E Magazine articles from November 2007

E Magazine archives from November 2007

A job to do.(E WORD)
November 1, 2007... Some in the green community are calling Adam Werbach, the former and youngest-ever president of the Sierra Club (then 21, now 34) a "sellout" for having gone to work as an environmental consultant for Wal-Mart. There's nothing green or that can...

Fear of a nuclear planet.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Advanced nuclear reactor designs, such as the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), could overcome many of the limitations of modern nuclear reactors ("A Nuclear Renaissance?" feature, July/August 2007) while increasing their efficiency and output. IFRs...

Irradiation: sometimes, it's a good thing!(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... As far as I'm concerned, we need more irradiation in the U.S., both for public health and environmental reasons ("Nuking Food," feature, July/August 2007). Imagine how many tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) we could avoid every year if supermarkets...

The most controversial "Your Health" ever.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Did this article come with a pharmaceutical kickback? Is the author a hopeful medical ghostwriter? Do you really think this is just about mercury in vaccines? There is a long list of highly toxic additives in vaccines which can cause sometimes...

To flush or not to flush.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... For many years the federal government has advised consumers to flush unwanted meds down the toilet, presumably to keep them out of the hands of toddlers ("Water Worries," Currents, July/August 2007). Even the latest guidelines, released in...

Tastier eggs?(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Your article ("Opening the Cages," Currents, July/August 2007), failed to mention an important benefit (besides ethics) of consuming cage-free or free-range eggs: they taste better. Our whole family has come to prefer "farm eggs," especially...

The cute and the damned.(Zoological Society of London's conservation of endangered animals)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The long-beaked echidna does not share much in common with the golden-rumped elephant shrew, although both are endangered. Despite living on the edge of extinction, however, they're both largely overlooked by the...

Feel the (sewage) heat!
November 1, 2007... Southeast False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be the site of the 2010 Olympic Village and a model neighborhood for sustainable urban planning. Once a bleak industrial scar on the city landscape, the neighborhood now has the...

The greening of Las Vegas.
November 1, 2007... Las Vegas is all about the "experience." In a city focused on spontaneous and gluttonous consumption, the trick is to keep the tourists entertained and the green innovation transparent, or the city will undermine its sole reason for being. But,...

Aubrey Organics' 40-year mission.
November 1, 2007... Like many great things--penicillin, chocolate chip cookies, the Slinky-America's first all-natural care product company was created by accident. Well, sort of. Forty years ago, Aubrey Hampton, the founder and CEO of Aubrey Organics,...

The war on sharks: a new film documents a corrupt but lucrative international conspiracy.(CURRENTS)(Sharkwater)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diver and filmmaker Rob Stewart's plans started going to hell in 2002, while he and his film crew were steaming toward Costa Rica aboard the Ocean Warrior, a ship captained by Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd...

Left adrift: a toxic nightmare in New Orleans' Marinas.(CURRENTS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More than 200 children from around the country traveled to New Orleans in June of 2006 to compete in a two-day youth sailing championship on Lake Pontchartrain. The kids, some as young as eight, launched their...

Sunshine activism: Florida's dramatic turnabout on climate change.(CURRENTS)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since Jeb Bush left the governor's office in 2006 and fellow Republican Charlie Crist succeeded him, Florida has become a leader in state efforts to combat climate change. Crist pointed out in his inaugural address...

Paper or plastic: the best answer may be "neither".(CURRENTS)
November 1, 2007... Each year, Americans use more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags, consuming an estimated 12 million barrels of oil. After a very short working life, these bags retire to landfills where they take 500 or more years to break down, or become...

Biodiesel goes bankrupt.(UPDATES)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Country music star Willie Nelson is singing the biodiesel blues. Though interest in the alternative fuel is steadily increasing, the road to making biofuels profitable doesn't come without some bumps, even when one...

Beyond the bottles.(UPDATES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... While consumers continue to buy bottled water as if their taps held poison, (see "Keeping America Cluttered," Currents, September/October 2007), long-term neglect of our nation's public drinking water supply is slowly turning their attitude...

Cool food.(UPDATES)(country of origin food labeling )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Seafood retailers in the U.S. must, by law, affix country-of-origin labels on their products (see "Sustainable Seafood," Eating Right, November/December 2005). The 2002 Farm Bill included this provision mandating country of origin labeling...

Welcome to green-collar America: does the future of the American middle class lie in sustainable business?
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The American middle class--of which some 80 percent of Americans claim to be a part--is getting anxious. While there is no carved-in-stone edict about what it means to be middle class, it's the term that Americans...

On-the-ground training: where students and graduates go to get their hands dirty.(Directory)
November 1, 2007... When the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) closed shop last April after accusations that it had misused government funds, students trying to get real-world experience were left wondering where to turn. Over 35 years, ECO had placed...

Once there was a mountain: ravaging West Virginia for "clean coal".(MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From the ground, peering up at their vertigo-inducing heights, the green and wooded mountains of southern West Virginia look ancient and undefiled. But from the air, the stark reality of an ecosystem under siege...

