Raising livestock outdoors is humane, but pasture-raised animals can cause environmental problems
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Let’s focus on pigs. Most of the pork we consume comes from massive indoor facilities where a large number of animals are raised in a relatively small space. These operations are notorious for pervasive odors and for causing air and water pollution. For ethical reasons, many people prefer to buy pasture-raised pork. [Read more…] about Raising livestock outdoors is humane, but pasture-raised animals can cause environmental problems
Lightning can help your garden grow
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Nitrogen is one of the key nutrients that plants need to grow. It’s bountiful in our atmosphere, comprising seventy-eight percent of the air we breathe. But atmospheric nitrogen needs to be converted to ammonia in order to be useful to plants. [Read more…] about Lightning can help your garden grow
You might want to think twice about that picnic on the beach
Most of us take precautions when planning to spend a day in the sun and surf. We apply sunscreen, don hats, and pay attention to warnings about waves, sharks, and water quality. But a recent report highlights an overlooked beach risk: the sand. [Read more…] about You might want to think twice about that picnic on the beach
Every Day is Earth Day
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Sunday is the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, which first took place on April 22, 1970 and helped to prompt an awakening of American citizens to the importance of the environment. [Read more…] about Every Day is Earth Day
The Olympic games, traffic congestion, and childhood asthma
In 1996, organizers of the Atlanta Olympics were expecting a million visitors to their congested city. To ensure spectators could reach Olympic venues on time, they developed strategies for reducing traffic congestion. They beefed up public transportation, closed parts of downtown to private vehicle traffic, and encouraged local businesses to allow telecommuting. [Read more…] about The Olympic games, traffic congestion, and childhood asthma
Fertilizer helps feed the world – but the way it's produced can be harmful
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Until the Industrial Revolution, we increased fertility in our farms and gardens by applying animal manure, compost, or minerals mined from the earth. Then, scientists developed a method to capture nitrogen for use in fertilizer. Synthetic fertilizer is responsible for the so-called Green Revolution that increased crop yields and supports the earth’s growing population. [Read more…] about Fertilizer helps feed the world – but the way it's produced can be harmful
Wonder fish or pink poison?
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Salmon consumption has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and brain function. But not all fish are created equal. In the U.S., two-thirds of salmon are farm-raised. Compared to their wild counterparts, these fish are often less nutritious and have a larger environmental impact. [Read more…] about Wonder fish or pink poison?
Plastic has transformed the world
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In the iconic 1968 movie The Graduate, the lead character’s future father-in-law gives him one word of advice: “plastics.” He was on to something. Plastics have come to dominate our lives. [Read more…] about Plastic has transformed the world
Holy mackerel!
Over the past two decades, stocks of Jack mackerel in the South Pacific have declined by 90%, from 30 million tons to 3 million tons. Many of the fish being netted are juveniles. This is a sad turn of events for one of the world’s richest fishing grounds. [Read more…] about Holy mackerel!
How resilient is your plastic?
Synthesized in the laboratory more than 100 years ago, bisphenol A did not enter widespread production until the 1950s, when it was discovered that as an additive to polycarbonate plastics, it makes them harder and more resilient. [Read more…] about How resilient is your plastic?
Exotic snakes are putting the squeeze on the Everglades
Located at the tip of Florida, the Everglades are the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. It’s taken Americans a while to appreciate what the “River of Grass” has to offer. Early settlers had a drain and conquer approach to this wetland. [Read more…] about Exotic snakes are putting the squeeze on the Everglades
Power from the deep earth?
It sounds like a grade school science experiment on a grand scale. This summer, a team of geothermal energy developers is planning to pump 24 million gallons of water into a dormant volcano in Central Oregon. Their hope: that volcanic rock will heat the water to a temperature that is hot enough to generate clean electricity. [Read more…] about Power from the deep earth?
Cities as ecosystems?
Ecologists define an ecosystem as a unit of the landscape—a forest, a lake, or a river. Often, they are interested in the movement of materials through that area. For instance, rain may deposit nitrogen in a forest, while a stream may carry nitrogen away from the forest and into a river. [Read more…] about Cities as ecosystems?
