“Bird watchers keep a life list of every species they have ever spotted. My life list is of species I have consumed. Both hobbies have the same root: It’s the impulse of a born collector who doesn’t like to have stuff lying around. All that remains is the memory of a flavor, wrapped — as […]
“There once was a concept of ‘potential natural vegetation’ of the United States, which was thought to be what would eventually appear in the absence of human management. The modern view of forest dynamics is somewhat different, but, nonetheless, the ‘natural’ distribution of the oak-pine forest pretty much corresponds to the inland reach of the […]
“Google Inc. is expanding into alternative energy in its most ambitious effort yet to ease the environmental strain caused by the company’s voracious appetite for power to run its massive computing centers. As part of a project announced Tuesday, the Internet search leader and its philanthropic arm will pour hundreds of millions of dollars into […]
“Southern and western Minnesota farmers like Tolifson invested in plants that turned corn into ethanol fuel. When the state required ethanol be blended with gasoline, the industry grew rapidly. A little later, soybean growers found a new use for their crop with production of vegetable oil-based biodiesel fuel. Record-high corn prices meant ‘2007 was a […]
“Frito-Lay, after realizing how much energy it takes for its factories to make (not to mention eat) potato chips, has announced that it will take an Arizona factory off the grid. The design is capable of reducing electricity and water consumption 90%. And the company was only aiming for a 50% reduction. In total, greenhouse […]
“Is the analogy ‘appropriate?’ No doubt there will be a great deal more huffing and puffing on that question, which ultimately has no answer. To me it seems more fruitful to think carefully about what the analogy does and doesn’t mean, and what’s it’s trying to do. Why do we judge the Holocaust unique in […]
“The white sand radiated in the brilliant August sunshine at Stinson Beach, where Douglas Rigg had just laid down a towel and pulled his wetsuit out of a backpack. The 43-year-old Mill Valley architect was looking forward to a day of reading, relaxing and taking an occasional swim, so he was upset when a security […]
“There’s something about vegetarianism that co-opts other causes — animal welfare, health, yogic meditation. Everyone seems to want to have a side of philosophy with dinner these days. The hottest, newest cause to be assimilated into the vegetarian-anti-industrial complex is global warming. Environmentalists and vegetarians have long maintained excellent relations, but the dawning of broader […]
“‘A petition seeking Endangered Species Act protection for a rare loon that breeds in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve has been accepted for review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,’ noted a May 29, 2007 Associated Press article. ‘Conservationists hope an eventual listing of the yellow-billed loon will curb petroleum development in the 23-million acre […]
“From his desk in an office in Chicago, Jeff Smith has a bird’s-eye view of the American landscape. Combing through a huge database of information compiled by the EPA, he can, almost literally, peer down every smokestack in the nation and figure out what’s going on inside. And what he sees is heat. Waste heat […]
