Students have a right to learn about the dangers of climate change. The health risks are monumental. Over time, extreme weather events will continue to reduce the availability of safe food and water. For some communities, this will lead to widespread malnutrition and sickness. The air quality will worsen and temperatures will rise. (more…)
As suggested in this short video, The Netherlands is really kicking butt in the world, in terms of nearly everything that matters. Perhaps the U.S. could take some direction from people who are getting it right. (more…)
A colleague sent me an email explaining the “Centennial light,” noting, “They used to make bulbs that lasted forever, but they conspired to downgrade.” He went on to describe “The Phoebus cartel,” comprised by, among others, Osram, Philips, and General Electric that existed to control the manufacture of light bulbs. I responded:
Here’s a similar story in the automobile industry. Until 1985, Mercedes built an engine that would run literally millions of miles. (more…)
Here’s an article called Monsanto Isn’t Feeding the World—It’s Killing Our Children, which, rightfully, has sparked a great deal of outrage on Facebook and elsewhere. An old friend writes: So many different kinds of people and groups protest this! Can’t we get together and TAKE THEM OUT? Any ideas? How best to organize their collapse?
This, obviously, is a good question, but it raises a larger issue: the world is run by large corporations, and, while some more malevolent than others, all of them benefit from our corrupt Congress. (more…)
Painting our lifestyles green and making it more sustainable is just the thing we need to do if we care for our environment, and if we want to reduce our carbon footprint. Implementing eco-friendly changes in our daily lives is very commendable, but the undeniable truth is that we spend a good portion of our day at work. (more…)
According to the Writer’s Almanac:
It’s the birthday of international media titan (Keith) Rupert Murdoch…..He has, at various times, owned many American publications, including the Star, the New York Post, the Village Voice, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Boston Herald, New York Magazine, National Geographic, and TV Guide. (more…)
Making your home more energy efficient has many benefits. Wasting less energy means keeping more of your hard-earned money. Energy-efficient homes are also more environmentally friendly, have a smaller carbon footprint and may even have a higher resale value. Try these four ideas to get a big boost in energy efficiency. (more…)
Yesterday we received confirmation of something we already suspected: the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, doesn’t believe that atmospheric CO2 causes climate change. Now, if we can get a Surgeon General who believes smoking cigarettes promotes good health and a Supreme Court justice who embraces lynching, we’ll be in good shape.
Here’s an article in Scientific American that lays out the basis on which one of Trump’s recent executive orders will result in more water pollution by undermining the 42-year-old Clean Water Act. The mechanism at work here is restricting the number and types of waterways to which the Act applies. (more…)
If you’re among those lucky ones who can take a dip in their own swimming pool during hot summer days, you are quite aware of all the maintenance work you need to do in order to keep it fully functional. This often costs a lot of money and involves some actions that waste both energy and resources. (more…)
