Daily Roundup: April 12, 2011

Existential Resolve: Bolivia is ready to pass a law that establishes 11 new rights for nature, including granting the natural world the right to exist. Guardian

Empowered Design: Designers are integrating energy-generating technology into household items — use your new rocking chair to charge up your cell phone, for example. Good

Scratch That: The latest budget compromise precludes Obama’s plan to protect millions of acres of wilderness areas in the West from oil and gas drilling. Huffington Post
 
Déjà Vu? Japan raised the alert level for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, recognizing the potential for long-term consequences on par with those of Chernobyl. New York Times

Honeybee Highways: A new U.K. initiative plans for “bee roads” — corridors densely populated with wildflowers — to enable the pollinators to traverse developed areas. TreeHugger

--Zoë J. Sheldon