E Magazine articles from January 2004

E Magazine archives from January 2004

Caring capacity.(E Word)(population control)
January 1, 2004... We've written about overpopulation many times in these pages because we think it is a profoundly important environmental issue. Yet its one that the green movement largely ignores, primarily for fear of alienating a public that may associate...

Bottled water blues.(Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Your cover story "Message in a Bottle (September/October 2003) draws ironic similarities to the SUV craze. Americans are not buying purity in a glass or open road freedom. They're buying urban cowboy images and feel-good escapes as they consume...

The industry fires back.(Letters from our readers)
January 1, 2004... Don't be drawn into the bottled water versus tap water debate as presented in E's article "Message In A Bottle:' The few carefully edited quotes from the bottled water industry included in the rather slanted article did not accurately represent...

Water quality watchdogs.
January 1, 2004... When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, the goal was to force industries to reduce the flow of pollution into the nation's waterways. Thirty years later, new applications of the law are raising questions. For instance, what happens if...

Journey to Eden.
January 1, 2004... Described as a "living theater of plants and people," the Eden Project is an international visitor at traction set in a former clay quarry in Cornwall, England. The focus of the 280,000-square-foot gardens is on the two giant greenhouses, which...

Prevent "toadal" loss!(subway for frogs to cross road)
January 1, 2004... Armed with good humor and lots of insect repellant, a group of Cornell University students, staff; faculty and assorted herpetologists spent last summer building a "toad tunnel" to allow amphibians safe passage across a preserve near campus....

Saving Washington's forgotten river.(Anacostia River)
January 1, 2004... For many Washingtonians, the Potomac River is a symbol of patriotic charm and serene beauty. Slicing through two states, it's the envy of both Marylanders and Virginians, who still carry on a century-old legal battle over which state can have...

Bench marks: the Bush administration packs the courts with anti-environmental judges.(Currents)
January 1, 2004... For more than 30 years, environmental laws ranging from the lean Air Act to the Endangered Species Act have provided a formidable weapon for activists and ordinary citizens trying to protect the environment. While the environment does not...

Europe's scorching summer: was global warming responsible for the deadly heat?(Currents)
January 1, 2004... By the end of Europe's staggering summer heat wave, Budapest's ornate bridges were looking strange. They stood high above the water, their supporting foundations exposed, looking as if they were all standing on tiptoes. Rarely seen boulders...

Dumping on history: a radioactive nightmare in Concord, Massachusetts.(Currents)
January 1, 2004... The waitress at the ice cream shop in Concord: Massachusetts was surprised. "A Superfund site?" she asked, incredulous, "on Main Street?" Not just a Superfund site--a Superfund site that a cleanup contractor has dubbed "near the tip of the peak...

Driving clean: fighting the auto industry for low-emission cars.(Currents)
January 1, 2004... Which environmentalists do the auto companies fear most? Is it Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air regulators? Congressional fuel economy watchdogs? Neither one, actually. The principal worry is a little state agency in California,...

Big Sugar bullies?(Updates)(water pollution, sugar company)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Big Sugar has won another victory in its opposition to cleaning up the mess it's made in the Everglades (see "Bitter Sweets," feature, July/August 2003). Legal wrangling over how to clean up the phosphorus-polluted Florida waterway, and who's...

Getting burned by flame retardants.(Updates)(polybrominated diphenyl ethers and marine life)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... While the toxic heavy metal mercury already has a record for contaminating seafood (see "Heavy Metal Harm," cover story, May/June 2002), a new class of chemicals has emerged as a cause for concern: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Also...

Above the law.(Updates)(Bush administration, rollback of environmental laws )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Bush administration is gaining momentum in its rollback of environmental laws (see "Scorched Earth Policy," features, May/June 2001). Last November, with full White House cooperation, Congress voted to exempt the Department of Defense from...

The numbers game: myths, truths and half-truths about human population growth and the environment.
January 1, 2004... There's a minefield in the American environmental movement, and its name is population. Because negotiating that minefield is so dangerous, many environmental groups and leaders have stopped trying to cross it. But to ignore population as a...

Oh, Canada! Does the great white north deserve its green reputation?
January 1, 2004... The widely held notion that Canada is taking excellent care of its wild, pristine lands far better than the gluttonous citizens in the United States is nothing more than a misperception approaching myth. Americans, or Yanks as they are often...

Farming infertility: country living may be hazardous to your potency.(Your Health)
January 1, 2004... When epidemiologist Shanna Swan began comparing fertility in urban versus rural men, she thought she knew what she would find. Just as corn, sorghum and soybeans grow better in central Missouri's hills and hollers than in a polluted parking lot...

Just juice: all-natural choices avoid synthetic additives and refined sugar.(Eating Right)
January 1, 2004... A dizzying array of ingredients and brands are available to consumers who are simply trying to find the healthiest juice. In your grocer's cooler today are energy drinks, smoothies, blends, "old-fashioned" styles, herbals, all-natural juices...

