American food-guzzling leads to more gas-guzzling
25 Oct 2006 at 2:10pm
Here’s more motivation to go on that diet: You’ll use less gasoline. Non-commercial U.S. vehicles are using at least 938 million more gallons of gasoline annually than they did in 1960 because drivers and passengers are considerably heavier and are dragging down fuel economy, says a University of Illinois study …
The shining promise of ethanol doesn’t add up for farmers
25 Oct 2006 at 2:10pm
The current boom in the ethanol market is inspiring some corn farmers in the Midwest to form cooperatives so they can produce the fuel without interference from corporate money-grubbers. Will their gamble pay off — or will this 21st-century gold rush leave them in the dust? Tom Philpott examines ethanol …
Spanish coast being ravaged by development
25 Oct 2006 at 2:10pm
The Spanish coast is being ravaged by a decade-long building boom, and there seems to be no end in sight. About 3 million houses have been started or built in the country in the past four years, with as many as half of them along its famed 3,100-mile coastline. The …
Umbra on PVC alternatives
25 Oct 2006 at 2:10pm
You know how advice maven Umbra Fisk likes to say “no vinyl, that’s final”? That’s all well and good, but a reader wants to know a few particulars. Like, is all vinyl PVC? How can you tell what contains PVC? Are there alternatives? Why isn’t anyone making the industry label …
Newspaper and magazine companies seek to lessen environmental impact
25 Oct 2006 at 2:10pm
A handful of large publishers are beginning to think about the eco-impact of the paper they publish on. The paper industry is the fourth-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions among U.S. manufacturers. Paper production uses gobs of energy, and then there’s the impact of chopping down trees at the front …
