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Exotic Pets = Exotic Disease

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:52:11 +0000

The enormous trade in exotic pets and exotic animals is causing concern worldwide -- and not just for animal rights activists. While environmentalists are alarmed at the effect these exotics are having on ecosystems, health experts are finding that exotic animals often help to spread exotic diseases.

Find out about the environmental and health effects of the multibillion-dollar global trade in exotic pets.

A Seismic Argument Against Fracking

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:53:08 +0000

Ohio isn't typically thought of as an epicenter of earthquakes -- but that could change as the state continues to pursue hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a means of extracting natural gas.

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Green Living: A Commie Plot?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:37:07 +0000

Some people simply don't get into environmental causes -- and then there are those who see green living as an insidious plot to destroy America.

Bike lanes. Limits on water pollution. Energy meters on home appliances. These are all devious attempts to turn the United States into a totalitarian regime, according to some members of the Tea Party, as described in this revealing New York Times article.

Is Obama Green?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:19:14 +0000

That question, and the many environmental issues it raises, casts a harsh light on a president with a checkered environmental history.

Where does Obama really stand on energy -- especially renewable energy? What about Obama and the Keystone pipeline? Obama and fracking? And how about biodiversity, science education, pollution control and global warming?

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What is the Green Movement?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:17:06 +0000

The history of the green movement is, like many political and social movements, just one thread in the tapestry of America's history.

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Sustainable Tourism: Let's Go!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:22 +0000

Saddled with the ungainly name "sustainable tourism," it's no wonder that many travelers think of it as sleeping on a yoga mat after a dinner of organic bran flakes. Uh, no thanks.

But the travel world has awakened to the immense appeal of luxury ecotourism, and many green lodges boast amenities that would put the Four Seasons to shame.

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What Is the EPA?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:49:58 +0000

I once had a boss who didn't know what the EPA was. (Needless to say, that job didn't last.)

The Environmental Protection Agency has been one of America's most controversial government agencies since the day it was formed, and it remains a political hot potato, especially in this election year, when several GOP candidates are calling for the agency's elimination.

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Who's Got Gas?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:42:36 +0000

The role of greenhouse gases in global warming and climate change can't be overstated. But where, exactly, is this gas coming from?

The EPA can tell you: Their new, searchable map of greenhouse gas emitters pinpoints the largest stationary sources of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases. Does someone in your neighborhood have gas?

Meet the Green Party

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:44:08 +0000

This election year might be a good time to get involved, if you're not already. Issues like economic inequality, climate change, war and gay rights promise to make this an interesting political season.

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And Atlanta. And Seattle...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:13:10 +0000

Trees store some 45 percent of the carbon on our planet's land surface -- but where exactly are these trees to be found?

Scientists at NASA have created one of the most extensive and accurate maps of tree cover anywhere, highlighting those regions where forests are thickest and hold the most carbon. (Just look at the Pacific Northwest!)

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