Latest Articles
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Forty
• percentage by which energy consumption in developing nations is expected to grow by 2010 • percentage of written prescriptions that are either based on or synthesized from natural compounds found in plants and animals • percentage of total paper used in Germany that goes toward packaging • percentage by which one can reduce pollution […]
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The Meter Is Cunning
Puget Sound Energy in Washington will soon begin testing a web-based system for controlling home energy use that could help eliminate the need for new power stations in the region. Some 200 homes in the Kent area will be outfitted with devices that allow residents to control their furnaces and water heaters while they are […]
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A Republican berates his party for abandoning the environment
Republicans are handing Democrats a green Y2K. So far, GOP presidential contenders have all but conceded the environmental issue to Al Gore and Bill Bradley. Rather than fight for the conservation mantle that was once the GOP’s, they seem content to not ask and not tell when it comes to the nation’s land, air, water, […]
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Zed, last of his species, in "Wakey Wakey!"
What’s two-feet-tall, yellow, funny, and desperately looking for a date? Introducing Zed, a critter who’s the last of his species, thanks to global warming. He’s now the star of a weekly Grist Magazine comic strip.
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This Plastic, It's Fantastic
Cargill and Dow Chemical are teaming up to make a biodegradable plastic from renewable resources such as corn or wheat instead of from petroleum. The companies say their joint venture, branded NatureWorks, is ready to go into full-scale commercial production, putting the companies at the front of a race among agriculture and chemical firms to […]
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Past Their Primates
No primate species have gone extinct within the last century, but now 25 species of apes, monkeys, lemurs, and other primates are in danger of disappearing soon, according to a new report issued by Conservation International. The two main causes of primate decline are the destruction of tropical habitat and hunting by locals; other threats […]
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Credit Where Credit Is Due
New York Gov. George Pataki (R) plans to give a boost to green building today by proposing a tax break for builders who construct or renovate large buildings so that they produce less pollution, waste, and indoor air contamination and use less energy than conventional buildings. The tax credits would be limited to $25 million […]
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For God's Sake
The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility — an activist network of Catholic and Protestant groups — is waging a David-against-Goliath campaign to get ExxonMobil to acknowledge and address the issue of global warming. Wielding the power of the $90 billion pension fund portfolio owned by its member groups, Interfaith is using its stockholder status to […]
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Zed Fun
Meet Zed, last of his species. What’s two-feet-tall, yellow, funny, and desperately looking for a date? Introducing Zed, a critter who’s the last of his species and the star of a weekly Grist Magazine comic strip. Now Zed, whose plight came about because of global warming, has his own video and game. Check ’em out. […]
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Wind power is dividing enviros and spurring some odd alliances
The National Audubon Society hosted a news conference in September 1999 to denounce Enron Wind Corp.’s plans to build a wind farm near the town of Gorman in Southern California, with enough capacity to power 40,000 homes. “It is hard to imagine a worse idea than putting a condor Cuisinart next door to critical condor […]