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Environmental champion Philip Clapp, dead at 54

Philip Clapp. Photo: National Environmental Trust Philip Clapp, a lifelong champion for environmental causes and an early, eloquent voice on global climate change, died in Amsterdam early this morning. He was admitted to the hospital there two weeks ago with a sudden and unexpected illness. He was 54. "This is such a shock," said Carl […]

Snippets from the news

• T. Boone Pickens puts hold on water-pipeline plan. • Grizzlies are thriving in Montana. • Seattle bag tax will be put to a vote. • Berkeley approves city-backed loans for solar panels. • Web sees rise of carpooling startups.

Gray wolves in northern Rockies to remain on endangered list for now

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will remain on the endangered species list for the foreseeable future, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesperson. FWS’ Ed Bangs said Tuesday that the agency will withdraw its rule (released in March) that had declared the gray wolf population in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming recovered and […]

Snippets from the news

• Bushmeat should not be banned, says U.N. • Chamber of Commerce opposes carbon-dioxide regulation. • Public transit system makes profit by lowering fares. • Accounting system at Minerals Management Service found inadequate. • Greenpeace releases guide to greener electronics.

Ozone hole bigger this year than last

Happy International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer! Sad to say, the hole that plagues the ozone is already bigger this year than last, and will likely not max out in size until late September or early October. As of Saturday, the hole measured 10.4 million square miles; last year, at its biggest, […]

Hurricane Ike leaves toxic mess on Galveston Island

Hurricane Ike left a big mess behind as it passed over Galveston, Texas, and other Gulf Coast areas, but the mess wasn’t just from debris. Just as with Hurricane Katrina, the combination of destructive high winds and subsequent flooding have created a toxic soup that’s potentially dangerous to residents, cleanup crews, and the environment. Floodwaters […]

Snippets from the news

• Green Party activist Peter Camejo dies. • New Zealand parliament passes carbon trading bill. • France considers tax on disposable dishes. • Google makes patent application for floating, wave-powered computer centers. • One blogger’s attempt to go veg just once a week. • Greenland doesn’t want its whale hunting under IWC jurisdiction. • What […]

Companies move toward nontoxic chemicals and products

Here’s a crazy fact: A baby’s body contains nearly 300 chemical compounds by the time it takes its first breath. It’s the consequence of a chemical industry that has long paid little mind to where its products end up or what they do to people and the planet; of the estimated 83,000 chemicals on the […]

Umbra on cruise control

Dear Umbra, To cruise or not to cruise? That is the question. Is it more fuel efficient to use cruise control when driving, or does it use more gas to use the cruise? Carrie Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Dearest Carrie, Whether ’tis nobler to travel at constant speed — that is indeed a question. And Edmunds.com, […]

Judge tosses federal plan to allow more snowmobiles into Yellowstone

A National Park Service plan to allow 540 snowmobiles a day into Yellowstone National Park has been tossed out by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled Monday that allowing that many ‘mobiles would increase air and noise pollution and be disturbing to wildlife — conclusions drawn, he noted, by NPS’s own data. […]