The White House is about to launch an open-to-the-public farmers market this week. Situated on the north side of the White House lawn, the weekly market will offer D.C.-area residents (and visitors) the opportunity to purchase fresh food directly from the farmers who grew it. The White House farmers market is one initiative among others, such as the White House organic food garden, that serves as a symbol to the rest of the United States that the current administration is supportive of small food producers and sustainable, healthy food systems.

In her announcement at the Chefs Collaborative National Summit today, Ann Wright, the Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said that whereas the USDA previously has not placed an emphasis on small, rural, local and sustainable food production, the current administration is fully supportive of these endeavors. According to Wright, the White House farmers market will launch Thursday, Sept. 17.

On May 21, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) introduced the Paid Vacation Act of 2009, HR 2564, in an effort to guarantee paid vacation time for employees that work 25 hours a week or more. (Note: Tourism is Florida’s largest business, according to Grayson’s website.) Without the Paid Vacation Act, the United States is currently the only industrialized nation without a minimum annual leave law. From the U.S. Department of Labor website:

“The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays. These benefits are matters of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee's representative).”

The Paid Vacation Act would require companies with 100 employees or more to offer a week of paid vacation for employees that work 25 hours a week or more (or 1,250 hours a year, including both full-time and part-time employees) after they’ve worked at the company for a year. Beginning three years after the law goes into effect, those same companies would be required to provide two weeks of paid vacation. At that same time, employees at companies with 50 or more employees would be entitled to one week paid vacation.

Supporters of the bill argue that regular vacations improve health and productivity. One of the opponents’ arguments is that such a law would encourage employers to hire fewer workers.

What do you think about a law that requires companies to provide a minimum annual paid leave? Would you support it?

Photo by iStockphoto

After a short break for the Fourth of July, Congress is back at work.

Shortly before the week-long break, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which included a cap-and-trade system and was the first U.S. bill to regulate greenhouse gases.

Today the Senate started working on its own version by holding a hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, heard testimony from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, among others.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on international trade issues and connections to global warming – the House bill increased trade regulations with countries that produce high numbers of global warming gases – and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will look at the effectiveness of the European Union’s cap-and-trade system.

Politico reported that any cap-and-trade legislation in the Senate bill is unlikely and that a floor vote will not happen before the long summer recess next month.   

Hold onto your hats, Congress is debating climate change. Right now the U.S. House is considering the Waxman-Markey climate bill.

To get in on the fun, check out the extensive coverage over on Grist. You can find their latest articles on the climate bill here. (One especially fun article: Grist’s description of Gore v. Hansen on the climate bill, complete with an illustration showing those two environmental heavyweights boxing.)

Also today, I was reading an e-mail update from the American Solar Energy Society. They had a short and helpful summary of why they believe that the climate bill isn’t strong enough and what could be done to improve it. Here’s a link to their recommendations.

Lately I've been writing quite a bit about what's happening in Washington, D.C. It's not so much that I have a one track mind as that Congress has been busy debating legislation that will have a real impact on the environment — especially on energy use. If you're an environmentalist, now is a good time to pay attention to what's happening on Capitol Hill.

What happens with the energy bill and the Lieberman-Warner climate bill will make a big difference in how far this country goes to make cars more efficient, expand the use of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a good time to call or write your elected representatives and let them know what you think about these issues.

You can follow all the latest developments in the newspapers, but here are a couple of other handy places to turn for the latest on these two bills:

• Good sources of information on the energy bill include the Union of Concerned Scientists and Renewable Energy Access.

• Grist is doing a play by play of the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. (And while you're there, be sure to check out their extensive series on How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic.)

• Use these links to contact your representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.

• Check out this helpful cheat sheet from Project Vote Smart explaining how a bill becomes a law.

• Looking for all the official details? Try THOMAS, a database of legislation from the Library of Congress.

Do you know of other helpful resources for following environmental legislation? You can paste them in the comments field below.