The Navajo Nation is a Native American reservation that lies on a tract of land that is spread throughout Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. In total, the nation takes up 71,000 square kilometers (27,413 sq mi) and has a population of around 174,000 based on 2010 census data. The area also contains something toxic: 500 …
Continue reading “Environmental Injustice: A History of Uranium Mining on the Navajo Reservation”
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Park Service (NPS) are widely known as the government agencies that (mis)manage our nation’s natural resources. However, there are many more agencies that are in charge of certain ecosystems, or whose actions have an undue influence on the country’s natural habitat. The United States …
Continue reading “Brief History of the United States Forest Service”
More than 2 months ago, on 3 February, the town of East Palestine Ohio experienced a serious train derailment. Fifty cars derailed in this town, some of which contained the carcinogen vinyl chloride. A large area around the derailment was evacuated, and the toxic chemicals were burned off by railroad safety crews. Throughout the ordeal, …
Continue reading “Aftermath of Ohio Chemical Spill Continues: 7 CDC Workers Fall Ill”
Last week, I mentioned that Norfolk Southern, the railway that operated the train that derailed and contaminated an Ohio town with vinyl chloride, had set up a $1 million fund for the victims of this disaster. That amount is a pittance compared to the amount the company has spent on stock buybacks and CEO pensions. …
Continue reading “Disgraceful Situation in East Palestine, Ohio Continues”
As of 2021, only around 3% of the net energy produced within the state of Maine comes from solar energy. About half of the state’s energy comes from hydropower and wind power. According to a 2016 US Department of Energy study, solar panels could potentially provide 60% of the state’s electricity needs. Construction on Maine’s …
Right now, solar power is the main way that renewable energy is produce in a decentralized manner. Rooftop solar panels are not an uncommon sight in many countries across the world, but a new technology for decentralized wind power may soon by joining those panels. In collaboration with researchers from Texas Tech University, the company …
Continue reading “New Bladeless Rooftop Device Generates Energy from Wind”
Globally, food companies spend billions of dollars each year on advertising, and they don’t expend this cash just for the sake of it. The ads from these companies are meant to shape people’s desires for and perceptions of various types of food. Children in particular may be especially sensitive to food advertising, since they are …
Continue reading “Reflections on the World’s First City to Ban Meat Advertising”
The past few decades have seen the closure of many local news operations across the US. Political science studies suggest that the loss of local news outlets results in more polarization amid the local population as well as reliance on less reliable sources of news. Sometimes, the dearth of local news does not remain. Sometimes, …
Continue reading “Chevron Starts News Site in Texas News Desert: The Third Level of Power at Work”
One of the major challenges of creating a 100% renewable energy grid is finding cost-effective ways to store excess energy in a variety of environments. That is not to say that current methods do not exist. For instance, we can use excess energy to pump water uphill and then release it when demand is higher. …
We usually don’t think about it, but trees can have astounding lifespans. Giant sequoias, for instance, the tallest trees in the world, can live for 3,000 years, and many of the entries in the list of oldest trees in the world are sequoias. Until recently, the oldest tree on Earth was Methuselah, a bristlecone pine …
Continue reading “New Contender for World’s Oldest Tree Found in Chile”
Green Humanist 