Category Archives: Environmentalism

How Science Guess Becomes Science Fact

Welcome to the Hunger Games, ideas! And may the odds be ever in your favor. Science is under attack. Not breaking news, we can see for ourselves that it is. Right? You have heard, “We don’t have time. The science is settled. We must act now!” yes? If it’s settled, what is it and howContinue reading “How Science Guess Becomes Science Fact”

What are “reasonable efforts” to restore habitat? Supreme Court argument highlights the importance of who pays to recover endangered species

Originally posted on FREEcology:
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral argument in Weyerhaeuser Co. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concerning the agency’s authority to designate land as critical habitat if it isn’t even habitat in its present condition. Recognizing that such a power could easily be abused, the short-handed court…

An Open Letter to California Representative Ted Lieu

Hey Homes, ‘sup? Did y’all know you was being played for a chump? Played by people with more agendas than congress. Which brings me to your statement on Monsanto’s herbicide, RoundUp, and more specifically, its active ingredient, glyphosate. You issued a press release on March 15, 2017. “New questions about the safety of Monsanto weedContinue reading “An Open Letter to California Representative Ted Lieu”

Barkbook & Twigger? German Forester Claims Trees Have Social Networks

The Wood Wide Web is in the news. A New York Times article tells of a German forester, Peter Wohlleben, who believes that trees communicate intimately. That they have social networks. What? Barkbook? Twigger? SapChat? Pineterest? Wohlleben wrote a best-selling book in Germany, “Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate — DiscoveriesContinue reading “Barkbook & Twigger? German Forester Claims Trees Have Social Networks”

Cold Soup. Campbell Announces GMO Labeling

WARNING: This product contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is linked to a variety of diseases that affect both animals and humans. It is a risk factor for cancer and heart disease. Pregnant women are at very high risk of passing on DNA to their children. Yesterday, January 7, 2015, the Campbell’s Soup Company announced thatContinue reading “Cold Soup. Campbell Announces GMO Labeling”

The Cost of Coal

A recent tweet trumpeted a report that 250,000 Chinese died in 2013 due to smog from coal (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/12/china-coal-emissions-smog-deaths). The report on the deaths came partly from Greenpeace, of course. There is little question that coal is dangerous. It is dangerous to mine. Its emissions are a problem; coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste.Continue reading “The Cost of Coal”

Burned Policy

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves….” Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act 1, scene 2. Still Playing With Fire It is summer so wildfires are in the news, and this year’s Yarnell Hill and Rim Fires are partially used to hype man-caused global warming. Our fire problem has been a longContinue reading “Burned Policy”

The True Cost of Lumber Substitutes

Lumber and building material can be replaced with look-alikes made from non-renewable materials but it may not be wise. One example, a U.S. National Science Foundation panel analyzed the amount of energy necessary to extract, transport, and convert various raw materials into finished products found that substituting other materials for wood products comes at aContinue reading “The True Cost of Lumber Substitutes”