Coal-to-Fuel Movement Gains Steam

If the U.S. coal industry and their Republican comrades have their say, Americans will soon be filling their tanks with — you guessed it — coal. Or a refined version of it, anyway. At the Huffington Post, Tom Zeller Jr. lays out an in-depth exploration of liquified coal fuels, which are being pushed in Washington as an important element of the road energy independence. Sound like a......read more

The Chemicals in Your Cosmetics

Sodium lauryl sulfate is an effective degreaser used to clean oil stains from the floor of my mechanic's repair shop; what's it doing in my toothpaste and my daughter's bubble bath? And, why is the long-known carcinogen nitrosamine, banned in Canada and the European Union, still a common ingredient in my mascara, concealer, sunless tanning lotion and baby shampoo? The simple answer is......read more

Hungry for Change

It seems like one step forward, two steps back for the environmental movement these days. The once-high hopes of achieving national and/or international action on climate change have faded to a mere memory. Backward-thinking Republicans are attacking the Environmental Protection Agency in Congress. Eco-minded folks are getting bummed. But another movement, one that shares a common ethos with......read more

Organic Orange Orchard

It's been a tumultuous few years for Isabelle Cossart. First, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, then Hurricane Katrina tore through her neighborhood, then her husband left her for her best friend. In the ensuing divorce she was left with a three-plus acre fruit orchard, and was suddenly transformed into a farmer. Turns out she's pretty good at it. The produce from Cossart's......read more

Avatar as Environmental Radicalism

James Cameron’s Avatar is without a doubt the most epic piece of environmental advocacy ever captured on celluloid, and it only very thinly veils its message which, on the heels of a failed Copenhagen summit, is more timely now than ever … Nature will always win. The film hits all the important environmental talking-points — virgin rain forests threatened by wanton exploitation, indigenous......read more

Happy Birthday Slow Food Movement

Last week marked the 20th anniversary of the the international Slow Food Movement. Celebrants around the world took part in the first ever Terra Madre Day last Thursday, which marked two decades since the signing of the Slow Food Manifesto in Paris in 1989. The manifesto laid the groundwork for the eco-gastronomic, member-supported non-profit, which is intended to revitalize local food traditions......read more