Latest Articles

Cruising for Trouble

Environmental protesters came out to say good riddance when the Crystal Harmony cruise ship pulled out of port in San Francisco yesterday. The Crystal Cruises company was banned from docking its ships in Monterey, Calif., in March because one of its ships had discharged tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater into the Monterey Bay […]

Air Care

With the feds having fallen down on the job, the California state Senate stepped in yesterday to keep up the fight against air pollution. The state Senate voted to add New Source Review rules to the state’s clean-air regulations — the same type of rules that the Bush administration did away with on a national […]

Crime-iny!

Environmental advocates in Oregon are worried that a bill intended to crack down on so-called ecoterrorism could punish activists who take part in peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience. The Oregon Senate yesterday overwhelmingly passed legislation that would let “eco-sabotage” crimes be prosecuted under the state’s racketeering laws and would allow prosecutors to seek […]

Ford Gored

The Sierra Club hopes to embarrass Ford Motor Co. with ads slated to run in the New York Times and BusinessWeek pointing out that the company’s vehicles are less fuel-efficient now than when Ford got its start 100 years ago. The Model T got 25 miles to the gallon; Ford’s fleet now averages 22.6 miles […]

Don’t Drink to This

Leaders of the Group of Eight nations — meeting for their annual summit in Evian, France, home of the original chichi bottled water — agreed yesterday to throw their weight behind a plan intended to bring clean drinking water to at least half of the 1.2 billion people who lack it by 2015. Aid groups […]

Jeff Lahl, Solar Electric Light Fund

Jeff Lahl is project manager for the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), a nonprofit that works to bring solar electricity to developing countries. Monday, 2 Jun 2003 KANO, Nigeria As of last night, I’ve been in Kano, Nigeria, for a solid month now, but it seems like much, much longer. I thought I’d be here […]

The Price Pump Is Right

A growing number of California businesses are taking steps to become more eco-friendly, and are saving money in the process, according to a new survey conducted by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board. One example is the Price Pump Co. in Sonoma, which has switched to more environmentally conscious packaging, using brown boxes instead of […]

Our Gorge Is Rising

China yesterday blocked the flow of the Yangtze River by closing gates at the massive Three Gorges Dam and began to fill up what will be the world’s largest reservoir. It’s a joyous occasion for government engineers and Communist Party faithful who have long touted the coming benefits of hydroelectric power and flood control, and […]

Don’t Fear the Reefer

The Australian government today announced plans to put nearly one-third of the Great Barrier Reef off limits to fishing and trawling. “This will provide the largest network of protected marine areas in the world,” said Minister for the Environment David Kemp. Environmental advocates praised the move but pointed out that the government needs to do […]

Stock Options

Pressure is mounting in the U.S. for major reform of fisheries policies, with the aim of rebuilding fish stocks that have been decimated by decades of overfishing and ecosystem degradation. “What’s going on out there is the last buffalo hunt with regard to our fisheries,” said Leon Panetta, former chief of staff under President Clinton […]