Latest Articles
-
The European Union bans battery cages for hens
In the European Union, hens can no longer be kept in tiny battery cages that pack them so tightly they could not walk or flap their wings. The EU voted to ban the cages in 1999 but gave the poultry industry 12 years to implement the switch-over. As of 2012, the use of battery cages […]
-
Critical List: Republicans still want Keystone XL; Obama ad focuses on energy
The State Department denied TransCanada’s permit application for the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama agreed, saying that he was rejecting the permit because Republicans wouldn’t stop trying to force the pipeline forward. Republicans are responding to this by looking into legislation that would force the pipeline forward. They’re also asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton […]
-
![]()
![]()
Urban farming essentials: Authors of a new, definitive guide tell all
Urban farming veterans Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal used to joke about writing a book just so they'd have a quick response to the flood of questions they'd both get. The Essential Urban Farmer might just get them off the hook -- for a little while anyway.
-
![]()
![]()
WWDSS? What would Dr. Seuss say about climate change?
Channeling the good doctor, one writer imagines what he might write about global warming, were he still with us. A little fun with the apocalypse, anyone?
-
![]()
![]()
A farm bill in 2012? Don’t hold your breath
Ironically, after the rush to push the Farm Bill through the congressional supercommittee this fall, some farm state politicians are admitting that a bill before November's election is looking unlikely.
-
Keystone XL shot down, Republicans whine about it
The State Department has recommended that the Keystone XL pipeline application be “determined not to serve the national interest,” and President Obama has agreed — not even because it’s a disaster waiting to happen, but because (just as Dave Roberts predicted!) Republicans just could not sit down and shut up for five minutes.
-
Keystone XL decision is a big win — for now
The State Department and the president denied the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. This is a big win for activists, but the fight against Big Oil continues.
-
![]()
![]()
Tea Party mayor gets spanked for rejecting public transit
Last fall, the mayor of a leafy Detroit suburb led the fight against that darkest of evils: trains! But when the local business community lashed back, the Tea Partiers beat a hasty retreat, raising more questions about their ability to lead.
-
![]()
![]()
How plug-in cars can face up to winter’s challenges
Plug-in and hybrid vehicles face particular challenges in cold weather. But new technologies in the works could help those cars cope.
-
Biggest output of U.S. oil and gas industry is dirty water
The bad news: “Every day, U.S. oil and gas producers bring to the surface 60 million barrels of waste water, with a salt content up to 20 times higher than sea water and laced with hazardous chemicals,” reports John Kemp of Reuters. In an aging well, as much as 98 percent of the stuff that […]
