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War in the Time of Cholera

Iraq’s water, sewage, and waste systems need immediate attention to prevent drastic environmental and human health problems in the wake of war, the United Nation’s Environment Programme announced today. Earlier this week, doctors in Baghdad reported the first suspected incidents of cholera and typhoid, two potentially fatal diseases spread by poor water sanitation. Hundreds of […]

Earth Day in the Balance?

Some critics say Earth Day, which celebrated its 33rd birthday yesterday, has morphed from a nationwide rally to a chance for corporations of questionable environmental repute to engage in greenwashing. In Houston, Tex., for example, Earth Day activities this year were paid for by Waste Management, which owns 293 landfills and has been held responsible […]

Chipping Dale

U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth spoke in San Francisco yesterday in honor of Earth Day, but audience members might not have been very thrilled by what he had to say on behalf of the planet. Bosworth criticized environmentalists for trying to protect forests from logging and road-building projects, claiming that in fact the real […]

Spilling Over

The city of Los Angeles accepted legal responsibility yesterday for a decade’s worth of sewage spills, numbering 3,668 in all. The spills polluted streets and water bodies, in violation of both state and federal clean-water laws. After a four-year legal battle with government officials, environmental organizations, and community members, the city has finally owned up […]

John Connor, It Is Time

Australia is famous for its unusual animals (think koalas and kangaroos), but according to a new government report, thousands of the nation’s mammal, reptile, and bird species could go extinct if the pace of land-clearing continues unabated. The report, known as the “Biodiversity Audit” and leaked to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, found that 2,891 […]

On the Scrap Heap of History

Improving gas mileage for cars and trucks is a goal shared by virtually all environmentalists — but it turns out that efforts to do so have a hidden downside. As vehicle manufactures seek to improve fuel efficiency by making their products ever-lighter, an increasing percentage of cars and trucks are made from plastic. Unlike the […]

Two centuries later, the explorers rediscover the Columbia River

Note: You’ll need Flash Player to watch the movie. If you don’t have it, download it now.

Jean Ponzi, Gateway Center for Resource Efficiency

Jean Ponzi promotes environmental education for kids, business people, and the general public as program manager for the Gateway Center for Resource Efficiency, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Monday, 21 Apr 2003 ST. LOUIS, Mo. Earth Week. In my business — environmental education — this strip on the calendar includes actual Earth Day, […]

In a Moment of Leakness

A baffling leak has been discovered at one of the newest nuclear reactors in the U.S. The South Texas Nuclear Project, 90 miles southwest of Houston, was discovered to have leaked cooling water from its large reactor vessel, a problem that experts have never before encountered. “This is the first time it’s been seen, either […]

And other words from readers

  Re: Let It Be Me Dear Editor: I liked the interview with Emily Saliers. But please suggest to Kathryn that she refer to these “new” energy sources as renewable rather than alternative. I am in the business of designing, installing, and promoting the occasional solar-electric system. As long as we keep calling it “alternative,” […]