Friday Finds: Got (rBST- or rBGH-free) Milk?

Cul-de-sac merry-go-rounds, chemical-free cow juice, classroom meddling

This page was published 13 years ago. Find the latest on Earthjustice’s work.

BP greases the facts
As if writing California’s environmental curriculum wasn’t enough, BP is back to meddling in the school system, this time to "dispel myths" about oil and chemical dispersants, reports ProPublica. Among the myths being dispelled is the idea that the chemicals are mostly harmless to people and wildlife, a claim that Earthjustice is currently disputing in court.

Court ruling makes milky waves
Milk fans who don’t like their cow juice coming from animals pumped with growth hormones and full of pus won a major victory earlier this week after an appeals court overturned an Ohio ban on labels that identify whether milk products were produced with or without growth hormones, reports Grist. The decision could have repercussions beyond the pasture by establishing a standard that altered foods (i.e. genetically engineered) can be labeled as such.

Suburban sprawl makes people drive in circles
If it’s hard to imagine why creating a suburban community that consists entirely of houses and only one long road to the highway can lead to car-dependent cultures, check out The Boston Globe’s photographic essay of development areas in southwest Florida, courtesy of Google. Trust us. You’ll get the picture.

Tossing food scraps is a waste
Contrary to the expanding waistlines of many Americans, a new study reported on by Grist found that Americans are throwing away a lot of food, about the energy equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil per year, to be exact. The study doesn’t examine why so much food is wasted, but with the proliferation of novelty foods like the new BK Pizza Burger, which comes with a side of 2,500 calories, we’re guessing that "having it your way" may include tossing half of that monstrosity in the trash.

Republican governors derail passenger train initiative
A handful of Republican candidates for governor have vowed to refuse federal stimulus money for high speed passenger rail in their states if elected, the New York Times reports. If successful, the party-line move could effectively slam the brakes on cutting America’s oil consumption while the rest of the world passes us by on their super sleek bullet trains.

Jessica is a former award-winning journalist. She enjoys wild places and dispensing justice, so she considers her job here to be a pretty amazing fit.