Recent Articles from Environmental Magazine
No doubt: It’s a drought
Dear EarthTalk: Could it really be true that we are in the midst of the worst drought in the United States since the 1930s? Indeed, we are embroiled in what many consider the worst drought in the U.S. since the “Dust Bowl” days of the 1930s that rendered some 50 million acres of farmland barely […]
Where are all the eco-jobs?
Dear EarthTalk: I’m looking for the best places to search for green jobs but am having trouble locating them on traditional job search sites. Where should I look? With the environment now high atop the public agenda, green jobs are more popular than ever. Defined by eco.org (a leading green jobs website) as any job […]
Legal pot: Good for the environment?
Dear EarthTalk: I heard someone say that legalizing pot-as Californians considered doing last year-would benefit the environment. How would that be? It is well known that legalizing pot could have great economic benefits in California and elsewhere by allowing the government to tax it (like it now does on liquor and cigarettes), by ending expensive […]
The EPA turns 40
Dear EarthTalk: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had its 40th anniversary in 2010. How effective has the EPA been and what are its biggest challenges today? By most accounts the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which turned 40 in December 2009, has been very effective. The first dedicated national environmental agency of its kind, the […]
Pro sports go green
What’s being done to “green up” professional sports? I know that the last two Olympic Games both made some effort, but are there others? The last two Olympics were indeed greener than any before, but environmental awareness isn’t limited to the realm of international amateur competition. In fact, in just the last few years, all […]
Fed recycling law: round-filed
Dear EarthTalk: Given the environmental and economic benefits, why doesn’t the U.S. have a federal law mandating recycling nationwide? The U.S. government has historically relied on state and local governments to handle waste management in all of its forms, including recycling. Although there have been a few attempts to push legislation through Congress to mandate […]
A yummy organic brewski
Dear EarthTalk: I see more and more organic wines on store shelves these days, but what options are out there today for organic beer? Some 80 million Americans drink beer, yet organic beer represents still only a sliver of the $7 billion U.S. craft beer market. But this sliver is quickly turning into a slice: […]
Going modular
Dear EarthTalk: I am looking for a small, modular home to put on a piece of vacation property. What’s available that could meet my needs and be easier on the environment than building a traditional house from scratch? First utilized by relief and aid missions around the world to house workers or refugees, self-contained modular […]
Poo(ch) power
Dear EarthTalk: Is there a way to utilize the energy in my dogs’ poop? I have three dogs and lots of poop and would like to dispose of it in a “greener” manner. No doubt creating a way to do so is possible, as large systems called anaerobic digesters (or biogas digesters) are often used […]
Taking it to the streets
Dear EarthTalk: Are there efforts to increase bike lanes and paths around the nation? I’d like to be able to bike more instead of drive, but I’m concerned about safety. Around the U.S. new bike lanes and paths are all the rage, helping cash-strapped cities simultaneously green operations and trim budgets-adding bike lanes is far […]
Where will all the flowers go?
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve noticed that wildflower blooms in the mountains have been coming earlier and earlier in recent years. Is this a sign of global warming? And what does this mean for the long term survival of these hardy yet rare plants? As always, it’s hard to pin specific year-to-year weather-variations and related phenomena-including altered […]
Paper or plastic—or cornstarch?
Dear EarthTalk: How effective have plastic bag bans and restrictions been on reducing plastic litter and other problems associated with their proliferation? And is it really better to use paper bags, which will just lead to more deforestation? Plastic bags, first introduced in the 1950s as a convenient way to store food, have since developed […]