E Magazine articles from May 2007

E Magazine archives from May 2007

Consider the children.(E Word)(protect the environment for the children)
May 1, 2007... It sounds cliched and somewhat sappy, but it does bear repeating that children are our most vulnerable citizens. In fact it was the impending birth of our first son in 1988 that played heavily into our decision to start E Magazine. We were...

A mooving plea.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I wonder: If Jim Motavalli ("Cow Power in Vermont," In Brief, January/February 2007) were forever restricted to his home, never feeling the sun or rain or fresh air, might he feel confined? The cows owned by Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport,...

What's nice about rice.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Articles about rice cultivation ("Reforming Rice: Lundberg's Greener Farms," In Brief, January/February 2007) are always welcome, but they do too little to inform readers of the benefits of the practice, such as high yields per unit area and...

The Jordan: polluted by politics?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)
May 1, 2007... I write to express my frustration and disappointment. In "Saving the Jordan" (Currents, January/February 2007) Emily Hauser writes about an important and serious problem, namely the environmental problems facing the Jordan River. Unfortunately...

Down with dairy.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... While yogurt has beneficial bacterial cultures ("It's Alive!," Eating Right, January/February 2007), yogurt is not a health food. The dairy lobby works hard to promote their products, leading our health-care providers to believe that dairy is...

Why mail matters.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... It was with great interest that we read Steven Krieger's commentary, "Junk Mail Meets Democracy: How to Stop the Flow" (Our Planet, www.emag azine.com/view/?3436.). Kreiger tells readers that it takes "100 million trees" to produce the paper...

Reef invader: the crown of thorns starfish.
May 1, 2007... Corals reefs are dying at an unprecedented rate, due in large part a brightly colored predatory invader. New studies by researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University...

Saving the Spanish caves.(San Miguel caves)
May 1, 2007... In Southern Spain, to the dismay of the three dozen people who live in the caves of San Miguel, police are conducting raids and filling in some of their homes with rocks and dirt. Officials claim the cave houses, some of which feature...

S.O.S.: polluting boat ahead.
May 1, 2007... Over the past decade, new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards for marine engines have encouraged manufacturers to phase out dirty two-stroke engines in favor of the more environmentally friendly four-stroke. Four-stroke...

Real men don't eat turtle eggs; to fight turtle poaching, campaigners hit below the belt.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2007... In Mexico's Magdalena Bay in Baja California, a Trans Am pulls into a village courtyard, parking behind an underground restaurant. When the trunk is opened, it's full of green turtles flipped on their backs, alive and kicking. Jeffrey Brown, an...

Defending great places: Sonoran Desert at the forefront of Geotourism.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2007... The Sonoran Desert, which straddles the border between southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico, is a haunting, stark landscape punctuated by towering saguaro cacti with arms reaching skyward as though praying for rain (though they sometimes...

Big is beautiful; utility-grade solar is becoming practical.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2007... In the struggling industrial city of Brockton, Massachusetts, city officials have opened a tiny utility-scale solar electricity plant on the four-acre site of an abandoned gas plant. The rows of solar photovoltaic panels began generating an...

The silent epidemic: climate change extends the range of forest-killing beetles.(CURRENTS)
May 1, 2007... The trouble didn't start in Grand Lake, but it certainly found a home there. Grand Lake sits in the heart of the Rockies. The lake--along with the town that shares its name--is one of the most popular summer destinations in Colorado and has...

Dupont's not sticking with PFOA.(UPDATES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A year after voluntarily agreeing with a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the use of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, in the production of its trademark Teflon non-stick product, the DuPont Company recently...

New York [love]'s ethanol.(UPDATES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... It looks like upstate New York will be a launching pad for alternative energy in the U.S. (see "The Holy Grail," Currents, March/April 2007). Five traditional ethanol plants are underway in the state, and a demonstration cellulosic ethanol...

States' rights on wildlife.(UPDATES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... When it comes to environmental issues, the Bush Administration is known for being friendly to the concept of "states' rights." In practice, that phrase has meant western states have been able to make their own policy-including drilling for oil...

Natural baby, toxic world: for eco-conscious parents, life is full of choices.(Cover story)
May 1, 2007... Raising a natural baby in a chemical world is not so easy. Watchdog groups like Children's Health Environment Coalition (CHEC) and Environmental Working Group (EWG) regularly release frightening studies about the levels of toxins in everything...

The can-do Congress? With Democratic control comes a flood of climate and energy initiatives.(CLIMATE)
May 1, 2007... The word "logjam" was coined to address a problem that developed in the last century when loggers floated their timber downriver to be processed. It was a dangerous job to remove the "key log" holding the jam in place, allowing the rest of the...

