Latest Articles

Red Hot Chile Cyclists

Officials in Santiago, Chile, are struggling to deal with the city’s dirty air, so severe that it rivals the notorious pollution in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. The problem, caused mainly by auto exhaust and industrial emissions, has grown along with the nation’s economy, which has expanded 7 percent per year in the last decade. […]

Fees: "Fie," Foes Fume

This weekend, in at least 40 towns and cities across the U.S., protests are expected to draw thousands of people who oppose a federal government plan to charge user fees for access to national forests, recreation areas, and other public lands. A pilot user-fee program began in 1997, and now the U.S. Forest Service and […]

Fruit of the Doom

Apples, grapes, and other common foods often have pesticide residues that exceed safe levels for children, according to a food-safety report released this week by Consumers Union. The U.S. EPA is expected today to ban most home uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, commonly known as Dursban, but Consumers Union is urging the agency to go […]

Oh, Cannon Bombed

Spurred by enviros, Democrats successfully fought back a bill in the U.S. House yesterday that they said would do far too little to protect wildlands in Utah. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), would create a 1.3 million-acre national conservation area in the redrock country of southeastern Utah, but critics said it would […]

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 […]