Monday, 12 Jun 2006

A reader has dutifully replaced his incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, only to discover that they emit a strange smell. He knows the bulbs contain mercury, so he wonders: is the toxic metal sneaking into his personal atmosphere? He turns to advice maven Umbra Fisk for an answer, and she lights the way.

All Right, Heartland, You're Up

Western governors resolve to combat climate change

Western states need to reduce greenhouse gases while meeting growing energy demand, says a resolution passed unanimously yesterday by members of the self-explanatorily named Western Governors Association. However, the pact neglects to prescribe specific actions. "My friends," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) chided the group, "it's long past the time when it's OK to just talk about these problems." New Idaho Gov. James Risch (R) voted for the resolution despite being "not strongly convinced either way" whether humans cause climate change, but Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) insisted that human causation is implicit in the language. Schwarzenegger stressed that the resolution was merely an attempt by states to "make an impact," not a rebuke to the Bush administration's inaction. "This is not us vs. the federal government," said the newly wussy Governator. Companion resolutions emphasized energy independence and outlined strategies for clean energy production.


Jeffrey Hollender, this week's InterActivist, makes cleaners and paper products that don't scrub the earth the wrong way. President of the eco-friendly household-goods company Seventh Generation, Hollender chatted with Grist about his former job teaching people how to marry money, his company's partnership with Greenpeace, and his favorite new website, Tampontification. (He also offered to give away free copies of his book Naturally Clean to 100 Grist readers.) Send Hollender a question by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Safe in Sound

Puget Sound orcas gain more protection; Florida manatees downlisted to threatened

Ninety endangered orcas in the Northwest may soon swim easier, as the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed Friday to designate nearly the entire Puget Sound -- about 2,500 square miles of water -- critical orca habitat. The usual suspects took the usual sides: developers opposed more regulation; enviros said the proposal didn't go far enough, since it excludes waters less than 20 feet deep, which is prime habitat for orca prey. The proposal will be open to public comment but could be final as soon as November. On the opposite side of the nation, Florida's wildlife commission voted last week to downlist the manatee from the state's endangered species list to threatened status, despite continued dangers from red tide, boats, and habitat loss; greens contend that the commission is being pressured by development and boating interests. The manatee is listed as endangered by the feds, but that status is also being reevaluated. Oh well, you know what they say: You orca some, you manatee some.

Ah, Summer in Rwanda

African nations try to bring in eco-tourists

African nations are hoping to boost their economies by attracting the ecologically curious, following the example of nations like Costa Rica, which thrives on ecotourism. The island nation of Madagascar has boosted protection of forests and wetlands and boasts biodiversity rivaled only by the rainforests of Brazil. Other countries rebranding are Rwanda, famed for gorillas, and Equatorial Guinea, which would rather be known for biodiversity than oil, coups, and corruption. It signed a preliminary agreement in April with Conservation International to protect over a million acres of rainforest -- bringing the total protected area in the country to 37 percent of its territory, the highest of any African nation. Besides the obvious job-creating benefit of ecotourism, the head of Conservation International's Central Africa program says, "There is a sense that a country that takes care of its environment is a good country to invest in." Is the environment vs. economy myth dead yet?