Latest Articles
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Umbra on grocery bags
Dear Umbra, At the grocery store, when they ask “Paper or plastic?” (and you have left your eco-friendly organic cotton tote bag at home), which is the lesser of two evils as far as total pounds of pollutants per bag (including solid waste, hazardous waste, and air and water pollution), and as far as ecological […]
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Diet Ops for Diet
Following in the footsteps of the European Union, Japan ratified the Kyoto Protocol on climate change today, becoming the 73rd country to commit to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Japan had previously waffled on ratification, especially after the Bush administration backed out of the treaty, but public pressure won out and the country’s upper house of […]
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Umbra on computers
Dear Umbra, I normally turn my computer off when I leave the office. However, I was recently told that the act of turning on a computer requires more energy than is saved by keeping it off from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. The person said that it is better to let your computer go into […]
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Give It Up
Check your calendars: There’s one month left until the Fourth of July, 17 days until the summer solstice, 12 days until Father’s Day … and just four days left to help keep your favorite online environmental magazine alive and kicking. That’s right; after Friday, you won’t receive any more such pleas asking for your support […]
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Taylor-made Destruction
Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, has spread instability within his nation’s borders and helped foment a brutal civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. To fund the fighting, he has exploited his country’s natural resources. At first, it was diamonds — but as international scrutiny on the dirty diamond trade has increased, Taylor has been […]
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Whale Killers
The killer whale population has declined 20 percent since 1995, and scientists think they’ve found one of the reasons why: whale watchers. The motorized boats that serve whale-watchers disrupt the orcas’ sonar, reducing its efficiency by as much as 99 percent. That means whales have to swim harder and longer to find food; in so […]
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Truth Without Consequences
For the first time, the Bush administration has acknowledged, in a report to the U.N., that climate change is most likely caused by human activity and will have far-reaching effects on the American environment. Although the report marks a significant shift in the administration’s rhetoric — Bushies had heretofore maintained the need for more research […]
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Golden State Worriers
A large portion of the American are at risk of developing cancer from exposure to any of 32 common toxic chemicals, according to the first nationwide study of the toxins, released Friday by the U.S. EPA. About 200 million face roughly a 1 in 100,000 lifetime risk, while about 20 million people — many of […]
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The Answer, My Friends
The biggest wind-energy meeting ever held in the U.S. opened today in Portland, Ore. Industry-watchers say the large turnout — more than 1,500 people have registered for the three-day conference — is a good sign for wind energy in general and for the role of the Pacific Northwest in the wind market in particular. Oregon […]
