E Magazine articles from November 2003

E Magazine archives from November 2003

It's the media, stupid.(E Word)(biased reporting of environmental issues)
November 1, 2003... A local anti-fur rally I participated in years ago was attended by about 100 animal activists and a clique of 10 or so fur supporters, recruited by the fur show we were picketing. The local paper, which carried ads for all the local furriers,...

Blasting "bio-foods".(Advice & dissent: letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Perhaps Sally Deneen was trying to give some kind of journalistic "balanced objectivity" to her cover story article "Food Fight" (July/August 2003) by reporting both sides of this issue. However, there is no balanced view. Americans have been...

Questioning biotech.(Advice & dissent: letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... In response to the "Food Fight" cover story, I would like to pose some questions to policy makers. One, does the basic concept of bioaccumulation not mean anything when proponents talk about foods containing genes for pesticides? Two,...

Greener diesel ... literally!(Advice & dissent: letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Your response to the question about the environmental benefits of diesel-powered cars (Ask E, July/August 2003) overlooks one important fact. Some eco-minded people are turning to diesel-powered cars and running them on biodiesel or, with a...

Correction.(Advice & dissent: letters from our readers)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2003... In the September/October 2003 Consumer News story on energy-saving lighting, an important fact was reversed. "In general," the story should have said on page 56, "lower color temperature produces warmer light" (emphasis added).

Farming butterflies.
November 1, 2003... The wedding was beautiful, the natural harmony of the union symbolized by the release of a thousand white butterflies into the blue skies of a perfect afternoon. But was it "beautiful" for the butterflies? Conservationists and most butter...

Keeping Alaska hog farm-free.
November 1, 2003... When Richard Metteer began publicly pitching his vision for raising hundreds of thousands of hogs amidst some of Alaska's most treasured ecosystems, he was met with protests from a diverse coalition of area residents. Metteer's project...

Getting your goat.(for weeding the yard)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In some California neighborhoods, weed removal is ah occasion for barbecues and block parties. Residents gather in their yards to sip cocktails and watch as hard-working weed management teams clear thistles and scrub from the local hillsides....

Urban Wal-Marts: no big easy.
November 1, 2003... Pres Kabacoff of Historic Restoration is the very picture of the hard-charging, smart growth-based developer, whose projects (in New Orleans and St. Louis) tend toward revitalization of derelict inner-city properties and brownfields. His track...

All for show? Ringling Brothers' circus claims to promote conservation.(Currents)(asian elephants' plight in the name of conservation)
November 1, 2003... On a cool, rainy afternoon, inside Philadelphia's Wachovia Center, children and parents crowd the cavernous hall trying to get a closer look at Asia, the elephant who paints with her trunk. Asia is a star of the "three-ring adventure" in the...

Haste makes waste: are we paying for cut-rate, shoddy military cleanup?(Currents)(of nuclear stockpile)
November 1, 2003... Rocky Flats nuclear facility became the Department of Energy's (DOE) golden child in July when the last of the weapons-grade plutonium stored there was shipped away ahead of schedule. For nearly 40 years, Rocky Flats, just 15 miles northwest of...

Take back your time: should we be working less and enjoying ourselves more?(Currents)
November 1, 2003... In 1999, telephone line repairman Brent Churchill was killed by 7,200 volts of electricity. He had worked almost continuously for three days with less than five hours of sleep when he inadvertently grabbed a live cable without his insulating...

Getting on track: talking traffic in Portland and Seattle.(Currents)
November 1, 2003... Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon are very similar in size and scope, but the decisions they made years ago help explain why one city is still stuck in traffic and the other has found better things to do with its time. While the average...

Action on atrazine?(Updates)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its inaction regarding the use of atrazine, a widely used herbicide. A study at the University of California at Berkeley linked sexual mutations...

Climate change reality check.(Updates)(breaking of Canadian Ward Hunt Ice Shelf )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... If further proof were needed that global climate change is real (see "Welcome to the Greenhouse Century," features, September/October 2000), the breakup of the largest ice shelf in the Northern Hemisphere would seem to offer it. The Canadian...

Population still exploding.(Updates)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Although the "birth dearth" is a big problem in some industrialized countries, the global population is still soaring (see Currents, "The Birth Dearth," September/October 2003). According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the largest...

The reckoning: global warming is likely to cause huge climatic changes--and possibly a new ice age.
November 1, 2003... What killed the saber-toothed tiger, the mastodon and the mammoth, formidable animals that were on top of the food chain in North America 20,000 years ago? Was it fierce Stone Age hunters as has commonly been assumed, or the little-studied but...

Legal eagle: Bobby Kennedy, Jr. Fights for the environment--and for his kids' future.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... It was mid-afternoon inside Aloysius Hall, on the campus of the Pace University Environmental Litigation Clinic in White Plains, New York. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who founded the clinic in 1986, sat behind a "judge's bench" with co-director...

