AltWeeklies Wire
How to Harvest Rainwater for the Futurenew
In many developing nations, the need for water and the lack of public supplies has forced the population to capture rainwater and save it for use throughout the year, both for irrigating and for drinking. Incredibly, some states in America prohibit such resourcefulness.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Alastair Bland |
09-15-2008 |
Environment
How Wild Mustard Could Be Used to Power Farms and Transitnew
In California's wine country, early spring paints the vineyards and fields with the chrome yellow of wild mustard. Its spicy leaves perk up a salad and infuse vinegar with a kick -- and oil from its seeds may soon power the buses of Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST).
East Bay Express |
Susan Kuchinskas |
09-10-2008 |
Environment
William Orr's Quest for Better, Cheaper Gas Left Him Facing Prison Timenew
Despite the battery of charges he was convicted of, much of the fraud case came down to a single issue: whether Orr had misrepresented to investors and to the government the potential of the formula he was trying to market -- a fuel blend that he claimed would be cheaper, cleaner and more efficient than conventional gasoline.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
09-09-2008 |
Environment
Radioactive Brooklynnew
Radioactive waste has existed in Williamsburg for decades, but thanks to gentrification, its half-life may be up.
New York Press |
Sarah Clyne Sundberg |
09-04-2008 |
Environment
San Diego Researchers Get Beyond Biofuelnew
Really, this is about scum. Green, slimy, don't-swim-in-the-water scum that just might save the world.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
09-03-2008 |
Environment
Scientists Warn that Climate Change is Already Hitting New Mexiconew
Few people on the planet are unaware of climate change -- reducing one's carbon footprint has practically become a fashion statement. But behind the headlines and slogans, scientists are tracking the impacts global warming is already having -- and projecting what is yet to come.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Laura Paskus |
08-28-2008 |
Environment
Bear Kaufman Says Being Carbon-Neutral Isn't Enoughnew
The senior at San Francisco State University's earth system science department has been experimenting with a scheme to return most of the carbon created by generating power to the ground in the form of charcoal, where it can improve the soil. His ultimate goal: A carbon-negative world.
East Bay Express |
Susan Kuchinskas |
08-27-2008 |
Environment
Thinking Twice About the Big Green Revolutionnew
The same corporate mindset that brought us Big Oil, Big Agriculture, Big Auto, and Big Water and Power is now at work to bring us "Big Green." The problem with "big" is that living large is what got us into this mess.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Patrick Veesart |
08-25-2008 |
Environment
Nukes in Wisconsin Still Not Likelynew
Nuclear supporters claimed that Gov. Jim Doyle, who's seeking to become a green governor, wants to end the 25-year-old moratorium on building nuclear power plants in Wisconsin. The problem, though, is that this simply isn't true.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
08-15-2008 |
Environment
Here's the Drill: The Sticky Truths About Offshore Oilnew
Approving drilling now would mean that oil reaches our gas tanks in a decade, under the best estimates, and the small quantity relative to global production would do little to alleviate prices. Still, advocates argue, anything that reduces American dependence on foreign oil is worth pursuing. That pursuit becomes sticky, however, when weighed with drilling's definable risks to the environment and public health.
Charleston City Paper |
Stratton Lawrence |
08-13-2008 |
Environment
Compost Enforcements Threaten Vermont's Solid-Waste Dreamsnew
Last summer, 13 garbage experts covered a 20-by-10-foot wall with sticky notes. As members of a state-sponsored subcommittee studying "organics," they were preparing to tell Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources what should be done with the state's compostable waste.
Seven Days |
Mike Ives |
08-08-2008 |
Environment
Logging Companies Look to Flip Forests in British Columbianew
Despite the province's climate-change policy and a social contract with the public to maintain properties as forests, more and more logging corporations are hoping to convert private forestlands into real estate.
The Georgia Straight |
Carlito Pablo |
07-28-2008 |
Environment
Memo to McCain: Offshore Drilling Won't Reduce Gas Pricesnew
McCain -- who has accepted more than $1 million from Big Oil donors -- is hoping that voters who are outraged by the high cost of gas will support his desire to find new domestic sources of oil and natural gas. But according to the "official energy statistics" from the federal government's Energy Information Administration, there isn't enough oil in the "off-limits" offshore areas to make a dent in world supplies or the cost of gas.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
07-25-2008 |
Environment
Do Carbon Offsets Actually Work?new
The use of carbon offsets as a means of corporate responsibility is a relatively new phenomenon based on an idea that is almost 20 years old.
Philadelphia Weekly |
John Steele |
07-21-2008 |
Environment
A Sunken Tanker Off the California Coast Will Someday Leak Oil if Nothing is Donenew
There are growing concerns that the Montebello could offer up a second adventure/disaster story, this one of an ecological nature. Researchers are confident that the tanker still entombs its cargo, more than 3 million gallons of Santa Maria crude loaded from the Union Oil facility in Avila Beach.
San Luis Obispo New Times |
Patrick Howe |
07-21-2008 |
Environment
