Not since Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D. has the American West been so dry. A recent study in Nature Climate Change found the period 2000 to 2021 was the driest 22 years in more than a millennium, attributing a fifth of that anomaly to human-caused climate change. The megadrought has meant more fires, reduced agricultural productivity, […]
What are five areas for quick changes in your carbon and environmental footprints? In this Earth911 Quiz, test your knowledge about the recyclability and impact of five common American products and habits. Making smart sustainable choices requires practice. Earth911’s weekly sustainability quiz helps you hone your ability to recognize earth-friendly products and services. Through your daily choices — from transportation […]
There is a growing global e-waste issue as more and more people own an increasingly large array of devices. To help put the scale of the problem in perspective, consider that there are an estimated 6.4 billion smartphones in the world. Then, think about how frequently people in more affluent countries upgrade their phones. From a waste management standpoint, the […]
The United Nations has adopted an historic resolution laying the groundwork for a legally binding agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution. “Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic. With today’s resolution we are officially on track for a cure,” said Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s minister for climate and the environment and president of the UN Environment Assembly meeting this week […]
Released annually by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the GreenerCars ratings for 2022 are now available. While it might surprise you to learn that the highest-ranking (“greenest”) vehicle this year is a plug-in hybrid instead of an all-electric car, it’s probably no surprise that the lowest-ranking (“meanest”) vehicle is a full-size, gas-powered SUV. ACEEE evaluated more than […]
Wake Smith, author of Pandora’s Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention, shares his assessment of the climate response and the strategies and technologies that can be used to end CO2 emissions and restore the planet to pre-industrial climate conditions. He is a lecturer on climate interventions at Yale and a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business […]
Mom used to make the most fantastic pizza for birthdays and holidays in this old beat-up flat pan. I have so many memories of wonderful festive meals that are attached to this old pizza pan. It taught me to share years later. When Mom passed, my brother Dominick, who was an excellent cook, inherited the pan along with other bulky […]
I don’t think I was bad at making donations to environmental charities, but it did feel like something was lacking. I built PennyLoafer to help fill this gap. Despite our best intentions, a lot of things get in the way of our charitable giving. Maybe we don’t know where to start, or we don’t have time to do the research. […]
Looking for greener cleaning products? Be sure to avoid these ingredients commonly found in household cleaners: formaldehyde, chloroform, 1,4-dioxane, and fragrance. Why? Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and chloroform and 1,4-dioxane are suspected carcinogens. A single fragrance can contain hundreds of different ingredients, including toxic and hazardous volatile organic compounds. Manufacturers aren’t required to list the ingredients that make up […]
In August 2020, inside the cupping room of a London roastery, a team of botanists and baristas gathered to taste a coffee species that most believed had been lost forever. It was an important moment. Coffee experts had spent years searching in West Africa for the few remaining trees of this species, even issuing “wanted posters” to farmers asking if […]