Latest Articles

There Are Other Fish in the Sea … for the Moment

Report on Ocean Management Likely Headed for Chilly Reception The sad state of our oceans is poised to make headlines again this month, but ocean advocates worry that the Bush administration won’t take the problem seriously. The Commission on Ocean Policy — a 16-member presidential advisory panel appointed to comprehensively revisit ocean management policy for […]

Home Green Home

Green Home-Building Rising in Popularity Eco-minded builders and environmental groups in the U.S. are pushing to simplify and popularize the notion of “green building,” which encompasses practices and materials that reduce waste and make homes more efficient. Green building — ranging from landscaping with native plants to using carpet made of recycled soda bottles to […]

Missouri River management plan to be election-year hot potato

Basically, the Army Corps has flipped us the bird — at a time when it’s supposed to be saving the birds.” Hello, Big Muddy. Photo: FWS. That’s how Eric Eckl, spokesperson for American Rivers, sums up the Army Corps of Engineers‘ new plan to manage the Missouri River, released on Friday to blistering protest and […]

Split-Level Nuclear Waste

The Bush administration’s scientific distortions threaten the environment

In late February, after a star-studded, bipartisan lineup of Nobel laureates and leading American scientists accused the Bush administration of misusing and distorting science to serve political ends, the initial response from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was flat-out denial. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy chief John Marburger dismissed the scientists’ complaints as a […]

Seventh Heaven Can Wait

Eco-Friendly, Socially Conscious Company Faces Tough Choices Seventh Generation, the biggest U.S. brand of eco-friendly household products — toilet paper, diapers, soaps, etc. — is a case study in the possibilities and perils facing companies with a social conscience. Founder and CEO Jeffrey Hollender recently struggled over his decision to continue supplying the company’s products […]

We Will Rocket You

EPA and DOD Square Off Over Rocket-Fuel Pollution The U.S. EPA is squaring off against the Department of Defense and NASA over ammonium perchlorate, a chemical long used by DOD and NASA for munitions and rocket fuel, and typically disposed of by being diluted in water and dumped on the ground. Based on studies of […]

Wave Hello!

Wave Power Poised to Go Commercial Off Coast of Spain Ocean Power Technologies, a leader in the fledgling wave-power industry, is set to launch a pilot project off the north shore of Spain. Ten power-generating buoys will be placed in the Bay of Biscay, where they will float just below the surface and transform wave […]

Playing De-fence

Prominent House Republican Calls for Completion of Border Fence Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, called on the Bush administration today to complete a major fence project along the westernmost portion of the U.S.-Mexico border despite concerns that such a project could harm habitat for threatened and endangered birds. The […]

Immigration controversy engulfs Sierra Club board election

If the Democratic primaries have proven a little prim and polite for your taste, there’s another upcoming election that may pique your interest. This one is loaded with bitter controversy, nasty accusations, and emotional appeals to democracy and fairness. Its major players have even taken their grievances to court — all before the nearly three-quarters […]