E Magazine articles from May 2005

E Magazine archives from May 2005

Green life support.(E Word)
May 1, 2005... Our cover story this issue was inspired by a paper that began circulating in environmental circles back in September entitled "The Death Of Environmentalism?" It laments the increasing lack of public, political and media attention to...

Wind and politicians.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... E.'s "Catching the Wind" cover story January/February 2005) was very interesting and informative. I have been fascinated by wind energy for many years, since I first saw the wind farm near Palm Springs, California. Points made in the article...

What about wind towers?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... While I appreciate your cover story on wind energy and applaud the growth of this renewable energy source, I think one thing keeps getting left out: Tower designs. One space-saving and highly efficient way to harvest wind power would be to...

Show them the money.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Environmentalists should work on building up data that show alternative energy resources are more cost effective than drilling projects. This would include solar, wind, hybrid and other technologies. As far as influence goes, it is the bottom...

A bunch of hot air?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... In response to your article on wind energy, note that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is refining a method that will measure the true levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which may finally bring an end to the wind...

Reflections on the election.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I think you are missing the point of what the American people are trying to tell you from the results of the November 2004 election ("The Absentee Issue," Currents, January/February 2005). In a nutshell, E and the "environmentalist" movement...

Four legs good ...(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Regarding your article "City Kids Learn About the Land' in your January/February 2005 issue (In Brief), I think it is great that city kids get to work on a farm and learn about organic agriculture and sustainability, but I think this program is...

Crying wolf from Norway.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... The article "Howling at the Moon," (Currents, January/February 2005) is environmentalist propaganda, and howls the false gospels of peace, harmony and joy between humankind and large carnivores. The truth is that the large carnivore is hell to...

Corrections.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2005... The January/February 2005 cover story incorrectly stated that the proposed 130-turbine Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound--if built--would become the world's largest wind farm. It should have read the world's largest offshore wind farm....

Barbary macaques: wrongly accused?
May 1, 2005... Threatened by erosion, desertification, overgrazing and global warming, cedar forests in the Moroccan Middle Atlas Mountains are going through a hard time. But what if an animal species that has inhabited the area for centuries is also a...

The Paiute mining disaster.
May 1, 2005... The Yerington Anaconda Mine in northern Nevada was one of the world's largest producers of copper from 1953 to 2000. Today, nearby residents complain the defunct site is a major polluter. The Yerington Paiute Tribe's (YPT) Campbell Ranch...

Learning from Mount St. Helens.
May 1, 2005... It's been a quarter century since the big eruption at Mount St. Helens that killed 57 people and devastated 230 square miles of formerly verdant forest. While much of the devastation remains, what has astounded scientists who gathered to...

Saving the snow leopard.
May 1, 2005... Snow leopard pelts command high prices in the black market fur trade, while bones from these wild cats are in demand as remedies prescribed by traditional Asian medicine. However, half a world away, the snow leopard is being marketed in an...

Thou shalt not kill; non-lethal shelters are the new "humane societies".(CURRENTS)(animal protection organizations)
May 1, 2005... Imagine having a death sentence over your head, and hoping against hope for an unlikely reprieve. It sounds cruel and unusual, but it's reality for millions of animals living in pet shelters. Their fate rests on their "adoptability" and the...

Extreme weather: is global warming to blame?(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2005... Climate experts warn us that the first sign of a shifting climate will be turbulent, unpredictable weather. So when Hurricane Jeanne crashed ashore in Florida in September of 2004--the fourth hurricane to blow through the region in less than...

For love of bats: rehabilitators assist these misunderstood mammals.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2005... "Life has a way of dropping bombshells just when you least expect them," says Amanda Lollar, who was enjoying her life as the co-owner of a small furniture store in the town of Mineral Wells, Texas. Amanda's bombshell weighed only 11 grams and...

Climate for change: England gets serious about global warming.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2005... According to the prestigious journal Nature, 2004 was the fourth-warmest year on record. And January 2005 was the second-warmest January of the past 27 years, says the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama. Despite...

The bucket overflows.(UPDATES)
May 1, 2005... Volunteers in the Louisiana Bucket Brigade monitor air pollution in the neighborhoods adjoining ExxonMobil's Chalmette Oil Refinery (see "Clearing the Smokescreen," Currents, March/April 2005). These activists have found that the refinery...

Not just a cold.(UPDATES)
May 1, 2005... In this era of climate change, lightning-fast global travel and ecotourism we are also seeing the rise of new diseases that spread with frightening virulence and speed. Environmental fluctuations enable diseases to evolve quickly and spread...

Recycle ahoy!(UPDATES)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network have raised the alarm about the dangerous process of dismantling and recycling industrial ships, particularly by Norway, Japan and Greece (see "Ship Recycling," Currents, May/June 2003). Old vessels are...

Trashing the greens: reports of environmentalism's "death" may be exaggerated.(Environmental policy)
May 1, 2005... In 1992, according to Canada-based Environics Research Group, 17 percent of Americans agreed with the statement that "pollution [is] necessary to preserve jobs." In 2004, a whopping 29 percent agreed with it. In the same time span, there was...

