October 9, 2009
Longer nights, hollowed out gourds, random celebrities showing up at your doorstep demanding candy—yes, Halloween is upon us again. As a celebration (or contest) of creativity,...
October 9, 2009
Multi-story urban farms may feed city dwellers in the years to come. Rob Goodier interviews Dickson Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University, on the...
Comments 
:
0
:
0
October 9, 2009
New Yorkers share the boroughs with black bears, hawks, newts and other wildlife. Rob Goodier interviews biologists and citizen scientists engaged in studying species in urban...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 7, 2009
If your clothes washer still works, it may seem cost-effective to put off an upgrade. But your old machine may be hiking your water and electric bills without your even knowing...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 7, 2009
With faster and flashier computers coming out all the time, our desktops and laptops can seem outdated pretty quickly. So when they start to give us trouble, the decision to chuck...
October 6, 2009
Any halfway busy home chef requires a good array of saucepans, soup kettles and other cookware of all sizes. Even if you’re only cooking eggs and beans, you want to be sure they...
October 4, 2009
Much of the haze that once blanketed our cities has cleared since the 1970s, thanks to tough environmental laws. But air pollution, including the kind you can't see, still poses...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
A 2009 study by the Associated Press found contaminants in the water of schools in all 50 states. To parents familiar with school districts' efforts to erradicate asbestos, lead...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
Want to know which bottles contain bisphenol A or whether you can reuse your PET water bottle? Read on to find the answers to our readers' most commonly asked questions.
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
With the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen coming up in December, the shift from internal combustion engines to electric couldn't come too soon. And the news...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
The average American homeowner spends over $1000 a year to heat and cool their homes. And that doesn't include the cost for repairs and new appliances. So when the system breaks...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
Your 10-year-old clothes dryer has broken down again. It’s cheap enough to fix, but should you just replace it? Probably not, and here’s why:
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
When your dishwasher is busted, the logical thing to do would be to call a repairman and get it fixed. You can't just run out and buy new appliances the second they break down....
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
Considering that we have our refrigerators cooling our food around the clock, it’s a wonder they don’t need to be repaired more often. But when yours does falter, rather than...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
After the third cold shower of the week, it's clear that the water heater needs attention. How do you know if you should pay a repairman to patch up the problem or if it's time...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 4, 2009
Maybe you feel you waste too much time on video games, but it's your wallet you should be worried about. Two years ago, the NRDC commissioned a study on video game consoles that...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
Every day, more than 2 million California adolescents (62 percent) drink soda and 1.4 million (43 percent) eat fast food, but only 38 percent eat five or more servings of fruits...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
The Lunch Lady, Anne Cooper, was on The Daily Show the other night defending Michelle Obama for putting in a vegetable garden at the White House. Yes, you read it right; she...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
An air conditioner is the kind of thing that you don’t get around to purchasing until you really need it. But the wrong model could end up costing you too much in energy bills...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
Lately there have been some much-deserved attacks on the livestock industry. The widely released and highly influential movie Food, Inc. exposed the corporate control and...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
It’s embarrassing to consider how much gas we generate. Our cars, homes and lawnmowers spew out heat-trapping gases on a daily basis. But since carbon dioxide (CO2) is invisible,...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
Photo credit: Beverly Pete
On the blustery December morning I had set aside to preview the new high-tech, digitally enhanced smart grid coming soon to Boulder, Colorado, the...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 30, 2009
Spending one day a week working from home saves you time and money—and shrinks your carbon footprint.
Comments :
0
:
0
September 29, 2009
While there may be signs we’re not hurtling toward a depression, job loss continues at a disturbing pace and the economy remains a mess. But lean times offer interesting...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 29, 2009
After more than a decade of blockbuster growth, U.S. bottled water sales dropped 6% this past year. Why? Because environmentally-minded consumers, urged on by their Mayors (in...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 29, 2009
There is a new fruit stand on the corner near my home. I think it’s terrific, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong there. The cart appeared on the day the New York Times...
September 29, 2009
It’s been endlessly debated, does recycling make economic sense? In New York City, back in 2002, Mayor Bloomberg proposed cuts to the city’s recycling budget, raising questions...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 29, 2009
Goats eat anything. Sheep, cows and horses aren’t bad either. And they’re low impact. Which is why this summer the Maryland State Highway Administration is renting a herd of...
September 29, 2009
Prenatal exposure to combustion byproducts lowers children’s IQ, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 28, 2009
Looking for reasons beyond energy conservation and lower utility bills to make your home more efficient? Look no farther than line 46 of your income tax form.
Comments :
0
:
0
September 25, 2009
Few of us give much thought to the thyroid gland. This butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck keeps us feeling energetic and keeps our metabolism humming smoothly. The...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 25, 2009
In the 1970s about 40 percent of our nation's children, myself included, walked or biked to school. Part of my route didn't have a sidewalk. The crosswalk was located just below...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 25, 2009
Can global warming change your life? If you are an allergy sufferer, it probably already has.
