Besides salt, removed snow contains accumulated amounts of antifreeze, engine oil, rubber and metal deposits from tire wear, and heaps of plastic litter, cigarette butts and other waste — all poisonous to local ecosystems no matter where it ends up.
What’s the status of the issue of storing nuclear waste on tribal lands across the American West? Is this still a problem?
It’s true that the melting of the polar ice caps as a result of global warming is sending large amounts of freshwater into the world’s oceans. Environmentalists and many climate scientists fear that if the climate heats up fast enough and melts off the remaining polar ice rapidly, the influx of freshwater could disturb ocean currents enough to drastically change the weather on the land as well.
Americans recycle more plastic than ever these days, but there are still plenty of items that are not accepted by municipalities, including many hard plastic items like ski boots.
Traffic congestion has gotten way out of hand—and not just in developed countries anymore: Traffic jams and smog plague dozens of cities in China and in many other parts of the developing world. Here in the U.S., road congestion now causes commuters to spend an average
“It’s starting to get a little scuffed down here!” Real linoleum is one of the greenest flooring options out there today — and there are many safe, non-toxic ways to keep it maintained so it will last for decades.
Researchers concur that global warming is definitely a factor in shrinking populations of trout across the Western United States.
What are the environmental implications of all the food waste we create here in the United States as well as around the world?
As would be the case after any natural disaster, water-borne illness could run rampant and chemicals and oil could leak out of damaged storage facilities as a result of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that ripped apart Haiti on January 12.
Several prisons in the U.S. and Canada are embracing the notion of getting inmates involved in on-site food production. Proponents say inmates who participate have a much lower rate of re-offense once they return to life on the outside and tend to adopt healthier, more constructive lifestyles. Pictured: An inmate tends the garden at the McNeil Island Corrections Center near Steilacoom, Washington.
