Can Immigration Save the Cities?

Wausau, Wisconsin may seem like the furthest thing from a global mega-city, but the forces in play in this small city are echoes of the worldwide issues of population and immigration. Over the past decades Wausau has received a large influx of Hmong, a nomadic Laotian hill people who fought under the direction of CIA advisors during the Vietnam War era. After their communist enemies won control of Laos in that country’s civil war, the Hmong were largely abandoned by the international community, and many fled for fear of being killed in retribution of their pro-American efforts.

Yet Again, Feds Choose Development Over Species Protection

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced last week that it is cutting the amount of land set aside for California’s threatened tiger salamander by nearly half, citing as unacceptable the expense of keeping the 184,000 acres in question off limits to development.

NOAA Says U.S. Coral Reefs in Decline

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a report last week declaring that coral reef ecosystems are declining in American waters due to "a wide array of significant threats" including overfishing, climate change, marine diseases, land-based pollution, storms and grounded ships.

deadly

L.A. Environmental: Hollywood’s Best and Worst “Green” Movies

Conservation activism may be dramatic, but it has rarely been mined for mainstream films. Green themes typically appear off-screen: think Charlize Theron and Joaquin Phoenix in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) anti-fur campaigns. Still, a number of provocative environmental movies have slipped through the minefield of corporate censorship and escaped Los Angeles with their agendas intact. If you’re looking for a cheap night at home, a trip down memory lane, or discussion agit-prop for students and kids, then look for the following modern classics, all of which can be rented at a video store near you.

Light It Up

Did you know that burning candles can be harmful to your health? In 2001, the American Lung Association issued a warning that candles might cause poor indoor air quality, which can damage home interiors and aggravate respiratory illnesses. Many candle manufacturers and retailers don’t even disclose the hazardous compounds that often lurk in their products, from heavy metals to synthetic toxins.

Everything Gives You Cancer

But Good Lifestyle Choices Will Help You Fight it Off Imagine inviting 12 friends to a dinner party—six men and six women. Look around the room and consider this: sometime in the future, two of the women and three of the men will develop cancer. © Lisa Blackshear Depressing as it seems, those are the […]

The Asian Invasion

Asian food is everywhere. Cheap packets of ramen noodles make up a large portion of a typical college student’s diet. Green tea is a common sight on grocery store shelves, not only as a drink but also as a dietary supplement. Egg rolls, wonton soup and chicken lo mein taste delicious when eaten out of those cardboard take-out boxes. But how healthful are those soy sauce-soaked noodles? The nutritional value of Asian food directly relates to how the food is prepared, how large the portion size is, and how "Americanized" the food is.

Green Glass

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), 25 percent of the energy used to heat and cool buildings goes right out the window. If windows aren’t installed properly or aren’t made of the right kind of material, you could end up losing a tremendous amount of energy. When installing new windows or window treatments, there are several rather simple environmentally friendly options that can help make a big difference.

«‹ 714 715 716 717›»