EarthTalk Q&A

What are the environmental pros and cons of corn-based plastic as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastic?

Carpenter ants may seem small and look harmless, but they can do serious damage to anything wooden in your home, including not only furniture but also the very framing and walls that hold up the house. If you are seeing a lot of ants or small piles of sawdust-like material in random spots in or around your home, you are most likely suffering from a carpenter ant infestation.

I’ve heard that there are plans to build a large repository for nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but that plans have been slow and are very controversial. Where is our nuclear waste kept now and what dangers does it pose?

For those ready to take the electric mower plunge, there are many models now available from Black & Decker, Craftsman, Homelite, Neuton, Remington and Worx. Pictured here is Neuton’s top of the line battery-powered CE 6.2 mower.

Researchers were astounded when, in the fall of 2007, they discovered that the year-round ice pack in the Arctic Ocean had lost some 20 percent of its mass in just two years, setting a new record low since satellite imagery began documenting the terrain in 1978. Without action to stave off climate change, some scientists believe that, at that rate, all of the year-round ice in the Arctic could be gone by as early as 2030.

If you’ve ever enjoyed ice skating, sledding, skiing, snow boarding or building a snowman, you should know that the future of these enshrined institutions is by no means guaranteed.© Getty Images

It’s true that China is using the upcoming Beijing Olympics as a sustainability showcase, going so far as to dub the event the “Green Olympics.” Through a partnership with the U.S.