Latest Articles
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Pop the Corks?
One day after some estimates that the world population has hit 6 billion, the House voted to restore U.S. support for the U.N. Population Fund, which was cut off last fall by the GOP. Yesterday, 46 Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in voting for up to $25 million in U.S. aid. The bill stipulates […]
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Phew, I Feel Safer Already
The U.S. Army plans to manufacture and use eco-friendly bullets that will still kill people but won’t be quite so deadly to the environment. New tungsten-based bullets will be phased in as replacements for traditional lead bullets, which can cause lead buildup in the environment and contaminate sediments, surface water, and groundwater. Some 1 million […]
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A Chicken-S**t Tax Cut
Tax credits would go to companies that convert chicken droppings into electricity under a provision tucked into a giant Senate tax-cut bill by Sen. William Roth (R-Del.). Chicken farming is the largest agricultural enterprise in Delaware, and chicken manure has become a major source of pollution. Technology for burning the manure to produce electricity has […]
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Himalayan Low
Global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers within 40 years, according to new research to be presented this week at a meeting of the World Meteorological Organization. The Gangotri glacier at the head of the Ganges River is receding at a rate of about 90 feet per year. The melting of glaciers could increase the risk […]
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Seeds of Change
Scientists have learned how to manipulate genes within a plant, a technique the biotechnology industry hopes environmentalists will like more than current genetic modification methods, which involve transplanting foreign genes into crops. The new method, made public today in two articles in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences, could let scientists tinker with […]
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A Grand Stand
Environmentalists are speculating that Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt will try to protect 650,000 acres on Arizona’s Shivwets Plateau north of the Grand Canyon during his last 18 months in office. If Arizona’s congressional delegation can’t agree on legislation to do the job, Babbitt is expected to push Pres. Clinton to designate the area as a […]
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Post-Mitch Hitch
In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, new interest is growing in Central America in environmentally sound land-management practices. Some farmers took note of the fact that communities with protected forest areas held up much better during the hurricane than communities where most trees had been felled. Still, development workers say it’s a tough challenge to […]
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NAFTA-Shock
The U.S.-Mexico border remains heavily polluted, despite claims that NAFTA’s environmental side accord would alleviate many problems in the area. Some progress has been made: the Tijuana River has been cleaned up noticeably, thanks to new sewage treatment plants, though much work still needs to be done. The North American Development Bank, an environmental fund […]
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Rain, Rain, Come and Stay
TreePeople, a Los Angeles nonprofit organization that has planted more than 1.5 million trees over the last 26 years, is now aiming to create a “sustainable watershed” in the city, dramatically reducing flooding, drought, and pollution. TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis has built a demonstration house in South Central L.A. that has a lowered lawn and […]
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Who Needs Germ-Fighting Vacuum Cleaner Bags?
My trusty Electrolux dealer dropped off a box of vacuum cleaner bags the other day. What stopped me from ripping it right open was not the label, I’m sorry to say, but the price. Thirty bucks for 24 bags. A dollar and a quarter each. Electrolux bags have always been pricey, but even with handy […]
