Kyoto Protocol Takes Effect, Without U.S.
Seven years after it was brokered by the United Nations, the Kyoto Protocol went into effect last week, despite lack of involvement by the world’s biggest polluter, the United States.
What impact does mining for diamonds and other gems have on the environment?
Gem mining around the world can indeed be very destructive to the surrounding environment, leading to many problems such as soil erosion and sedimentation, water pollution and depletion, poisoning of wildlife and vegetation, flooding—even landslides.
Are there any environmental or health drawbacks to putting vinyl siding on my house?
Vinyl siding may not pose identifiable risks once installed properly on your home, but its production and disposal contribute to a wide range of health and environmental problems. In producing Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), the basic element in all vinyl products, workers are exposed to a multitude of hazardous chemicals
The Beast Within
We have become alienated from the animal world, and we feel that loss in the deepest parts of our consciousness. Animals, once considered to be partners of the natural world, are now merely exploited.
The Dreaded Comparison
Human slavery and animal abuse have a great deal in common. In both cases, the uglier aspects are hidden from view.
Making the Polluters Pay
Following his father’s footsteps as a social activist, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is dedicated to protecting the Hudson River from the abuses of chemical companies and dumpers.
A Return to Direct Action
In Mid-August, a small but determined band of Greenpeacers stood in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and unfurled a banner denouncing Chinese nuclear testing. The demonstrators were immediately arrested and later deported. Even the journalists who were covering the action were detained, searched, and had their film taken away. As an educational tool for awakening Beijing’s population about continuing Chinese nuclear tests, the banner failed miserably, but as an eye-opener to the world, it was a smashing success, achieving coverage everywhere from Agence France Presse in Europe to "All Things Considered" here.
Letters from our Readers
The Four families featured in "Seriously Green" (July/August 1995) sounded like my kind of people. I recycle, compost and chop up my yard waste for mulch – and I repair, reuse, donate, <I>pre</I>cycle-that is, buy things with their reusability or recyclability in mind – and most important, resuse. I was born during the Depression, when doing things was second nature, due to limited budgets. In the days before we could recycle most of our waste, our camping club started a reuse project. I now have over 2,000 idea’s for reusing paper, plastic, tin and aluminum, wood, metal, wire, scrap paint, yarn, string, and cloth. We’ve even decorated Christmas trees with ornaments made of plastic bags and other trash. If enough people reuse, we <I>can make a difference in the landfills!
Some Like It Hot
Global warming is more than just a scientific prediction. Despite a new report from a UN consortium of 2,500 climate experts saying that the greenhouse effect imminent, a small group of naysayers continues to grab headlines.
The Great Divide
In the third and final installment of our series "Our Agony Over Animals," a panel of 12 environmental and animal rights leaders talk about what seperates them – and what can bring them together.