• India to Build New Powerplant with Assistance from France

    Updated: 2010-11-30 06:32:02
    Last Sunday, the proposed 9,900-megawatt Jaitapur nuclear power plant in India received the go-ahead from the country’s Environment Ministry, provided that the project adheres to 35 conditions and safeguards. Initial planning was stalled by environmental controversy and financial considerations. Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, said he considered a multitudinous matters like economic growth, diversification of fuel [...]

  • Triclosan Linked to Increased Risk of Allergies, BPA Linked to Immune Problems

    Updated: 2010-11-30 04:01:49
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 30, 2010) Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study finds. Triclosan is a chemical compound widely used in products [...]

  • International Coalition Calls for Smart Definition of Nanotechnology

    Updated: 2010-11-29 04:01:10
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 29, 2010) A coalition of over 40 environmental organizations from 22 different countries are calling on the European Commission to ensure nanomaterials are adequately defined and regulated in the EU by rapidly adopting a “cautious and broad” definition. The groups hope that by defining nanomaterials, long-awaited regulation can finally be put in [...]

  • Patagonia Margot Dress is a Perfect Holiday Party Frock

    Updated: 2010-11-24 16:35:32
    Christmas is right around the corner (you’ve probably heard the Christmas carols for weeks now) and that means one thing for your wardrobe: Holiday party time. We’re big believers in finding one fabulous frock instead of stocking up on several “okay” garments, and if we had to pick just one for this holiday season, it would [...]

  • Brazil Presents a “Sweeter Alternative”

    Updated: 2010-11-24 14:25:58
    Brazil – a country which has done more than any other nation to replace oil with ethanol – is ready to ramp up production of its sugarcane-based fuel, a sweet solution it hopes to market around the world. Brazil has collected billions of dollars of new foreign investment and is on the cusp of a [...]

  • Be Merry This Holiday Season with an Organic Christmas Tree

    Updated: 2010-11-24 04:01:50
    (Beyond Pesticides, November, 24, 2010) ‘Tis the season to be merry, but how merry can it be if your Christmas tree is leaving not so pleasant presents under and on the tree? Toxic pesticides linked to numerous adverse human health effects are used on Christmas trees, with residues contaminating indoor air and surfaces. So for [...]

  • The Puzzle of Biological Diversity

    Updated: 2010-11-23 13:58:07
    Biologists have long thought that interactions between plants and pollinating insects hasten evolutionary changes and promote biological diversity. However, new findings show that some interactions between plants and pollinators are less likely to increase diversity than previously thought, and in some instances, reduce it........

  • Group Petitions EPA to Stop Sale of Nano-Copper Pesticides

    Updated: 2010-11-23 04:01:29
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 23, 2010) The International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) filed a legal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), calling on the agency to use its pesticide regulation authority to halt the sale of untested nano-copper wood preservative products. The letter is the second ICTA challenge in the past two years of [...]

  • Greenpeace says, “Facebook, Quit Coal!”

    Updated: 2010-11-22 15:07:11
    Vice President of marketing and sales at Verne Global, an Icelandic data center company, Lisa Rhodes recently said that: “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, data centers now account for 1.5 percent of all electricity consumption in the U.S. and by 2020, carbon emissions will have quadrupled to 680 million tons per year, which will [...]

  • UK Beekeepers End Sponsorship Deal with Pesticide Industry

    Updated: 2010-11-22 04:01:12
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 22, 2010) The British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) last week announced plans to end its controversial practice of endorsing pesticides for financial benefit from leading chemical manufacturers. The endorsement of four products as “bee-friendly” caused outrage among many beekeepers because one of the companies, Bayer Crop Science, makes pesticides like imidacloprid, an insecticide [...]

  • Congresswoman Urges FDA to Ban Triclosan

    Updated: 2010-11-19 04:01:10
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 19, 2010) House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise M. Slaughter and two colleagues asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban triclosan due to the hazards that this chemical poses, including antibiotic resistance and potentially leading to higher health care costs, citing both Beyond Pesticides and Food and Water Watch along [...]

