Caption: Generating clean, renewable wind power is all well and good except for the killing of birds and bats — but new technologies to mitigate wildlife strikes are giving hope to clean power advocates. Credit: Soumit, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone figured out how to build wind farms that don’t negatively impact birds, bats and […]
Caption: Running a full load of dishes in the dishwasher is much greener when it comes to energy and water usage than handwashing the same amount of dishes. Credit: Wendelin, Pexels.com. Dear EarthTalk: My husband thinks it’s better for the planet to hand-wash dishes in the sink, but it seems to me using the dishwasher […]
Caption: Environmentalists sure are glad Joe Biden is in the White House now, although some wish he would go further on sustainability initiatives. Credit: Prachatai, FlickrCC . Dear EarthTalk: Are environmental advocates happy with the Biden administration so far?— B.C., Philadelphia, PA Overall, environmental advocates are much happier with Joe Biden in the White House […]
Caption: Blackbirds are among the avian species experiencing the greatest amount of population loss across North America as their preferred wetland habitat dries up and is filled in and paved over. Credit: Skyler Ewing, Pexels Dear EarthTalk: How are bird populations faring in the U.S. and around the world? What are some ways to help […]
Bezos envisions moving polluters to outer space Caption: Artist concept of 3D printing with cementitious materials on the Moon. Credit: Greg Trent, Surface Construction. Dear EarthTalk: Is so-called “Off-Earth Manufacturing” really the environmental panacea that Jeff Bezos and other proponents say it is? — M. Traney, Smithfield, RI In July 2021, Richard Branson rocketed into suborbital […]
Caption: “Pips” of Rogue Detection Teams was able to find larvae and larval poop of the endangered checkerspot butterfly for the Forest Service in Washington State in 2019. Credit: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: What are conservation dogs?— Jon Gretcham, Portland, OR Simply put, conservation dogs are canines specially trained in […]
Caption: If you are concerned about the health implications of indoor air pollution, maybe it’s time to go electric in the kitchen. Credit: Roddy Scheer Dear EarthTalk: Should we all be ditching our gas stoves in favor of electric models?— Mary R., San Francisco, CA Walking into your kitchen to make dinner appears relatively simple […]
Caption: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the first net-zero-emissions arena of its size in the world, is home to the NHL’s Kraken and WNBA’s Storm. Dear EarthTalk: What is the “Climate Pledge” that Seattle’s new hockey arena is named after all about? — E. Howard, Washington, DC When Seattle’s new sports and concert arena opened […]
Caption: Dark-eyed juncos have evolved bigger bills in response to the larger temperature extremes they are experiencing throughout their range across North America thanks to human-induced climate change. Credit: DaPuglet, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that some wildlife species are evolving much more rapidly in response to the warming climate — D. Gould, Hendersonville, […]
Caption: Conservationists are working to create a 2000-mile long wildlife corridor between the Canadian Yukon and Yellowstone National Park so wolves and other charismatic megafauna can have enough space and resources to thrive. Credit: Brenda Timmermans, Pexels. Dear EarthTalk: Whatever happened to the Yukon to Yellowstone (Y2Y) wildlife corridor dream that was in the news […]
