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ECONOMIST, n. a scoundrel whose faulty vision sees things as they really are, not as they ought to be.—after Ambrose Bierce Dams are often touted as engines of economic development, able to markedly reduce poverty. Irrigation made possible by dams, for example, is said to increase agricultural productivity and thus per capita income. But itContinue reading “Dams:”

PERC Reports offers optimism and encouragement to climate change doomsayers. PERC advocates free market solutions for environmental problems, finding solutions where others find only frustration. The current issue (Fall 2007) uncovers a reason for faith in capitalism, the system that PERC fellow Brian Yablonski argues has fostered the reemergence of the American bison through ranchingContinue reading “Opinions”

  Up in Smoke   “A problem that the Forest Service created—excess fuels—prevents appropriate burning, and so the problem grows. It is one of the great paradoxes of fire suppression that the more effective we are at fire suppression, the more fuels accumulate and the more intense the next fire will be.” —USDA Forest ServiceContinue reading “Impressions”

All around Montana, broken beer and wine bottles are showing up on roads and walkways. Admittedly, these are not the sharp, jagged pieces normally associated with broken glass, but rather the pulverized variety giving the glass both the consistency and appearance of gravel with the added attraction of multicolors. A crusher turns the glass intoContinue reading “Montana Under Glass”

If you have ever purchased an item at Target or Wal-Mart, taken it home, and then literally wrestled it to the floor trying to free it from its packaging, then this bit of news is for you. Reuters reports a growing demand in the United States for smaller and greener packaging. Hopefully, this trend willContinue reading “Less is more when it comes to packaging”

A five-story building in southern Athens is being hailed as possibly the most energy-efficient building in the world. Considering the public’s growing interest in green building, this structure could provide valuable lessons. It combines several types of energy-saving technologies, uses no fossil fuel, and produces zero emissions. In addition, it meets 95 percent of itsContinue reading “Simmering Mediterranean keeps it cool”

Normally, when a home or commercial building needs to be torn down, the owners call in the muscle—heavy equipment such as a trackhoe (backhoe on tracks) for the general bashing, and trucks to carry the debris to the dump. Now there is an alternative—one that could be more cost effective while saving landscaping from beingContinue reading “From Demolition to Deconstruction”