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Welsh Gambit

Welsh Village Adopts Long Name to Protest Wind Development Wind turbines are controversial in the U.K., where some people object to what they claim is the damage — both environmental and aesthetic — the turbines do to the landscape. When Gamesa Energy notified citizens of Llanfynydd in Carmarthenshire, Wales, of their plans to build a […]

Livin’ la Vida L’oppie

Trend Alert: Organic Professionals As everyone knows, a social movement is nothing until it is given a silly name, treated as a fad, trivialized, commodified, and ultimately destroyed by ravenous media. The latest trend to receive this dubious honor: organic professionals, or “oppies.” Modeled after the young urban professionals — or “yuppies” — we all […]

How does John Edwards stack up on the environment?

Edwards and Kerry hit the campaign trail. Photo: Kerry for President. When John Edwards was tapped to be John Kerry‘s veep last week, everyone interested in ousting Bush erupted into convulsions of praise — and the enviros were no exception. “An excellent choice that sends a clear message about the need for change and renewed […]

A debate on water privatization, part six

Everyone knows that water is the stuff of life. But is it best viewed as a commodity or as part of the commons? Should providing safe, affordable water be the role of governments, corporations, or partnerships between the two? On Tuesday, July 13 (dates may vary for local stations), the PBS show P.O.V. is airing […]

Advances With Wolves

Bush Administration to Remove Gray Wolf Protections Today the Interior Department announced a proposal to lift endangered-species protections from gray wolves across some two-thirds of the U.S., citing what Interior Secretary Gale Norton called a “dramatic” recovery. The gray wolf was almost extinct in the lower 48 states in the 1950s; two years ago, everywhere […]

‘N Sink

Oceans Absorbing Half of CO2 Emissions; Effects Uncertain According to studies published today in the journal Science, the world’s oceans have absorbed almost half of all the carbon dioxide emissions created by humankind since the beginning of the industrial era — some 118 billion metric tons. Yowza! The good news is that by serving as […]

In the Navy, You Can Wail the Seven Seas

Enviro Groups Claim Navy Sonar Harms Whales Speaking of oceans: Four enviro groups sent a letter to the U.S. Navy this week urging it to change the way it uses sonar so as to avoid harming charismatic sea-dwelling megafauna (that’s our pet name for whales around here). According to the groups, the Navy’s failure to […]

A debate on water privatization, part five

Everyone knows that water is the stuff of life. But is it best viewed as a commodity or as part of the commons? Should providing safe, affordable water be the role of governments, corporations, or partnerships between the two? On Tuesday, July 13 (dates may vary for local stations), the PBS show P.O.V. is airing […]

Umbra on when to retire a fridge

Dear Umbra, I love to freeze fresh veggies at their peak of ripeness during the summer. Then, in the winter, I don’t have to buy commercially frozen veggies or long-distance transported ones. In order to do more of this, I’d like to move my 1985 refrigerator to the basement and use its freezer entirely for […]

Hey, You, Get Off of My Cloud

Chinese Provinces Fight Over Cloud Seeding Hey, speaking of water debates, how’s this one for weirditude? In China — large sections of which are parched by persistent drought — the practice of cloud “seeding” is causing some truly 21st century water disputes. Cloud seeding involves using planes, special guns, and rockets (!) to spur the […]