To many of us, straw is nothing more than brown stubble left behind after the harvest. Once considered an agricultural waste product, straw is the basis of a cost-effective and energy-efficient building material, providing an alternative to expensive lumber. In Perrytown, Texas, on the high plains of the panhandle, Cindy Thyfault of Stramit USA isContinue reading “Straw Houses Withstand Huffs And Puffs”
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Ancient Apples
Duchess of Oldenburg, Maiden’s Blush, Esopus Spitzenberg, and Black Gilliflower. These are not exactly household names for those of us on the threshold of the 21st century, but they were as familiar to early American settlers as Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious are to us today. These ancient strains have all but disappeared from commercialContinue reading “Ancient Apples”
Ashes to Concrete
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is more than an old adage to several American companies. It is the key to their financial success. These firms are recycling the ash from trash incinerators and coal-burning electric generating stations and giving it new life as a construction material. It can be used in concrete, cement,Continue reading “Ashes to Concrete”
Engineering Nature
When employees of a Toronto business complained of headaches, irritated eyes and lethargy, all symptoms of the increasingly common “sick building syndrome,” their CEO called in a biologist. Typically, the answer has been to hire a phalanx of engineers and drain the bank account in an effort to alleviate the problem. In this instance, however,Continue reading “Engineering Nature”
Urban Sprawl: Pro and Con
By Randall G. Holcombe The term “urban sprawl” has a bad ring to it. The name reinforces the view that metropolitan growth is ugly, inefficient, and the cause of traffic congestion and environmental harm. Before we decide we are against urban sprawl, however, we should be clear about what it is and why weContinue reading “Urban Sprawl: Pro and Con”
Prosperity and Environment
By Matthew Brown and Jane S. Shaw Deforestation, lack of safe drinking water, oppressive air pollution-these environmental ills are found frequently in Third World nations but rarely in developed ones. Even so, economic growth is still often portrayed as the cause of many (if not most) environmental problems. The economic literature has begun to addressContinue reading “Prosperity and Environment”
Guerillas Go Organic
After 35 years of civil war in Guatemala, peace has led to a surprising growth in organic farming. During the fighting, farmers abandoned their land allowing native plants to reclaim the cleared fields. As the land lay fallow, the pesticides gradually disappeared from the soil and wild herbs flourished. When the farmers returned, they discoveredContinue reading “Guerillas Go Organic”
Keeping It Clean
Marina owners Bill Reiser and Lisa Stowell know that running an environmentally friendly business is not only good for Chesapeake Bay, but good for their pocketbooks, too. With that in mind, they have shelled out some serious money to make sure their customers keep coming back. To keep the waters near their business clean, theyContinue reading “Keeping It Clean”
Forest – Saving Fashions
Native forests in New Zealand are being munched to death by millions of opossums. Introduced from Australia in the mid-1800s, the furry creatures have no natural predators in New Zealand. It is estimated that they are now 70 million strong and consume 20,000 tons of foliage every night. Although hunting and poison have been usedContinue reading “Forest – Saving Fashions”
Turtle Tourism
Along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, local people patrol 620 miles of beaches to protect five endangered species of sea turtle. By protecting the turtles, they are also protecting an important source of income based on ecotourism. One local man said, "Turtles have become a big part of my life. If I or any other fisherman seesContinue reading “Turtle Tourism”