E Magazine articles from November 2006

E Magazine archives from November 2006

What birth dearth?(E Word)
November 1, 2006... The "birth dearth" notion currently being peddled by neoconservative Ben Wattenberg, and gladly bought and re-sold by the media, is just another gnat in need of swatting by people of conscience. How absurd to suggest that a smaller human...

More points of light.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Thank you for "Points of Light: The World Wakes Up to Climate Change" (feature, July/August 2006). Switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet is a major step someone can take to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but it was overlooked in An...

Once there was a mountain.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Having lived for four years in West Virginia, I really appreciated your focus on mining dangers to people and the environment (EarthTalk, July/ August 2006). I just wanted to add a note that the largest and most active organization combating...

Where's the soda science?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... Erin Coughlin unfortunately provides inaccurate information on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in her article "Softer Drinks: Natural Sodas without the Sugar Overdose" (Eating Right, July/August 2006). HFCS is not sweeter than sugar, nor does...

Japanese gas guzzlers.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... In the May/June 2006 issue one of the letters from a reader complained about General Motors' SUVs and trucks. This issue (Earth Talk, July/August 2006), it's the Hummer. Yes, we've driven GM cars and a small SUV for years. We've found the...

Multi-level ... and green?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2006... In response to your article by Roddy Scheer, "Greening Up the Downline, Multi-Level Marketing Comes of Age" (Consumer News, July/August 2006) I will say that unfortunately the author has not been introduced to the new generation of...

Long healthy lives in Dominica.
November 1, 2006... A popular adage states that if Christopher Columbus ever returned to the West Indies, the only country he would recognize is the Commonwealth of Dominica. The terrain, flora and fauna of Dominica are unforgettable, and there have been few...

The climate at Yale.(Yale University's Climate Initiative )
November 1, 2006... According to Yale University's Climate Initiative (YCI), this Ivy League school in New Haven, Connecticut produced greenhouse gas emissions of 285,000 metric tons in 2002, more than 32 developing nations. Most of those emissions come from power...

Renewable hydrogen goes Maine-stream.
November 1, 2006... Although it is the lightest element on the planet, liberating hydrogen from its molecular bonds can be a dirty process. However, a $250,000 demonstration project recently unveiled in Maine may be the bridge that leads to a clean hydrogen...

Blown away in Australia.(wind farms )
November 1, 2006... Like the beleaguered Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Sound, wind farms in Australia have faced opposition from communities that do not want their views disrupted by wind turbines. In 2004, Wind Power Pty Ltd landed government approval to build a...

Learning from green roofs: a Bronx school's lesson in saving energy.
November 1, 2006... Standing on the rooftop at St. Simon Stock Catholic School on East 182nd Street in the Bronx, i New York, Daniel Simon, marketing director of the Gaia Institute, points to a neighboring high-rise apartment building. A couple is looking down...

New Zealand's "mainland islands": fencing out non-native predators.
November 1, 2006... Islands often serve an important role in protecting and preserving species because of their isolation and lack of predators. But some species aren't suited to the offshore ecosystem, and some countries don't have the islands to devote to...

Smart growth: a tale of two cities in Maryland and Virginia.
November 1, 2006... The Washington, D.C. region, already under tremendous pressure in terms of housing and traffic congestion, is expected to swell by another two million people within 25 years. The city now has the third worst traffic in the country. The...

Clean cars: the next generation.(hybrid vehicles )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... It's been a momentous year for cleaner vehicles (see "Getting There: A Guide to Planet-Friendly Cars," Consumer News, July/August 2004). DaimlerChrysler rolled out the first plug-in hybrid, albeit as a test vehicle, and announced it would soon...

Cups au courant.(UPDATES)(disposable cups )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Conscious consumers can pride themselves on pushing the global coffee market in a more eco-friendly direction (see "Grounds for Change," cover story, November/December 2005), but what about the disposable cup industry? According to the Food...

