Latest Articles
The Fracking Song
A rap music video about hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is quickly becoming a viral hit on YouTube. The song, produced by Studio 20 NYU and ProPublica.org, was recently named to Time Magazine’s list of most creative videos of 2011 and was also highlighted by Msnbc’s Rachel Maddow. The purpose of the video was to publicize the dangers of drilling for natural gas, also [...]
The Legend of John Muir
John Muir called himself a “poetico-trampo-geologist-bot” and it’s likely to remain the best description of preservation’s most popular poster child. He was a Kerouac or McCandless, with a scholarly command kept in check by his whimsical humor and self-prescribed duty to share the wilderness with the world. And of equal marvel, his beard remains a silent [...]
Solyndra and the Failure of a $535 Million Federal Loan
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General searched Solyndra’s headquarters in Fremont, California early last month. After receiving a 535 million dollar loan from the federal government in 2009 and filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, the investigation will likely raise concerns about federal loan guarantee programs, and whether or not government officials and [...]
The Environmental Impacts of Flooding and How to Protect Against Them
Throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the country, communities are dealing with the many ramifications of flooding caused by Irene and exacerbated by Lee. As my family attempts to drain a basement that seems likely to be inundated with more water at the next hint of rain, I began to wonder about the environmental [...]
Article Archive
Interview with a Beekeeper
This is an interview with Sarah Worley who is a hobby beekeeper in California. She keeps hives at her farm and at another location near her. Follow her beekeeping and farming adventures at www.beewenchfarm.com or www.beewench.blogspot.com How did you become interested in beekeeping? I got interested in beekeeping about 4 years ago after seeing an article about [...]
Environmental Literacy in Maryland and Beyond
In June of this year, Maryland became the first state to mandate “environmental literacy” as a requirement for graduation from high school. Many states, including Maryland, had previously outlined standards for environmental education (EE) curriculum, but the graduation requirement recently imposed is a step forward from that. Maryland’s environmental literacy requirement will dictate that every [...]
ExxonMobil Sues U.S. Government
Exxon Mobil filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government last week to retain expired leases for one of the largest discovered oil fields in company history. The company reports the field contains one billion barrels of oil and gas equivalent, and could be the largest discovery since BP’s Thunder Horse field in 1999. Three of [...]
The Republican Presidential Candidates: Where Do They Stand on the Environment?
As we enter the fall of 2011, the race for the presidency is well underway, and those of us in states that hold the first presidential primaries are still receiving the brunt of the attention. The Republican candidates have swarmed New Hampshire and have made clear what is truly important to them and what they [...]
EPA, USDA to Improve Rural Water & Create Jobs
To address poor water quality in rural communities, including ones along the United States and Mexico border, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this month announced a partnership to improve drinking water and wastewater systems. The agreement will also create jobs in these communities because of the anticipated [...]
