When the rest of the sections are finished — at a date to be determined — the Jones Falls Trail will be 12 miles long, starting at the Mount Washington Light Rail station and extending to the Visitor Center in Inner Harbor.

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Constellation Energy may soon add a third nuclear reactor to Calvert Cliffs power plant in Southern Maryland. As soon as the company secures federal funding for the project, they plan to break ground — possibly by the end of the year.

Gov. O’Malley toured the plant on Thursday and spoke in support of the project, calling it a solution to Maryland’s pending energy crisis, expected as early as 2011 if generation capacity is not boosted. There’s one flaw in that solution, however.

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The latest proposal by a member of City Council aims to ban plastic bags and Styrofoam cups, as well as require a 10-cent deposit for all types of bottles purchased in Baltimore.

James Kraft proposed his environmental agenda at a recent hearing, but he was not well received. The resistance, however, was not because he compared plastic bags to German Nazis, but because business owners fear that the changes will either decrease their profits or increase consumer costs.

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At a recent conference, Dell CEO Michael Dell unveiled what could be the future of green computers.It’s Dell’s smallest computer to date, measuring 81% smaller than a standard desktop. What’s more — it uses recycled materials inside, like old milk jugs. It uses about 70% less power than a regular computer. They also house the whole thing in a case made of bamboo, which is a natural and renewable resource. Dell said it will be available within a year, and will cost somewhere between $500 and $700.You can check it out by going here, here and here.Would you buy one?

Baltimore is the nation’s third leading city for square footage of green roofs, behind only Chicago and Wilmington, DE. Looking at a list topped by these three cities, you may wonder if a green roof is a good thing. It is.

Very popular in Europe but just starting to catch on here in the States, green roofs have a number of benefits. Among them: reduced energy costs, improved air quality, moderation of the urban heat island effect, and the aesthetic benefit of some added green space to an otherwise concrete jungle.

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Baltimore’s annual Citywide Spring Cleanup took place on Saturday. About 4,000 residents cleaned streets, raked leaves, and planted flowers throughout the city.

Said one resident: “Dirt and crime do coincide and it is so important to keep the neighborhood clean.” While I’m not sure the two are directly related, a little neighborhood pride certainly never hurt anyone.

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