Latest Articles
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In Need of Refuge
540 — number of national wildlife refuges in the U.S.1 95.3 million — size, in acres, of the refuge system2 19.3 million — size, in acres, of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the country3 0.6 — size, in acres, of Minnesota’s Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, the smallest refuge in the […]
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The Bush administration lost credibility over Kyoto, and can’t get it back over Iraq
Every European poll shows enormous percentages of people who oppose the pending war on Iraq: 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent. That’s an extraordinary consensus; it’s rare when 70 percent of people agree about anything. Taking their anti-Bush sentiments to the streets in Prague. Photo: Punchdown.org. The consensus is all the more extraordinary because people […]
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Howell of Protest
Under federal regulations, private developers have to pay market rates to lease land bordering the 456 lakes owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But last month, Ronald Howell signed a 50-year rent-free lease on 280 along Oklahoma’s Skiatook Lake, which is owned by the corps, to build a $10 million resort, complete with […]
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Umbra on making your parents’ home eco-friendly
Dear Umbra, I am a teenager and so I live with my parents. We recycle paper and some other products (mostly milk containers), but I don’t think our house as a whole is very eco-friendly. Since I’m not in charge, I can’t really go out and buy new appliances or anything like that. Should I […]
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Umbra on having kids
Dear Wonderful Umbra, I truly love your column. You should give humor lessons to the rest of the Grist staff. My question concerns the environmental consequences of the decision to reproduce or not to reproduce. Your answer to Genevieve pointed out that the two biggest actions we can take to support a healthy environment relate […]
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Umbra on that time of the month
Hey there, Umbra! I have a kind of gross-yet-pressing question for you: Are sanitary products (pads, etc.) environmentally friendly? I would think no, but what do you say? And what can I do about it? Thanks, JessicaTelford, Tenn. Hey there, dearest Jessica, How is it possible that we live in a country where diapers are […]
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Buhl-dozed
After weeks of intense controversy, the Maryland Senate yesterday rejected Lynn Buhl as secretary of the environment, marking the first time in the state’s history that a governor’s cabinet nominee has been turned down. The 26-21 vote was a major blow to Maryland Republicans and Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr. (R), who had championed Buhl, a […]
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Splurging General
Calling homeland security an environmental issue, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced yesterday that the Justice Department would crack down on companies that failed to protect their plants, pipelines, storage tanks, and transportation systems from terrorist attacks. The attorney general said the department would use civil and criminal lawsuits to enforce compliance with environmental and […]
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PBDE Heebie-jeebies
Women in the San Francisco Bay Area have three to 10 times the amount of a dangerous persistent organic pollutant in their breast tissue as do either European or Japanese women, according to a study released yesterday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants commonly used in foam, textiles, […]
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Weapons of Mass Distruction
A coalition of activists in four states sued the federal government yesterday over the U.S. Army’s practice of incinerating chemical weapons. The coalition, led by the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group, charges the Army with violating the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider less dangerous alternatives for disposing of the country’s chemical weapons […]