Herring – little fish of the sea
The springtime herring run in New England is legendary. Two species of small fish, known collectively as river herring, return to the rivers, streams, and creeks of their birthplace, to breed again. After a few months in freshwater, their young return to the sea. [Read more…] about Herring – little fish of the sea
Have you thanked a green plant today?
In a few weeks, spring will arrive with a profusion of plant growth—buds will burst and seemingly overnight, leaves will expand to their summer fullness. Containing chlorophyll, leaves conduct photosynthesis, the combination of carbon dioxide and water to produce carbohydrates, known as sugars, which are the basis of life on Earth. [Read more…] about Have you thanked a green plant today?
Remember heavy metal?
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One of the biggest success stories of the environmental movement was getting the lead out of gasoline. Tetra-ethyl lead was first put into gasoline in the 1920s to improve engine performance and eliminate “knock.” Of course, it was necessary to get the lead out of the engine, so potassium bromide was added to the gas as well, and the lead was emitted as a lead bromide aerosol. Most of this fell beside the road. [Read more…] about Remember heavy metal?
Saying no to DDT
DDT became a household name in the 1960s, when Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ drew national attention to the impact the pesticide had on breeding birds. The EPA banned its use in 1972 and affected wildlife, such as bald eagles and pelicans, have made a remarkable recovery.
Recently, there have been calls from the international community—most notably the World Health Organization—to revisit using DDT to combat mosquito-borne disease. Malaria claims almost a million lives each year, with losses concentrated in the world’s poorest countries. Dengue, encephalitis, and yellow fever are also concerns.
DDT is inexpensive and good at killing mosquitoes. But let’s remember, it was banned in developed nations because it has been linked to serious health concerns, including breast cancer, diabetes, reproductive impairment, and neurological damage in children. Spraying it in homes and near living areas is a risky proposition.
When we release DDT to the environment, we give up control of where it goes, what it does, and how long it persists. DDT accumulates in the food chain, making top predators—like people—especially vulnerable. Residues are found in Antarctic penguins, thousands of miles away from its application. They are also found in all of us.
We need to combat mosquito-borne disease without entering into a chemical arms race that harms future generations and creates pesticide resistant insects. Instead, let’s set our brightest minds to understanding how management practices and native predators can help keep mosquito populations in check.
Photo, taken between 1945-1946, courtesy of John Tewell via Flickr.
When it comes to cell phones, we're talking about a lot of toxic trash
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18 months. That’s the average lifespan for a cell phone in the US. Most carriers let customers upgrade their phones after a year and a half, and most customers opt to do it. The bulk of discarded cell phones end up mixed in with household garbage. Less than 10% are recycled. [Read more…] about When it comes to cell phones, we're talking about a lot of toxic trash
Cancer: not a word we want to hear
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Last year, 1.6 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer, and more than a half million died from it. The process is protracted and painful.
But, how does cancer arise anyhow? Cancer begins with a change in the activity of our genetic material, or DNA. Normal cell division is compromised, and tumors form. Some people are genetically predisposed to certain cancers. For instance, inherited mutations in the BRCA genes, are linked to a family history of breast and ovarian cancers.
A widely-cited study in Scandinavia found that among nearly45,000 pairs of identical twins—individuals with identical genes— breast, colorectal and prostate cancers had a strong genetic link. But the results of this exhaustive study also revealed environmental factors are linked to twice as many cancers as genetic factors.
We are exposed to carcinogens through smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, breathing industrial pollution, radiation exposure, and infections like hepatitis. Carcinogens are also in a wide range of products designed to make our lives easier: insect repellants, cleaning materials, solvents, and personal care products.
The rates of environmentally-induced cancers speak strongly for the regulation of toxic substances. Unfortunately, only about 200 of the nearly 80,000 chemicals being used in the U.S. have been assessed for their potential to cause cancer.
Knowledge is power. Let’s make analyzing our chemical inventory a priority, so that we can identify substances like dioxin, which need to be eliminated from production.
Photo, taken on December 11, 2007 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark II N, courtesy of Jose Goulao via Flickr.