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10 reasons national parks need help

The National Parks Conservation Association has launched a new campaign called "Faded Glory: Top Ten Reasons to Reinvest in America's National Park Heritage." Reading the top ten list is eye-opening, if somewhat depressing: Funding shortfalls are hurting education efforts, historical preservation, the war on invasive species and poaching, routine maintenance, the list goes on. Give it a look and then follow their directions to take action.

Reefer madness

A U.S. research ship made its way out of Mexico yesterday after banging up a coral reef and potentially screwing with marine life. The vessel -- operated by Columbia University but carrying scientists from several countries -- had spent five weeks using sonic pulses to examine a crater for clues to dinosaur extinction. While whalehuggers asserted that the technology could damage undersea creatures, the crew encountered a bigger problem: it ran aground in mid-February, damaging 20 square yards of reef north of the Yucatan Peninsula. Upon departing, Columbia coughed up $200,000 and blamed the whole thing on faulty charts.

Hasta luego!

Whole Foods

Readers who found our interview with John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Foods, interesting, may also be interested in this Forbes story on Whole Foods, which focuses on the "food-as-porn" marketing and business strategy of the growing (mostly) organic giant.

(Via Green Life)

Forget about CO2 for a minute already

It's a dirty secret in the blog world that occasionally bloggers will recommend that their readers read something that they themselves have not read. (Gasp.) But not this blog! At least, not any more! Or rather, at least not this time!

Yesterday I was going to recommend "Bringing Society Back into the Climate Debate" (PDF), a new paper by Roger Pielke Jr. and Daniel Sarewitz (found via their excellent Prometheus science blog). But then I realized that it's a PDF, it's wonky, it's written in dry academic language, and y'all would never read it. And really, how could I expect you to if I hadn't? So last night, I read it.

My initial reaction: They make an extremely good point. Enviros need to reconsider their monomaniacal focus on cutting CO2 emissions.

Go beneath the fold for a brief summary.

And You Thought Clinton Liked Hummers

Feds using terrorism excuse to crack down on eco-activists The U.S. government is using the Patriot Act to go after radical environmental activists — and some unfortunate folks who just happen to look like them — by branding them as “terrorists.” Despite the fact that the Earth Liberation Front has caused no injuries during its […]

Sex and the Single Frog

High rate of frog hermaphroditism linked to pesticides An examination of the sex organs of cricket frogs collected in Illinois between 1852 and 2001 is presumably its own reward. However, in this case it’s also led researchers to a notable conclusion: Heavy use of chemicals such as DDT and PCBs may cause higher rates of […]

Message in a Bottle Bill

U.S. bottle-recycling rates fall as bottled-water sales rise Plastic bottle recycling rates in the U.S. have plunged, at least in part because of the boom in sales of bottled water — from some 3.3 billion bottles in 1997 to 15 billion in 2002. So, what to do? Some environmental activists argue that one of the […]

It’s Not Watching Cars Go in Circles That Does It

NASCAR race-cars spew lead What’s the connection between NASCAR racing, diminished mental capacity, and increased criminal behavior? If your answer was “lead,” well, we commend your high-mindedness. Indeed, that is the answer: Though leaded gasoline was phased out in the U.S. decades ago, the racing industry (along with aviation) was exempted. Despite years of pleas […]

A Great Leap Forward, Without All the Famine

China passes its first renewable-energy law The Chinese legislature on Monday passed a bill aimed at increasing the country’s use of renewable energy by mandating that power-grid operators get a portion of their electricity from local renewable sources and by providing financial inducements such as tax incentives, discounted loans, and a national development fund. When […]

Communing with nature

As The Gates exhibit in Central Park closes, another enviro-themed art piece will take its place. The equally ambitious project will feature some 200 large-scale photographs, a theater running an hour-long film on continuous loop, and a "floating library" featuring pages of the artist's writings projected onto screens.

The multimedia exhibition is the work of Canadian photographer Gregory Colbert, whose collection includes images of humans communing, or rather "collaborating" with animals ranging from elephants to cheetahs to whales. "When you collaborate across species and break down those barriers, extraordinary things happen," Colbert says of his work.