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Rough Water Ahead for the Colorado River
Winter in the Rockies is almost over. Almost, because April is still one of our snowiest months in Colorado. But even with a few days of snow last week, April would have to be pretty darned wet just to get this year’s snowpack up to average. As of March 15, snowpack in the watersheds that…
Read MoreBigger Threat: Asteroids or Climate Change?
The news that a meteorite exploded over Russia in February has captured the attention of U.S. lawmakers on the House Science Committee, which has scheduled a hearing on the subject for March 19. Rep. Rohrabacher (R-CA) is among the most interested parties, according to a story that ran in The Hill. And while he expresses…
Read MoreScope of Science: The Dark Side of Soot
Be green: get rid of black
Read MoreFilm: "A Fierce Green Fire" Opens
A stunning, inspiring new documentary film, A Fierce Green Fire, The Battle for a Living Planet, had its theatrical premiere in New York on March 1, and was scheduled for screenings across the country in following weeks. (View the full schedule.) The film is in five acts, each narrated by a different person. Robert Redford…
Read MoreUnplugged: Clothes Dryers Need Labels, Too
Few household appliances use as much energy or get replaced as rarely as clothes dryers. And unlike with most other household appliances, you won’t learn this when you are shopping for a new model. The typical dryer uses more energy than the typical refrigerator, clothes washer, or dishwasher. But unlike all three of those products,…
Read MoreFlorida's Water Is Looking Ashen
Though dubbed the Sunshine State, Florida’s lifeblood is water. With its wetlands, high water table, extremely porous soil and intricate ecosystem, the state’s laws are intended to keep its water safe and clean, which is necessary for the state’s very survival. Unfortunately, the state’s regulations are simply not good enough—especially when it comes to coal…
Read MoreMichigan State U Must Be Greener Than Spartan Deep
My favorite aunt became a dean at Michigan State back in the early 1980’s. She was a role model for us all, assuming a level of power and influence that most women—especially African American women—had not been able access at that time. She, like many other students and faculty at the time, enjoyed the campus…
Read MoreFTC Resisting Common-Sense Changes To Refrigerator Labels
Would you give ENERGY STAR to a sport-utility vehicle? What about a sport-utility refrigerator? As with fuel economy for cars, the most important factors affecting a refrigerator’s energy usage include size, design and features. Specifically, the location of the freezer section, the addition of an automatic icemaker, and the addition of a through-the-door ice dispenser…
Read MoreWithout Coal Ash Rule, Litigation Helps Communities
It’s been over four years since a billion gallons of toxic coal ash flooded a small town in Tennessee. We’ve been fighting ever since for the EPA to set federally enforceable safeguards to protect the thousands of communities across the country threatened by coal ash, but the agency has yet to act. But just because…
Read MoreA Wise Pause On Arctic Drilling
Shell announced that the company is hitting the pause button on oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic. Mother Nature graphically demonstrated this summer what conservation groups have been saying for more than a decade—the extreme weather and conditions of the Arctic, with its stormy, frozen seas make the Arctic environmentally treacherous for oil drilling.…
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