Thursday, 14 Nov 2002

Always Look on the Light Side of Life

The rest of the world might be weighing solemn questions right now -- what will happen in the tinder box that is the Middle East? how will the recent election results transform U.S. politics? -- but advice columnist Umbra Fisk is turning to lighter topics. Yes, Grist readers, it's the first-ever compendium of the oddest inquiries submitted to Our Lady of the Stacks. Never mind "paper or plastic?" This is more like "herb garden or couch cushions?" Curious? Check out the latest Ask Umbra column, only on the Grist Magazine website.

A Catalog of Ills

Of the 17 billion catalogs mailed every year to American consumers (that's 59 catalogs for each and every one of us!), a surprising few contain recycled materials. An Environmental Defense survey released yesterday found that only six of 42 major catalog companies are using significant amounts of recycled paper, and most don't use any. Nary a single recycled fiber can be found in the pages of catalogs put out by big-name companies J. Crew, Nordstrom, Sears, and Williams-Sonoma. The same goes for all those L.L. Bean and Eddie Bauer catalogs that feature lovely pictures of Mr. and Ms. Perfect roughing it in style. (Newly engaged greenies take note: If for some reason, you must consume, you now know where not to register for wedding gifts.) Catalogs issued by Oregon-based Norm Thompson outfitters had the highest recycled content of those companies included in the survey.

Air Enforce Won

After years of court battles, the U.S. EPA agreed yesterday to begin enforcing a stricter standard for ozone pollution that was developed by the Clinton administration in 1997. Industry groups such as the American Truckers Associations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to try to block the standard, but eventually lost their case on most grounds. With the Bush administration in power, it was left to environmental groups to coax the feds (in court) to establish a schedule to enforce the standard and thereby reduce smog levels around the country. The EPA will now designate cities that fail to meet the new standard by April 2004. At the moment, more than 300 communities in 38 states could be classified as "non-attainment" and be forced to implement pollution-cleanup plans. The EPA says the new standard for ozone and another one for particulates will prevent thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of cases of asthma, and 1 million cases of diminished lung function in children.

Sweet Child of Mine?

After forcing a mining operation to leave town in 1997, the 46 families of Junin, a remote village in northern Ecuador, decided to have a go at ecotourism to protect the rainforest around them -- and to earn a living. But now a growing number of the residents are questioning that choice. The paradise of orchids, hummingbirds, and jaguars is no consolation to residents who aren't happy about the village's continued lack of electricity, telephones, running water, and paved roads. Only about three families are able to earn a living through ecotourism, while the rest are subsistence farmers. "The ecologists love the nature here and they love the fact that it's so remote," said resident Tarquino Vallejos. "But the fact is that not one child in the community can go to secondary school. We don't have a school past sixth grade, and nobody here has enough money to send their child to another city." Some villagers feel mining might now be a better alternative.

Detroit Rock City

Detroit automakers sure aren't complaining about the Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate. They anticipate having a close ally in the incoming chair of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is known for his criticism of clean air regulations and the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. He once referred to federal environmental agencies as "Gestapo bureaucracies." On the other hand, automakers don't quite know what to expect from Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.), who will assume the reins of the Commerce Committee. McCain has been an outspoken proponent of increasing fuel-efficiency standards for cars, SUVs, and light trucks. Whatever McCain's position, however, automakers don't think they'll be confronted with tougher standards anytime soon: Both chambers of Congress recently voted overwhelmingly against stricter requirements.