The Warsaw Climate Negotiations, and Reason for Cautious Optimism
The Nineteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came to a close in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, November 23rd, after what has...
View ArticleEco-friendly Salt Alternatives for Melting Ice and Snow
Salt does do a great job of melting ice and snow through the winter, but its pretty bad news for you, your pets, the environment and your garden. Pets get salt on their paws and this dries them out and...
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More on That Polar Vortex Thing
As you know by now, a huge cyclonic, persistent low-pressure system (seen in this satellite image taken on January 6) blew through parts of the U.S. this week, sending the mercury plummeting in many...
View ArticleThe Anti-Science Behavior of GMO Proponents
As the battle to label GMOs (genetically modified organisms) rages on, we have another more insidious battle taking place. It's the battle to hold on to scientific integrity, especially as it relates...
View ArticleWho Are the Animals in Animal Experiments?
I once attended a neuroscience conference featuring a talk about spinal cord injury. The presenter showed a brief video clip that haunts me still to this day. The presenter showed a clip of his...
View Article2014 Is Our Climate Moment
Few leaders can say that the decisions taken in 2014 will play a big part in determining whether their country will still grace the world map at the end of this century. I can. Lying at an average of...
View ArticleMeatless Monday: Detouring From The McNugget Route
You're fried from work, your child is cranky, you're both starved and looking at imminent meal meltdown. You take the path of least resistance, and go for quick and kid-pleasing or what author and...
View ArticleWest Virginia Suffers the Impact of Our Toxic Technology
A week ago, I wrote about the need to reduce the toxicity of modern technology and observed that, "Many of the technologies that permeate our daily lives are built with materials that can poison living...
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10 Ways to Avoid a Dog Bite in 2014
I love to read the news, but I disdain headlines that read, "Dog Bites Human" or any derivation of, "Dog Maimed", "Dog Kills", or "Dog Injures". I don't think dogs should bite people, but sometimes...
View ArticleWhat the Coal Chemical Spill Means for the West Virginia Senate Race
Charleston, W.V., was shut down for the past few days as the federal and state government have declared a state of emergency in the area. Restaurants, grocery stores, schools, and offices have been...
View ArticleLessons From Sawdust
As a fourth grader, my first job was as a "step & fetch it" with my dad, a small town carpenter -- meaning for a dollar a day, I ran to and from the pickup to get the precise tool needed while he...
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Americans, Cars, and George Will's Habit of Getting It Wrong
For 32 years, the Ford F-150, shown here from back in the day and in 2013, has been America's best-selling vehicle. But what does that say and what doesn't it say? (Top photo: Flickr/dave_7. Bottom...
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Climate Change Worsens Mercury Pollution
A summary of recent research shows climate change will increase our exposure to mercury, a toxic heavy metal that threatens fetal growth and development and targets the brains of children. Pregnant...
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Is Lip-licking Beagle a Threat to Baby?
A veterinarian recently told me an interesting story. A woman who had brought her beagle in for vaccinations mentioned that she was very concerned about the dog's behavior. There was a baby in the...
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Australia's Environment Report Card 2013: Coalition's First 120 Days
When I was a young lad my dad, a successful attorney and entrepreneur, taught me "your word is your bond." In the early 1990s I cut my teeth in Professor Emeritus Roger Sands tree physiology laboratory...
View ArticleOn the Importance of Appreciating Animals
Cross-posted from TheDodo.com. You can tell a lot about people from their screensavers. Mine is a picture of gazelles: They are my role models. They run and flee when there is a danger -- say, a...
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With Major Investors Dumping Pebble Mine, Time to Abandon Project Once and...
A few weeks ago, mining giant Rio Tinto said it was considering pulling out of the disastrous Pebble Mine proposed for Alaska's Bristol Bay. This came on the heels of the September announcement that...
View ArticleHealth Reform in Your Emergency Kit
As the record low temperatures hit the Midwest and Northeast earlier this month, kids and adults alike rejoiced as schools and commutes were cancelled so that people could stay inside where it was warm...
View ArticleThe Dodo: For the Love of Animals
Cross-posted from TheDodo.comHillary Clinton and Prince William champion elephants. The National Institutes of Health releases its research chimps. New York City plans an end to its carriage horses....
View ArticleWill Illinois Ban Fracking After Disaster Strikes Or Before?
An Illinois ban on fracking is inevitable. The question is whether it will happen before or after a major fracking disaster. The public comment period on Illinois' draft regulations ended January 3...
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