The fast track: trying to reduce your "body burden" may have the opposite effect.(Your Health)(health risks of fasting)
May 1, 2007... Once a year, Filip Vanzhov shuts his fridge and doesn't open it for seven days. Vanzhov, a naturopathic physician from British Columbia, isn't on a diet. He abstains from food for health reasons. To Vanzhov, fasting is a wonderful tune-up for...

The other fast food nation: organic choices for people on the go.(Eating Right)
May 1, 2007... If Gary Hirshberg's crystal ball is working properly, there are major changes coming to the fast-food industry in the next five years. Writing in 2002, the chairman and CEO of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt and self-confessed "pathological optimist,"...

Wet and wild: small-scale "Microhydro" for the home.(House & Home)
May 1, 2007... Hydropower projects have a bad reputation in the environmental community, and rightly so. Large dam projects, like China's Three Gorges, have flooded important habitats to create reservoirs. Downstream ecosystems are irreparably changed when a...

A basket of choice: exchange traded funds give green investors new options.(Money Matters)
May 1, 2007... Green investors used to have two choices: invest in responsible mutual funds or buy individual equities. Lately, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have emerged as a new, important place for green investors to park their money. What's an ETF?...

Florida, naturally: the unspoiled beauty beyond Disney's borders.(Going Green)
May 1, 2007... From swamp salesmen to carpet-bagging politicians, Florida has been bought and sold to the highest bidder countless times, its natural beauty ravaged in the process. It's ironic, since it's that unique beauty--the subtropical islands, the...

Empowered shopping: tips from the green side of the aisle.(Consumer News)
May 1, 2007... Grocery shopping in greener pastures saves the environment from an onslaught of pesticides, hormones and other pollutants. Using simple strategies, you can make sure to reduce your footprint the next time you purchase food. "One of the...

Flower power.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
May 1, 2007... Mother's Day (May 13) is one of the flower industry's biggest days. While Valentine's Day is all about roses, usually directed at one love interest, Mother's Day involves arrangements sent to, potentially, a whole lot of deserving women: morns,...

Cleaning on sunshine.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Vermont Soapworks Liquid Sunshine)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Even the most modern-day Mom can appreciate a chemical-free cleaner that is truly multipurpose and still seems to last forever. We're not sure why the lovely named Liquid Sunshine nontoxic cleaner from Vermont Soapworks has such a long shelf...

Tree-free greetings.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Paporganics organic paper products)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Want to wrap Mom a thoughtful gift in a thoughtful way? The New England-based company Paporgauics is tree-free, manufacturing stationery and gift wrap from organic, hemp and recycled materials. All of Paporganics products are made from...

These lips were made for kissing.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Eco Lips Lip Care Kit)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Whether you're treating yourself or a friend to a Mother's Day present, Eco Lips has a package tailor-made for giving: a Lip Care Kit with seven lip balms and accessories in a reusable clear vinyl bag. While organic produce and skincare...

Mow, mow, mow, your lawn.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(lawnmowers)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Those living in apartments or modest homes with a little fenced-in patch of grass for a backyard are probably already familiar with the push mower. They're fun in small spaces, quiet enough for midnight mowing and nimble enough to cut in...

Pet primpery.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Sckoon Organics offers clothing for pets and toys)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Sckoon Organics, a leading provider of organic cotton baby clothing, has recently expanded into clothing and toys for pets. The company's products range from Organic Cotton Dog Kimonos ($29) and Organic Striped Dog Tees ($22) to organic cotton...

Petal pushers.(Books)(Flower Confidential)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... A rose may smell as sweet by any other name, but not too close or you may get a nose full of organophosphates (pesticides). If you always wanted to know where that gorgeous bouquet you sent to your mom on Mother's Day came from, or wondered how...

This intimate Earth.(Books)(Planet Earth)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... There is something of the explorer in all of us, the desire to see the furthest reaches of the planet, if not in person, than in pictures. Alastair Fothergill's Planet Earth (University of California Press, $39.95) the companion book to the...

The green reward.(Books)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... In their new book Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage (Yale University Press, $25), Yale eco-wonks Dan Esty and Andrew Winston examine several industries in...

What global warming?(Books)(The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... Just when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issues a new report that makes it almost impossible to deny the reality of global warming, along comes a guide designed to do just that. It's called The Politically Incorrect Guide...

The long veg.(Books)(The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... Did you think the hippies invented vegetarianism? Tristram Stuart's rigorously researched The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times (Norton, $29.95) shows that eschewing meat has a very long...

Slow progress from fast food & the feds.(EARTH TALK: Questions & Answers About Our Environment)
May 1, 2007... What are the fast-food chains doing to cut back on---or at least recycle--the huge amount of paper, plastic and foam they use daily? Ace there any laws or regulations to force them to be good environmental citizens?--Carol Endres, Stroud...