New hope for horses.(slaughtering regulated)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Last September, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 263 to 146 to pass H.R. 503, which bans the slaughter of horses for human consumption (see "The Last Roundup," cover story, May/June 2006). The Senate will now consider its version of the...

Shaking the baby tree: if there's a "depopulation bomb," it has a very long fuse.
November 1, 2006... No one told Salamatou Adamou about the "birth dearth." A midwife and widow, she had already given birth to 12 children by the age of 37. "I am exhausted" she said as she struggled through labor with child number 13. Her large family is not all...

Organic grapes, organic wine: the harvest is bountiful, but the labeling controversy is still fermenting.
November 1, 2006... In just eight years, Robert Sinskey's vineyards grew from 15 to 100 acres. But the expansion masked a problem: Sinskey's vineyards were in decline. The fruit just wasn't ripening, and he suspected it was related to the soil, which looked...

"They taste like grapes and earth".(From the Experts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Organic wines are hot, according to Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for The Wall Street Journal. "They're attracting unprecedented attention both from consumers and from today's more skilled winemakers," says Gaiter. In...

Ah-tchoo! Do genetically modified foods cause allergies?(Your Health)
November 1, 2006... Allergies are big news and big business in the new millennium. A hundred years ago, people would likely have been shocked that modern humans are plagued with illnesses that range from annoying to deadly due to allergic reactions. In recent...

Yum, yum ... hospital food: the institutional menu undergoes a green revolution.(Eating Right)
November 1, 2006... Perhaps nowhere has the devolution of the Standard American Diet (SAD), been as prominent as in hospitals. During the post-World War II era, when state-of-the-art medications like the polio vaccine and antibiotics held sway and food was less...

Pest patrol: a lively alternative to garden chemicals.(House & Home)
November 1, 2006... A large, organic garden is thriving in central Minnesota thanks to the tender loving care of dedicated gardeners, and the vigilance of an avian and insect air patrol. Bees, butterflies, birds and parasitic wasps fly randomly looking for a lunch...

Conscience in the cart: greener sites for online shopping.(Website list)
November 1, 2006... Activists have been trying to influence corporate behavior through the economic clout of consumer spending for decades, but now a new generation of socially conscious web-based services is taking the work online. The services, which have sprung...

Banking on the Bahamas: protecting the Grand Banks.(Andros Island (Bahamas))
November 1, 2006... Andros Island, the largest of the 700 islands and cays that make up the Bahamas, is just a 10-minute plane ride away from the mega-resorts, golf courses and party vibe of tourist-oriented New Providence Island. Quiet Andros supplies flesh water...

Wearable art: planet- and people-friendly jewelry is gaining ground.(Consumer News)
November 1, 2006... Archeologists say that jewelry was one of the first forms of human art. Recent evidence found in Israel and Nigeria suggests that our ancestors have been decorating their bodies for more than 100,000 years. Today, the most popular "bring" is...

Light up the holidays.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(all-natural candles from Way Out Wax)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Candles create atmosphere at the holidays, but can also fill the air with harmful chemicals. Way Out Wax, based in Vermont, produces all-natural candles from vegan soy wax and pure essential oils, including lavender and sage. If you don't want...

Global art to go.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Novica. com and National Geographic Channel combine to help artists)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Feel good about purchases on Novica. com, where holiday gift-giving directly supports the livelihoods of indigenous artists and artisans in developing countries around the world. In association with National Geographic, Novica serves as an...

Planet-friendly pooches.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
November 1, 2006... Rover and Fido will enjoy their holidays with chew toys made of bouncy and buoyant Orbee-Tuff from Planet Dog. The vintage holiday tree bulbs made from the doggie-durable material are available in red, green and glow-in-the-dark colors. They...

Organic fragrances.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... A whiff of jasmine or a hint of violet adds romance to a special evening, and now organic perfumes ensure scents can be worn by even chemically sensitive women. Nature's Gate Organics has created a new line of phthalate-free, certified organic...

