May 17th, 2010

Lovers of California’s picturesque Lake Tahoe long have lamented development’s effect on the lake’s legendary deep blue water and high transparency. Now, a study by Miami University’s Global Change Limnology Laboratory suggests that the change may be a threat to native fish species, too.

According to the group, maintaining high ultraviolet (UV) transparency may be the key to reducing invasion of warm-water fish, such as bluegill. The study, led by Andrew Tucker, doctoral student in zoology at Miami, is published in the March issue of the journal Ecology.

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April 6th, 2010

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Oil is running out. Clean water sources are dwindling. Next thing you know the very ground beneath our feet will be in jeopardy.

Get ready to worry. It is.

Dirt! The Movie warns us to tread more lightly

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March 3rd, 2010

By Harriet Blake
Green Right Now

In Durham, N.C., homes will get an energy retrofit. In Salt Lake City, they’ll develop a plan to reduce auto pollution. In Sacramento, they’ll be improving the landscape around a river to reduce pollution runoff. And in Denver, they’ll be looking at a little bit of all that — energy efficiency for homes and businesses, bike sharing and renewable energy.

It’s all being made possible by $10 million from the EPA’s Climate Showcase Community Grants, set up to help communities develop their plans to reduce greenhouse gases and lighten their carbon footprint.

Durham, N.C.

Retrofiting by insulating pipes in Durham, N.C.

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September 8th, 2008

By John DeFore

The green roof concept — in which some form of plant is grown atop a building — is spreading in multiple directions in the States. Not just the realm of futurists (though we love this idea) or extravagant fashionistas (see some lovely examples here), the field is drawing interest from homeowners and corporations with a range of motivations.

Now a study by the University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has quantified some of the issues motivating folks to put plants on the roof and found that the benefits are substantial, although results can vary widely depending on how the roof is composed and installed.

At the Wildflower Center, a team led by ecologist Dr. Mark Simmons studied roofs made by six different manufacturers with an eye toward helping the fledgling industry make better performing products. “Just having a green roof may not mean anything in terms of preventing water from reaching the street level, for instance,” Simmons has said. “Green roofs have to be done right, and our hope is to help manufacturers understand how to improve their designs.”

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August 11th, 2008

By Barbara Kessler

Before dunking yourself in the ocean for a last summer hurrah, you may want to check out the NRDC’s latest report on the state of the nation’s beaches. It found that the number of closings and advisory days along U.S. freshwater and ocean coasts was at the second highest level in 18 years of tracking, mainly due to increased pollution along the Mid-Atlantic region and Great Lakes waters.

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