EPA Faces Everglades Clean-up Lawsuit
Environmentalists told the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday that they intend to sue the agency for the way it responded to revisions of a state Everglades cleanup law.
What happens to the chemicals in drugs once they are out of our systems?
Every time you swallow a pill, some of that medicine follows a circuitous path through your body, down the toilet, through the sewage treatment plant (where if is often resistant to traditional treatments) and into the nearest river or lake
The Fuel-Cell Future
It’s great when spokespeople for giant corporations point out basic environmental truths. In calling for patience in the efforts to build the hydrogen energy economy, Scott Foster, a <a href="http://www.gm.com">General Motors</a> spokesperson on advanced technology vehicles, points out that the 70 million cars on American roads could double to 140 million by 2025. These cars would also double the number of miles traveled.
There are so many juices labeled “natural.” Which ones are most healthful?
The most healthful juice you can drink is made fresh, right before you drink it, from (preferably) organic fruits and vegetables with nothing added. The beneficial enzymes, vitamins and minerals are at their peak, and some health practitioners say that the water that comes from inside fruits and vegetables is the purest kind.
Are hybrid buses in my city really helping to reduce air pollution?
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 20 percent of U.S. air pollution comes from diesel buses—and many of them are concentrated in cities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently runs a program called Clean School Bus USA, an effort to reduce both children”s exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount
New EPA Smog Rules Don’t Settle Debate
Last week, following years of legal wrangling, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informed officials in 31 states they must develop new pollution controls because the air in some of their counties does not meet quality standards. Across the country, 150 million Americans are affected by this problem.
NRDC Report Shows Carbon Dioxide Pollution Increasing from Top 100 Electric Companies
A new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) rating air-pollution emissions performance of America’s 100 largest electric power producers reveals important trends in the industry, and sharp contrasts between the best and worst emissions performers. The report shows overall emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are dropping, thanks largely to standards created in the Clean Air Act of 1990. Meanwhile emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which remain unregulated, are soaring.
Turning the Corner on Oil
Analysts are predicting that by 2030 or earlier the world could peak. Forward-thinking policy-makers are beginning to realize that society must have alternative plans ready in order to move beyond the era of cheap and abundant oil. With 90 percent of the world’s transport currently dependent on oil, changes to the status quo will be drastic indeed.
Grassroots Activists Receive 2004 Goldman Environmental Prize
What do individuals who fought a water privatization project in Ghana, campaigned to protect the environment and people of the Republic of Georgia from a major oil pipeline, sought justice for an industrial disaster that killed 20,000 people, and battled a Louisiana chemical plant spewing toxic fumes have in common? They are the 2004 winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which honors the work of grassroots environmental activists from around the world
Strip Mining the Oceans
Last week’s column was about rivers. This one’s about oceans. Carl Safina, author of Song for the Blue Ocean and Eye of the Albatross, sees the current ocean crisis this way: "For those who take seriously the overwhelming scientific evidence showing a precipitous decline in fish populations, the answers to ocean recovery lie in fishing slower than fish can breed, farming seafood in ecologically less-destructive ways, and giving consumers the information they need to vote with their conscience and their wallet. There is time. And, yes, there is hope."