E Magazine articles from July 1998

E Magazine archives from July 1998

When green means stop.(efforts to end environmental racism)(Editorial)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... There's no longer a police department in Winona, Texas. Just 17 years after a chemical waste company came to town, promising a new era of economic development, Winona is a ghost town, its three-block downtown boarded over. People have...

Dr. Robert Bullard: some people don't have 'the complexion for protection.'(environmental racism)(Interview)
July 1, 1998... When, in 1979, Dr. Robert Bullard wrote a study called Solid Waste Sites and the Black Houston Community, nobody had heard of environmental racism (see the special report in this issue). It would be three more years before anyone used that...

The desert's open veins: native rights and water fights in Albuquerque.
July 1, 1998... Sonny Weahkee, a young Navajo with long flowing hair and a very gentle manner, pointed to the faint, painted image of a dancing man in the volcanic rock of West Mesa, in a quiet national monument that seemed worlds away from the bustle of...

What price, MtBE? A 'green' gas additive may be causing more problems than it's solving.(health effects of methyl tertiary butyl ether)
July 1, 1998... When Freda and Jim Kubas bought their Glenville, California home, they thought they would be spending the rest of their lives there. In 1993, they began using their private well and noticed a turpentine-like odor and peculiar taste, so they...

Birth control or border patrol? The Sierra Club votes down an immigration initiative.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... There are few issues more politically charged than immigration policy, so its hardly surprising that voices were raised and names were called when the Sierra Club debated the subject last spring. At issue was a ballot initiative proposed by an...

Eco-archaeology: forward into the past.(researchers study how Maya and other ancient peoples related to their environments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... How did the ancient Maya do it? While today a few hundred thousand descendants of the Maya survive with difficulty, the ancient community of two million developed a subsistence economy and a sophisticated political framework without destroying...

Opening the ivory door: an exercise in democracy pits conservation against animal rights.(controversy over management of Zimbabwe's elephant population by Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... On the parched outskirts of Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe, Mabale villagers were screaming epithets, flailing arms and legs, and beating drums and pots, creating an unearthly din. This wasn't some ritualistic African dance--the...

Harvest of shame: dissection's deadly toll hits frogs hardest.(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... For most high school students, dissecting a formaldehyde-soaked frog is an educational rite of passage. But the practice has decimated the population of frogs and other wild-caught animals, and more and more kids are refusing to do it. "I...

Toxic targets: polluters that dump on communities of color are finally being brought to justice.(environmental racism)(Cover Story)
July 1, 1998... On September 10, 1997, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Carol Browner issued a simple but unprecedented order: She disallowed the state of Louisiana's approval of an enormous polyvinylchloride (PVC) plant in Convent, a small, mostly...

The maquiladoras: back door pollution.(pollution problems caused by offshore assembly factories along Mexican border)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... Home for Domingo Gonzalez is Brownsville, a pleasant community of 130,000 people in south Texas. It is a well-managed, lush place, complete with clean lakes and a bustling downtown. But, as Gonzalez points out, crossing into the Mexican...

Mercury rising: our seafood is increasingly contaminated with toxins.
July 1, 1998... If, like Oprah Winfrey, mad cow disease has made you swear off hamburgers, you might be eating more fish instead. Fish are touted as a low-fat, healthy food that can help prevent heart disease and other illnesses. But recent reports saying...

A square deal: fair trade is good business for Third World producers.
July 1, 1998... In America, a tremendous amount of energy is devoted to upholding the rights of consumers to be treated fairly. Misleading advertising and labeling, poor quality products, unsafe food, price gouging--all are without question, taboo. The other...

Living filter: do houseplants really improve indoor air?(Brief Article)
July 1, 1998... To lower stress, many physicians recommend a relaxing hobby like gardening. But cultivating plants indoors may also lower the risk of asthma, allergies and "sick building syndrome." The Environmental Protection Agency cites indoor air...

Head for the hills: low-impact gear for the great outdoors.(environmentally friendly camping gear)
July 1, 1998... In the 70s, a backpack, some granola and a roaring campfire was all any hiker needed for a complete nature getaway. But today, enthusiasts worry about overcrowded trails, high-impact trends and whether or not to bring a cell phone. For many...