Earth Talk

Dear “Earth Talk”: Is there a way to wash the pesticides off fruits and vegetables before we eat them? — Michelle Chalmette, Los Angeles Many fruits and vegetables sold in the United States today are treated with pesticides, and residues of these potentially harmful chemicals often remain on their surfaces. Rinsing all produce thoroughly before […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: What is “sprawl,” and how do we keep it in check for the sake of the environment? — G. Korchowsky, Yardley, Pa. Sprawl is the tendency of cities to expand into outlying agricultural and rural lands, resulting in the development of suburbs where there was once open space. The negative effects of […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: What has been causing holes in the Earth’s ozone layer, and what is being done about it? — Marcin Wasilewski, Delray Beach, Fla. Chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), of which there are many variations, are the prime culprits in the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is composed of ozone […]

Dear “Earth Talk”: I have asthma as a result of exposure to the fiberglass insulation in our home. How can I find insulation that won’t make me sick? — Cynthia Bacon, Orlando, Fla. Fiberglass, a common home insulator that became popular after the dangers of asbestos became more widely known, is itself now associated with […]

Harry was my close neighbor. “Close” in rural lingo generally refers to an adjacent landowner, as opposed to folks living several miles away who are still considered neighbors. The distinction is purely geographical. Harry occupied a tiny one-room cabin, situated precariously at the edge of a bluff, whose most notable feature was a front porch […]

Dear “Earth Talk: What is the modern meat industry’s impact on the environment? — Jeremy Smith, Bellefonte, Pa. In a recent E/The Environmental Magazine cover story, author Jim Motavalli wrote: “Just about every aspect of meat production — from grazing-related loss of cropland and open space to the inefficiencies of feeding vast quantities of water and […]

It’s hard to find a food with a longer history than milk, a staple of the human diet. For at least 10,000 years, milk and foods made from milk have nourished children and adults in nearly every culture on earth. During the 1930s, pasteurization was introduced as means of making the milk supply safe from […]

Dear “Earth Talk: What are the environmental and health risks of genetically engineered foods, and do they outweigh the benefits such as reduced pesticide use and increased crop yields? — Liz from California Genetic engineering is a technology in which the genes of organisms are manipulated and transferred between species. Although genetically engineered (GE) foods […]

This past year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and local health departments offered financial incentives to assist in the sealing of abandoned wells. It’s a worthwhile cause that I sometimes become involved with. Often they’re old dug wells, barely visible in such places as the middle of a field or hidden in a thicket where […]