environmental health
Stop Buying Fossil Fuel
If a company is producing a very profitable product that is known to cause harm to the environment and to your health, should they make the product less harmful if they can do so and still earn a profit? Should they do this because they are able to make the…
Japan to phase out nuclear energy by 2040
Following the earthquake and tsunami that forced the Japanese government to shut down all of Japan’s nuclear power plants last March, the country has significantly shifted its energy sources. Today, just two of the country’s 50 nuclear reactors have recommenced operations. Prior to the natural disaster, Japan depended on its…
Safer Products from Sunscreens to Eye Shadow
The Environmental Working Group… (EWG) is an environmental non-profit focused on protecting public health and the environment. The organization concentrates on preventing health problems in children, babies, and infants in the womb attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants. While the non-profit is active in many different campaign areas,
Fresh Water Deficit
People need fresh water to live; manufacturers need fresh water to produce; and economic growth is dependent on abundant fresh water supplies. Water is essential for moving waste, keeping us and the environment healthy, as well as for producing food, clothing, and iPhones. Yet, most people in the developed world…
Valuing Natural Capital in the Urban Environment
We here in Portland, Oregon have a reputation for being a little different. Maybe not quite as different as we’re depicted in “Portlandia,” but we do tend to think “green” a bit more than the mainstream. However, you may be surprised how many cities are considering natural capital investments as…
Gulf Coast, 2 Years After Deepwater Horizon
New Orleans, Louisiana is, hands down, my favorite U.S. city. I have visited this city more times than I can count and I just returned from a week in the Big Easy. The city is seemingly vibrant and rebuilding itself from the destruction of Katrina and the subsequent failure of…
Raising Elijah, and a call for the Precautionary Principle
I was first introduced to ecologist Sandra Steingraber’s work through Orion Magazine and have always considered her writing thought-provoking and meaningful. Her recently published book, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis…, is no exception. As a cancer survivor, Steingraber has dedicated herself to exploring