Auto exposure: do immune system diseases have an environmental cause?(Your Health)
May 1, 2005... Nearly 20 years ago, as a young graduate student, Canadian wildlife biologist Peter Ross investigated a massive die-off of harbor seals in the Baltic Sea. The problem, it turned out, was their immune systems. Their habitat was so full of...

Edible history: discovering the benefits of heirloom fruits and vegetables.(Eating Right)
May 1, 2005... As commercial agribusiness tightens its control, maintaining the right to choose what's on our plates has never been more important. Monsanto, Dow, Con Agra, Archer Daniels Midland and a few others have taken an increasingly powerful role in...

Party on the patio: alternative materials help make the most of outdoor spaces.(House & Home)(decks made of environmentally friendly alternatives )
May 1, 2005... With summer right around the corner, installing a new deck may be the first step in planning a season of outdoor events. Fortunately, there are environmentally friendly alternatives to unsustainable and rot-prone wood-based decks. One...

Borrowing power: financing energy efficiency through "green" mortgages.(Money Matters)
May 1, 2005... When Caroline and Tommy Chang decided to refinance their 35-year-old home to take advantage of lower interest rates, their lender suggested financing energy improvements through their new mortgage deal as well. After having their home inspected...

Segway safaris: touring Florida's Amelia Island in style.(Going Green)
May 1, 2005... The perimeter of Amelia's Wheels recreation garage is lined with bicycles of all sizes, some with baby carriers, others without. Employees in white polo shirts pass out helmets and walkie-talkies to the visitors. Others whizz into the garage on...

Earth sounds: can music and nature come together?(Consumer News)(environmental music)
May 1, 2005... Making a good point about the environment is a heavy burden to put on a piece of music. The great folksinger Woody Guthrie said, Music is in all of the sounds of nature and there never was a sound that was not music--the splash of an alligator,...

Naturally clean.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Make your home radiantly clean with Fruits and Passion's "Art Home" line. These household cleaners are made with a plant-based formula that is readily biodegradable. The Ecological Heavy Duty Home Cleaner (34 ounces, $10) and Countertop Cleaner...

Smarter salmon.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Pure Alaska Salmon Company's canned Red Head Wild Sockeye Salmon and Think Pink Wild Pink Salmon ($24.99 to $39.99 for 12 7.5-ounce cans) contain only Alaskan salmon caught in the wild, not grown on farms. Salmon farms are typically made from...

Mutual fund combats warming.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Pax World Funds, the mutual fund company founded in 1971 to provide socially responsible investments, has continued to expand and diversify since then to include environmental responsibility (see "Investing for the Earth," cover story,...

Write this down.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... If you are looking for blank books, address books, sketchbooks, photo albums and scratch pads, look no further than the Woven World Expressions line from Adventure Trading. The company uses handcrafted, natural fabrics and traditional...

Henna for hair and body.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Brazil-based Surya Nature has created a semi-permanent henna hair color that does not include the ammonia, peroxide, heavy metals, common allergen paraphenylenediamine (PPD), resorcinol or parabens that are often found in conventional products....

Hemp on the table.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Although many nations are cashing in on harvesting hemp for a wide range of uses, the plant still can't be grown legally in the U.S. However, the domestic hemp industry's recent victory against the Drug Enforcement Administration ensures that...

Do-it-yourself baby food.(Tools for Green Living: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2005... Want the freshest food for your baby without spending hours in the kitchen? The So Easy Baby Food Kit ($34.95) from Fresh Baby makes that possible. This kit helps you produce your own natural baby food in just 30 minutes a week. A 22-minute...

A different kind of Atlas.(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... "Make no mistake: the world water supply is in crisis, and things are getting worse," authors Robin Clarke and Jannet King warn in the opening chapter of The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the World's Most Critical Resource (The New...

Go organic.(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... When walking down the aisles in a supermarket do you ever get confused reading the labels? Ever wonder about the differences between "all-natural," "USDA certified," "organic," "fair trade certified" or "biodynamic" foods? What impact do...

Forget Tuscany: look around.(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... "Leave Provence to the Provencals, and Tuscany to the Tuscans--the world was altogether sweet enough right here." Bill McKibben takes a rare pause from his discourse on climate change, nanotechnology and humans' disconnect from nature as he...

Rebel with a cause.(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... How does an "aging, single, unrepentant hippie-environmentalist" manage to fit in on the rugged western frontier? By talking tractors and flirting with the cowboys at the Buckhorn Bar, says Hannah Hinchman. Though she disagrees with nearly...

Beetlemania.(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... For those who spend the summer battling bugs and combating cutworms in the garden, pesticides sometimes seem to be the only solution. Chemicals can destroy helpful microbes and contaminate soil and water, but IPM for Gardeners: A Guide to...

Rockin' robins.(Book Review)(Sound Recording Review)
May 1, 2005... On a journey that is scientific and artistic, personal and purposeful, Donald Kroodsma seeks to discover why some birds sing and others don't; and whether their songs are inherited through genes or learned through observation. In The Singing...

Toxic furniture and mad deer.(EARTH TALK: Questions & Answers About Our Environment)
May 1, 2005... Is it true that furniture is a major contributor to indoor air pollution? --Jon Kaplan, Brooklyn, NY Many toxic materials are used in traditional furniture-making processes. The paints, varnishes and waxes commonly employed can release the...