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By Amy MillerPainstakingly I am switching from incandescent light bulbs to energy-saving CFLs. One by one as bulbs burn out I twist in newly purchased energy saving bulbs.I started in the bathroom, under glass sconces where you couldn’t really see the weird shape of the bulbs. Who needs…
By Jeri WeissHere’s a quick quiz: 1. What happens to the packaged snacks second graders decide not to eat? 2. What do hotels do with the half rolls of toilet-paper and half bottles of shampoo you leave behind? 3. Where does uneaten food, including food still in wrappers, end up after a conference…
By Jeanethe FalveyIt’s time to catch my breath and begin an archaeological dig to find my desk again. Utterly astounding what happens to it, even protected from the natural events that douse, drench and sock Boston this time of year.As I recycle used post-its and make a fresh to-do list, I find…
By Amy MillerMy dog is cute, but she poops.I knew when I decided to get a dog that she would poop. Every day.So I called my friends with dogs. What do you do with the poop, I asked. And then I started hearing the numbers. The official, how-bad-is-dog-poop-for-the-environment numbers. It turns out:…
By Lina YounesThis past weekend my children decided to set up the Christmas tree. At the end of the decorating event, they asked that we light up the chimney to sit back, have hot cocoa and roast marshmallows. Even though the evening was not that cold, we willingly complied because we wanted to…
Por Lina YounesEste pasado fin de semana, mis hijas decidieron colocar el árbol de Navidad.Cuando terminaron de decorarlo, nos pidieron que alumbrásemos la chimenea para disfrutar del momento bebiendo chocolate caliente y comiendo malvaviscos. Aunque no hacía tanto frío, gustosamente accedimos a…
Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.By Aaron FersterThis past weekend, my extended family came to town to see my daughter play the role of Belinda Cratchit in her high school production of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley. It was a…
By Joshua SingerAnyone who has seen “The Terminator” can appreciate the importance of recycling electronics.In the original film, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg sent back in time to kill the mother of the leader of humanity in the war against robots. The sequel also features the…
By Amy Miller My family bought eight chickens. The good news is they are all hens. The odds of getting a rooster when you go out to buy hens are one in 10 so we were off to a good start. We got the four Buff Orpingtons and four Americaunas because my 9-year-old son loves tractors, [...]
By Amy MillerMy family lives in a village where we can walk to the post office, grocery store and pizza parlor. Most important of all, our children can walk to school, at least until sixth grade.Nationally, only about 15 percent of children walk to school. This is a serious drop from when I was a…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Ecologist Honored for Creating Weed Warriors Program to Fight Invasive Species (Nov 19, 2011) The U.S. Forest Service and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay have honored ecologist Carole Bergmann for creating the Weed Warrior…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- U.S. House Passes Bill Stripping States of Authority to Regulate Ballast Water Discharges (Nov 2011) A proposal passed by the U.S. House Nov 15 would strip states of the authority to establish ballast water standards that are more…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- EPA Proposes Updated Vessel General Permit and Permit for Small Vessels/Action Would Help Protect U.S. Water Quality and Lower Invasive Species risk (Nov 30, 2011) The EPA is issuing two draft vessel general permits that would…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Plants Pests: The Biggest Threats to Food Security (Nov 8, 2011) The threat posed to crop production by plant pests and diseases is one the key factors that could lead to "a perfect storm" that threatens to destabilise…
Learn what the USGS is doing to understand natural hazards and mitigate their effects on human life and property at the USGS Natural Hazards Web site , which has information on the following related hazards topics: Earthquakes Volcanoes Floods Hurricanes Tsunamis Information on wildfires…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grant and Partnership Programs that Can Address Invasive Species Research, Technical Assistance, Prevention and Control - Federal Fiscal Year 2012 (Nov 22, 2011; PDF | 167KB) This workbook…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- The Proceedings for " Microbial Biocontrol of Arthropods, Weeds, and Plant Pathogens: Risks, Benefits and Challenges " held Nov 28-Dec 1, 2010 are now available. Presentations and Presentation summaries are available for…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reopening the comment period for a notice that advised the public that we have determined that 41 taxa of plants for planting are quarantined pests and 107 taxa of plants for…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Unlikely Stowaways: Weed Seed Travel to Faraway Places on Cars, Trucks and ATVs (Oct 19, 2011) When you take your four-wheel drive out for a spin this fall, you might be bringing home more than memories. Researchers at Montana…
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service has created a series of downloadable invasive plant distribution maps for its Northern Region (includes 24 states). The distributions on these maps portray…