Friday, 18 Apr 2003

Egg-cellent

Easter weekend is looming, but as you rush out to buy those eggs, how can you be sure they're good for the environment and good for your health? "Cage-free" sounds pleasant -- but does it guarantee the chickens get outdoors? And what exactly is a "natural" hen? For the real story on all those confusing label claims ("free-range," "natural," "grass-fed," "organic," "free-farmed," yada yada), plus ideas on organic dying practices, check out this month's Earthly Possessions column by the Green Guide, only on the Grist Magazine website.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

Peru is the world's largest producer of fishmeal, a substance used in fertilizers and animal feed -- and the industry is a disaster for the country's environment. Factories pollute the air, decimate fisheries, and dump heated water into the ocean, creating dead zones along the coast. They also discharge fish remains and oils into public drains, flooding streets with wastewater. Maria Elena Foronda Farro has dedicated herself to empowering neighborhoods harmed by the industry. For her work, she was awarded one of six 2003 Goldman Environmental Prizes. Read an interview with Foronda as part of our special six-part edition on the prizewinners, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Throwing It in Reverse

Ford Motor Company backpedaled yesterday on its promise to increase the fuel economy of sport utility vehicles 25 percent by 2020. It now says it will continue to try to improve gas mileage but will not set a fixed deadline for reaching the 25-percent goal. The company chalked up the change in plan to technological difficulties and the lack of federal tax credits for improved efficiency. The decision is likely to have ramifications throughout the industry, as the initial Ford pledge spurred General Motors and the Chrysler Group to follow suit. Environmentalists reacted with confusion and dismay to the news: "What Ford is doing is telling the American people that we can't trust Ford's commitments; they keep moving the goalposts back when the deadline nears," said the Sierra Club's Daniel Becker.

We've Got Mail

Economics may have a reputation as a dry subject, but Grist's three-part series of interviews with ecological economists brought forth a gush of praise and commentary from readers. Meanwhile, elsewhere in our bi-weekly mailbag, fans admonish us to speak of "renewable" rather than "alternative" energy, voice their concerns about nuclear power, suggest ways to reduce the environmental impact of having children, and share other pearls of wisdom. Check out what your fellow Gristies have to say in Letters to the Editor, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Afri-can Do

Seeking to capitalize on the potential of renewable energy sources, 10 African nations are collaborating to increase their combined geothermal power generation to 1,000 megawatts by 2020. Geothermal power yields electricity by trapping steam released by water reservoirs deep inside the Earth. It is a clean and reliable energy source, and the United National Environment Programme estimates that together, the 10 countries in question (Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) could produce up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity through geothermal power. To date, though, only Kenya produces geothermal energy -- and just 57 megawatts of it. The U.S. State Department, Trade and Development Agency, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation have pledged to help fund the cost of establishing a geothermal energy infrastructure in the African nations.