Comments :
0
:
0
September 17, 2009
Eating fish is a smart choice. It's a lean protein with great health benefits. But sometimes fish can be bad for you, and sometimes it's bad for the environment. Seafood can be...
sustainable-seafood, seafood, over-harvested, oceans, mercury, marine-stewardship-council, local, fish
Comments :
0
:
0
September 16, 2009
Photo credit: seththerabbit/Flickr
While it is true the United States has some of the best drinking water in the world, a disturbing new report conducted by the New York Times...
water-filter, water, volatile, pesticides, organic chemicals, minerals, heavy metals, health, drinking water, contamination, bacteria, atrazine
Comments :
0
:
0
September 16, 2009
"How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used," writes Wendell Berry in What are People For? You want to eat right, and to feed your family foods that are...
September 10, 2009
While we’ve been enjoying summer in the Northern Hemisphere, flu season has been raging in the Southern, and in that time “swine flu” (or the H1N1 flu strain) has become...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 1, 2009
Summer is the season for good times and the open road, but unfortunately it is often accompanied by a trail of fast-food wrappers and carbon emissions. To design a healthy road...
August 31, 2009
Photo credit: ewanr/Flickr
Humans can't eat grass, but the meat we eat should come from animals that did. If you are going to eat meat, getting it from grass-fed animals may...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 28, 2009
The west branch of the Nishnabotna River runs within four miles of Ron Rosmann's farm and pastureland, so he was dismayed when he saw it on a list of dozens of watersheds...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 27, 2009
Photo credit: Julien Hery/Flickr
Being able to walk and bike safely and conveniently in your city means more than just a pleasant way for you to get around. It also indicates what...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 14, 2009
Desde la infancia se nos dice que debemos beber al menos ocho vasos de agua diarios. Lamentablemente más y más estadounidenses beben los ocho vasos de agua de las botellas de plá...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 14, 2009
From childhood we’re told to drink at least eight glasses of water each day. Unfortunately, more and more Americans drink those eight glasses out of plastic bottles—a convenience...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 11, 2009
SPANISH This is an article about Eating Well. Notice that the Food -> Eating Well path is selected in the primary navigation. Fusce rutrum dignissim dui. Donec urna...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 11, 2009
This is an article about Eating Well. Notice that the Food -> Eating Well path is selected in the primary navigation. Fusce rutrum dignissim dui. Donec urna sem,...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 7, 2009
Planning a vacation can be a delicate subject if you’re trying to keep your carbon footprint small. You may have ideas for a destination with environmentally sensitive lodging...
August 4, 2009
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, man-made chemicals collect in our bodies, leading pregnant women to worry about what may be reaching their...
Comments :
0
:
0
August 4, 2009
Las sustancias químicas fabricadas por el hombre se han almacenado en nuestro cuerpo, según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de enfermedades, lo cual preocupa a las...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 28, 2009
Not only does every coastal state suffer from polluted and contaminated beaches but those problems resulted in more than 20,000 closing and swimming advisory days in 2008 alone—...
July 16, 2009
Whatever plans we have when we're young, the world often has its own plans for us. In these ongoing tough economic times, the fight against air pollution and global warming has...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 13, 2009
Did you know that farms and food processors are inspected on average only once every 10 years? No wonder there are so many instances of food contamination in the United States,...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 9, 2009
Some 200 species of mosquitoes inhabit the United States, and in hot, damp weather they thrive. Mosquito-borne West Nile virus was bad enough, but pesticide spraying...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 8, 2009
We clean our kitchens and bathrooms constantly—as we should—but that doesn't mean we have to expose ourselves to lung irritants like ammonia and chlorine bleach or the hormone-...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 6, 2009
Photo Credit: Miles Barger / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Green travel isn't only about the journey—it's about the destination, too. Here are seven great picks, selected for sustainable...
Comments :
0
:
0
July 1, 2009
About 76 to 80 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the United States annually, most as a result of eating contaminated meat. But there’s no need to char your burgers into...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 25, 2009
When the conversation turns to cap and trade, is your first thought “Oh, that will never work, it’s too complicated"? True, the concept can be harder to get one’s arms around...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 23, 2009
Cuando decidí unirme al siglo 21 y compre un nuevo iPhone la lista de motivos para hacer la compra, la encabezó el atractivo de la iAPP (tal vez excusas). Y entre el montón...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 23, 2009
When I decided to join the 21st century and pick up a new iPhone, it was the lure of the iApp that topped my list of reasons (if not excuses) to make the purchase. And among...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 22, 2009
In the early part of the 20th century, rivers in industrial cities, laden with raw sewage and oil-soaked debris, would catch fire a lot, and nobody would give them much mind. But...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 22, 2009
“Once you’ve tried fresh tomatoes, you’ll never go back,” Bing Wright tells me. A neighbor of mine in the Catskill Mountains, where frost in May and September is not...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 11, 2009
Wondering where all the seats at Yankee stadium went after the demolition? Into aluminum foil, quite possibly! While it seems like something they could have done years ago, given...
June 9, 2009
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Mount Sinai Children’s Medical Health Center have found that newborn girls whose mothers have high levels of phthalates from...
Comments :
0
:
0
June 8, 2009
Tempted to play hooky and go for a swim with the kids? Before you bodysurf on the swells, be sure you and your family will be as healthy when you leave as when you arrived.
