Latest Articles

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 […]

Umbra on recycling batteries

Dear Umbra, I have to humbly admit that for years I’ve known that one can recycle batteries, but unfortunately, I’ve never known where or how to do this. I’ve been living in Seattle and northern Italy for the last year, and I have a pile of old batteries in each place. If you have any […]

Race to the Bottom

Feds Not Adequately Addressing Environmental Racism, Report Finds Federal agencies are falling down on the job when it comes to making environmental justice part of their work, according to a report released this month by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. A 1994 executive order issued by President Clinton required the U.S. EPA and the […]

Advice on choosing carrots

Dearest Umbra, I’m curious how they make those mystical little carrots that are just the right size for snacking. Are baby carrots actually harvested that small, or are they carved out of bigger carrots? If they’re carved out of bigger carrots, where do all the shavings go? Bottom line: Am I supporting a wasteful production […]

Fighting Fire With Hot Air

California Wildfires Put Pressure on Senate to Pass Bush’s Forest Plan The wildfires raging through Southern California are turning up the heat on senators to pass President Bush’s “Healthy Forests” plan, which would limit environmental and judicial reviews of many logging projects in national forests with the stated aim of reducing the risk of fire. […]

Happy As a Clam

Prozac Ingredient Found to Accumulate in Fish Traces of the antidepressant Prozac have been found in fish in central Texas, according to first-of-its-kind research conducted by scientists at Baylor University. Fluoxetine hydrochloride, the active ingredient in Prozac, likely made its way into the fish tissue after passing through human bodies, through the sewer system, and […]

A Turkey of a Project

Big Pipeline Project Threatens Environment in Azerbaijan, Turkey BP and 10 other companies are plotting to build a 1,000-mile pipeline to carry oil from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Ceyhan, Turkey, at a cost of up to $4 billion. The project is enthusiastically backed by the U.S. government, which is on the lookout for new sources of […]