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Environment

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?

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 […]

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Authors Outdoor Activities Things To Do

Kevin reviews Resurrection Derby, salmon issues 

The 2014 Resurrection Derby recently took place in Friday Harbor. This is a two day event held on Friday December 5th and Saturday the 6th, put on by Puget Sound Angler’s Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter. All proceeds from this event go to salmon enhancement projects in the San Juan Islands. The is a selective fishery […]

birds on lake
Environment

How is it that migrating birds are being negatively affected by oil extraction in Canada’s Boreal forest?

EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: How is it that migrating birds are being negatively affected by oil extraction in Canada’s Boreal forest?            — Jennifer Chase, Fort Lauderdale, FL Each year tens of million of migratory birds “overwinter” in the Canadian Boreal forest, a vast tract of mostly […]

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Authors Outdoor Activities

Mediocre San Juan Salmon Fishing Season Ends

By Kevin Klein Well, that’s a wrap for summer and fall fishing in Marine Area 7 in the San Juan Islands. October 31 was the last day for salmon, but crabbing is still open. We had some bursts of catching, but overall, this fishing season was not as good as in recent years. Most of the […]

gas station
Environment

What are “dirty fuels” and why are they so called?

EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What are “dirty fuels” and why are they so called?— Bill Green, Seattle, WA The term “dirty fuels” refers to fuels derived from tar sands, oil shale or liquid coal. Just like their more conventional fossil fuel counterparts such as petroleum and coal, they can be turned […]

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Outdoor Activities

Salmon Slow in U.S., Better Fishing in Canada

Salmon fishing continues to be fairly slow in the San Juan’s. However, it sounds like there are fish across the border in Canada in pretty good numbers. Hopefully we’ll see some big schools show up soon. Crabbing is still good in places, even though we had a Tribal Opener. Looks like a portion of Marine […]

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Travel

Destination Jasper, Alberta – Home of the Canadian ‘Rocky Moutain High’

By Leslee Jaquette I have twice visited Jasper, Alberta. The first time was in November. Snow covered the village and the local ski resorts were operating on thin cover. But it was magnificent and I was hooked on Canada in the winter. A number of years later, I returned to Jasper in the summer via […]

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Environment

If “cap and trade” has worked so well in Europe for reducing greenhouse gas emissions there, why haven’t we tried something similar here in the U.S.?

EarthTalk® E – The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: If “cap and trade” has worked so well in Europe for reducing greenhouse gas emissions there, why haven’t we tried something similar here in the U.S.?       — Sandra M., Bern, NC “Cap-and-trade,” whereby big polluters must pay to emit greenhouse gases against a capped […]

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Environment

How far along are we at developing algae-based and other higher yield sources of biofuels?

Dear EarthTalk: How far along are we at developing algae-based and other higher yield sources of biofuels? — Jason McCabe, Tullahoma, TN A few years ago biofuels were all the rage. Environmental advocates to national security hawks alike were extolling the virtues of ethanol and biodiesel as a carbon-neutral bridge to our energy future. But […]