Graphic Credit: Christian Guthier

Last December, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the findings of its investigation on the harmful effects of greenhouse gases.  Greenhouse gases not only drive the climate change we are experiencing which is causing freak weather and the endangerment of the few all natural habitats left in the earth, but, more close to home, the EPA found that the climate change that greenhouse gases drive can cause heat waves that are a danger to people prone to strokes and the ground-level ozone pollution can be linked to respiratory illness. Read more…

Photo credit: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA

When we consider the ocean, most of us imagine it’s life-giving properties- like supplying oxygen to Earth’s creatures.  What most of us don’t realize is that the ocean itself can be suffocated.  This is exactly what has begun to occur in the planet’s youngest sea, resulting in a damaged Baltic ecosystem and the creation of one of the largest “dead zones” in the world. Read more…

Photo Credit: Cristian Bortes

Ok, so maybe it isn’t exactly in the curriculum…but D.C. Public Schools is continuing to make a difference in the community by planting numerous trees throughout the city. Students, faculty and staff  in our nation’s capital have the opportunity to partner with an organization called Casey Trees in an effort to take some time out of the school day to plant trees around many of the district’s schools. Read more…

Photo Credit: The U.S. Army

“Ten years ago, you would have had three- or four-star generals stomping up and down. Now they just ask, ‘How do I get it done?’ ” said Tad Davis, the Army’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health. What Tad Davis is referring to are major conservation orders given by the Pentagon requiring the military to spend millions on protecting endangered plants and animals all over the country. Read more…

Photo Credit: Devon Fisher

The holy Ganges River has a long history of reverence in India, as it is the most sacred river in the country. The river signifies divine consciousness for Hindus who come from all over the country to bathe, worship and honor dead relatives in the divine waters. Thousands of Hindu followers have their bodies committed to the Ganges each year in belief that the river’s waters will carry their souls to eternal salvation. With an estimated 2 million people visiting the river each day, the high level of pollution in it is not so surprising. However, the waste from the ritual bathing, the laundry sites, corpse disposals and cremation rituals along the river are not the main concern, rather, the river is also a sewage dump and today, one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Read more…

Trent Hodges

Buenos dias a todos, Trent or Guayo (my nickname in Spanish) reporting here from Santa Catarina Barahona Guatemala.  The above photo is the view from my house.  It’s currently raining ash from the volcanic eruption this morning and the haze of debris is creating an eerie bluish hue in the sky.  It’s a beautiful sight, but it doesn´t compare to the reddish glow of last night´s lava display.  This is a daily occurrence here and no cause for alarm in the community.  As I write, men are carrying recently chopped firewood to their homes while the women carry maiz and vegetables from the farms surrounding this community.  Needless to say, this is an area where the relationship between nature and humanity is amplified. Read more…

Wolfgang Staudt

Inhabitants of paradise are the first to feel the real impact of global warming. Villagers that live on the Atoll islands are forced to pack up and leave their homes for good due to rising sea levels. Islands are likely to be the areas that are hit hardest by global warming and entire island chains may disappear within the next century. Read more…

After hearing years of depressing news about our enormously depleted fish populations, and how many of our solution-oriented fish farms are each actually more polluting than the combined “raw human sewage from a town of several thousand people,” I was about to put my last can of tuna in the closet as a proof for my grandkids of the days when we had fish. But now, with much improved technology and the concerned investment of a few business-minded individuals, your goldfish may have something more to smile about tomorrow. Read more…

Dan McKay

The city of Los Angeles has the highest recycling rate of the ten largest cities in the U.S. (about 65% of L.A. population reduce, reuses, and recycles). Recently, a new pilot program was announced that will encourage an even greater participation of such practices. Known as the RecycleBank, the program allots points to residents who recycle daily with the intention of creating the “cleanest, greenest big city in America” as declared by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. According to the mayor the program will work to better the city’s reputation for sustainability while stimulating the local economy. Read more…

Photo Credit: Curtis Palmer

We’ve all got computers, including me.  In fact- I’m using one as we speak and have likely used one on a daily basis since…well, since I can remember.  Societies produce more electronic goods by the minute it seems…but what happens to electronic devices like computers once we’re through with them? Read more…