E Magazine articles from May 2002

E Magazine archives from May 2002

Mercury falling. (E Word).(toxic materials)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Like four of his five brothers, my grandfather was a family dentist, and in his semi-retired years he practiced out of his home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. As a child, his office fascinated me, with its old-fashioned porcelain dental chair...

Spreading vegetarianism. (Letters From Our Readers).
May 1, 2002... It takes tremendous courage for a publication to address the pink elephant steak sitting in the boardroom of so many environmental organizations ("The Case Against Meat," cover story, January/February 2002). I think many such groups fear...

The free-range compromise. (Letters From Our Readers).
May 1, 2002... I eagerly read your latest issue focusing on vegetarianism. While informative, I was disappointed that your articles dropped the ball on the related discussion of organic meat. It's clear that meat-based diets are problematic for global...

Innate cravings and lactose digestion. (Letters From Our Readers).
May 1, 2002... Bravo on your latest issue. It's about time animal rights and environmental issues were debated. However, I disagree with Lester Brown. He says the fact that people start to eat meat as soon as they can afford to proves that "the taste for meat...

Blood type brouhaha. (Letters From Our Readers).(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2002... I read the letters to the editor [about the vegetarian cover story] posted on the E website. Some of the people have not had good experiences with vegetarian or vegan diets. Without knowing more, some of the problems sound like B12...

Meat-eating greens. (Letters From Our Readers).
May 1, 2002... I take issue with the headline, "So You're an Environmentalist... Why Are You Still Eating Meat?" I ride my bike to work instead of driving. I buy organic foods and buy in bulk. I turn my thermostat off when I leave and keep it below 65 when...

Trouble brewing.(coffee industry)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... To a java junkie, there is no such thing as too much coffee, but when it comes to the world s coffee industry, the opposite is true. The massive overproduction of coffee presently glutting world markets is causing a crisis of historic...

Mapping a greener future.(maps of environmentally friendly services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Since the time of the ancient Babylonians, maps have played pivotal roles in human history--they've been used to chart voyages of discovery, find buried treasure and fight wars. Now, maps are being used to chart a path toward a greener, more...

Saving Mongolia's wild horses.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Przewalski horses or, to use their Mongolian name, Takhi, are the world's only verifiably wild horses, a sub-species genetically distinct from any other equine. By 1945, only 12 survived, hunted nearly to extinction for their meat. Add to this...

Richard Misrach: the messenger.(environmental photographer)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... People make their quickest and often most lasting judgments based on what they see. In recognition of the iconic power of environmental photography, the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) has dubbed photographer Richard Misrach the...

Growing up, growing out: some rust belt cities sprawl without population growth. (Currents).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Taking a tour of historic sites in the old city of Baltimore can be a rewarding experience--until you turn a corner in the central business district and find... devastation. What was described in the guidebooks as a block of pubs with...

Animal rights: legal activists fight for endangered species. (Currents).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... In 1991, environmental activist Kieran Suckling was living in a tiny New Mexico town in the heart of timber and grazing country. His nascent group, then called the Greater Gila Biodiversity Project, finally had a budget--$5,000 for the year to...

Two if by sea: invasive species are changing the ocean environment. (Currents).
May 1, 2002... For decades, the coastal United States has been under siege from an invasion of foreign animals and plants (see second feature this issue). New species arrive daily, and in a variety of ways. According to the Pew Oceans Commission, ship ballast...

Green by design: local building councils are guided by environmental principles. (Currents).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... About 50 people had gathered in the auditorium at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art to hear urban planners, architects and energy engineers talk about the environmental challenges facing South Florida. There was concern about the low...

Return of the native: natural prairies slowly make a comeback. (Currents).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Only about five percent of native prairie is left in Kansas. Less than one percent remains in Illinois, North Dakota and Minnesota. Agriculture, urban sprawl and fire suppression have left Iowa with less than one-tenth of one percent of its...

Dying Monarchs. (Updates).(butterfly)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Considered an endangered phenomenon, the monarch butterfly's arduous migration stretches 3,000 miles from the Rocky Mountains to Oyamel fir forests in central Mexico (see "The Monarch's Perilous Flight," In Brief, July/August 1998). The World...

Power, power everywhere. (Updates).(California electricity)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... California, which faced "rolling blackouts" last summer in one of the nation's most serious power shortages (see "Too Many People!" cover story, November/December 2001), now finds itself with an embarrassing electricity surplus. The California...

Guarding groundfish. (Updates).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Atlantic Ocean was once one of the Earth's richest fisheries, but industrial-scale harvesting over the past 50 years has decimated fish stocks. In 1996 Congress enacted the federal Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), (see "A Sea of Troubles,"...

Heavy metal harm: the fight against highly toxic mercury in the environment has just begun.
May 1, 2002... The late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro loved to eat tuna fish. An avid environmentalist, she was shocked to hear that her favorite food was contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercury, and she expressed her anger in a song. "I'm young...

Going, going ... Exotic species are decimating America's native wildlife.(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... In one corner of the United States, mountain goats traipse across the fragile alpine flowers that speckle the snowline of Washington's craggy Olympic Mountains. They look beautiful, but the goats don't belong there. Seattle newspaperman E.B....