Organics for men too.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Aubrey Organics's Men's Stock )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Any guy will tell you that it's hard to keep a straight face when a razor is being dragged across it. Luckily, the new Men's Stock shaving products by Aubrey Organics are not only vegan and animal-cruelty free, they naturally protect against...

Th!nk globally, groove locally.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(World Music Network partners with Amnesty International and Oxfam)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Forget Christmas carols... the World Music Network has a new label, Think Global, which aims to "combine the ideals of reducing poverty, defending human rights and protecting the environment." The label has partnered with Amnesty International...

A pot of tea and thee.
November 1, 2006... On a dark winter night, curl up by the fire with a steaming mug of Sassafras tea. These loose-leaf, herb-infused teas are caffeine-free, and have names like Cold Shoulder and Shush. "I buy certified organic and wild-crafted herbs whenever I...

New year mindfulness.
November 1, 2006... Enhance New Year's resolutions with an aromatherapy-diffusing necklace from the Jeffery David Collection. The Genie Bottle pendant is made of sterling silver with a hinged top to insert a porous wick scented with essential oil into the lacework...

Let it snow!(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
November 1, 2006... Cruise in style on the snowy hills this winter. Camden Toboggan Company makes the Cadillac of snow sliders in its Maine wood shop. Handcrafted from native ash, these toboggans range in size from the six-foot coupe to the 10-foot party wagon....

Warmth all winter.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)
November 1, 2006... As the cold weather sets in, some shorthaired dogs may need a sweater to brave snowy walks. Chilly Dog all-natural sweaters are handmade in a high mountain village in Ecuador where the indigenous people tend the sheep, sheer the wool, spin it...

A tribute to Galen.(Galen Rowell: A Retrospective)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... "I take my photographs from that emotional feeling within me, rather than from an emotional distance as a spectator," said world-famous photographer Galen Rowell. It is this approach to photography that allows the reader to step into and truly...

One love, one heart, one planet.(One Planet: A Celebration of Biodiversity)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... One Planet: A Celebration of Biodiversity by Nicholas Hulot (Abrams, $55) is a provocative collection of photographs from around the globe. The photographers capture the magnificence of eight ecosystems and the diversity of living species found...

Sometimes a river.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Rivers of America)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... In Rivers of America (Abrams, $40), Tim Palmer urges the reader, through images and words, to recognize the significance and beauty of the rivers and streams of America, and to connect with what he calls "a life-force of great importance." As...

A shot heard 'round the world.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(An Inconvenient Truth)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth has transformed the climate change debate. As the film became an unexpected hit, those of us struggling to gain traction on this issue suddenly found a more congenial atmosphere for our message. Like the film,...

Future of solar power.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Travis Bradford, founder and president of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development, maps out one possible future for energy in his new book Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry (The MIT Press,...

Coaled hearted.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Few people are aware that over half of the electricity consumed in America comes from coal, or that burning coal accounts for 40 percent of America's carbon dioxide emissions. Jeff Goodell's Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy...

Winging it.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Between the Wingtips: The Secret Life of Birds)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Brutus Ostling, an international award-winning photographer, is obsessed with capturing images revealing the secret life of birds. He has spent weeks sitting in blinds nearly drifted over with snow, crouched for days on blistering hot black...

Rings around Saturn.(Tools for Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Saturn: A New View)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Saturn: A New View is a collection of 150 spectacular, other-worldly photographs and new information picked up by the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens probe. Among the incredible discoveries is that Saturn's atmosphere is brilliant blue in the...

Landfill preservation and child mortality.(EARTH TALK: Questions & Answers About Our Environment)
November 1, 2006... Is it true that nothing really "biodegrades" in a landfill? --Laura, via e-mail Organic substances "biodegrade" when they are broken down by microorganisms into their constituent parts, and in turn recycled by nature. The process can...