  • Statoil on the Wind

    Updated: 2010-11-18 14:39:34
    Norway’s largest energy company, Statoil, plans to build a demonstration site to test their “floating” offshore wind turbines. The move is based upon the success of their 2.3-megawatt prototype, floating 10 kilometers offshore at Karmoy in Norway. Oistein Johannessen, the company’s spokesman, reports that their Norwegian prototype has been working “beyond expectations” 200 meters deep [...]

  • EPA Announces Expansion of Endocrine Disruptor Chemical Testing

    Updated: 2010-11-18 05:39:58
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2010) Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has identified a list of 134 chemicals that will be screened for their potential to disrupt the endocrine system, along with a draft of the policies and procedures that the agency will follow for testing. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that [...]

  • Agricultural Fungicides Contaminate Waters Downstream

    Updated: 2010-11-17 04:01:20
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 17, 2010) Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have found a dozen agricultural fungicides in the waters and sediments downstream of farms and orchards in western states. Presented November 8, 2010 at the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in Portland, Oregon, the findings represent the [...]

  • Here Comes Recycling Day

    Updated: 2010-11-16 14:58:08
    With America Recycles Day rolling in on Monday, now might be a good time to contemplate the impact of digital technology on waste. Try and visualize the obsolete cell phones, TVs, computers, modems, and tangle of wires sitting somewhere in your home; I would guess many have electronic stuff around collecting dust. The EPA estimates [...]

  • Prenatal Proximity to Certain Crops Linked to Reduced Head Circumference

    Updated: 2010-11-16 04:01:57
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 16, 2010) A French study published November 15, 2010 in the journal Environmental Health finds that pregnant women living in a municipality where peas or potatoes are grown have an increased risk of giving birth to an infant with a small head circumference. Head circumference also tends to be lower where wheat [...]

  • Triclosan in Waterways Harmful to Important Microorganisms

    Updated: 2010-11-15 04:01:12
    (Beyond Pesticides, November 15, 2010) A new study suggests the widespread use of the antimicrobial triclosan may be inhibiting the aquatic bacteria and algae needed for a healthy ecosystem. Triclosan is an antibacterial compound found in a wide variety of household products including soaps, cosmetics, toothpaste, flooring, textiles, and even children’s toys. According to the [...]

  • How to Keep it Green in a Country That Doesn’t Care

    Updated: 2010-11-11 15:33:08
    The federal government will be turning a cold shoulder to clean-air campaigning as more climate change deniers will find a new stage and microphone on the Hill. So what are some doing to fight back? Alden Wicker of the Huffington Post has an interesting scoop: while the federal government may be “hamstrung by man-made climate [...]

  • I Thought We Had a Promise: Tough Days Ahead for the EPA

    Updated: 2010-11-09 08:33:59
    “Cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way.” Said the American president at a news conference Wednesday – the day after Democrats lost control of the House. “I’m going to be looking for other means to address this problem.” But will he? It seems President Obama has no [...]

  • New insect birth control strategy

    Updated: 2010-11-08 18:44:47
    Using pests as part of an insect birth control program helps to get rid of them, UA scientists find. A new approach that combines the planting of pest-resistant cotton and releasing large numbers of sterile moths has virtually eliminated of the world's most destructive cotton pests from Arizona. The novel control strategy, reported in the Nov. 7 advance online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology, has allowed growers to maintain high cotton yields without spraying insecticides to control pink bollworm........

  • Israel Defense Forces Set an Impressive Ecological Example

    Updated: 2010-11-04 09:16:40
    According to the blog, TheCoolJew: “The IDF announced today the implementation of its new plan, “IDF Protects the Environment“, to the sum of one billion NIS, in which it will mend past damages and prevent future harm to Israel’s natural landscapes. The initial phase of the plan was marked by the opening of the IDF’s [...]

  • Pollinator Barbershop

    Updated: 2010-11-03 20:39:22
    Best line: “Don’t be a hater, I’m a pollinator.”  Filed under: Bees, Entomology, Gardening, Insects, Science Tagged: pollination

Current Feed Items | Previous Months Items

Oct 2010 | Sep 2010 | Aug 2010 | Jul 2010 | Jun 2010 | May 2010