Daily Roundup: March 9, 2011

Techno-Fail: New studies suggest that the rebound effect, wherein consumers with efficient cars or appliances actually increase their overall energy consumption because of cost savings, is more significant than economists realized. New York Times

Mad About Trains: In true Mad Men style, actors Vincent Kartheiser and Rich Sommer have joined forces with U.S. PIRG and Funny or Die to create a spot touting high-speed rail. Mother Nature Network and Sierra Daily

Carbon Bull's-Eye: China announced targets for a five-year plan to reduce national energy consumption, in line with their goal for reducing carbon intensity by 40% by 2020. This is the first plan that sets an objective for carbon emissions based on GDP. Scientific American

Feature Film: The NYT’s piece on the Gulf oil spill, “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours,” will be made into a movie, possibly directed by Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Huffington Post

Clean Plate Club: Americans discard 40% of the food we produce each year, wasting close to $2,200 per household, not to mention the energy it takes to grow, process, and transport that moldy cheese. Good

--Zoë J. Sheldon