Latest Articles
-
![]()
![]()
Hidden health costs of transportation
Photo: BikePortland$142 billion in obesity-related health care costs and lost wages due to illness. As much as $80 billion in health care costs and premature death caused by air pollution from traffic. A whopping $180 billion from traffic crashes – lost wages, health care costs, property damage, travel delay, legal costs, pain and suffering … […]
-
![]()
![]()
The BP oil gusher is just the latest in a long line of assaults on the Gulf of Mexico
A fishing boat returns after a night of fishing in the Gulf.Photo courtesy PDub via FlickrI’m a fourth-generation fisherwoman from the Texas Gulf Coast, on a boat since I was eight. Over the last two decades, I’ve become a self-appointed watchdog of the chemical, oil, and gas corporations that are decimating the Gulf. I hate […]
-
![]()
![]()
Will the World Bank undermine the people of El Salvador in mining dispute?
Proposed site of Pacific Rim’s El Dorado mine.In a truly David and Goliath battle, the people of El Salvador are fighting against a Canadian mining giant that was lawfully denied permits for a gold and silver mine that would devastate the local environment and threaten the health and livelihoods of native residents. Next week, the […]
-
![]()
![]()
Egger’s Head: The oil spill
There’s a lot going on in Robert Egger’s head. Just ask him. Which is exactly what we do on a regular basis. And who is this Robert Egger, you wonder? He is the Founder of D.C. Central Kitchen, who moonlights as a rabble rouser, entrepreneur, and non-profit innovator with a knack for knitting disparate ideas […]
-
![]()
![]()
Mercury pollution from dental offices is contaminating your seafood
It seems innocent enough. Your dentist is giving you a new filling. You get some of those little metal slivers in your mouth and he tells you take a swig of water. Rinse and spit. No problem, right? Unfortunately, each one of those slivers is about half mercury. Multiply that simple routine millions of times, […]
-
American Power Act: Allowance allocation
Following up on last week’s preliminary analysis of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill, here’s a closer look at how allowances are distributed under the cap-and-trade program. High level: the allowances allocated over the life of the program, from 2013 to 2050, heavily favor consumer benefits. Smaller chunks are dedicated to deficit reduction, industry, and other objectives. […]
-
![]()
![]()
‘Farmers Market Desserts’ lets fruit, not sugar, be the star
Photos courtesy of Leo Gong/Chronicle Books Summer fruits from the farmers market are the supermodels of the produce world. Just like Heidi Klum doesn’t need makeup to be beautiful, a super-fresh White Lady peach or Seascape strawberry doesn’t need extra sweetening or seasoning to shine. But given the right recipe—one designed expressly for fruit and […]
-
![]()
![]()
What’s next for coal ash?
This is the final installment in Facing South’s week-long investigation into the growing national problem of coal ash waste and the looming battle over regulation. To read earlier installments in the series, visit here. A series of coal ash disasters — both catastrophic, like the spill of a billion gallons of toxic ash at a […]
-
![]()
![]()
Climate bill aside, there are lots of smaller bills that could get us moving
The Obama administration hasn’t done much to use the BP Gulf oil disaster to push good energy policy. The best we’ve gotten is yesterday’s press conference, where Obama included a pro forma paragraph “calling on” Congress to pass the American Power Act, the climate and clean-energy bill in the Senate. (No threats, no anger, not […]
-
![]()
![]()
Now is the time to transform our energy system
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unmitigated disaster. Its full consequences will not be known for decades. What we do know, however, is that BP President Tony Hayward was incredibly wrong when he stated that the spill will have “a very, very modest environmental impact.” Quite the contrary! In fact, […]
