environment

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Green Spaces Make You Healthier

People who live near vegetation suffer fewer diseases

(Newser) - People who live close to parks or other “green spaces” are likely to be healthier, a new study suggests. Dutch researchers scoured the health records of 345,000 people, comparing their health status to the amount of green space in the surrounding area, from a half-mile to 2-mile radius....

Climate Groups Look to Avoid Health Care Repeat

But administration reluctant to push climate legislation this year

(Newser) - Environmental groups are struggling to convince Democrats that the fight for cap-and-trade legislation won’t be as damaging as the one over health care, and to keep them from punting on the issue, Politico reports. Climate supporters say they have a grass-roots network in place that health care reformers didn’...

Gisele Named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Bundchen more than just a supermodel, has long campaigned for environmental issues

(Newser) - Gisele Bundchen will have more than a baby with hubby Tom Brady to keep her busy—yesterday she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Boston Herald reports. “Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can...

Save the Planet: Use a Condom

Studies point to environmental toll of each kid

(Newser) - You’ve got your hybrid, your low-watt bulbs, and your solar panels: what’s the next step to saving the planet? Try a pack of condoms. New studies point to the hefty environmental toll of each child, particularly in America, the Washington Post reports. Every kid born in the US...

Colleges Ditch Trays; Students Learn to Juggle

Diners willing to sacrifice for planet's sake

(Newser) - College students may feel they’ve added juggling to their courseloads as the trayless cafeteria trend picks up steam, the Los Angeles Times reports. The increasingly popular measure, meant to save water and electricity, often meets with a sort of grudging acquiescence. “It's definitely difficult and a little bit...

Overfishing Plagues Filet-O-Fish's Main Ingredient

New Zealand's hoki center of overfishing controversy

(Newser) - What exactly is the fish in a Filet-O-Fish sandwich? It’s a bug-eyed creature from New Zealand called the hoki, and it is apparently under pressure from overfishing, the New York Times reports. New Zealand—while not specifically citing that cause—has been cutting the allowable catch as conservation groups...

Delta Slammed for Transatlantic 'Ghost Flights'

Empty planes flown from LA to London to be disinfected before flights to Australia

(Newser) - Delta Air Lines' practice of flying empty passenger planes almost halfway around the world just to be disinfected has outraged environmentalists, the Guardian reports. Australia requires that inbound planes be sprayed with insecticide to combat malaria and other diseases. But Delta isn't allowed to carry out the treatment in the...

French Wines Wither Under Climate Change

Industry pushes President Sarkozy for carbon emission cut

(Newser) - A warming world has French winemakers sweating more than a little, experts tell the Financial Times. “Current research suggests that by the end of the 21st century, one summer out of two will be at least as hot as 2003,” the year of a record-breaking heat wave that...

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'
 IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid' 
Sep 4, 2009 11:07 AM CDT

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'

(Newser) - IBM is developing a set of water grid technologies, designed to revamp the world’s badly outdated fresh water delivery systems in much the same way many countries are trying to upgrade their energy grids, CNET reports. IBM projects the water management business could be worth $20 billion within 5...

Climate Change Reverses 8 Millennia of Arctic Cooling

Temps, up 2.2 F Since 1900, Would Be 2.5 Degrees Cooler Without Greenhouse Gases

(Newser) - Summer temperatures in the Arctic have climbed 2.2°F since 1900 despite an 8,000-year cooling trend, the Guardian reports. For the past few thousand years, the orbit of the Earth and the changing tilt of its axis has put the Arctic 630,000 miles further from the sun...

Hollywood's New Green Crusaders

Orlando Bloom, Miley Cyrus do Earth proud

(Newser) - Celebs may not be known for living simply, but a new generation of eco-friendly stars is taking a stand for the planet. Grist rounds them up:
  • Orlando Bloom owns a solar-powered house, drives a hybrid, and is a founder of Global Cool, which campaigns against climate change.
  • Rachel McAdams keeps
...

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas
 Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas 
Aug 27, 2009 12:49 PM CDT

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas

(Newser) - Once considered a win-win for the environment and energy independence, America’s biofuel industry is sputtering to a halt, the Wall Street Journal reports. Thanks to the recession, lower oil prices, and government delays, two-thirds of American biodiesel refineries—dozens of plants—are idle, and companies across the country are...

Test Finds Mercury in Every Fish

A quarter contaminated beyond EPA safety limit

(Newser) - Catch a fish in one of America's streams, and there's a good chance it will have at least trace amounts of mercury. The most comprehensive survey to date from the US Geological Survey tested more than 1,000 fish from nearly 300 streams around the nation—and found mercury in...

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
OPINION
Aug 18, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'

(Newser) - Some cars’ gas mileage is good enough to make them ineligible for the cash-for-clunkers program—but that’s not the only reason David Holahan doesn’t want to turn in his old rides. “I’m all for stimulating the economy, cleaning air, and improving fuel economy,” he writes...

What Tourists Can Do to Protect Coral Reefs

(Newser) - Snorkelers and scuba divers aren’t the worst threat to the embattled coral reefs of the world—climate change, commercial fishing, and pollution take top honors—but the casual tourist can lessen, and even mitigate, the damage he or she causes, Slate reports. Of course, snorkelers shouldn’t purposefully snap...

GM Announces Plug-In Hybrid SUV

Buick model could get twice the mileage of similar automobiles

(Newser) - General Motors’ Buick brand will churn out the first plug-in hybrid SUV by a leading automaker, the company said today. “Buick will get our first plug-in hybrid, which will put the brand front and center in the advanced technology game,” said a GM exec. The company says the...

Pee in the Shower, Save the World: Brazilian Group

(Newser) - A Brazilian environmental group is running TV ads encouraging citizens to save water by urinating in the shower, the AP reports. SOS Mata Atlantica says a household can save more than 1,000 gallons a year by going No. 1 straight into the drain. The humorous ad is “a...

Pollution Dulls Nepal's Beauty
 Pollution Dulls Nepal's Beauty 
Aug 1, 2009 6:45 AM CDT

Pollution Dulls Nepal's Beauty

(Newser) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many...

Green Sex: Healthier, Apocalypse-Proof

(Newser) - A green approach to sex, sexual aids, and protection is not only environmentally conscious but also healthy and prescient, the New York Post reports. “It’s really good to know you can power something up with your own body!” says the purveyor of a hand-cranked sex-toy. “It...

Jellyfish Journeys May Affect Climate

Creatures' movements may carry carbon dioxide to ocean depths

(Newser) - Jellyfish may be secretly affecting the climate of the oceans: Their movements appear to help change the balance of carbon in the atmosphere, NPR reports. Many jellyfish hide from predators deep underwater during the day and head to the surface at night for a snack, says an oceanographer. When they...

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