Glowing in the dark; baby teeth studies reveal childhood radiation exposure. (Your Health).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Some Washington University researchers were cleaning a musty old ammunition bunker at Missouri's Tyson Research Center last spring. There they stumbled across a bizarre find: 85,000 baby teeth. Stumped university administrators nearly discarded...

Snack attack: guiltless indulgence with dairy-free treats and all-natural goodies. (Eating Right).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Chocolate chip cookies. Buttery popcorn. Chips and dip. Snacking is an American pastime. Indeed, Time.com has called us "a nation of committed Twinkie eaters," while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have announced that the obesity...

The color of money: alternative currency promotes fresh thinking about sustainable economics. (Money Matters).(barter systems)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The angry people crowding the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina last January were armed with casseroles and wooden spoons and making a hell of a ruckus. Unemployment was at historic highs, crime had skyrocketed, and the political system was on...

This land is their land; how to make your property wildlife-friendly. (House & Home).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... While environmental headlines make much of the rift between property rights advocates and conservationists, a growing number of land owners are working to make their backyards more attractive to wildlife, benefiting both the human and animal...

Turtle people: volunteers help save loggerheads. (Going Green).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A red-eyed dune buggy, its headlights dimmed with patches of cellophane, cruises the southern beach of Wassaw Island, off the Georgia coast, at midnight. Otherwise, the beach is deserted, lit only by stars and a new moon. Suddenly the buggy...

Diet for a small pet; bring out the animal in your dog or cat with healthy food alternatives. (Consumer News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The wild dogs and cats that roamed the Earth thousands of years ago were the direct ancestors of the "domesticated creatures" we share our homes with today. As our pets, they're "civilized," but their physiology has remained remarkably...

Get cozy with soy. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(Clark Valley Soy Company )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Looking for a safer way to scent your home? Clark Valley Soy Company is a small Minnesota business that produces all-natural, handmade candles. The candles contain 95 percent soybean wax in place of the conventional paraffin, which, according...

The orange janitor. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(products from Shadow Lake)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... These days you can find more environmentally sensitive cleaning products than ever before. It's no wonder they're so.popular: They work well, are safe to use, and biodegrade into non-toxic byproducts. Many are also produced from plant-derived...

Stay tuned with Veg-News. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(www.ivu.org )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Veg-News Email List allows the environmentally conscious consumer to stay connected to the latest news about everything from factory farming to the latest tofu recipes. It is culled from wire services, major newspapers and journals by FARM,...

Herbal delights. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(products from The Renaissance Herb Shoppe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... If you're looking for an organic way to relax, The Renaissance Herb Shoppe has the cure! This privately owned business was started in 1999 by former university professor and herbalist Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri. Seven-eighths of the materials...

The smell of nature in the morning. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(Emelauren Naturals; advertisement)
May 1, 2002... Wake-up with the refreshing scent of Emelauren Naturals. The company has launched its top 24 natural soaps in unique, colorful soapboxes (4.4-ounce size, $5). Choices from Carrot Care and Tea Tree Care to Forest Meadow and Lavender Field offer...

Greener beans. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(environmental coffee)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Coffee prices have plummeted in recent years, forcing many farmers to abandon their land (see "Trouble Brewing" In Brief, this issue). Now an increasing number of consumers are supporting coffee farmers by purchasing fair-trade and organic...

Concerned consumer action. (Tools For Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action).(Idealswork website)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Launched at the end. of March, the website Idealswork lets you get up close and personal with the social side of corporate behavior--from women's issues, minority advancement and labor rights to gay/lesbian hiring. Targeting the purchasing...

Java for justice. (Books).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A Cafecito Story (Chelsea Green, $14.95) reads like a children's book for adults--with a grown-up message. This parable is told from the point of view of a farmer's son who involves himself in the politics of coffee cultivation during a...

Yogurt cheese, please. (Books).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... For generations, Middle Eastern cuisine has featured yogurt cheese, which is the creamy cheese that forms when the liquid whey drains from yogurt. In the last 30 years, Nikki and David Goldbeck have been helping people discover healthier ways...

Save our skies. (Books).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... In 1893, when "America the Beautiful" author Katherine Lee Bates penned the immortal line, "O beautiful, for spacious skies," she was probably anticipating Peter Barnes' book, Who Owns the Sky? Our Common Assets and Future of Capitalism (Island...

The critic. (Books).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... This Incomparable Land: A Guide to American Nature Writing (Milkweed Editions, $18.95) is an enlightening criticism on the development of nature writing. However, Thomas J. Lyon's criticism is only half of the hook's story, as the last 134...

Smarter Communities. (Books).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... What's wrong with car-dependent suburbia? Houses are in one place, jobs another, and shopping a third. Is there some way communities can combine these functions of life, allowing people to casually walk around and get to know their neighbors?...

Juice wars, turtle tumors and greener houses. (Ask E).
May 1, 2002... What are the pros and cons of juice pasteurization? --Sabrina Coolidge, Portland, OR Some consumers are skeptical of pasteurization because they are concerned that the heat treatment will compromise the nutritional value of juice....