Cheeseless and loving it: going vegan has never been easier.(Your Health)
November 1, 2007... Sarah Florez traces her veganism to a life-altering experience at the age of seven. Florez visited a turkey farm four days before Thanksgiving. As she stood there with the rest of her Girl Scout Troop, eye to eye with the turkeys, something...

Sweet dreams: Seattle's Theo is a fair trade version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.(Eating Right)
November 1, 2007... "Sweet dreams are made of this..." It was pure coincidence that the 1983 Eurythmics hit was playing on the radio as the staff of Theo Chocolate readied the next 6,000-pound load of cocoa beans. Theo, based since March 2006 in the hip Seattle...

This place on Earth: with land trusts, profiting and protecting go hand in hand.(Money Matters)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A brief path through the woods leads to an open, sun-drenched field full of wildflowers. Past a tumble-down stone wall, more woods, and paths, await. Beyond the fields' perimeters are the palatial homes that inhabit...

Outdoor gear goes green: all-natural technical materials hit the mainstream.(Consumer News)
November 1, 2007... Synthetic stand-bys such as polyester and nylon have been "go-to materials for decades in outdoor adventuring, thanks to their moisture-wicking, quick-drying and warmth-retention properties. But they're quickly being surpassed by a new crop of...

Top.notch toy sites.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Nothing undoes holiday cheer faster than the specter of toxicity in all those brightly wrapped toys. The beloved Cookie Monster, Thomas the Tank Engine and Diego have all been implicated in lead paint recalls. At the heart of this problem is...

Stuff it!(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Xeko)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Playing cards of all kinds make perfect stocking stuffers, and there are eco-versions of every variety. Xeko is a competitive, two-player card game that sends kids on a mission to create the strongest "xeko-system,"...

Baby's first poncho.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Kee-Ka)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The genius in Kee-Ka's baby clothes is the simplicity of the designs (and the squeezably soft organic fabric). The company has added a seasonal twist to its original line of "cupcake," "monkey," "peanut" and other...

Unwind by candlelight.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Aroma Naturals Candles)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Aroma Naturals Candles, made with 100 percent essential oils, use all-natural vegetable and soy waxes and all-cotton, lead-free wicks to help you de-stress. Some citrus -scented candles have a fake orangey smell, but Aroma Naturals' Ambience...

Little luxuries.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(EO, Nurture My Body)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Organic bath products, lotions and beauty products abound, and several companies make beautiful gift sets for giving. EO's French Lavender scented care basket is made with pure essential oils (hence the name "EO")...

Intoxicating.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Reyka Vodka, Vodka 360)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... You know those flavored vodkas found m mixed drinks and shot glasses all over college campuses? Well, the makers of a new "green" vodka distilled and bottled in Iceland called Reyka want nothing to do with those citrus-infused cocktails. They...

Jewelry for one.(Tools: For Green Giving: Resources for Eco-Awareness and Action)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Designer Melissa Kolbusz's line of jewelry, [wired], is made entirely from reclaimed and surplus industrial materials. Though old alternator wires and used transistors might sound like the antithesis of fashion, Kolbusz's pieces have a...

The cub & the calf.(Books)(Arctic Tale )(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... Arctic Tale (National Geographic Books, $30), the adult companion book to the 2007 film of the same name (adapted by Donnali Fifield), follows the lives of Nanu, the polar bear cub, and Seela, the walrus calf. Adapted from the movie narration,...

Warming trend.(Books)(Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do )(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... Joseph Romm, the author of The Hype About Hydrogen and a former Department of Energy employee, has a new book entitled Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do (William Morrow, $24.95). Romm's...

Newt says easy does it.(Books)(Newt Gingrich's Contract with the Earth)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... To evaluate Newt Gingrich's book Contract with the Earth (Johns Hopkins, $20), it's worthwhile examining another one of the former Republican House Speaker's contracts, this one with America. It came during the 1994) Congressional elections,...

Earth's power rangers.(Books)(Gaia Girls )(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... What would you do if you could hear the Earth cry for help? This is the question Lee Welles asks young readers in her series Gaia Girls (Chelsea Green Publishing, $12.95). The first book, Enter the Earth, takes place on a farm in upstate New...

Bear with me.(Books)(Bears: A Brief History)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... It's about time somebody wrote a popular book about bears. Bears: A Brief History by Bernd Brunner (Yale University Press, $25) is a welcome addition to what we know about the fascinating bruin, which exist worldwide in eight distinct species....

They've been to the mountaintop.(Books)(Coal River )(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... Michael Shnayerson's Coal River (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25) is the third book about mountaintop removal mining this year, the previous two being Lost Mountain by Erik Reece and Moving Mountains by Penny Loeb. Reece's book, set in eastern...

Clean cabs and even cleaner clothes.(EARTH TALK: Questions & Answers About Our Environment)
November 1, 2007... Dear EarthTalk: I visited New York City recently and could not believe the number of taxicabs on the streets. Are there any efforts to "green up" these vehicles?--Justin Grant, Berkeley, CA Last May, as part of a larger effort to make New...