Our Stories

The Latest by Jessica A. Knoblauch

Senior Staff Writer

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.

April 8, 2011

Friday Finds: Coffin' Up Green

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Consumers dying to snatch up wooly coffins Eco-conscious consumers looking for a greener afterlife can now be buried in woolen coffins, reports Time magazine. Recently, a hundred-year-old family run mill in West Yorkshire, England, started making the wooly coffins in an effort to find new revenue sources amidst Britain’s diminishing textile market. So far the …

April 1, 2011

Friday Finds: Toilet Talk

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

California flushes carbon emissions down the toilet The California Energy Commission has its head in the toilet, but surprisingly, that’s a good thing. Human waste is a huge pollution problem in the U.S. In fact, Californians alone produced 661,000 dry metric tons of biosolids in 2009. But instead of getting rid of the waste by …

March 25, 2011

Friday Finds: Mutually Assured Madness

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Nuclear power industry experiences public fallout As the nuclear crisis in Japan worsens, concerns about nuclear power’s safety are spreading, prompting news agencies to take a second look at the inherently risky technology. As the Christian Science Monitor recently reported, last year U.S. nuclear plants had at least 14 “near misses” that occurred with “alarming …

March 11, 2011

Friday Finds: Single Serve Stupidity

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Del Monte sells individually wrapped bananas Last week, processed food giant Del Monte unveiled its latest product invention, a single banana wrapped in plastic, reports the Globe and Mail. The move, not surprisingly, drew ire from many who point out that the banana already has its own, biodegradable wrapping, the peel. Ironically, Del Monte told …

March 4, 2011

Friday Finds: Walmart Extinguishes Flame Retardants

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Walmart blazes trail in banning flame retardants Fed up with feds dragging their heals on banning a controversial flame retardant, retail giant Walmart recently enacted its own ban, reports the Washington Post. Known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs, this class of chemicals is found in everything from pet supplies to furniture and electronics, and …

February 25, 2011

Friday Finds: BPA's Bearded Ladies

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

EU moves forward on chemical regs while U.S. gets bearded females The European Union recently announced that it will ban six toxic substances under its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization & Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program, reports Chemical & Engineering News. The landmark move, which includes phasing out three plastic softening chemicals and a flame retardant, stands …

February 18, 2011

Friday Finds: Soda's Sickeningly Sweet Side

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Soft drinks’ light hue may have a dark side Soft drinks have been under heavy scrutiny lately for their use of aspartame, a fake sweetener that, though calorie-free, may just also give you cancer. Unfortunately, that’s not the only carcinogen found in pop (or soda, if you’re the coastal type). A recent Center for Science …

February 11, 2011

Friday Finds: Big Ag’s Sugar Daddy

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

USDA gives Big Ag some sugar in GE beet decision  In a move that directly contradicts the finding of a U.S. federal judge, last week the Department of Agriculture said that farmers could start planting their genetically modified sugar beets, reports the New York Times, despite concerns raised over GE crops by environmental and organic …

February 4, 2011

Friday Finds: Pesticide Trials and Errors

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

EPA proposes strict rules on pesticide testing The EPA recently proposed strict rules meant to keep pesticides manufacturers from paying people to eat or drink pesticides, enter pesticide vapor “chambers,” or have pesticides sprayed in their eyes, reports FairWarning. The proposal, spurred on by a 2010 court settlement between Earthjustice clients and the EPA, will …

January 27, 2011

Friday Finds: The Longest Swim

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Polar bear swims hundreds of miles in effort to survive In a testament to the rapidly deteriorating conditions that polar bears face in a changing climate, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey recently discovered a polar bear that swam nonstop for more than 200 hours and 400 miles, reports the BBC. The epic journey in …