Latest Articles
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Andy Holdsworth, conservation biologist
Andy Holdsworth is a PhD candidate in conservation biology at the University of Minnesota. He studies the ecological effects and conservation implications of nonnative earthworms in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tuesday, 2 Sep 2003 MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. There is a blurry line between work and play in my life. My wife, Hillary, learned this lesson for the […]
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Goats are the hip new thing in eco-friendly weed management
The lawnmower was broken. Not that I knew how to use it, anyway, as I’d spent my whole life until a year ago in lawn-less New York City. Now, though, I was in Boulder, Colo., with waist-high weeds in my yard. I refused to even consider herbicides, but my attempt to pull the weeds by […]
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Trickle-down Economics
Saving Forests Can Mean Clean Water for Cities Cities around the world could save billions of dollars on water-treatment plants if they dedicated resources to protecting nearby forests, which naturally filter and purify drinking water, according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank. Researchers came to this conclusion after […]
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Hot Enough for Ya?
Earth’s Climate Hits a 2,000-Year High, Study Says If you thought the summer was hot, get a load of this: The Earth has been warmer since 1980 than at any time in the past 2,000 years, according to the most comprehensive study to date of climatic history. The study authors believe their research, published in […]
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Real Bad Estate
Bush Administration Lifts Ban on Selling PCB-Tainted Land In yet another behind-the-scenes weakening of environmental rules, the Bush administration last month quietly ended a ban on the sale of land contaminated with PCBs. The 25-year-old ban was designed to prevent polluted sites from being redeveloped in ways that might expose the public to PCBs, which […]
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For the Shell of It
Shell Won’t Drill at U.N. World Heritage Sites Royal Dutch/Shell, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, has pledged not to explore or drill for oil or gas on U.N.-designated World Heritage sites. A week before Shell made its announcement, the International Council on Mining and Metals, which represents the world’s 15 largest mining companies, […]
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The Fat of the Land
Study Links Obesity to Suburban Sprawl No, it’s not a national thyroid problem: The U.S. obesity epidemic is caused in part by suburban sprawl, according to a study released yesterday by the National Center for Smart Growth. The study, which involved more than 200,000 people in 448 counties, was the first comprehensive examination of the […]
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One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, New Fish
New Fish Species Discovered in Venezuela In an era of mass extinction, it’s always nice to hear about the discovery of new species. So the members of an expedition sponsored by Conservation International were thrilled to discover 10 new fish species in Venezuela’s Upper Caura River. Of the 10 new species, only one has been […]
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Out of State, Not Out of Mind
States, Enviros Move to Sue Over Clean Air Act Changes Within hours after the Bush administration relaxed the federal clean-air rules governing the nation’s power plants, refineries, and other facilities yesterday, environmental organizations and state attorneys general were preparing challenges to the rule change. The Northeast, in particular, was a flurry of legal activity, as […]
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Peruvian Gold
Peruvian Natural Gas Project Denied Funding In a blow for two Texas energy companies, a huge Peruvian natural-gas project was denied funding yesterday because of concerns about the likely impact on a marine preserve, a rainforest, and indigenous people in the Amazon Basin. In a 2-to-1 vote, the U.S. Export-Import Bank rejected a bid for […]
