In selecting Bay Area Concrete for the environmentally sensitive job, PG&E ignored the firm’s history of illegal dumping and conflict with regulators, as well as its employment of a senior manager connected to environmental crimes, according to interviews and a review of court records, public documents and business filings by the Bay City News Foundation […]
A single plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to degrade. Today, we know the impact littering has on our environment and human health. With access to the Internet and social media platforms, we witness the havoc pollution has wreaked on ecosystems all over the world. Solving the littering issue can seem like an insurmountable challenge. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the U.S. recycling industry. Waste sources, quantities and destinations are all in flux, and shutdowns have devastated an industry that was already struggling. By Brian J. Love, University of Michigan and Julie Rieland, University of Michigan The Conversation Many items designated as reusable, communal or secondhand have been temporarily barred […]
It’s difficult to ignore the detrimental effects of climate change. Sometimes, it’s even more complicated to understand it. We know that vehicles emit tons of carbon dioxide, and many of our energy sources operate on fossil fuels. Air pollution harms the Earth’s atmosphere and our own health, but what about plastic pollution? The majority of […]
Our oceans amass more than 70% of the Earth’s surface – and for years, they’ve served as landfills. Before experts started to analyze these practices, many people believed these waterways could hold an unlimited amount of waste. Unfortunately, extensive research shows that’s not the case whatsoever. By Emily Folk Within the past few decades, we’ve […]
As our nation searches its soul for a response to racial injustice in policing, it must also reckon with profound environmental injustice. New research shows that a handful of egregiously polluting facilities account for the vast majority of toxic releases and that a disproportionate share of these facilities are located near black and brown neighborhoods. By David Coursen […]
If you’re passionate about recycling, education, wildlife or clean water, environmental volunteering is right up your alley. And even if you aren’t particularly enthusiastic about these things, you can be. All it takes is a single volunteer experience to change the way you see the Earth and find a new appreciation for all it provides. […]
On Monday night, the Wall Street Journal editorial board confirmed that it is, in fact, every bit the villain that children’s stories warn about. And what’s more, they know it. Because in addition to an editorial sarcastically congratulating Justice Elana Kagan for persuading Neil Gorsuch to ‘rewrite’ the Civil Rights Act and confirm that gay and transgender people […]
Of all the elements on Earth, none is more strictly controlled under law than uranium. A plethora of international agreements govern its sale and use in energy, research and nuclear weapons. Australian environmental law considers nuclear actions, such as uranium mining, as a “matter of national environmental significance” under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) […]
Professional chefs are all agog about municipal bans on natural gas for heating and cooking. Some are suing Berkeley, CA, claiming that the bans on flame will destroy much of the industry. It sounds like a lot of hot air [sic], even gaslighting to me. I want, therefore, to know how much of the protest […]
A year after China upended global materials markets by banning imports of much solid waste, the effects are still rippling around the globe. Many U.S. recyclers are awash in materials they formerly sent to China for processing. Some cities with few options are burning recyclables in incinerators. What would it take to reduce U.S. waste management […]
While California continues to be portrayed as a “green” and “progressive” state by state officials and the mainstream media, the reality is much different, as I have revealed in hundreds of articles exposing the state’s environmentally unjust fossil fuel and water policies. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s oil and gas regulators continue to approve new oil drilling and fracking permits […]
Most people look forward to summer because they can head to the beach with their friends and family. It’s a beautiful place to relax and enjoy splashing around in the waves, but only if it’s a trash-free environment. But beaches see some of the highest amounts of pollution because it’s easy for tourists to dump […]
Donald Trump has been using cover of COVID-19 and his wannabe strongman response to Black Lives Matter protests to continue his pro-polluter agenda, recently with an Executive Order tossing basic environmental protections out the window under guise of economic recovery. By Climate Denier Roundup Fortunately, this appears to be yet another pointless distraction., As Niina […]
Two congressional committees held hearings Tuesday that raised the matter of environmental injustice amid the national protests and the conversation about systemic racism sparked by the killing of unarmed, handcuffed African American George Floyd two weeks ago. As long as the Senate remains under Republican control, of course, the chances any legislation will pass Congress are slim […]