Caption: All that concrete underfoot accounts for as much as 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Credit: Tony Cyphert, FlickrCC Dear Earthtalk: I’ve heard that making and installing concrete takes a big toll on the environment. What’s being done to clean up this industry? – Jenn Chadwick, Washington, DC The 20 billion […]
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard that the price of getting solar panels installed on a home is lower than ever, but has it gotten to the point anywhere in the U.S. where it’s actually cheaper than traditional grid power yet? –Lester Milstein, Boston, MA Rooftop solar panels on have always been the province of well-to-do, eco-friendly […]
Dear EarthTalk: I know that some large buildings filter some of their wastewater to irrigate exterior landscaping. Is there an affordable way to do this at home? — Bill P., Salem, OR Now that solar panels are so commonplace on rooftops across the country, reusing so-called greywater—that is, the waste water from sinks, showers, […]
Recently declared a drought zone, the Olympic National Park on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula may be unusually accessible this spring and summer. For better or worse, this year the designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve with its beaches, rain forests and mountains will experience one of the driest springs on record. If you […]
Dear EarthTalk: We often see and read reports about environmental threats to women’s health, but aren’t there also concerns about which men should be especially vigilant? — Jay Walsh, Boston, MA Indeed, women aren’t the only ones who should be worried about environmental threats. A recently released report (“Men’s Health: What You Don’t Know Might […]
EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: I recently heard that Sweden is the greenest country in the world. Is this true and, if so, by what standards? And where does the U.S. rank? — Raul Swain, New York, NY It’s true that Sweden came out on top in the recently released ranking of […]
EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What’s the latest on efforts to ban plastic bags? How many U.S. locales have instituted some kind of ban, and have these initiatives made a dent in the amount of plastic litter? — Melinda Clarke, New York, NY California made big news recently when it […]
EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: A friend of mine recently stopped using skin and beauty products with parabens in them. What are parabens and should we all be avoiding them? –– Betsy Johnson, Port Chester, NY First commercialized in the 1950s, parabens are a group of synthetic compounds commonly used as preservatives in […]
EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What are some of the more dangerous threats to our air quality and what can be done to eliminate them so we can all breathe more easily? — Melanie Smith, Pomfret, CT The main threats to local air quality across the United States (as well as most […]
EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: How is it that some food purveyors are contributing to the destruction of tropical rainforests by ditching unhealthy “trans fats?” — Billy S., Salem, OR Most public health advocates applaud efforts by processed food producers, restaurants and fast food chains to get rid of so-called “trans fats”—partially […]
