Environmental News
Steal This Car!
In stop-and-go traffic on Highway 101 here, Ellen Spertus, the 2001 "Sexiest Geek Alive," mock-apologizes for the ambient air pollution: "Sorry about the smog. But it's not our fault. This car... read more
PHEVs & a Stable Electric Grid
Google, a former CIA director, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a U.S. Senator, and the IEEE aren’t often found together in the same room. But the promise of plug-in hybrid electric... read more
Israel Looks to Electric Cars
The Israeli government announced a major initiative to push the nation's drivers toward electric cars, a move meant to both lessen dependence on foreign oil and address the environmental and... read more
Across the Outback on Photons Alone
With Australia's desert as its raceway, the World Solar Challenge illuminates some of the best electric-vehicle technology: At the foremost eco-race on the planet, there’s tech intrigue... read more
Pollution-Free Hydrogen SUV
Like many of her neighbors, Maria Recchia-O'Neill has a sport utility vehicle sitting in her driveway in Rye Brook, just north of New York City. She drives it to work and around town to run errands.... read more
California Standards for Low-Emission Cars
From the San Francisco Chronicle, the results of the often contentious meeting of the The California Air Resources Board, and its decision to require major automakers to produce more... read more
Jump Start
GM may yet beat Toyota in plug-in cars, but its breakneck development pace is fraught with risk.
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Tesla: Little Electric Roadster That Could
From USA TODAY: A little roadster that goes into regular production in two weeks is already electrifying the auto industry. The $98,000 Tesla is the first production high-performance electric... read more
Eat Organic! Eat Local! Eat...What?
First, we were all told to "buy organic" food because it's better for our health, and for the earth. Then we were told that buying organic wasn't enough, because organic standards vary from... read more
Agriculture May Help Mitigate Global Warming
A recent report from Greenpeace details the direct and indirect effects of agriculture on climate change and suggests how the sector can move from being a major greenhouse gas emitter to being... read more
Factory Dairy Farms Exposed
Big dairy factory farms claiming to be organic are exposed and disciplined by USDA.... read more
Community Supported Agriculture & Food Stamps
Programs allowing people on Food Stamps to use them at Farmer's Markets and to subscribe to CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) are cropping up all over the country (pun intended). Here's... read more
Tentative Deal Reached on Farm Bill
Congressional negotiators said Friday that they had reached a tentative agreement on a five-year farm bill that would increase spending on food stamps and other nutrition programs while mostly... read more
"Green" Banana Farming Gains Appeal
Banana plantations cause grave environmental harm from the cutting down of rainforests to the tons of pesticides used to grow them. But now, Costa Rica's EARTH University has introduced a more... read more
For Solar Power, The Future Looks Bright
Solar energy is now very real. And at hot companies like SunPower, the 'green' that matters is money — by the billions, writes Marc Gunther in this Fortune Magazine... read more
A Solar Grand Plan
By 2050 solar power could end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and slash greenhouse gas emissions, according to this December 2007 Scientific American article by Ken Zweibel, James... read more
Solar Cells Give More Than They Take
Solar power produces, per unit of energy, only about one-tenth as much carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions as does conventional power generation, a new study shows.... read more
Decorate with Solar Power Paint
A lick of solar-power paint could see the roofs and walls of warehouses and other buildings generate electricity from the sun, if research by UK researchers pays off.... read more
Media Players, Untethered
"Yeah, yeah, O.K., so the glaciers are melting, polar bears are becoming extinct and oceanfront property will soon open up in Philadelphia. But c'mon, people, try to look at the bright... read more
Pay for the Power, Not the Panels
The New York Times reports on how solar power companies are branching out as financial intermediaries to facilitate the change to Solar Power for both residential and business customers. ... read more
A Bid for Harry Potter's Green Fans
The saga of Harry Potter and the recycled-paper/book publishers. No it's not a new book in the series; it's an example of sustainable forestry! ... read more
Getting Clear with Sierra Pacific
It is California's largest private landowner, with swaths of acreage that cascade from the state's far north all the way to Yosemite. Sierra Pacific Industries may not be a household name, but... read more
Managed Forestry Offers Hope Of Saving Amazon
Buzzing chain saws and heavy machinery hauling logs through the Amazon jungle look at first like reckless destruction. But a forestry project on the Jari River in northern Brazil is being hailed... read more
Troops Sent to Stem Amazon Loss
Some 160 Brazilian troops have been sent to the Amazon to join hundreds of police officers involved in efforts to tackle illegal deforestation.... read more
Fight Over What "Green" Means
To see how contentious the world of green building can get, look no further than the debate over "green" timber certification, meant to assure customers that lumber and other forestry... read more
No More "Green" Issues, Please
In this Huffington Post article, Todd Paglia of ForestEthics laments magazines like Vanity Fair who publish an annual "Green Issue," which is printed on printed on paper from clear-cut... read more
Bush Creates World's Biggest Ocean Preserve
President Bush on Thursday created the world's largest marine protected area — a group of remote Hawaiian islands that cover 84 million acres and are home to 7,000 species of birds, fish... read more
Robots & Divers Deploy to Save Coral Reefs
From MSNBC: 2008 is the International Year of the Reef and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is spearheading an underwater expedition, which NOAA director Conrad Lautenbacher... read more
Can You Save a Coral Reef by Crocheting?
The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is part crafts project, environmental statement, and mathematical exploration, reports Patricia Cohen of The New York Times: "This environmental version... read more
Coral Reefs and What Ruins Them
Researchers who studied a string of Pacific Ocean atolls are painting the first detailed picture of pristine coral reefs and how they can be disrupted by people - particularly, they said,... read more
Clue to Past Climate Changes
Many corals grow their skeletons in a manner similar to tree trunks, laying down growth rings that become historical archives of the water conditions over time. Analyzing the chemical composition... read more
World's Largest Marine Protected Area
The small Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has become a global conservation leader by establishing the world's largest marine protected area - a California-sized ocean wilderness of pristine... read more
Landfills Make Mercury More Toxic
Mercury is a major ingredient in many products from thermometers and fluorescent bulbs to batteries and old latex paint. A 2001 study found that landfill disposal of such products can chemically... read more
Perils on Your Plate
Mercury starts out in places like power plants, gets spewed out into the air, lands in and contaminates the water, and then gets served up - to the unwary - in fish. Right now, Texas leads the... read more
Deadly Immunity
This ground-breaking investigative article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the June 2005 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is about the connection between autism and mercury in vaccines,... read more
Mercury Switches in Autos to be Recovered
A landmark agreement from 2006 greatly reduces a major source of mercury from the environment by creating an industry-funded, national program for recovering mercury switches from vehicles before... read more
Court Orders Stronger Mercury Controls
The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Clean Air Act when it removed oil and coal-fired power plants from a list of sources of... read more
The 27 Worst Cement Kilns
After years of litigation, it appears that environmental groups and states have won a victory against the Environmental Protection Agency, which had refused for ten years to set mercury emissions... read more
Fighting Toxic Incinerators
Each time Anne Parker sits in her kitchen breakfast nook, she feels sick. Through the web of tree branches in her backyard, she can see her newest neighbor five blocks away: the gray cement smokestack... read more
Environment Is a Key Issue For Students
A recent survey of college students found that 51% said where a candidate stands on the environment would be very important to their vote. An additional 37% said it would be somewhat important... read more
A Political Speech the West Needs
Thirty years ago, President Jimmy Carter made a speech urging the development of a national energy policy. We need that speech—or more importantly, that policy—today. ... read more
Are You Voting for Coal?
Facing a bruising fight over climate change, the coal industry is on the political offensive this election year to ensure that no matter who wins in November, so does coal. ... read more
Global Warming Called Security Threat
For the second time in a month, private consultants to the government are warning that human-driven warming of the climate poses risks to the national security of the United States.... read more
Clinton, Obama on Energy Legislation
Hillary Rodham Clinton has challenged rival Barack Obama on his record on energy policy, prompting Obama's campaign to counter that it was Clinton who voted against improvements in automobile... read more
Climate Is Risky Issue For Democrats
An interesting assessment of the role climate change will play in the upcoming Presidential election campaign.... read more
The Youth Vote Matters
2008 has already seen a massive increase in youth voting (people ages 18 through 29), with more to come, according to a new study by Harvard University, and recent polling by MTV and CBS News.... read more
Environmental Groups' 2008 Election Targets
Building on the success of 2006, particularly the defeat of Richard Pombo, a coalition of leading environmental organizations led by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, Clean... read more
More Republicans Skeptical of Global Warming
A new survey by the Pew Research Center indicates that U.S. Republicans, never warm to the idea of human-induced climate change or rising global temperatures, are growing even cooler to the idea. ... read more
Bush Team Battered by Courts on Environment
Federal courts appear to have done what relentless green lobbying could not in more than seven years: rein in what critics call a de facto deregulation of the environment by President Bush's... read more
Secretive Plan to Gut the ESA?
In April 2007, Salon.com uncovered a 117-page draft proposal by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to fundamentally weaken the ESA.... read more
ESA: Politics Endangers Science
Investigations in 2007 discovered that political appointees in the Department of Interior and FWS altered scientific content in what many see as the Bush Administration's continued efforts to... read more
Chinese Smugglers Caught with Endangered Turtle Shell
Guitar picks and violin bows made from the shells of endangered hawksbill sea turtles plus several pounds of raw hawksbill shell sent to the United States from China were intercepted by U.S.... read more
Are Polar Bears an Endangered Species?
Polar Bears head into troubled times. Their population is expected to decline by two-thirds by 2050. This has led to a proposal to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered... read more
Gray Wolves Will be Hunted Again
The removal of Gray Wolves in the Northern Rockies from the Endangered Species List was announced Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, by the U.S. Department of Interior. Now that the wolves' recovery... read more
Conservation Efforts Pay Off
In a complete reversal, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it would not finalize a proposal to revise protected habitat for marbled murrelets in Oregon, Washington, and Northern... read more
Protection Weighed for Sage Grouse
The fate of grazing, mining, and energy industries across the West could be at least partially affected by a judge's order that the federal government reconsider a decision against listing the... read more
Conservation Groups Challenge Federal Wolf Delisting
On April 28, 2008, 12 conservation groups filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's decision to remove the northern Rockies gray wolf population from the list of endangered species.... read more
Lawsuit to Stop Mexican Gray Wolf Removal
Two wildlife conservation groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday to keep federal agencies from aggressively removing endangered Mexican gray wolves that have attacked livestock more than twice from... read more
3 Western State Challenge Gray Wolf Lawsuit
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are asserting their right to hold public hunts of the gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies, and are asking to be heard in a federal lawsuit that seeks to return... read more
Delisted Gray Wolves Freely Hunted
Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have been taken off the endangered species list and are being hunted freely for the first time since they were placed on that list three decades ago.... read more
Strategic Tree Planting in Dry Areas
Researchers say that planting trees in dry regions of the world could make better use of scarce water resources increasingly threatened by climate change.... read more
A New Urban Cool
Tree-planting in U.S. cities has been championed as a way to beautify and civilize the hard edges of urban life. (Before air conditioning, it was also a primary strategy for keeping cities cool.)... read more
Million Trees NYC Launches
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York Restoration Project (NYRP) Founder Bette Midler today launched the Million Trees NYC initiative to plant and care for one million trees throughout the... read more
Indonesia Embarks on Tree Planting Campaign
Listen to an NPR Morning Edition report from 2007 on The Forest Ministry of Indonesia's plans to plant 79 million trees as part of a United Nations campaign to plant a billion trees around the... read more
Environmentalists Call for $1 Million Urban Tree Program
Environmentalists eager to save urban trees are promoting the Evergreen Cities campaign, naming it one of their top four priorities for the 2008 Washington state legislative session. Among other... read more
State Foresters Furious Over 60% Federal Funding Cut
State foresters across the country reacted angrily in February 2008 to deep cutbacks in federal funding for state and private forestry programs (including urban forestry) within the U.S. Forest... read more
Satellite Images Help Boost Cities' Tree Efforts
A 4-man team of scientists at the University of Vermont, working with a research scientist from the U.S. Forest Service, is helping urban planners and foresters gauge the existing "tree... read more
City Trees Are Good Medicine
Along with the environmental gains of an urban forest, there are other benefits less obvious to the casual observer: studies show that urban greenery makes us healthier and happier, says Kathleen... read more
What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation?
2 New Jersey college students have put together a non-profit organization to bike across America and plant one million trees with the help of schools and community groups. Their 3-month journey... read more
Utah's Tree Bank Invests in Green Future
As understanding and awareness of trees' role in climate change has grown, so has interest in renewing a healthy tree canopy in metropolitan areas. New organizations, including a "tree bank"... read more
Villa Park Considers Going Green
Trustees of Villa Park, IL are looking at having the village participate in the Cool Cities program to help curb global warming. They would join about 3 dozen Illinois municipalities who have... read more
New Bern May Join Cool Cities
A hybrid police car in New Bern? It could happen - if New Bern is the next Eastern North Carolina city to officially go green. The city is considering signing the Cool Cities Initiative, an environmental-protection... read more
Embracing A Clean Green Dream
Copenhagen aims to become the world’s ‘Eco-Metropole’ – the lowest-emitting city on the planet, with harnessed winds, a pristine harbour and cyclists ruling the roads. ... read more
Sierra Club Honors Cool Tulsa Mayor
The Green Country Sierra Club on Friday named Mayor Kathy Taylor as its Cool Cities award winner for her efforts to make Tulsa more green. The award was given for Taylor's efforts to reduce air... read more
Two Oregon Counties Become "Cooler" Places
Clackamas and Multnomah counties pledged this month to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050, becoming the latest counties to join the Sierra Club’s “Cool Counties” initiative.... read more
Minnesota Governor Won't Speak Out Against New Coal Plant
Gov. Tim Pawlenty said in an interview he will let the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) make its recommendations on a massive coal-burning power plant on Minnesota's western border.... read more
Northeast Movement to Cut Emissions
Officials from several U.S. states, mostly in the Northeast, are tired of waiting for the federal government to take action against climate change. So they are passing legislation to require... read more
South Bend, Indiana Now a "Cool City"
Mayor Stephen J. Luecke, on behalf of the City of South Bend, celebrated Earth Day by signing the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, adding South Bend to the ranks of "Cool... read more
When It Rains, Sewage Often Pours
Besides flooding subways, the wild downpour this week provided a disconcerting glimpse into one of New York's dirtiest environmental secrets: heavy rain regularly overwhelms the city's vast sewage... read more
Several Tennessee Streams Polluted
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has released a draft list of waterways that do not support the public's use of them, due to contamination from either waste water systems... read more
Malibu & L.A. Sued Over Polluted Runoff
Two environmental groups filed two separate lawsuits in federal court Monday to compel the County of Los Angeles and the City of Malibu to stop allowing urban stormwater runoff carrying bacteria... read more
The Low-Carbon Diet
After seeing An Inconvenient Truth, Kay Spencer was despondant. Then she learned how to calculate her carbon footprint, and now she's on a low-carbon diet. Read about it in TIME... read more
A Message For Policy Makers
Dell chief Michael Dell and other high-profile technology company CEOs descended on the nation's capital Wednesday with a message for policymakers: do more to encourage energy-efficient practices,... read more
Does Daylight-Saving Time Save Energy?
Clocks moved ahead one hour Sunday morning, an annual rite known as daylight-saving time. Love it or hate daylight-saving time-- there's now more of it. Congress added four weeks in an effort... read more
8 Ways To Live Green (And Save Energy)
When Shelley Dunbar set out to build a new four-bedroom home outside of Boulder, Co. she had one goal in mind: To be off the grid; to be carbon neutral, as she puts it. At 4,800 square feet of... read more
Jamestown Public School District Doing Its Part
The Jamestown, New York Public School district’s energy conservation program, which began 30 months ago, has led to a 16.7 percent reduction in the district’s overall energy consumption.... read more
Older Homes Can Be Energy Efficient Too
It is not only extremely old houses which are not energy efficient. Most houses built before the early 1970s lack many of the efficiency features and designs which are considered commonplace... read more
Getting Creative to Save Energy
With continually rising gas and energy prices, the threat of climate crisis looming on the horizon, and an overall desire to change, it's no wonder people are looking at alternative ways to power... read more
Energy-Saving LEDs Can Now Concentrate Light
Light-emitting diodes save energy. In terms of their light output, however, they have so far been unable to compete with light bulbs. A new, low-priced optical component is set to change that... read more
Dell Sets New Energy-Efficiency Computing Standard
In a press release, Dell sets out its goal to cut the energy consumption of its already energy-efficient computers an additional 25% by 2010.... read more
Save Cash and Eat Well
Buy into a farm. The pros (and few cons) of joining a CSA.... read more
That'll Do Pig
For heritage breeds—and the small farmers who cherish their genes—the resurgence in show hogs and premium pork demand is welcome. Some of these breeds had been practically extinct.... read more
My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)
Consumers who would like to be able to buy local fruits and vegetables not just at farmers'' markets, but also in the produce aisle of their supermarket, will be dismayed to learn that the federal... read more
Community Farms in The 21st Century
A 2-part article on Robyn Van En and the rise of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).... read more
Congress Has Votes to Override Farm Bill Veto
Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley said he has signed the farm bill conference report and will work to override a likely presidential veto, predicting that both chambers have... read more
Preaching God's Green Gospel
An interview by April Thompson of Sojourners with environmental minister Sally Bingham of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral and The Regeneration Project. ... read more
The Gospel of Green
A 2006 article in NRDC's OnEarth magazine by Bill McKibbon. As only he can put it: "First came the mighty winds, blowing across the Gulf with unprecedented fury, leveling cities and... read more
Green Evangelical Applauds Climate Bill
The head of an evangelical environmental group welcomed a Senate committee''s unprecedented vote this week to advance a climate bill to the Senate floor.... read more
Southern Baptist Leaders Shift on Climate
Several prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that Baptists have a moral responsibility to combat climate change -- a major shift within a denomination that just last... read more
Muslims going "Green"
Every morning, Wasi Ahmed Yousaf, 37, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., puts on his sneakers and helmet and commutes to work on his bicycle. Yousaf ditched his car two months ago in favor of a more... read more
Small Streams Can Be Restored Inexpensively
Not sure if this one is good news or bad news, considering the source.... read more
Coulee Region Stream Restoration Grant
The Coulee Region Chapter of Trout Unlimited landed its biggest catch even before the club''s annual fundraising banquet Friday night in Onalaska. Eric Rauch, chapter grant writer, learned this... read more
Monitoring Water Quality in Streams & Rivers
Every two weeks, a team of 29 monitors collect water samples from the Middle, South and North rivers, said Paul Bugas, a fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland... read more
Freshwater Mussel Die-Off Worries
Freshwater mussel populations are in steep decline in streams in urban Snohomish County, experts say. Mussels are mostly stationary and sift through water for food, a filtering process that pulls... read more
The Audubon Garden Makeover
Audubon magazine turned the backyard of one lucky reader into a haven for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. With the donation of bird feeders, a water garden, and more than $2,500 worth... read more
The New Gardeners
With spring in the offing, it's not too early to think about ways to grow flowers and vegetables that are as healthy for your yard as they are for the birds and insects visiting it. Follow the... read more
Gardening to Increase Biodiversity
With centuries of practical experience in growing plants, gardeners are in a unique position to help save thousands of species that are in danger of extinction in the next century, due to habitat... read more
A World Consumed by Guilt
LET us set aside the cliches about green fashion, ye cynical Kermits, and presume that everyone is now on board with saving the world by doing our holiday shopping at Barneys, where even... read more
Business is Booming For Makers of Reusable Bags
Stephanie Ashworth and Kerri Stenson just started their company, but already their business is in the bag. Literally. The women have launched a business making collapsible, reusable grocery bags... read more
FTC Holds Workshop on Green Advertising
News story on results of Federal Trade Commission Workshop on green marketing claims (with lots of links to other stories)... read more
It's Easy Being A Green Business
"When we grow up, we want to be a fully sustainable business," organic energy bar producer Clif Bar says. They may still be a long way off, but this Green Power Leadership Award-winning... read more
Green Product Seals Are Gray Area
American consumers face a renewed outpouring of environmental marketing claims - boasts by companies that their products are everything from "100 percent natural" to "recyclable,"... read more
How Safe Are Green Cleaning Products?
As more and more people look to switch to so-called "green" cleaning products, a dizzying array of information on the safety of household and industrial cleaners is reported on in this... read more
A Chilling Effect
On the eve of the Federal Trade Commission's second workshop held for the regulatory review of its environmental marketing standards, Valerie Davis, CEO and Principal, EnviroMedia Social... read more
U.S. Consumers Lacking in Green Habits
Americans rank last in a new National Geographic-sponsored survey that compares environmental consumption habits in 14 countries.... read more
Can Restaurants Go Green, Earn Green?
The green restaurant movement has a new voice that's making waves: Ted Turner. The media baron turned philanthropist turned founder of Ted's Montana Grill restaurant chain, is speaking out on... read more
More To a Walk In the Park
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found that parks rich in species are not only beneficial for the environment but also for people´s general well-being. They have shown that... read more
Urban Parks a Global Warming Answer
To a casual observer, the 4-acre tract of grass, kudzu, live oaks and mulberry trees is merely a patch of green in a city without very many. But to residents of Cabbagetown, a century-old neighborhood... read more
Park Mojo
Suddenly, downtown Houston seemed like a great place to hang out. That's precisely the vibe that Discovery Green aims to generate, day in and day out, after it officially opens April 13. And... read more
Urban Parks Come to Life
Scientists looking at the effect global warming will have on our major cities say a modest increase in the number of urban parks and street trees could offset decades of predicted temperature rises.... read more
Urban Planning Needs Green Rethink
The focus on greening homes and offices is ignoring the wider landscape of our towns and cities, argues landscape architect, Martha Schwartz. In this BBC News Green Room from April 2008, she... read more
Court holds Navy to Safeguarding Mammals
A federal appeals court has rejected the Bush administration effort to exempt Navy sonar training from key environmental laws, backing up a lower court that imposed extensive safeguards to... read more
Australia pressures to stop Japanese whaling
At a meeting in London, Australia is pressuring the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to put more emphasis on conservation in a bid to stop Japan continuing its whaling program.... read more
Vancouver Island Celebrates Gray whales' Return
They move like silent submarines, encrusted with patches of white barnacles, just below the surface of the water.... read more
How Oil Prices Threaten Automakers
Since the late 1990s, Detroit's three big U.S. automakers -- General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Company, and DaimlerChrysler -- have relied heavily on large, truck-based sport utility vehicles... read more
Pollution a Byproduct of Clean Fuel
After residents of the Riverbend Farms subdivision noticed that an oily, fetid substance had begun fouling the Black Warrior River, which runs through their backyards, Mark Storey, a retired... read more
Ever-fluctuating Oil and Gas Prices
Keep track of the roller-coaster ride oil and gas prices take, and their effect not only on our pocketbooks, but on the economy as a whole. ... read more
Why Politicians are Afraid of Peak Oil
A clear-eyed analysis of why Democrats and Republicans do not want to even discuss the possibility that oil production has "peaked," or that the growth of the global economy must be... read more
Pura Vida Coffee wins support
The U.S. House of Representatives learns how good Fair Trade coffee tastes!... read more
Fair Trade in Bloom
How Fair Trade certification works, and helps growers.... read more
Fair Trade Approach to College Gear
Trying to figure out when and how doing good is fair and Fair Trade is doing good.... read more
Fairtrade vs food miles
Decisions, decisions. One of the tihings about being a Green consumer is being a thinking consumer. How do you decide between competing environmental interests?... read more
Massey Energy to Pay Huge Penalty
In an agreement announced today, Massey Energy will pay $20 million in fines levied against them by the U.S. EPA for thousands of Clean Water Act permit violations associated with their mining... read more
Dirty Pretty Things
If we’re to believe what the advertising industry tells us, there’s no better way to express love and devotion than by adorning our valentines with some shiny new bling. But by now,... read more
Radioactive Remains
The forgotten story of the Northwest's only uranium mines: Sherman Alexie was a teenager when he first felt threatened by the uranium mines near his home on the Spokane Indian Reservation.... read more
Mine Water's Danger of Toxic Gusher
In a snowswept trailer park, Emily Medina wakes each morning wondering whether she will be washed away by toxic water that local officials fear could burst from a decaying mine tunnel near her home.... read more
Golden Ramble in Grass Valley
At the Idaho-Maryland Mine, up to four tons of ore would have to be processed to produce one ounce of gold. But the steps taken to scrape together that ounce pose what scientists call two of... read more
Threat to Bears and Trout
Environmental groups have fired off a new round of court challenges to the proposed Rock Creek Mine, arguing that extracting silver and copper from beneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area... read more
Dying for a Drink of Clean Water
In the United States and Europe, people take it for granted that when they turn on their taps, clean water will flow out. But for those living in U.S. cities devastated by Hurricane Katrina,... read more
Huge Hikes in Water
Huge increases in water and sewer bills are on the way in many places as cities and towns try to repair aging pipes and correct artificially low prices. New York, Detroit, Tampa and Atlanta are... read more
An Urgent Call for Water Conservation
A new report says that the current drought is a warning of things to come. While global warming is getting rock-star treatment because of Saturday's global Live Earth concerts, growing concerns... read more
Limits on Clean Water Law Enforcement
The landmark U.S. law to fight water pollution will now apply only to bodies of water large enough for boats to use, and their adjacent wetlands, and will not automatically protect streams, the... read more
LEED: Follow or Get out of the Way
Green means growth to contractors with the know-how to get it done. A new revolution may be blooming in America: a Green Revolution. And construction is beginning to feel its influence. In 2007,... read more
The Green Lending Debate
While a few small lenders are beginning to offer specific financial incentives to LEED or EnergyStar certified projects, larger lenders are taking a couple of different approaches. One is to... read more
State Eyes Building Energy-Efficient Future
Zoom ahead 20 years and the state''s construction landscape could look very different - buildings with super-efficient insulation, solar panels, wind turbines and pipes plunging hundreds of feet... read more
New Green Construction Helps New Orleans Rebuilds
A purple shotgun house with white gingerbread trim is not most people’s vision of a modern, energy-efficient home. This is supposed to be a green homes tour, part of the National Association... read more
Campaign for America's Wilderness Interview
VIDEO: The 110th Congress has yet to send a wilderness bill to the president's desk--with the Democrats in control, and several key opponents no longer in the picture, why hasn't momentum... read more
President's FY09 Budget: Public Lands
The FY 2009 budget released today by President Bush continues a string of budget cuts that jeopardize public lands and promote oil and gas drilling. The budget would cut State and Private Forestry... read more
Congress Closer to Preserving Western Beauty
Sonoran Desert National Monument, Ariz. This swath of desert is in full bloom. The mountainsides blanketed by towering saguaro forests are now dotted with yellow and orange Mexican poppies, purple... read more
Water Waste As Climate Changer
Much effort has focused on greenhouse gases as the main culprit behind climate change. But perhaps not enough attention has been given to something with the potential to be just as dangerous.... read more
Pharmaceuticals Found in Drinking Water
Drugs contaminate drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, according to a report by the Associated Press National Investigation Team released today.... read more
Is My PVC Pipe Dangerous?
Our home is completely piped with PVC water piping. I cannot find any articles that tell me if this PVC is safe or not.... read more
EPA to Approve Dumping Ban
Boston Harbor, after a $4 billion cleanup that renovated large waste-water treatment facilities and sewer systems, is set to become the largest port on the East Coast to ban a smaller but no... read more
City Birds Prefer Rich Neighbors
The Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research Project has found that bird populations are influenced by economic factors -- more species live in wealthy neighborhoods than in middle... read more
Bird Habitats Spied From Space
Ecologists have a new vantage point for studying the habits of birds — from space.... read more
A Rising Number of Birds at Risk
Relentless sprawl, invasive species and global warming are threatening an increasing number of bird species in the United States, pushing a quarter of them - including dozens in New York and... read more
Common Insect-Eating Birds Decline
New research by Bird Studies Canada (BirdLife Canadian co-partner with Nature Canada) has highlighted alarming trends in insect-eating birds. ... read more
Sharp Decline in Sightings of Garden Birds
The number of birds seen in British gardens has fallen sharply during the past four years as a result of warmer winters and a long-term decline in their populations, according to the annual Royal... read more
Did Your Shopping Kill a Songbird?
A plump red tomato from Florida is often not the same as one grown in Mexico. The imported fruits and vegetables found in our shopping carts in winter and early spring are grown with types and... read more
For Earth Day, Look Skyward
At Houston Audubon Society's astounding Rookery at High Island on the Texas coast, you get a close-up eyeful of the very personal doings of big, active, strikingly beautiful waterbirds —... read more
Students Give School Chance
Students will don detective hats at Eugene's Churchill High School this year, looking for evidence of an unhealthy environment. They'll peek inside the janitor's closet, probe the groundskeeper's... read more
New School Bills
A bill introduced in the House in February 2008 would prohibit construction of new schools or school additions on property that is toxic. The bill would also prohibit housing aid from being used... read more
Indigenous Design
Sudden downpours seem to appear out of the clear blue skies. Tall pines whisper in the wind while shrubbery grows so lush it''s like a jungle camouflage guarding a home''s privacy as it provides... read more
High School Designated for Green Cleaning
Head Custodian John Beardsley stood over a kind of environmental divide on Wednesday at Platt High School. He gestured to the foyer before him and explained that it had been waxed using traditional... read more
How Safe Are Green Cleaning Products?
As more and more people look to switch to so-called "green" cleaning products, a dizzying array of information on the safety of household and industrial cleaners is reported on in this... read more
This Stinks!
Landfill methane production is risky. The reality is that there is very little that is "green" or Earth-friendly when it comes to harnessing electricity from landfill gas.... read more
Co-op Composting Success
Beginning this semester, Greek houses are modeling themselves after co-ops by increasing composting and recycling. ... read more
Become a Master Recycler
"Our hope is the participants will go into the community and start 'green' teams in their work place to help people learn about recycling," Simes said. "There is so much you can do with recycling,... read more
Spray-On Solar-Power Cells
Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that can turn the sun's power into electrical energy, even on a cloudy day. ... read more
Hydrokinetic Permits Abound
The nation's first hydrokinetic pilot project proposal has come in an unexpected place -- the Yukon River. When the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed a special expedited pilot license... read more
Food and Fuel Compete for Land
The price of some foods is rising sharply, and from the corridors of Washington to the aisles of neighborhood supermarkets, a blame alert is under way. Among the favorite targets is ethanol,... read more
Energy Conservation: Meter's Running
Consumer electronics: Displays that reveal how much electricity your home is using can give you a nasty - but informative - surprise.... read more
Shoppers Support SF Plastic Bag Ban
Shopper after San Francisco shopper had praise Wednesday for the Board of Supervisors' vote banning plastic checkout bags at supermarkets and chain drugstores. Some were so excited they put down... read more
Banish the Bags in the UK
Today the Daily Mail launches the Banish the Bags campaign in an effort to rid the country of these single-use plastic bags, the most ubiquitous feature of our disposable society.... read more
Whole Foods Sacks Plastic Bags
There's a familiar question that Whole Foods will stop asking shoppers: Paper or plastic?... read more
Ban the Plastic Bag Campaign
The Daily Mail, one of the top national newspapers in the UK, launched a "banish the plastic bag" campaign on its front page last week. It included 10 pages building the case against... read more
Urban Wildlife Refuge Opens Trails
It''s a typical day at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. The wind is kicking up, the sky is clouding over and a pair of bald eagles has captured the attention of a visitor at the refuge.... read more
Drilling for oil in Baca Refuge
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined with other state and federal agencies in calling for a tougher environmental review of a plan to drill exploratory oil and gas wells deep into... read more
They kill Polar Bears for trophies
Global warming is putting Dave Mason's $40,000 polar bear expeditions at risk.... read more
High Speed Rail Revolution in the Making
The normally select world of high-speed rail, where construction of new lines has been limited to a small, but slowly-growing, club of generally rich or powerful countries, has been turned upside... read more
High Speed Rail Advances Globally
Somewhere deep in the pages of President Bush''s proposed 2009, $3.1 trillion budget is a 40 percent cut in Amtrak funding.... read more
Crowds Heed Amtrak's "All Aboard"
Airplanes are getting stuck in lots of traffic jams this summer, but Amtrak is on a roll.... read more
Do Mitigated Wetlands Really Work?
Are man-made wetlands really as good as the real thing? It's going to take scientists more than a dozen years to find out, according to a researcher at Ohio State University. ... read more
Letting Gulf Of Mexico Breathe Again
Saving the Gulf of Mexico from polluted runoff is possible, but it means creating or restoring at least 5 to 13 million acres of wetlands in the Midwest and the lower Mississippi River basin,... read more
A Green Day for Bush
On the unexpected-meter, it probably falls somewhere between Man Bites Dog and Trump Declines Comment. But on Friday, the Bush administration did something excellent for the environment.... read more
Christmas Tree Program Helps Wetlands
At a rugged marina in Jean Lafitte, a flotilla of boats every weekend ferries a yuletide cargo of Douglas firs and Scotch pines into the marshes of Goose Bayou. A half-mile out from town, in... read more
Are Chemicals Altering The Planet?
Chemicals surround us; from the food we eat, to the electronic devices we use, to the clothes we wear. But to what extent do they put our health in danger? That's a question increasingly... read more
Ban "Teflon chemicals" In Food Packaging
A bill to ban the use of chemicals used to make Teflon from being used in fast food packaging is making its way through the California Legislature.... read more
Chemicals Found In Birds' Eggs
Eggs from an array of Maine birds - from lordly bald eagles to timorous piping plovers; from swallows snarfing insects in suburban backyards to storm-petrels feeding hundreds of miles at sea... read more
EPA Official Ousted Fighting Dow
Mary Gade, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Midwest office, based in Chicago, was forced to quit by the Bush administration, after she turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical... read more
EPA Under Pressure to OK Banned Pesticide
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under pressure from a pesticide manufacturer and members of Congress to reverse an August 30, 2006 decision to cancel the registration of all uses of... read more
Penguin Droppings and the Dirty Dozen
Australian scientists are uncovering a clearer map of where pesticides are ending up in the environment - and it is penguin guano that is leading them there.... read more
Try Earth-Friendly Pest Management
Forty years ago, if people had a home or garden pest problem, most wouldn't hesitate to grab the nearest bottle of pesticide to treat it.... Today's gardener may be far more savvy when it comes... read more
Turning The Tide On Water Pollution
Today, the rivers of this country serve as little more than sewers to the seas. Wastes from cities and towns, from farms and forests, from mining and manufacturing, foul the streams, poison the... read more
Will Our Rivers Survive?
In an era of global warming and urban growth, top water experts discuss if the West's rivers can still fill our faucets, water our gardens, and grow our crops. A roundtable discussion. ... read more
The Future Is Drying Up
Scientists sometimes refer to the effect a hotter world will have on this country''s fresh water as the other water problem, because global warming more commonly evokes the specter of rising... read more
Taking Stewardship to the Next Level
Two years ago, Jim Popson stopped irrigating the pastures on his 2,000-acre ranch [near the Klamath River in Oregon]. Thanks to good management, he continues to operate a successful replacement... read more
Kansans Plant Trees to Re-balance Nature
By 1900, Kansas' riparian forests were decimated. Today, that's still causing problems. Most of the state´s floodplains and stripped forest lands are supporting communities and crop farms.... read more
Is Corn Boom Expanding Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone?
Last fall, the farm fields of the Midwest yielded record profits and the greatest corn crop in recent history. But there may have been an unintended consequence hundreds of miles to the south:... read more
What Shade Of Green?
Consumer electronics marketers can talk about the environmental benefits of their gadgets until they're green in the face. Several organizations have attempted to apply standards to weed out... read more
Workers Get Incentives to Live Greener
Small firms are offering incentives to get employees to become more environmentally friendly, both in and out of the office. Incentives include bonuses for buying more fuel-efficient autos, car... read more
Greenwash & Green Certification
Green product certifications, such as EPEAT and StEP can be an excellent means of getting past greenwash, depending of course, on the quality of the criteria and the rigor of any green product's... read more
Educating & Engaging Employees
For all the talk these days about getting employee buy-in, building a shared mental model, creating an overarching vision, and all the other jargon of organizational development professionals,... read more
How Safe Are Green Cleaning Products?
As more and more people look to switch to so-called "green" cleaning products, a dizzying array of information on the safety of household and industrial cleaners is reported on in this... read more
Dell Sets New Energy-Efficiency Computing Standard
In a press release, Dell sets out its goal to cut the energy consumption of its already energy-efficient computers an additional 25% by 2010.... read more
It's Becoming Much Easier to Go Green
Especially for small businesses in San Francisco. Read about the successes many offices are having in becoming more sustainable in the San Francisco Chronicle.... read more
Mountaintop Removal Mining
For a week, Gabriel Pacyniak and Katherine Chandler traveled throughout southern West Virginia to report on mountaintop removal mining (MTR). They visited coalfields with abandoned and "reclaimed"... read more
Stopping Coal in It's Tracks
Though all environmentalists have problems with "Big Coal," there is a divide between those known as "Big Green"—well-established environmental groups who favor... read more
Coal Mining Ravages Appalachias
They're ripping the tops off mountains in West Virginia coal country to feed our insatiable appetite for power. It's cheaper that way. And the trees and the animals and the flooding? It may... read more
Government Suspends Lending on Coal
The Agriculture Department has suspended a low-interest lending program for rural electric cooperatives seeking federal assistance to build new coal-fired power plants, the department's Rural... read more
Devastation at 3,000 feet
An editorial in The Boston Globe about testimony given in favor of the proposed Cape Wind renewable wind energy project off the coast of Massachusetts and its potential use as an alternative... read more
Stripping Mountains to Power Washington D.C.
From The Washington Post: The D.C. region has been steadily burning more coal, buying almost a third of its supply from a part of Appalachia in West Virginia. But some neighbors say that Washington... read more
The End of Coal?
Environmental concerns, and expected federal regulations in the next year or two concerning carbon emissions, are killing dozens of proposed coal plants around the country. ... read more
EPA's Marine Debris Program
Marine debris is a pervasive, preventable problem that threatens our oceans and coasts. Man-made, persistent objects are discarded, disposed or abandoned and cause ecological and economic... read more
Santa Monica Seeks to Prohibit Plastic Bags
Santa Monica may soon join cities such as San Francisco and Oakland in banning single-use plastic carry-out bags.... read more
Putting Waste on the Run
Newport Beach''s chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is organizing RockWater, a relay-style run across Orange County to raise awareness about a local watershed. ... read more
Warning on Plastic's Toxic Threat
Plastic waste in the oceans poses a potentially devastating long-term toxic threat to the food chain, according to marine scientists. Read about it in this article from BBC News. Watch the... read more
Modified Crops Could Lead To "Superweeds"
Genetic engineering holds great potential payoffs for farmers and consumers by making crops resistant to pests, diseases, and even chemicals used to kill surrounding weeds. But new research raises... read more
GMO Plantings Rise
Plantings of genetically modified (GMO) crops are increasingly widespread, a biotech industry body said on Wednesday, despite some public opposition and warnings by environmentalists that they... read more
Scientists Find Ways to Scan for Cloned Meat
Fast, cheap tracking technique can ensure an animal is certified clone-free, scientists say. Did that steak come out of a test tube or from a feedlot? Did the chicken in that bucket have both... read more
Consumers May Not Be Able to Avoid GMO
Less than a dozen years after Dolly the sheep became the world's first cloned mammal, grocers and restaurateurs are digesting the fact that milk and meat from cloned animals could soon filter... read more
Eating Salmon Safely
Two recent reports urge more fish consumption, including farmed salmon. But previous studies had warned against farmed salmon because of high levels of organic pollutants. So, do we eat it or... read more
Enemies of the Ocean
Mother Jones: A list of companies, politicians, and countries who do the most damage to the world's oceans.... read more
Overfishing: A Global Disaster
Article Index: You can find a full index of the available articles and pages on overfishing.org.... read more
Eco-Bargain: Save Animals, Reduce Poverty
From TIME Magazine, a report on a program in Zambia that aids farmers with organic farming businesses, so they don't have to resort to poaching endangered species. ... read more
Too Little Done
Environmental groups filed a lawsuit against three federal agencies, alleging they have failed to protect dozens of endangered species that live in Southern California's four national forests... read more
Threat to Bears and Trout
Environmental groups have fired off a new round of court challenges to the proposed Rock Creek Mine, arguing that extracting silver and copper from beneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area... read more
Why the Delay in Polar Bear Listing?
The Interior Department's inspector general has begun a preliminary investigation into why the department has delayed for nearly two months a decision on listing the polar bear as threatened... read more
Britain's Common Wildflowers Disappearing
We tend to think of fish and wildlife when we think of endangered species, but plant life is also threatened. The annual British Common Plants Survey (CPS) found an alarming absence of common... read more
Mystery Virus Killing Bees
Could honey bees be the next endangered species? Video from the BBC on the mysterious die-off of bees in the U.K. and U.S. the last 2 years. ... read more
Biofuel Crops Increase Carbon Emissions
The conversion of forests and grasslands into fields for the plants offsets the benefit of using the fuel, researchers find. Greenhouse-gas output overall would rise instead of fall.... read more
Scheme Protects 1.8M Acres of Rainforest
A world-first rainforest conservation project which will lock up 100 million tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 50 million flights from London to Sydney, has been agreed in Indonesia.... read more
Archer Daniels Midland on Hotseat
Appearing on a panel to discuss the future of renewable fuels and her company''s role as a big maker of ethanol, Ms. Woertz was hit right off the bat with this: an instant poll of the group of... read more
Gates Foundation Faces Multibillion-$ Dilemma
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation owns shares of BP, a company accused of fouling the air with its oil refinery and paper mill in South Africa. Since the foundation spends billions of dollars... read more
Institutional Investors Plan for Climate Change
Almost 500 institutional investment power players attended the Investor Summit on Climate Risk held at the United Nations last week on February 14, 2008. The summit was sponsored by Ceres, a... read more
Fighting Climate Change, State by State
A core group of state treasurers and controllers are moving their investments into environmentally friendly and clean tech funds, while thinking big about climate change. State treasurers and... read more
SRI Assets Surge Ahead
With giant institutional investors leading the way, socially responsible investing (SRI) is growing faster than other type of managed investments, reports the 2007 edition of the Social Investment... read more
Turning Glare Into Watts
At first, as he adjusted pumps and checked temperatures, Aaron Boucher looked like any technician in the control room of an electrical plant. Then he rushed to the window and scanned the sky,... read more
Plugging Into the Sun
William Leininger is not your typical environmental zealot. A Navy commander who works as a doctor at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, he is a Republican and lives in one of California''s... read more
Rebate Program for Solar Switch
After a confusing start for the California Solar Initiative this spring, more homeowners in San Diego County have been applying in the last few months for the rewards that come from installing... read more
Desert Sunrise: Concentrating Solar Power
At the International Energy Agency's biennial SolarPACES 2008, held this year in Las Vegas, there were many signs that the sleeping solar giant of the desert, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP),... read more
Japan the Miners Canary
The nation's population is now about 120 million, and-if family sizes remain around the replacement level-Japan should reach zero population growth before 2025.... read more
From 4.3 to 61 million Yemenis
A continuation of Yemen''s surging population growth rate will place an increasingly unsustainable burden upon the country''s natural resources and public services, according to a recent study... read more
Population and The Ecological Crisis
No one wants to talk about it, but the size and growth of the human population is central to the climate crisis. ... read more
Greenwash Guerrillas Invade Conference
Not everyone believes trading the right to pollute greenhouse gases will stop global warming, as vociferously demonstrated at a New York carbon conference. Shouting "Renounce this treachery!"... read more
Protest Takes Off-Airplane Doesn't
Greenpeace activists have today once more drawn a line in the sand. By climbing on top of an A320 aircraft at Heathrow airport to bear witness to the threat to the climate from Brown's plan for... read more
EPA Tightens Pollution Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday limited the allowable amount of pollution-forming ozone in the air to 75 parts per billion, a level significantly higher than what the agency's scientific... read more
Ozone Rules Weakened at Bush's Behest
The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the... read more
Bush Sets Greenhouse Gas Goal
President Bush made a major announcement on climate change in the Rose Garden calling to curb greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. However, many environmentalists, climate scientists, and lawmakers... read more
EPA Scientists Complain About Political Pressure
Hundreds of Environmental Protection Agency scientists complain they have been victims of political interference and pressure from superiors to skew their findings, according to a survey released... read more
Protests Dog Oil Sands PR Campaign
Conservationists will be rolling out an advertising campaign and dispatching polar-bear-suit-clad protesters in an attempt to derail Alberta, Canada's $25 million PR mission to Washington that... read more
Yes to Nukes?
As it plots a comeback in the United States, the nuclear power industry is cultivating a critical ally: organized labor. The industry could use labor's clout with Democrats to help ensure support... read more
Senate Democrats Criticize EPA for Impeding Science
George Gray, an EPA assistant administrator, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the EPA's 7,000 scientists conduct research free of political influence and speak openly... read more
World CO2 Highest in 650,000 Years
Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest... read more
Zero Wins
Eco-Cycle received a gold CleanTech Sustainable Business Award for its Zero Waste program and was named one of the top five of Colorado's greenest businesses at the 2008 Sustainable... read more
Zero Waste: Austin's Current State of Waste
By the year 2040, the city of Austin, Texas wants to eliminate trash altogether, through Austin's Zero Waste Plan. "I think of zero waste meaning we no longer utilize landfills for household... read more
How Green Is Your Shindig?
With St. Patrick's Day coming up, you may already be ""thinking green,"" but consider the novel idea of totally eliminating waste from that next special occasion or gathering you plan to hold.... read more
Waste: Going for zero
Twenty years ago, getting rid of trash was simple: bag it up, throw it in a can, bury it and forget about it. But as landfills like Athens, Georgia's fill up, dozens of communities around the... read more
Creating Green-Collar Jobs
It was 70 degrees in New York City last week, setting flowers into bloom and residents into T-shirts in the dead of winter. Here in Oakland, Calif., we scraped ice off of our windshields for... read more
Firms Creating "Green-Collar" Jobs
Most people hear the word soy and imagine a food product. Peter Strattner thinks insulation. ... read more
Green Prospects
When 1,800 workers lost their jobs after a Maytag appliance factory and headquarters closed last year in the small town of Newton, Iowa, a wind turbine blade company saw opportunity -- an available,... read more
The Green-Collar Solution
Van Jones is a rare bird. He's a black social activist in Oakland, Calif., and as green an environmentalist as they come. He really gets passionate, and funny, when he talks about what it's like... read more
