Tuesday, 17 Apr 2007

Buzz Light Year

Could cell phones be the culprit in honeybee disappearance?

Apiarists in the U.S. and Europe have been scratching their heads for months over rapidly waning honeybee populations. Now some scientists who have combed through the data are all abuzz with a new theory: cell phones. In bad news to mobile-attached ears, British researchers are suggesting that phone radiation could be disrupting bees' navigation systems. Research has shown that bees act differently around power lines, and a recent study found that up to 70 percent of the little stingers failed to return to hives that contained cordless-phone docking units. The implications, of course, go beyond bee welfare; Albert Einstein -- if not a bee expert, a relatively smart guy -- once said that in the absence of the busy crop pollinators, humans "would have only four years of life left." Ooh, that stings. Other theories for the bees' departure have included mites, pesticides, global warming, and genetically modified crops, but so far, none has been definitively proved.


Robert Redford's new block of eco-focused TV programming is called "The Green" -- but we won't hold that against him. When you're a big-name movie star and director, tireless environmental advocate, and everlasting possessor of rugged good looks, who has time to think of creative titles? Redford did make time to sit down with Grist's Amanda Griscom Little last week, chatting about eco-innovators, the fight against apathy, and how everything Bush touches turns to ... well, not gold. Tune in -- first to the interview, then to the debut of "The Green," tonight at 9:00 p.m. on the Sundance Channel.

Oh, It's Unparalleled All Right

U.S. claims emissions-reduction success, U.N. Security Council debates climate

Today, for the first time ever, the U.N. Security Council will take up the topic of climate change and world security. "The security implications of climate changes are bigger than we thought even two or three years ago," says John Ashton, a climate lobbyist who pushed for the debate. "If there is no action, there will be no winners. All will be losers." Oh hey, and speaking of losers: according to U.S. EPA chief Stephen Johnson, the Bush administration's "unparalleled financial, international, and domestic commitment to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions is delivering real results." His evidence? Emissions rose nearly 1 percent in 2005. "Things have come to a pretty sad state of affairs when the EPA tries to spin increased greenhouse-gas emissions as a victory," says Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. In slightly less-sad climate news, a new study says Kilimanjaro's doomed glaciers will linger years longer than previously predicted. Somewhere Stephen Johnson is pumping his fist.


It's easy, when you live in a city, to lose sight of the natural world. Spindly trees and a hazy sky aren't the most inspiring features, and getting out of town isn't a realistic option for everyone. So what to do? Seattle residents have a new escape right downtown: the Olympic Sculpture Park, a mix of public art and gathering place that is opening urbanites' eyes. City slicker Sarah van Schagen explores the park and her own connections to the land, and explains where else this type of project is taking root across the U.S.

You Can Green It. They Can Help.

Home Depot, Conoco make big eco-announcements

Big news from big companies: Conoco is entering the biofuels biz, and Home Depot is launching a green-labeling program that could become the largest in the U.S. First, the fuel: partnering with meat giant Tyson Foods, Conoco will make biodiesel from animal fat. The companies hope to introduce the fuel in the Midwest later this year, aiming to churn out 175 million gallons annually within a few years. "That doesn't sound like much, but it's very significant," says Conoco CEO Jim Mulva. "In a tight market, every incremental increase helps improve supply availability and reduces retail-price pressure." Meanwhile, DIY paradise Home Depot will paste an "Eco Options" label on nearly 3,000 greener products at its sprawling stores, a total that could grow to 6,000 products by 2009. "People hear about the environment ... but at the end of the day they don't know what to do," says Ron Jarvis, VP of environmental innovation. "We see educating the consumer as being the highest impact of this process."