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Glade Tidings

Judge Agrees to Appoint Expert to Oversee Everglades Cleanup Dealing a blow to both Bush administrations (that is, G.W. in the White House and Jeb in Florida), a federal judge agreed late yesterday to appoint an expert to monitor the $8 billion restoration and cleanup of the Everglades. Environmentalists and a Native American tribe had […]

Sasakawa It to ’em

Two Environmentalists Win UNEP Award Two dedicated environmentalists — one from China, one from Brazil — will share the Sasakawa Prize, which is awarded every year by the United Nations Environment Programme. Xie Zhenhua, vice chair of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, has spent more than 20 years promoting environmental […]

The Good of Small Things

Aussies See Big Business in Small Life Forms Here’s an investment tip from Down Under: bacteria. That’s right — Australian scientists are creating a range of bacteria-based products to help clean up the environment, and, while they’re at it, reap some of the riches of a $5 billion global market in environmental biotechnology. A coalition […]

A look behind the Senate’s thumbs-up on Leavitt

It’s no surprise that Mike Leavitt will finally take the helm at the U.S. EPA. But who knew, after all the Democratic resistance to his nomination, that keen political maneuvering on the part of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Jim Connaughton, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, would usher the […]

Is the Sea Half-empty or Half-full?

Kazakh Dam Could Save Northern Aral Sea, But Kill Southern Portion A seven-mile dam now under construction could mean total devastation for a large southern section of the already beleaguered Aral Sea, which straddles the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, the Aral has lost half […]

Big Gulp

Ford May Restart Production of Its Biggest SUV Ford Motor Co. disappointed enviros with an announcement this week that it may resume production of its monster-sized Excursion SUV, dubbed the Valdez by the Sierra Club. Last year, Ford said it would stop producing the Excursion after the 2004 model year because of falling sales, but […]

Stating the Obvious

More States Make Strides to Address Global Warming In the absence of any meaningful action on climate change by the Bush administration, more than half of U.S. states are stepping up to address the problem through legislation, programs launched by governors, or lawsuits. In the last three years, state legislatures have approved at least 29 […]

It’s My Party, I Can Write If I Want to

Former EPA Chief to Call for Moderation in New Book Christie Whitman, who seemed none too happy during her conflict-laden stint as head of the U.S. EPA, has found a new vocation: author. Whitman has struck a deal with the Penguin Group to publish a book that will call for political moderation instead of hard-line […]

Umbra on driving in neutral

Dear Umbra, I have a question about getting the most miles per gallon. If you put your car into neutral at stops or going downhill, do you save any gas? My car is an automatic. JeffVerona, N.J. Dearest Jeff, Another great question we have all pondered. Louisa and her fellow mechanics thought you might save […]

Umbra on car heaters

Dear Umbra, My friend and I have a bet going that I hope you can settle. She thinks that running the heat in a car in the winter is “free” — that is, it doesn’t use additional gas. As a conservationist, this pleases her greatly. However, I think that turning on the heat does use […]