Latest Articles

Crimson and Clover

About 150 members of Harvard’s graduating class this year plan to wear green ribbons along with their caps and gowns at today’s commencement ceremony, reminders of their pledge to keep environmental and social responsibility in mind as they choose their jobs. Hundreds of graduating seniors at about 50 other colleges and universities have also made […]

You and Your Largemouth

Native fish in the U.S. are in sharp decline due to the introduction of nonnative species, according to a survey published in the journal Science. In the past, many different fish species existed in every state, but now, fish populations are blending into one group of common fish. Three fish — largemouth bass, black crappie, […]

Sealing Their Fate

More than 10,000 seals in the Caspian Sea have died in recent weeks, and Kazakhstan’s environment minister, Serikbek Daukeyev, placed the blame yesterday on pollution. He said that expert analyses have found large amounts of toxic oil wastes and pesticides in the seals’ bodies, and suggested that the deaths may have been triggered by waste […]

Tag, You're It

About 600 companies operating in 32 different countries have enrolled in the Forest Stewardship Council’s certification system, which gives a label of approval to eco-friendly forest products. Called the FSC tag, the label indicates that wood comes from trees grown and harvested in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, under international guidelines. Many companies believe […]

Up the River Without a Program

A group of conservative Republicans in Congress is trying to undermine President Clinton’s Heritage Rivers Program. Established in 1997, the program — which is jointly run by the Agriculture, Interior, Defense, and Housing and Urban Development departments — provides federal administrative help to designated river communities looking for funding or other support for environmental cleanup […]

The Catbox Guide to Running a Multinational Corporation

Half awake, with an early morning NPR broadcast in the background, I think I heard, though I hope I did not, the author of the latest business book telling CEOs the great lessons to be learned from kids playing in a sandbox. Is that frightening or what? Am I the only one who’s both amused […]

Battle Royale

Genetically modified (GM) foods are at the center of the latest tiff in Britain’s royal family. The views of Prince Charles, a devoted supporter of organic farming and ardent foe of GM foods, have been publicly criticized in recent days by both his father, Prince Philip, and his sister, Princess Anne. Last month, Prince Charles […]

Ceci N'est Pas Une Good Idea

Despite vehement protests from enviros and human rights activists, the World Bank yesterday approved a $193 million loan for a 663-mile oil pipeline in Chad and Cameroon. Opponents of the project — which is expected to cost $3.7 billion total and is being spearheaded by ExxonMobil — say it would destroy sensitive rainforest, lead to […]

That's Fin With Us

The U.S. House voted 350 to 1 yesterday to ban in U.S. waters the practice known as shark finning, in which sharks are caught, their fins are cut off, and the rest of their dead or dying bodies are thrown back in the ocean. Some 60,000 Pacific sharks are killed by this method each year […]

Up With People

The U.S. EPA has decided to adopt a policy of ignoring experiments conducted on humans by pesticide companies when setting legal limits for the chemicals in food and water, officials said yesterday. The agency does not regulate scientific research by private companies, but it has usually relied on industry studies to establish limits for pesticides. […]