Beyond the bite: how to fight the West Nile virus.(Your Health)
November 1, 2003... Susan Sheldon's husband thrashed wildly about the kitchen trying to kill the one mosquito that, he believed, bit him four times. "You have to keep the door closed, he growled as he finally managed to swat the insect in mid-air. Sheldon, who was...

How sweet it isn't? Natural alternatives to sugar, minus the calories and carcinogens.(Eating Right)
November 1, 2003... While visiting my local coffee shop, I watched a presumably aware, health-conscious patron (she ordered a fair trade coffee with low-fat soymilk) quickly dump three packets of that ubiquitous aspartame sweetener in her beverage before heading...

Looking south: Latin America offers sustainable investment opportunities.(Money Matters)
November 1, 2003... As the American economy continues to lag, more and more socially and environmentally responsible investors are looking south to find promising venture capital opportunities. While much of the rest of the world is bogged down in recession and...

Calling all composters: it's cool and it's hot.(House & Home)
November 1, 2003... Think of composting and worms immediately come to mind, not to mention such unsettling concepts as decay and rot. But get beyond those initial nose-crinkling images and you will discover a process that is both amazing to watch and amazingly...

Wild water: rafting the Kennebec in untamed Northern Maine.(Going Green)
November 1, 2003... One of the most popular water park rides these days is the whitewater experience, in which a raft on tracks runs through some simulated rapids. "You WILL get wet!" reads the sign. The ride is fire, but for some real whitewater rafting, give...

Portable power: an eco-conscious guide to batteries.(Consumer News)
November 1, 2003... Without batteries, more than 500,000 Americans would not have woken up on time this morning. Nearly 150 million would be stuck in traffic with dead engines. And 400 million would be talking to themselves on their dead cell phones. From pace...

Greener giftwrap.(Tools for green giving: resources for eco-awareness and action)(reusable cotton gift bags)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Once you have the perfect environmentally friendly gift, why cover it in traditional throwaway wrapping? Instead, try reusable wrapping from Wrapsacks. These fun cotton gift bags are available in six sizes, including candle and wine shapes. All...

Egyptian cotton goes organic.(Tools for green giving: resources for eco-awareness and action)(gifts for children)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Using organically cultivated cotton, metal free dyes and fair trade principles, Under the Nile is a great place to find gifts for children this holiday season. Prices range from $10 to $34 fur the cuddly organic plush toys, while the adorable...

Cove crusader (with accessories).(Tools for green giving: resources for eco-awareness and action)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... For parents tired of carbon copy cut 'n' style dolls, Kailey, the newest American Girl Today, will be a breath of fresh air. Kailey is a boogie boarder from California who stars in the colorful accompanying book of the same name, by Amy Goldman...

Don't forget the card.(Tools for green giving: resources for eco-awareness and action)(eco-friendly greeting cards)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Looking for holiday gifts and greeting cards? Eco Africa USA is a great place to start. Based in the Republic of Zimbabwe, Eco Africa sells hand-made paper products and all-natural soaps. The paper is created by village people out of fiber from...

Soften your skin.(Tools for green giving: resources for eco-awareness and action)(new products from Aubrey Organics)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... With its new products, Aubrey Organics has something to soften nearly everyone's skin. The new youth-oriented Ultimate Moist hand and body lotions ($9.95) come in four scents. All of the lotions, from unscented to passionflower, are light and...

Unsung heroes.(Brave Hearts, Rebel Spirits: A Spiritual Activists Handbook)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... How many spiritual activists (beyond Deepak Chopra) are recognized and respected by the general public? Anita Roddick, author, activist and founder of the Body Shop, seeks to change this sad state of spiritual under-nourishment. In...

Where the wild things are.(Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... If you're concerned about shrinking natural areas and the loss of biodiversity, Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places (University of Chicago Press $75) delivers a message of hope. This stunning large-format book, packed with full-page images, is...

That's disgusting ... but cool.(Nature's Yucky!)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... Kids' unsqueamish interest in all things dirty, dead and disgusting may give parents a headache, but it also is a great tool to use in teaching tots about the world around them. In the colorful new book, Nature's Yucky! (Mountain Press...

One man's quest.(Growing America)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... Never doubt the ability of one person to make a difference; author David Kidd is living proof. In his new book Growing America (Lantern Books, $17), Kidd tells of his struggle to find direction in his life, from serving in Vietnam to the...

Survival of the sea turtles.(Fire In The Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and The Fate Of The Ocean)(Sea Turtles of the World)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... While sea turtles have long outlived the dinosaurs, their fate is now in serious jeopardy. Osha Gray Davidson explores the current plight of these magnificent reptiles in Fire In The Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and The Fate Of The Ocean...

Saving soil, farming fish, and greening communities.(Ask E)(Column)
November 1, 2003... How serious is the problem of soil erosion, and what can be done about it?--Brandi, Fort Worth, TX The "dirt" beneath our feet plays a variety of supporting roles. It gives plants a foothold so they can root, filters rainwater and provides...