Comments :
0
:
0
June 2, 2009
Photo credit: Sifu Renka/Flickr
It may be hard to believe, but the quickest, cheapest, greenest and best-for-you meals are the ones you make yourself from fresh, whole ingredients...
Comments :
0
:
0
May 28, 2009
Few companies are taking any action to address concerns regarding hormone-disrupting BPA, according to a recent study of 20 leading publicly-traded packaged food companies...
Comments :
0
:
0
May 16, 2009
Your health and safety are in your own hands—it’s a truism, but one that some in the packaged food industry are too ready to promote. According to The New York Times, ConAgra,...
Comments :
0
:
0
May 7, 2009
We've made progress in fighting air pollution, but as the American Lung Association's State of the Air Report makes clear, our smog problem isn't going away. Given that air...
Comments :
0
:
0
April 3, 2009
I read about plastic shower curtains and the "new shower curtain smell" we all know. It said that the smell comes from un healthy chemicals that are intrinsic to the...
Comments :
0
:
0
April 3, 2009
President Hoover, campaigning in the 1920’s, promised Americans “a chicken in every pot.” This wistful dream of 80 years ago is an abundant reality to most American families....
Comments :
0
:
0
March 26, 2009
I have heard that there are good phthalates and bad ones, and that a lot of the perfume industry uses the good one, but the public thinks they use the bad ones. What is...
Comments :
0
:
0
March 18, 2009
There are some things it's hard to get around to doing — even when they're making a "drip, drip" noise. Celebrate "Fix a Leak" week by checking your faucets, showers and toilets...
Comments :
0
:
0
March 18, 2009
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a hormone-disrupting chemical that in animal studies has been associated with reproductive abnormalities such as lower sperm counts, hormonal changes,...
Comments :
0
:
0
January 19, 2009
Flea and tick treatments may contain toxic chemicals that can poison pets and harm people. Even when applied as instructed on the box, these chemicals are not safe, either for...
January 14, 2009
Compact fluorescent light bulbs aren't the only option for conscientious, energy-efficient lighting. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are small and incredibly durable. They last...
December 10, 2008
If you've sat through a baby shower recently, the thought of making yours green may sound appealing—impossible, but appealing. Traditionally, the baby shower is a well-meant...
December 4, 2008
Photo credit: will hybrid/Flickr
Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are a class of chemicals found in many consumer products—from cosmetics to children's toys and baby products....
Comments :
0
:
0
October 15, 2008
Your pet can't tolerate fleas and ticks and neither can you, but the wrong cure is worse can be worse than the problem. Flea and tick treatments may contain toxic chemicals that...
September 17, 2008
Wash by hand or with the dishwasher? Spouses and roommates have long divided over the question of which wastes more water and electricity. And it's just complex enough to make...
September 8, 2008
Photo credit: russelljsmith / CC BY 2.0
Getting enough exercise is vital for childrens' health. But kids at play may be exposed to a host of herbicides sprayed on lawns and...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 3, 2008
If your child is one of the 23 million kids who ride the bus to school every day, be advised: her bus probaby has a diesel engine and the exhaust from that engine contains...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 1, 2008
Here's what the other books won't tell you: baby's got quite a chemical load to bear.
Comments :
0
:
0
August 27, 2008
Arsenic is a deadly poison, so what's it doing at the playground? Since the 1970s, wood injected with arsenic has been hammered into outdoor decks, benches, picnic tables and...
Comments :
0
:
0
March 26, 2008
Microwaves don't blast you with dangerous radiation when in use, however, that doesn't mean that they pose no problems for cooking or heating food.
Comments :
0
:
0
February 5, 2008
A white mustache may not be all that lingers when your child drinks a glass of milk, though the chemicals that have been found in milk fat are not so cute - PCBs, dioxins and DDE...
January 23, 2008
Photo credit: Pedro Moura/Flickr
Mercury pollution can be a serious health threat, especially for children and pregnant women. There is a little bit of mercury in a number of...
January 16, 2008
Scientists have shown that children age 5 and under ingest an average of eight pesticides each day, as trace residues in and on the healthy fruits and vegetables we are eager for...
Comments :
0
:
0
November 8, 2007
Photo credit: Hawaii/Flickr
The refrigerator is often the most power hungry appliance in many homes, accounting for 10 to 15 percent of the average home energy bill each...
October 29, 2007
If you're packing your child's lunches in a soft vinyl lunch box, you'd be wise to check for lead. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin that is particularly harmful to a young child's...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 9, 2007
Tap water is more carefully regulated than bottled water, but it isn't free of contaminants. So what does that plastic water pitcher filter out? Most countertop and...
Comments :
0
:
0
October 2, 2007
Toss the bottled water and filter your own. Tap water is more carefully regulated than bottled water but isn't free of contaminants. So what does that plastic water pitcher filter...
Comments :
0
:
0
September 18, 2007
Could the floral scent of your air freshener contain toxic chemicals known to cause birth defects? NRDC recently tested 14 air fresheners and found that 12 contained phthalates (...
Comments :
0
:
0
