Sustainable Living
Frankenbugs?
There are few creatures more deadly than the tiny Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits malaria, dengue fever and other infectious diseases. Malaria is one of the world’s great killers, claiming about 800,000 lives each year. [Read more…] about Frankenbugs?
Food waste: A global problem
Some 30-50% of food produced globally is never eaten. So reports a recent study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, an independent UK-based engineering society with a focus on energy and environment. [Read more…] about Food waste: A global problem
Pharmaceutical pollution leads to fearless fish
Researchers in Sweden have found that when wild perch are exposed to Oxazepam, a common anti-anxiety medication, they undergo surprising changes in their behavior and feeding rate. [Read more…] about Pharmaceutical pollution leads to fearless fish
How many dollars does it take to change a light bulb?
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There have been heated debates about light bulbs ever since Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This law imposed efficiency standards that spelled the end of the incandescent bulb. Since its passage, the law’s requirements have been under attack from many quarters. [Read more…] about How many dollars does it take to change a light bulb?
Solar panel payback
Solar panels are becoming a common sight on rooftops. A combination of dropping prices, new incentives, and the growing availability of solar leases is making solar power more and more popular. People are reducing or even entirely eliminating their electric bills with these systems. [Read more…] about Solar panel payback
An Oregon Mountain high
More than 50 years ago, an ecologist, Robert Whittaker, studied the distribution and abundance of plants at high elevations in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon. Like many early ecologists, he was interested in what grew where, and what controlled the distribution of plants. Mountains were a convenient natural laboratory because many different natural habitats occurred in close proximity. Whittaker’s field notes were left in an archive at Cornell University, when he died in 1980. [Read more…] about An Oregon Mountain high
Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Though it’s surrounded by the Hudson, New York City doesn’t rely on the river for its freshwater supply. Rather, decades ago, an aqueduct system was built to bring water to Manhattan from upstate—largely drawing on reservoirs in the Catskill region. This is one reason why we see so much concern about natural gas extraction by fracking in the watersheds that feed Catskill reservoirs. [Read more…] about Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Meat demand and the environment
The world’s population growth rate has been declining since its 20th Century peak – when mechanized agriculture, improved sanitation, and medical advances lead to the greatest population boom in human history. [Read more…] about Meat demand and the environment
Is the ocean pumping iron?
About 30 years ago, an oceanographer, John Martin, noticed that large areas of the sea contained ample supplies of nitrogen and phosphorus. He wondered why these nutrients, which fuel plant growth, were not being used by marine plankton. [Read more…] about Is the ocean pumping iron?
Fast, cheap, and wasteful: Americans and food
A past Earth Wise segment explored global food waste: worldwide some 30-50% of food produced is never eaten. This figure includes inefficiencies in harvesting, storage, and transport, among other things. [Read more…] about Fast, cheap, and wasteful: Americans and food
Are we prone to future urban drought?
Once in a while, we get a good piece of environmental news. Such is the case with a new assessment on the vulnerability of U.S. urban areas to water shortages. [Read more…] about Are we prone to future urban drought?
Get to know I-522
Three months ago, California voters struck down Proposition 37. The proposition, which was defeated 53-47%, would have required food and beverage manufacturers to clearly label products that contain genetically modified organisms—commonly known as GMOs. Opponents of the legislation led a $46 million dollar campaign to help ensure its defeat. [Read more…] about Get to know I-522
Can we sprawl forever?
How often do we return to the city of our childhood only to see massive suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, and loss of natural habitat? [Read more…] about Can we sprawl forever?
Reducing greenhouse emissions through contraception
Population Matters is a British nonprofit dedicated to improvements in family planning, sex education, and girls’ and women’s’ rights worldwide. [Read more…] about Reducing greenhouse emissions through contraception
Methane: The other greenhouse gas
Most of us are familiar with the idea that we need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to prevent global warming. Methane is also a problem, and we hear about it much less frequently. But compared to carbon dioxide, methane’s impact on climate change is some twenty times more powerful. [Read more…] about Methane: The other greenhouse gas
Loss of Arctic ice claims two more victims
Polar bears were the first animals to gain Endangered Species Act protection as a result of climate change. At a press conference announcing their listing some five years ago, then Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne acknowledged that warming was shrinking the sea ice essential to the bear’s survival. [Read more…] about Loss of Arctic ice claims two more victims
Climate change and the Big Apple
A few months ago, Superstorm Sandy tore through the New York Metropolitan region, causing significant damage to homes, businesses, and municipal infrastructure. Hard hit areas, like the Jersey Shore and Staten Island, are still recovering. [Read more…] about Climate change and the Big Apple
Cement plant emissions
Cement is all around us. It’s used in everything from concrete and mortar to stucco and grout. But making cement is dirty business. A number of pollutants are emitted from cement plants – from both the production process and the fuels used to stoke kilns. [Read more…] about Cement plant emissions
Saving species isn’t cheap, but it's sure worth it
