Archive: Apr 2012
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Three questions about energy for Maggie Koerth-Baker
The author of the refreshingly pragmatic "Before the Lights Go Out" talks about finding common ground with climate deniers, the value of individual action in fixing a broken energy system, and the price of gas.
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Only system-wide change can cure our climate hangover
"You could beat your own lifestyle into submission with a 10-foot club -- you could do more to save the planet than almost anyone is willing to voluntarily do -- and it still wouldn’t be enough. This isn’t about you, and it isn’t about me. It's about the systems that we share." Read an excerpt from Maggie Koerth-Baker's new book, "Before the Lights Go Out."
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Biodegradable slippers are the new creepy toe shoes (we hope)
I’m pretty sure this is the ultimate eco-product: a biodegradable shoe modeled after the Amazonian practice of painting resin onto one’s feet to protect them. Should you invest in these lovelies? Let us examine the advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: You can dispose of them in a compost bin. (Pre-shredding required.) You can get rid of […]
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Indian man single-handedly plants hundreds of acres of forest
In the northern Indian province of Assam, there's a forest named after one man — not a politician, or a historical hero, but a guy who lives there today. It's named after him because he planted most of its 1,360 acres.
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More power for women means less climate pollution, study suggests
Here's another indication that women are greener than men: In nations where women’s status is higher, CO2 emissions are lower, according to a new study.
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Why you should be glad there are bugs in your Frappuccino
Okay, yes, everybody — especially vegans, corporation-haters, and bloggers who like writing about gross things you just put in your mouth — got a little excited over the news that Starbucks’ Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino derives its red color from crushed bugs. But here’s what you didn’t know: That’s actually a good thing.
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If fossil fuel subsidies were distributed to every person, we’d each get $58/year
Every year fossil fuels get six times as much money in subsidies from the U.S. government -- i.e. you, the taxpayer -- than renewable energy.
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Incredible NASA images of Saudi Arabia’s careless use of water
NASA released satellite images showing that the Saudis are irrigating the desert in order to grow food -- with fossil water that accumulated during the last Ice Age and will be gone completely in 50 years.
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Mesmerizing wind map is the coolest-looking weather map ever
Data visualization wizards Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg have devised a real-time map of wind speeds in the U.S., and it beats the pants off spiky cold fronts, happy suns, and whatever else they’re putting on weather maps these days. It’s simple, elegant, and crazy hypnotic — watch it together with the lava lamp ocean currents, and […]