[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-11-13-Debate-Over-Trash.mp3|titles=EW 10-11-13 Debate Over Trash]
Old car or new car?
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-10-13-Old-Car-vs-New-Car.mp3|titles=EW 10-10-13 Old Car vs New Car]
So, you want to do something good for the environment. Should you replace your old car with a fuel efficient model or keep it because you know it takes a lot of energy to produce a new car? A clear answer to this question has been elusive. [Read more…] about Old car or new car?
Green power for the U.S. military
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-09-13-Green-Military.mp3|titles=EW 10-09-13 Green Military]
Due to a combination of economics and national security, the U.S. military has become one of the biggest investors in green energy over the past five years. [Read more…] about Green power for the U.S. military
Gray seals thriving off Cape Cod
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-08-13-Gray-Seals-Cape-Cod.mp3|titles=EW 10-08-13 Gray Seals (Cape Cod)]
If you visited Cape Cod this summer, you probably heard tourists and locals all over town talking about the seals. [Read more…] about Gray seals thriving off Cape Cod
Hydrogen fueled cars
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-07-13-Hydrogen-Fueled-Cars.mp3|titles=EW 10-07-13 Hydrogen Fueled Cars]
We are starting see some real momentum in the adoption of electric cars. There are more models to choose from, and public charging stations are starting to show up in our neighborhoods. [Read more…] about Hydrogen fueled cars
An alarming connection between pesticides and Parkinson’s
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-10-04-13-Pesticides-and-Parkinsons.mp3|titles=EW 10-04-13 Pesticides and Parkinson’s]
Many pesticides interfere with the nervous transmission in insects, whereas herbicides often mimic the hormones that control growth and development in plants. I suppose, in hindsight, we should have expected these chemicals to have some effects on humans as well. [Read more…] about An alarming connection between pesticides and Parkinson’s
Fuel cells for refrigerated trucks
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-10-03-13-Refrigerated-Trucks.mp3|titles=EW 10-03-13 Refrigerated Trucks]
Refrigerated trucks are a crucial part of our food delivery system. Approximately 300,000 of them are on the road in the United States. Most of them use an auxiliary power unit, which is a small diesel engine that burns about 10 gallons of fuel a day keeping food cold. [Read more…] about Fuel cells for refrigerated trucks
Dams complicate river management
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-10-02-13-Glen-Canyon-Dam-II.mp3|titles=EW 10-02-13 Glen Canyon Dam II]
Managing fish in human-altered rivers is a challenge because their food webs are sensitive to environmental disturbances. So reports an exhaustive three-year analysis of a 240-mile stretch of the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. [Read more…] about Dams complicate river management
Easing private investment in renewable energy
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-01-13-MLPs-Energy.mp3|titles=EW 10-01-13 MLPs Energy]
Energy is essential to a robust economy. At least until the 1980s, fossil fuels were the only game in town. Over the years, the US government has designed a number of marketplace incentives to encourage investment in the energy sector. [Read more…] about Easing private investment in renewable energy
Virtual net metering for apartment dwellers
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-30-13-Virtual-Net-Metering.mp3|titles=EW 09-30-13 Virtual Net Metering]
Homeowners across the country are increasingly taking advantage of the benefits of solar power, either by leasing or purchasing photovoltaic systems for their rooftops. Unfortunately, apartment dwellers have not had much opportunity to use on-site solar electricity because it would require installation of separate PV systems for each tenant, which is complicated and expensive, even if building owners were agreeable. [Read more…] about Virtual net metering for apartment dwellers
Next Generation Science Standards
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-27-13-Next-Generation-Science-Standards.mp3|titles=EW 09-27-13 Next Generation Science Standards]
Students around the country will soon be exposed to the concepts of evolution and climate change at an earlier age, thanks to the Next Generation Science Standards. The new standards are the result of collaboration among 26 states, and non-profit science and education groups. [Read more…] about Next Generation Science Standards
Restoring the darkness
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-26-13-Restoring-the-Darkness.mp3|titles=EW 09-26-13 Restoring the Darkness]
Recently, France instituted one of the world’s most comprehensive lighting ordinances, and all over that country – even in Paris, the City of Light – late nights have gotten darker. [Read more…] about Restoring the darkness
Trapping carbon in rock
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-25-13-Trapping-Carbon-in-Rock.mp3|titles=EW 09-25-13 Trapping Carbon in Rock]
Fossil fuels like coal are relatively cheap and abundant, which is a huge motivation for finding a way to burn those fuels without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The most obvious approach is sequestration – capturing the CO2 during combustion and storing it away. While simple in concept, carbon sequestration is a huge challenge to accomplish on a large scale, and at an acceptable cost. [Read more…] about Trapping carbon in rock
Swamp rats: Coming to a neighborhood near you
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-24-13-Nutria.mp3|titles=EW 09-24-13 Nutria]
There are many consequences of climate change, but here’s one you probably haven’t considered: swamp rats. As winters warm, large, semi-aquatic rodents called nutria have been expanding their range. [Read more…] about Swamp rats: Coming to a neighborhood near you
Solar philanthropy
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-23-13-Solar-Philanthropy.mp3|titles=EW 09-23-13 Solar Philanthropy]
About 20% of the Earth’s population – roughly 1.5 billion people – live without electricity. Mostly, these people are in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, along with some in Latin America and the Middle East. [Read more…] about Solar philanthropy
Reducing paper waste
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-20-13-NYS-Legislature-Paper.mp3|titles=EW 09-20-13 NYS Legislature & Paper]
This fall, New York State residents will have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that would save countless trees. [Read more…] about Reducing paper waste
Streams and rivers on rolaids
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-19-13-Acid-Rain-Legacy.mp3|titles=EW 09-19-13 Acid Rain Legacy]
Our activities are changing the water chemistry of many streams and rivers in the Eastern U.S., with consequences for water supplies and aquatic life. [Read more…] about Streams and rivers on rolaids
Mapping renewable energy
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-18-13-Mapping-Renewable-Energy.mp3|titles=EW 09-18-13 Mapping Renewable Energy]
Developing and emerging nations face serious energy challenges and renewable energy sources represent key resources that they need to exploit. Many of these countries have abundant renewable resources but at the same time have substantial portions of their population without any access to electricity. [Read more…] about Mapping renewable energy
Lots of fuel from pond scum
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-17-13-Pond-Scum.mp3|titles=EW 09-17-13 Pond Scum]
Algae contain lots of oil – or lipids – and these can be used to produce biodiesel. There are other biofuels that can be derived from algae as well. There is enough promise in this technology that researchers in academia and industry are investigating ways to improve it by growing algae that contain more oil, that live longer, and that live in a wider range of environments. [Read more…] about Lots of fuel from pond scum
Global dimming
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-16-13-Global-Dimming.mp3|titles=EW 09-16-13 Global Dimming]