Trouble in Paradise
All around the world, islands have become the troubled hot spots of the global eco-crisis. There’s turmoil beyond the sandy beaches and palm trees – environmental devastation, economic upheaval and endangered animal populations.
Flower Power
Since flowers and plants are, at their roots, products of nature, conscientious consumers tend to consider them a dependably green buy. Why wouldn’t a floral shop purchase be environmentally benign? After all, florists deal in the currency of nature, sending bits and pieces of it home with flower lovers in arrangements, wreaths, garlands, potted plants and more.
Ice Screams for Ben and Jerry
This column, I have decided, is my application to be CEO of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream corporation. First, my political credentials: I spent seven years as editor of "Greenpeace Magazine." For retail experience, I have to dig a little deeper, but I did spend a summer flipping chesseburgers at Yellowstone Park. It was a growth experience.
A Fighting Chance for Salmon
In 1991, only four sockeye salmon returned to their native waters in Idaho to spawn. In 1992, only one made it back. That solitary and no doubt exhausted salmon might be happy to learn about a major court victory that he and his brethren have just won. A judge in Portland, Oregon, has ruled that the federal government’s operation of hydroelectric dams of Idaho’s Snake River violates the Endangered Species Act. Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus and his stat government allies hailed the decision as similar to the early spotted owl cases that overturned the federal government’s timber practices, and plan to use Judge Malcom Marsh’s decision to win future courtroom victories for the region’s salmon.
Our Island Home
There are two Arubas. One is a shining island jewel of white sand and blue-green surf in the Dutch Caribbean, a casino-driven magnet for American tourists, American hotel chains and every conceivable fast-food restaurant, from McDonald’s to Dunkin Donuts.
Eco Parenting: Walking the Thin Green Line
My two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Natalie loves to "wash the dishes," which is to say that she stands at the sink, holds a container under running water until it overflows and the empties it. She repeats this procedure over and over, inevitable getting soaked and spilling water all over the kitchen floor. When I finally tell her it’s time to stop, her disappointment is so acute that the tears seem to stream down her face with almost as much forces as the water coming out of the faucet.
Smoke and Mirrors
Okay, now we hate the tobacco companies. Or more, precisely, some of us love tobacco and others hate it, but nearly everyone hates the suits who sell the stuff. I have to admit it was great fun to tune in to C-Span to watch the CEOs of R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris, among others, squirm under the righteous wrath of Henry Waxman. Too bad it won’t change anything.
What Exactly Are PZEV Cars?
PZEV don’t necessarily get better mileage than traditional cars but produce cleaner emissions by controlling exhaust with advanced engine controls.
The Environmental Toll of Insect Control
The way we control mosquitoes, ticks and other insects is taking a toll on the environment, not to mention human health as well.
Over a Barrel: What Happens When the Cheap Oil Runs Out
Even those of us who look down our noses at gas-guzzling SUVs have to face up to the fact that our lives are made easier by cheap oil–and it is still pretty cheap. If you think $2.50-a-gallon gasoline is expensive, just try to imagine $6 a gallon. Europeans have long lived with fuel prices that high, leading to societies far less car-centered and much more conservation-minded than the U.S.