E/The Envrionmental Magazine

Untitled Document Vegetarians and vegans argue that eating meat is bad for the environment. How true are these claims? There has never been a better time to go vegetarian. Mounting evidence suggests that meat-based diets are not only unhealthy but that just about every aspect of meat production — from grazing-related loss of cropland, to […]

Untitled Document Coal used to fuel power plants and other industrial activity is a key culprit in pollution and climate change. So what is “clean coal”? The term “clean coal” describes various processes that remove pollutants from coal, our cheapest, most abundant, and dirtiest energy source. By reducing coal’s environmental footprint through technological wizardry, the […]

Untitled Document What is the impact of all the littering that individuals do, largely from their cars and on highways? How can we strengthen laws to prevent it? Environmentalists consider litter a nasty side effect of our convenience-oriented disposable culture. Just to highlight the scope of the problem: California alone spends $28 million a year […]

Untitled Document How do we find out about recycling the many other items we use that eventually break or die out, such as light bulbs, disposable batteries, portable electronics, and so on?  It’s true that recycling items other than paper, plastic, and glass is still no easy task, but if you’re committed to unloading something […]

Untitled Document How does one safely remove old vinyl flooring that contains asbestos — and what are some green alternatives? Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that can be used in a variety of industrial applications because of its strong flexible fibers, its resistance to heat and chemicals, and the fact that it does not […]

Untitled Document What is the impact of new roads and parking lots? The history of paving dates back to Roman times if not earlier, but our modern society has taken the practice to the extreme. Originally conceived as a way to make dirt- and mud-covered thoroughfares passable, roads (and parking lots) now cover the majority […]

Untitled Document Why have some cities, including New York, outlawed kitchen-sink garbage disposals, at least in homes? Kitchen-sink garbage disposals are not necessarily earth-friendly in and of themselves, but they do play a valuable role in grinding up food scraps into small enough bits for local sewer or on-site septic systems to handle. In the […]

Untitled Document Wouldn’t having hybrid cars run on E85 or biodiesel solve many problems?   Environmental advocates would love to see carmakers mass-produce a biofuel-electric hybrid. From a technology standpoint, it’s a no-brainer: Major automakers already turn out vehicles that can run on E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol, derived from corn and other […]

Untitled Document The soil beneath our feet is a critical resource but subject to many threats. What are they, and what can be done? Even among the ecology-minded, soil falls well below the radar of important causes, but the relationship between soil quality and both environmental and human health is intricately entwined. From the food we […]

Untitled Document Where does one turn in order to give babies fresh, organic food? Babies deserve the best possible start in life, so giving them nutritious food is a must, not only for good health but also to establish positive eating habits as early as possible. According to Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, commercial […]

Untitled Document What is the status of the land mines issue popularized by Princess Diana and Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, Heather Mills? Land mines were first widely used in World War II and have since been used in Vietnam, the Korean War, the first Gulf War, and in about a half-dozen conflicts around the world today. […]

Untitled Document Aside from the obvious benefits to humanity of reducing poverty, how would promoting more   economic equality around the world benefit the environment? Research has shown that environmental protection tends to be of lower priority in countries with a wide disparity between rich and poor. The inverse is also true: Countries with greater […]