A report released today shows that 39 coal ash dump sites in 21 states have spewed arsenic, lead and other heavy metals into ground and surface water.
The coal ash dump sites are either polluting groundwater or draining into rivers, according to the study by the Environmental Integrity Project with support from Sierra Club and Earthjustice.
Tags: · "In Harm's Way" report, coal ash contaminants, coal ash dumps, coal industry, Earthjustice, polluted water, Sierra Club
By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now
Not so long ago, Mr. Clean and company were considered the good guys, the go-to-gang for a deep house cleaning. But in the past several years, alarms have been sounding about chemicals used in conventional household products.
Be they phosphates, sulfates, bleach, ammonia or phenols, certain ingredients are causing strong concerns among consumer-protection groups, federal and state governments, and even a few manufacturers. Conventional wisdom now asserts that many household cleaners contain compounds that pose environmental risks and can lead to health conditions such as asthma and nerve damage, even cancer. (See our GRN guide below)
Tags: · Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, biodegradable household products, Design for the Environment, Earthjustice, eco-friendly cleaners, environmentally friendly cleaners, EPA, Green Cleaners, Green Seal, green the household, household cleaners, lawsuit over cleaner disclosure, Non-Toxic Cleaners, non-toxic home, non-toxic household products, SC Johnson, Simple Green
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Now that you’ve worn off the magnetic strip on the credit card buying presents for everyone, gotten the letter that your health insurance premiums are doubling and your job is being “redefined,” it’s time to think about those year-end donations. Sigh.
While environmental groups will likely have an easier time on Capitol Hill next year talking policy with a new Administration that sees global warming as a real threat, they paradoxically could be facing headwinds with donors.
Consider first that some of their large contributors may have been dragged down in the Bernard Madoff securities/Ponzi scheme, which savaged many charitable foundations. While the extent of that damage is being assessed, it’s safe to assume that even nonprofits that escaped that five-alarm fire, have been singed by the economic meltdown.
Tags: · BarbaraKesslerBlog, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Working Group, Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nature Canada, The Nature Conservancy
Update: The photo exhibit Irreplaceable is on display at the San Francisco Public Library gallery through the holidays. It heads to Los Angeles, to the G2 Gallery in Venice, for the month of January. It will move to Washington D.C. in the spring; the dates will be announced.
Polar bears, penguins and caribou are all facing an uncertain future as global warming melts their arctic climates.
Photo: Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski
If only they were the only species at risk. Tragically, these arctic animals have many cousins in similar straits in lower latitudes: From the American Crocodile to the Monarch Butterfly; the Green Sea Turtle to the Mountain Goat; the Grizzly Bear, Lynx, Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Sugar Maple and Northern Flying Squirrel. An array of amazing mammals and marine life, as well as plants, is imperiled by climate change.
The effects are being observed already, as populations dwindle, critical habitat becomes inhospitable and breeding or wintering grounds warm.
More from GRN
Tags: · Art, Climate Change, Earthjustice, Endangered animals, habitat loss, Irreplaceable, Photography, Wildlife
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift