Disposable dishware is ubiquitous in our modern “on-the-go” culture. That’s why nearly 100 billion plastic, paper and Styrofoam cups end up in American landfills and incinerators every year. Human health is the real loser when it comes to our consumption of such products, which are typically made from petroleum-based plastics, hazardous foam or chlorine-bleached virgin paper.
While it is true that real sea sponges have been in use since the Roman Empire, synthetic alternatives made primarily from wood pulp became commonplace by the middle of the 20th century when DuPont perfected the process of manufacturing them. Today most of the sponges we use are made from a combination of wood pulp (cellulose), sodium sulphate crystals, hemp fibers and chemical softeners.
The Onondaga Nation’s Lawsuit Seeks to Revive a Polluted River…
At a symposium marking the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week, six former agency heads–five Republicans and one Democrat–united in accusing the Bush administration of ignoring serious environmental threats, including global warming.
In what is emerging as a battle royale within the environmental movement, several noted greens have taken sides over the issue of whether or not to allow one of the world’s largest off-shore windmill developments to proceed off Cape Cod near the Massachusetts coastline. In an op-ed piece in the San Francisco Chronicle last week, noted environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. defended his position in opposition to the proposed Cape Wind Project.
The first European explorers who landed on the eastern coast of Canada in the late 17th century estimated the local seal population to number around 30 million. With such an abundance of wildlife and a huge demand around the world at the time for seal oil and pelts
“Indoor air pollution” in homes and offices has been studied extensively in recent years—with sometimes alarming conclusions that have led the building industry to rethink many aspects of design and choice of materials.
I am none too impressed by the new cars and dream vehicles on display at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. American carmakers don’t seem to be grasping that $3 a gallon gasoline will force a sea change in consumer thinking. Once again, the most innovative small cars and ready-to-go green vehicles were from Japan.
Government officials from the U.S. and Australia agreed publicly last week at the opening of a two-day climate change summit among Asia Pacific nations that the world’s industrial leaders could be counted on to voluntarily reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) widely thought to be exacerbating global warming.
Following the final hearing of a 20-member bi-partisan Congressional task force charged with assessing the effectiveness of the nation’s most far-reaching environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), House Republicans are calling for a series of fixes that would streamline permitting and reduce red tape on environmental assessments required on federal construction projects.
