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Sperm Wail
Next time you’re perusing the cosmetics counter at Macy’s or the personal-care aisle of CVS, you might want to take a pass on the lip liner and aftershave. According to new research conducted by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health, exposure to monoethyl phthalate, a chemical commonly used in cosmetics and fragrances, may […]
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Umbra on skiing
Dear Umbra, With winter fast approaching, I was thinking of learning to ski. I was wondering how skiing ranks among recreational activities in terms of its environmental impact. What are all the effects of clearing ski trails, making snow, and operating ski lifts? Not to mention all the resorts and roads that sprout up to […]
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The Mice That Roared
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, have established a first-ever link between urban air pollution and genetic damage that can be passed on from generation to generation. In a study published in the most recent issue of the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologists at the university found that […]
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Perc Up
The nation’s first-ever ban on perchloroethylene, or “perc,” went into effect on Friday when Southern California air quality officials approved a regulation mandating a phase-out of the chemical by the year 2020. The long lead-time to the phase-out is a concession to the dry-cleaning industry, which relies on perc to remove stubborn stains from delicate […]
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Prodigal Son
The U.S. Agriculture Department has levied more than $3 million in fines against biotech company ProdiGene for mixing GM corn containing an animal vaccine with soybeans meant for human consumption. The contaminated soybeans were stopped before they reached the market, and the company, which makes pharmaceutical and industrial enzymes and proteins by growing them in […]
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A Blow to the Solar Plexus
Renewable energy use in the U.S. dropped sharply in 2001, according to a new report by the Department of Energy. Much of that decline stems from a drought that cut hydroelectric power generation by 23 percent, but the DOE’s Energy Information Administration also found that in 2001, solar equipment was retired faster than it was […]
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Green Unpleasant Land
A record quantity of northern polar ice was lost this year, according to scientists who presented their findings at a conference of the American Geophysical Union held this weekend in San Francisco. Surface melt in Greenland, for example, was the highest in recorded history, and extended to previously unaffected altitudes. In total, there were about […]
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John Hanger, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future
John Hanger is president and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), a public interest membership organization that works to create a just future where nature, communities, and the economy thrive. Monday, 9 Dec 2002 HARRISBURG, Penn. The line from the John Lennon song Beautiful Boy — “Life is what happens while you are making […]
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Half and Half
In the interest of living up to our reputation for providing the occasional sliver of cheery environmental news, Grist is pleased to report that notwithstanding rampant ecological degradation, nearly half of the land on Earth remains undeveloped and unpopulated, according to an international study released earlier this week. The study — the most comprehensive such […]
