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Analysis: American consumption habits

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Sept. 10, 2012   Leave a Comment  

With less than 5 percent of world population, the U.S. uses a third of the world’s paper, a quarter of the oil, coal and aluminum, and 19 percent of the copper. The U.S. ranks highest by a considerable margin in most consumer categories as well

Does this surprise you?

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Baggage-laden biofuels

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Sept. 2, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Biofuels (or agrofuels) can be a carbon-neutral energy source, but the overall process of producing them is far from carbon neutral, given the substantial amount of fossil fuels expended in growing, harvesting, processing and distributing them. (Hemera Collection)

Worth the trouble?

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Are there safer sunscreens?

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Sept. 2, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Most of us assume that all we need do to prevent sunburns and skin cancer from exposure to the sun is to slather on sunscreen. But consumers should be careful about which sunscreens they trust for themselves and, even more important, for their kids.

Setting standards

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The Endangered Species Act — success or failure?

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Aug. 5, 2012   2 Comments  

The Center for Biological Diversity found that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) had a very successful recovery rate, with some 90 percent of species recovering at the rate specified by their recovery plans. The recovery of the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear is considered to be an ESA success story.

How are we doin?

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Are there alternatives to conventional, energy-hogging air conditioners?

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July 21, 2012   1 Comment  

The chlorofluorocarbon coolant widely used in air conditioners through the 1980s was phased out because it was damaging the Earth’s protective ozone layer, but the chemicals that replaced it are some 2,100 times stronger as greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. We may have saved the ozone layer, but -- whoops! -- there goes the climate.

Can anything be done?

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Discussing the impact of motorized vehicles in wilderness areas

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May 12, 2012   1 Comment  

A key element of the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act now making its way through Congress would allow motorized vehicles and equipment into wilderness areas, undermine 1964’s Wilderness Act which expressly bans motor vehicles on these last wild vestiges of untrammeled American land. (Comstock)

Destroying what you claim to love

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The “Fair Trade Your Supermarket” campaign

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May 7, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Fair trade is a system of exchange which ensures that farmers, artisans and other producers throughout the developing world are paid fair prices for their work and have direct involvement in the marketplace.

Fair is fair

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Cloud computing has a substantial footprint

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April 28, 2012   3 Comments  

Greenpeace wants companies like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft to make smarter, cleaner energy choices now that "cloud computing" services have ratcheted up power consumption considerably. (Media credit/Wichary via Flickr)

Power numbers through the roof

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Are there health or environmental concerns with LED lights?

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April 15, 2012   3 Comments  

LED bulbs appear poised to displace compact fluorescents (CFLs) as the king-of-the-hill of green bulbs, but a study published in late 2010 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that LEDs contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially dangerous substances. (Thinkstock)

The dark side of lighting

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Fuel efficient car choices for 2012

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April 8, 2012   1 Comment  

Increased environmental awareness, high gas prices and a continually slumping economy have combined to make fuel efficient cars are all the rage today. Pictured from top to bottom: the Electric Mitsubishi Miev, Toyota's Plug-in Hybrid Prius; General Motors' gas sipping Chevy Sonic.

Save money and the environment with your next car purchase

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Wanted: Young farmers

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March 17, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Convincing young people to take up farming is a hard sell but a necessary one: For each American farmer under the age of 35 there are now six over 65 and one quarter (500,000) of all American farmers will retire over the next two decades. (iStockPhoto)

Can you dig it?

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Looking at the Just Label It campaign

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March 10, 2012   1 Comment  

At present the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't require labels for foods with genetically modified ingredients, but labeling proponents believe consumers have a right to be able to make informed choices about which foods they put into their bodies and support with their pocketbooks. (iStockPhoto)

Do you know your food’s genetics?

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Cuba’s foray into offshore oil drilling

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March 10, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Finding significant off-shore oil reserves could turn Cuba into an oil exporter, possibly even thawing relations with a still oil-hungry U.S. Pictured: The Scarabeo 9 oil rig while still under construction in China in 2009. It is now 30 miles off of Cuba's coast and just 60 miles south of the Florida Keys. (Wikipedia)

Possible source of economic power for Communist island

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SMOG levels improving in Los Angeles

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Feb. 28, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Tougher state and federal air quality standards, combined with cleaner burning engines on new vehicles today, have cut air pollution from cars and trucks across California by more than 85 percent since the 1970s, with peak smog levels in the city of Los Angeles dropping some 70 percent. (Thinkstock)

Is it possible?

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New automobile fuel economy standards

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Feb. 19, 2012   Leave a Comment  

In a plan formulated by the Obama administration, auto makers will double the average, unadjusted fuel-economy rating of their cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 from today’s standard of 27 miles per gallon. Congress is likely to sign the new rules, which will start taking effect for the 2017 model year, into law this summer. (ThinkStock)

How’s 54.5 MPG sound?

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There’s BPA in cash register receipts?

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Feb. 12, 2012   1 Comment  

Laboratory tests found high levels of BPA on 40 percent of thermal paper receipts sampled from major U.S. businesses and services, including McDonald’s, Chevron, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, WalMart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service, among others. BPA in paper receipts also contaminates paper recycling and is showing up in napkins, toilet paper and other common papers with recycled content. (Thinkstock)

Bad news bears

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How green is the state of our union?

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Feb. 12, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Obama's State of the Union address was, in the words of one prominent green leader, "a strong defense of the importance of clean energy to America’s long-term economic prosperity." (White House photo)

All-in-all, not a bad year

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How much energy is used by cable TV boxes?

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Feb. 1, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Set-top boxes in the U.S. consume 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, equivalent to the annual output of six coal-fired power plants. Part of the reason is that they typically operate at nearly full power even during the two-thirds of the time when they are not in use. (Thinkstock)

Short answer: A lot

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Fact: Carbon emissions are making our oceans acidic

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Feb. 1, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Ocean acidification is likely to affect the ability of some shellfish to produce and maintain their shells. This process will not only wreak havoc on the shellfish we eat, but also on smaller marine organisms that are key components of the lower end of the marine food chain. (Thinkstock)

Goodbye coral. Goodbye shellfish.

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Water usage in the bathroom

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Jan. 24, 2012   Leave a Comment  

Some 60 percent of our household indoor water usage happens in the bathroom. Toilets are the biggest water hogs, with older models using as much as eight gallons per flush. A shower, even with a low-flow shower head, can use up to 40 gallons of water, and a bath can use up to 50-60 gallons. (Thinkstock)

It’s more than you thought!

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