In a curious turn of political events, President Bush has been lambasting Democrats for playing politics over oil. The issue in question is whether or not to open America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help offset skyrocketing prices at the gas pump for consumers.
In an effort to reform logging practices in Canada’s 1.4 billion acre boreal forest, environmentalists are asking consumer products manufacturers and retailers to buy only wood, pulp and paper from logging companies certified as sustainable extractors.
Overturning its six-year old ban on genetically engineered foods, the European Union (EU) last week changed course and approved the import of an insect-resistant strain of corn developed by Swiss company Syngenta.
Last week an international treaty mandating the phase-out of a dozen highly toxic chemicals, including DDT and PCBs, took effect with 50 signatories despite lack of formal involvement by the United States.
"The natural building movement is where organic food was 20 years ago," says Joe Kennedy, co-editor of the new book <a href="http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3697">The Art of Natural Building</a>. "Now we have exponential growth, and we’re riding an intense wave."
Scientists call it "global dimming," a little-known trend that may be making the world darker than it used to be.
According to a newly released report by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), many U.S. residents carry unhealthy levels of pesticides in their bodies, with children, women and Mexican-Americans disproportionately exposed to the toxic chemicals.
Sales of full-size sport-utility vehicles tumbled last month, and sales of some smaller, more fuel-efficient SUVs boomed in what could be a sign that higher fuel prices are hurting automakers’ high-profit models. One of the largest sales drops was experienced by GM’s Hummer, which is now sold with rebates.
My town celebrated Earth Day about a month late, because the committee was waiting for a good date to use one of the local schools. Better late than never, I say. There were displays from solar groups, feel-good literature from the utility companies, and a surprisingly strong showing from the fuel-cell people, including a display from Avalence (launched by one of the founders of E), makers of a user-friendly hydrogen filler. There were also things for kids to do, and a pack of eco-conscious costumed figures.
Plastic-based litter from human beings is inundating the world’s oceans and polluting shorelines down to the microscopic level, according to British scientists who recently completed a multi-year study on the problem in and around Great Britain.