Mobile adventure: history and an abundant ecosystem combine in coastal Alabama.(Going Green)
January 1, 2004... Mobile, Alabama, in the heart of America's south coast, has a long history, a rich culture and a reputation as a popular tourist destination. It is the birthplace of American Mardi Gras and home of Wintzell's oysters. The people of coastal...

Joining the club: greening corporations with socially responsible investment groups.(Money Matters)
January 1, 2004... Understanding the wooly world of socially responsible investing (SRI) can be a daunting task for people who want to leverage their financial assets for the environment. But more and more enlightened investors are banding together in clubs,...

Fabulous feng shui: it's certainly popular, but is it eco-friendly?(House & Home)
January 1, 2004... Feng shui is popping up all over popular culture, but is it environmentally friendly? At its core, experts say, feng shui (literally "wind and water") is a way of life that helps us live in harmony with the environment. With roots in ancient...

Under the table: eco-friendly furniture that's beautiful and functional.(Consumer News)
January 1, 2004... If you were to dissect a typical living-room couch, you'd likely find an environmental disaster: a frame made of unsustainably harvested wood treated with formaldehyde and varnishes that can pollute indoor air; unrecyclable foam cushions dosed...

Warm up by the fire.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)
January 1, 2004... With winter upon us full-force, many people are drawn to their fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. This year, rather than depleting your local forest, try all-natural hearth products from Hearthwise. The Massachusetts-based company offers...

Brave new beauty.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)
January 1, 2004... Organics reach a whole new level with derma e's salon-style line of bodycare products. The cosmetics contain a combination of natural ingredients, including vitamins, herbs and food extracts to beautify the skin. The company offers lotions,...

Truly natural, truly delicious.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)
January 1, 2004... In its line of all-natural baked goods, Wholly Healthy says "no" to many standard baking ingredients such as bleached flour, hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, preservatives and flavors. In stead, the company uses organic evaporated cane...

Personal protection.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)
January 1, 2004... From washable menstrual pads to sea sponge tampons, Lunapads offers women ecologically and environmentally responsible products that reduce waste and cost less. Available in conventional or organic cotton, washable lunapads come in three sizes...

It's a dog and cat world.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)
January 1, 2004... Fido and Muffins may be lovable, loyal members of your family, but they aren't too good at cleaning up after themselves. Thankfully, natural cleaning company Earth Friendly Products has rolled out the big guns in the war against errant paw...

Musical messengers.(Tools for green living: resources for eco-awareness and action)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
January 1, 2004... Uplifting Afro-pop beats and emotionally provocative instrumentals have been compiled to create a soundtrack recording for the recent IMAX film Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees ($15). The compilation was created to benefit the Jane Goodall...

Explore the arctic.(photographic voyage)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this book speaks volumes. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land (The Mountaineers Books, $22.95 paperback, $35 hardcover) by Subhankar Banerjee is a photographic voyage through...

Epidemic or "Ecodemic"?(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... In what might look like a scenario out of a horror movie, the occurrence of deadly and contagious diseases are on the rise around the world. In his book Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them (Island Press/Shearwater Books, $22), Mark...

Stand up for women's health.(books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Share the painful journey of a woman frustrated with the state of modern medicine as she searches for answers about the origin and treatment of female health problems. The Uterine Crisis (self-published through 1stBooks Library, $24.95) by Ilya...

Speaking for trees.(books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Technical reports, no matter how precise and scientific, won't end clear-cutting, but good writing just might. Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on Forests by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan (Chelsea Green Publishing, $15) is an...

An eco-futurist's toolbox.(books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Perhaps most famous for hosting rocker Axl Rose at his progressive farm, Elliott Maynard, Ph.D. is a renaissance man who made his mark as a sought-after futurist, marine biologist, educator, artist, photographer, researcher on conscious ness...

Who are the real rats?(Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... While the National Park Service calls the poisoning of rats a "success" in helping native seabird populations rebound ("Getting Rid Of Rats" In Brief, September/October 2003), the project was little more than an exercise in deliberate animal...

How much do urban gardens contribute to our food supply?(Ask E)
January 1, 2004... --Wayne Chow, New York, NY The United Nations Development Program estimates that urban gardens, like the ones springing up all over New York City and Seattle, provide 15 percent of the world's food supply. They also create sorely needed...

Are there any natural carpets that don't produce the strong odors and health concerns of conventional synthetic materials?(Ask E)
January 1, 2004... --Denise Purdy, via e mail Carpets made from all-natural materials are now readily available. Companies such as Earth Weave and Natural Home boast attractive carpets that are entirely biodegradable and are made of wool, jute, hemp and...

How can I recycle my old propane gas tank that can no longer be refilled?(Ask E)
January 1, 2004... --Bruce Krasnow, Santa Fe, NM If you have an older propane gas tank that has been denied refilling by retailers, it is probably because it lacks an Overfilling Prevention Device (OPD). As a of April 2002, the National Fire Protection...