Middlebury College Recycles Paper—and Its Old Buildings "I had my first college class in that room right there," says Chad Malone, pointing to a ground-floor chamber stripped to a concrete shell and filled with rubble. "Chem 104. This was a terrible building. Cold, cold." Very few people get to trash their old college classrooms (at […]
Henry SiJohn, square-faced and bespectacled, peered across the broad waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the spiritual center of his Coeur d’Alene tribe. The water shimmered a deep blue, making for a pretty backdrop for the numerous weddings held at a posh neighboring golf resort. Once promoted for national park status, the lake has stoked the […]
There’s no doubt that wind and solar are clean, efficient and renewable sources of energy, but not everyone welcomes an alternative power project in their backyard. A proposed 170-turbine wind park off the southern coast of Massachusetts has generated considerable heat, but no power yet. The planned park on Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound has […]
I love to play golf, but is it bad for the environment? —Jared Pyatt, Springfield, MO The relationship between golf courses and the environment is not a simple one. Many golf courses are public parks that help preserve native habitats and get millions of people outside. But golf courses can also be elitist playgrounds, put […]
The five islands in Channel Islands National Park, off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, are a state treasure: Despite such close proximity to heavily populated Southern California, they have remained relatively undeveloped. There are 2,000 species of plants and animals in the park, 145 of them unique to the islands.
The water-saving benefits of many aging low-flow toilets are spiraling down the drain. According to a new University of Arizona study, poor design and the tinkering of do-it-yourself plumbers have reduced the toilets’ effectiveness. There"s no question that low-flow toilets save water, but they"re under attack for not working properly.Briggs Subject to potshots by Jerry […]
The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world, and can travel the length of a football field in a single second diving for prey. The spectacle is no longer reserved for country skies, however; today, city residents, too, have a chance to catch the birds in action. Peregrines are responding to the city’s […]
Cornell’s Natural Air Conditioning Plan–And Its Critics You can’t see the 42-inch, high-density plastic pipes from the top of Cornell University’s McGraw Tower, but they’re there, snaking up Ithaca’s trademark gorges to “the campus on the hill.” Filled with water drawn from the icy depths of Cayuga Lake, the pipes make Cornell’s experimental air conditioning […]
Biodiversity in Chicago Will Chicago become the world’s first urban bioreserve? It’s beginning to look that way. In a major breakthrough for the environmental movement, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, which helps local government units with land planning, has put biodiversity recovery at the center of its development policy. The Commission now asks local planners […]
Finding Respite–and a Real Meal–While on Vacation For a growing number of travelers, the Sweet Onion Inn is a sweet site indeed. The white-shingled structure nestles along Route 100 in Hancock, Vermont, a rustic spot between unbroken expanses of Green Mountain forest and winding White River. The front walk of the inn rustles with fallen […]
