Latest Articles

Come On, Rudy, Sign the Local Motion

Some 567 local officials from all 50 states — including the mayors of Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. — are calling on the federal government to act more aggressively to combat climate change, in a statement to be released today. As of late last week, enviros had been saying they’d scored a coup […]

Just Two Words: Scary Plastics

Phthalates, plastic-softening chemicals used in medical tubing and children’s toys, are at the center of a contentious debate, with enviros and a number of health experts arguing that the chemicals may cause serious health problems for humans. A panel of scientists led by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop released a report in June that […]

A Rising Tide Floods All Islands

Small island nations throughout the world are threatened by climate change, toxic waste, and excessive tourism, island leaders said yesterday during a U.N. session in New York focusing on their problems. The 43 members of the Alliance of Small Island States say they want an end to industrial fishing and the transport of nuclear and […]

Pew! Climate Change Stinks

Global warming could have serious effects on both the quality and quantity of freshwater, according to a report released yesterday by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. In mountainous watersheds, global warming will increase the ratio of rain to snow and lead to earlier and greater spring runoff, the report says, which could improve […]

World Bank Plays Shell Game

Enviros yesterday called on the World Bank to deny funding for a proposed 650-mile pipeline that would carry oil from landlocked Chad to the Cameroon coast, cutting through a tropical rainforest and most of Cameroon’s major river systems. The World Bank is expected to decide by November whether to provide $190 million in loans to […]

Annie Berthold-Bond, author

Annie Berthold-Bond is the author of Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living and Clean & Green. She is also the creator of the betterbasics.com website. Monday, 27 Sep 1999 Rhinebeck, N.Y. The ticks are back. I noticed a bloated tick on the floor yesterday, fallen off our dog Samy. I […]

Come on, Rudy, Sign the Local Motion

Instant correction: Those of you who perused Muckraker early this morning or over the weekend may have read that New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) was prepared to sign a major letter from mayors and other local officials calling for the federal government to do more to combat global warming. Not so keen to […]

All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance

Recently I invited friends around the world to ask their friends and neighbors a simple question: “What would the world be like if it were what you really want, not what you’ve learned to settle for or what you think is possible? What do you really want the world to be like for your children […]

Natural Born Litterers

Take This Blob and Shove It

A giant blob of radioactive waste is expanding inside a million-gallon tank buried at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state, and the Department of Energy and site contractor Lockheed Martin are baffled by the problem. A pump that was supposed to dissipate pockets of hydrogen gas in the tank instead whipped the contents into […]