As the end of October approaches, it seems like an appropriate time to write about bats. As far back as the Celts celebrating Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”), people have associated bats with Halloween and the ceremonies and practices that preceded Halloween.
But we shouldn’t restrict our attention to bats to this time of year. Bats are an…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for passenger cars and light trucks. Just last month, EPA proposed changes to the existing emission standards. According to the EPA, the changes will produce significant reductions in GHG emissions and in other pollutants. These reductions will have notable public health and welfare…
In 1988 the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC has 195 member countries (all the countries in the world today). It serves as the UN’s body for assessing the available science on climate change. The…
It is not unusual that I read an article, an editorial or a letter to the editor about the seemingly exorbitant cost of public transportation, the constant operating deficit of the system and the need to raise ticket prices. It does not matter…
People have many areas to disagree about, and the environment and environmental protection are no exception. Recently the New York Times Nicholas Kristof wrote about one of these disputes and how it ended with the two sides, in a very unexpected way, sitting at a table together, eating and reaching a mutually agreeable solution.
The disagreement…
We waste a lot of food in this country and around the world. There is waste at every stage of food production, starting from when it is harvested, and ending with when we clear our plates at the end of a meal. Studies indicate that roughly 30 percent of all food grown, harvested, and distributed…
I was taught to wash my hands in warm water to get them clean i.e. to kill germs. It stands to reason then that I should wash everything in warm water to get it clean. When it comes to laundry though, that is not the case.
A recent announcement from Tide regarding the recommended water temperature…
Today we all know the importance of washing our hands to prevent spreading disease. If the ubiquitous signs every winter about washing your hands to prevent the spread of colds and flu have not reached you, certainly the admonition to wash your hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has.
What is not as clear though…
No doubt about it; it is winter in this region of the world. If you had any doubt because of some of the warm spells we had, the recent snowfall and four-foot-high piles of snow at every corner should have made it clear.
But just because it is cold out should not mean you are hunkering…
Many have written about, commented on and discussed with friends all the unusual, troubling, difficult and upsetting aspects of this past year. Often the increased importance of the outdoors and specifically outdoor spaces for eating, meeting friends and getting a moment’s peace is highlighted. This is no surprise, when for many the alternative became looking…
Thanksgiving Day started out rainy but then turned unseasonably warm. During a walk in the neighborhood we passed a tree and my younger son, who is eight years old, and I noticed there were buds on the tree. With little introduction, we started to have a conversation as if we were the tree.
“Oh my, I’m…
It may seem obvious to say that the seasons drive what actions we take in the garden, but it’s becoming more difficult to follow maxims like: plant garlic after the first frost or start spring plants indoors so many weeks before the last frost. This year is…
I trust everyone reading this column knows that there is a presidential election happening in less than four weeks. What you may not know is why this election matters to the environment. I am referring to how the president can have an impact on the environment in ways maybe less visible than pulling out of…
Living through a pandemic is scary. Not knowing when it will be over, whether the precautions you take will matter, what risks you’re taking sending your kids to school or getting on a bus or train or how to understand the conflicting information you read; it’s all confusing and distressing. Unfortunately we have allowed our…
In my last column I promised to focus on changes for the better to counter the number of negative changes the current administration has pursued in the environmental context. In the interim though, another black man, George Floyd, was callously killed by police, bringing the issue of racism in this country to the forefront again.…