Thursday, 18 Aug 2005

What do you get when you cross a submarine with a chainsaw? No, no, not a massacre. You get the newfangled Sawfish, a contraption that can cut down underwater trees. Why would you want such a thing, you're wondering? Turns out there are millions of trees submerged under reservoirs around the world, and the timber industry -- ever on the alert for new sources of revenue -- is starting to cash in on this long-forgotten crop. Larry Greenemeier investigates the trend, and the technology behind it.

I Fjord Your Pain

McCain, Clinton, other senators take global-warming tour in Alaska

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), and two other Lower-48 colleagues are touring Alaska this week to see for themselves the destructive impacts of climate change. They've flown over Yukon forests devastated by spruce bark beetles -- believed to be thriving thanks to unusually high temperatures -- and eyeballed receding glaciers at Kenai Fjords National Park. In Barrow, America's northernmost city, the senators spoke with scientists and met Inupiat native Alaskans who described how severe environmental changes are disrupting their hunts, homes, and lives. Coastal erosion and thawing permafrost are likely to force massive relocations of Native villages, which could cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. "If you can go to the Native people and listen to their stories and walk away with any doubt that something's going on, I just think you're not listening," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Miser Permanente

Americans get creative at saving gas as price per gallon soars

Ever since dinosaurs walked the earth, died, and decayed under high subterranean pressures to become the fossil fuels we so depend upon today, Americans have carried on a brontosauric love affair with gasoline. But with prices climbing toward $3 a gallon, that may change. Well, at least a little. More folks seem to be telecommuting and participating in car- and vanpools. Car-sharing firm Flexcar has reported a recent uptick in inquiries; it's been able to control fuel costs by making heavy use of hybrids. Some drivers are being more careful about keeping car tires properly inflated -- a proven way to boost miles per gallon. But contrary to urban myth, filling up at night instead of during the day doesn't increase the amount of gas coming out of the pump. Cutting the AC in favor of open windows on the highway intensifies drag on the car, thereby potentially decreasing fuel economy. And while you could offset that by catching the draft in a big rig's blind spot, it's not recommended -- how do you think the dinosaurs went extinct?

Always Low Standards

Wal-Mart settles with Connecticut over environmental misdeeds

Wal-Mart has agreed to pay Connecticut a $1.15 million fine for a host of environmental violations. State regulators first filed suit against the retail giant in 2001, after discovering that the company had improperly stored pesticides, fertilizers, and other hazardous materials outside, where they washed down storm drains to pollute rivers and streams after heavy rains. Then they amended the suit in 2003, when even more eco-misdeeds were discovered. Violations were ultimately documented at 22 out of 33 company operations in the state. "There is a pattern of national disregard by Wal-Mart in this area," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. The company last year shelled out $3.1 million to settle a federal suit over storm-drain pollution in Tennessee, Utah, and several other states. Wal-Mart says it's already corrected most of the problems and intends to fully comply with state regulations, but Blumenthal is skeptical. "Wal-Mart's environmental record here seems as low as its prices," he said.

Royale With Breeze

Northwest burger chain switches to pure wind power

Fans of Pacific Northwest fast-food purveyor Burgerville will soon be noshing on burgers and onion rings cooked up with clean energy. The Holland Inc. -- parent company of both the Burgerville and Noodlin' regional chains -- has announced that all of its restaurants will use regionally produced wind power for 100 percent of their electricity needs. The move may increase the company's overall energy costs, but will reduce its carbon-dioxide contributions by about 17.4 million pounds a year -- the equivalent of taking 1,700 cars off the road. Burgerville has long felt the Pacific Northwest love by featuring regional foods such as Tillamook (Oregon) cheese and Walla Walla (Washington) onion rings. The energy switch is just one more commitment "to business practices that benefit our guests and enhance the communities we live in," said chief operating officer Jeff Harvey. Makes us want to weep with joy, right into our organic ketchup.