Latest Articles

Please Don't Feed the Sharks

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gave preliminary approval yesterday to a ban on shark-feeding dives. The ban would cover “interactive” shark tours that use cut-up fish bait to lure sharks so that tourists can swim with them. Final approval of the ban could come as soon as November. The commissioners stressed that they […]

The Military Is Hazardous to Your Health

The Pentagon isn’t cleaning up thousands of former military sites as quickly as it claims, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. In its own review of the $200 million-a-year cleanup program, the Pentagon said that work at more than of half of the thousands […]

Cheesed Off

A growing number of children are giving the thumbs down to meat, but public schools haven’t been quick to provide alternative options at lunch, according to vegetarian advocates. Recent surveys indicate that about 2 percent of children under age 18 consider themselves veggies, about the same percentage as adults. Marcia Smith, president of the American […]

The people next door can help you think green

Everywhere I have lived, I have had neighbors, sometimes in houses just 15 or 20 feet away. Always I’ve had a garden and woodpile, sometimes bees, chickens, and fruit trees. In each place I have lived, I have given the garden a lot of my love and care, the lawn and shrubs a bit less. […]

At the Head of the Class

Lawyers from top environmental groups in the U.S. are considering such new legal strategies as broad-based class-action lawsuits to force the U.S. and corporations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Whether in federal courts or international tribunals, the lawyers would sue on behalf of people or whole countries suffering from the effects of global warming. For […]

Slim Shady

Tree cover has diminished significantly in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas over the last 25 years, as roads, parking lots, and more buildings have taken root, according to a study released yesterday by American Forests. The enviro group says the loss is a shame — because trees not only look swell, but they also provide financial […]

Oregon Trailblazers

When it comes to sustainability, Oregon is No. 1, says the San Francisco-based Resource Renewal Institute. The group ranked states on transit spending, open-space protection, recycling, and pollution prevention, among other things. New Jersey (shocking!) and Minnesota came in second and third, respectively. The institute’s Randy Solomon said Oregon took top honors because the state […]

When It Rains, It Poors

Poor people in the U.K. are among those worst affected by environmental problems in the country, according to a recent study published in Britain. The researchers conducted a series of focus groups in four different areas — a poor neighborhood in Glasgow, another in London, a former mining village in North Wales, and a rural […]

The Green Planet

The Northern Hemisphere is greener now than it was 20 years ago, possibly because the Earth’s temperatures are rising, according to a NASA-funded study. The scientists found that the growing season has lengthened and vegetation density has increased above 40 degrees north latitude. In North America, the growing season is now as much as 12 […]

Fish-ious Cycle

Traces of antibiotics, estrogen, and antidepressants have been found in Canada’s water system, according to Canadian health officials. They promised yesterday to develop regulations requiring drug manufacturers to assess how their products would affect the environment. So far, the substances have been found in sewage effluent; the officials said drinking water would be tested shortly. […]