Greening the Conventions

The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC) is a non-partisan collaboration of 60 organizations spanning the nonprofit, commercial and public sectors. "We are promoting the use of environmental best practices for the Democratic (July 26 to 29) and Republican National Conventions (August 28 to September 2) in order to showcase those practices to the political leaders and the general public," explains Executive Director Daniel Ruben. "We want to establish the role model for future conventions, political and otherwise."

Blackening the Skies

Why was the Lake Michigan coastal city of Manistee, population 6,600, targeted for a $700 million, 425-megawatt coal-powered electric power plant, the largest proposed in Michigan in two decades? And why, in the face of an abundance of electric power that has driven wholesale prices in the Midwest to the lowest level in more than a decade, was an immensely polluting plant even being considered in a heavily forested region with some of the loveliest wild rivers and clearest lakes in the nation?

Countdown for Cod

Once thought of as a resource without end, fishermen are finally bumping up against limits in the world’s cod stocks (see "A Run on the Banks," feature, March/April 2001). In North America, the catch has declined by 90 percent since the early 1980s, forcing the closing of once-thriving fisheries. Now under threat is the stock in the Barents Sea, which is fished by Russia and Norway.

Everybody Hurts

The Natural Alternative to Prescription Pain Relief Severe pain—caused by everything from lower back problems and migraines to a common toothache—sends most of us running to the doctor for a quick fix. Often, that relief comes in the form of a potent pain pill, such as OxyContin or Percocet. But those drugs work their magic […]

Que Se-Raw, Se Raw

The smell of fresh-baked bread or sizzling onions may soon go the way of the dodo in some American kitchens. Will the oven itself become a passé appliance as increasing numbers of health-conscious individuals decide to eat most of their food uncooked? Raw foods are being touted as one of the newest ways to eat healthfully and have a low impact on the environment, but can a person get all the nutrients they need without cooking their food?

Overseas Mutual

For socially and environmentally responsible investors leery of putting more money into a still-lagging American economy, international mutual funds focusing on investments in green companies abroad are good options to help minimize risk while at the same time expanding one’s investment horizons. And today ethical investors have more choices than ever to do well by doing good with overseas mutual funds.

How can I find out which companies may be polluting my community?

While information about pollutants has been publicly available in the U.S. since passage of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, the public was not able to access it easily until the advent of the Internet, which now makes the research quite easy.

Clean Energy Goes to College

There is a new wave of activism sweeping across college campuses. Student groups are coordinating efforts to reduce fossil-fuel dependency by pushing for more renewable alternatives, and putting forth specific goals for their colleges. “This is a growing movement,” says Billy Parish, director of the Climate Campaign, a network of 10 student environmental organizations. “What’s […]

Green Menus

College Campuses Opt for Sustainable Dining It took only a few weeks for the news to spread last fall: The food served at Yale University’s Berkeley College dining hall was the best on campus. Students assigned to eat in the 11 other residential colleges (Yale’s version of dorms) wanted in. One day, eight students tried […]

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