Around 1970, the government began to go beyond enforcing society’s norms and began imposing intellectually generated ideals on society. As a graduate of Yale Law School in 1968, I was a part of this process. My contemporaries and I were instrumental in helping to launch the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the NaturalContinue reading “Legislating Ideals”
Author Archives: admin
Why I am an Organic Farmer
I was not born an organic farmer or raised or educated as one. One step at a time, however, I converted my farm from conventional agriculture to the completely different system known as organic farming. Organic farming has often been misunderstood and misrepresented, and it has been defined in many ways. Over the years theContinue reading “Why I am an Organic Farmer”
Environmental Education
In one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes vignettes, a dejected Calvin is standing at a booth in his yard where he is trying to sell swift kicks in the rear for a dollar. When Hobbes the tiger asks how business is going, a nonplused Calvin replies that it’s terrible, adding indignantly, “I don’tContinue reading “Environmental Education”
More Market Perspectives
Fort Peck Dinosaur Discoveries of McCone County, Montana, is trying to save debt-ridden ranchers by helping them harvest dinosaur bones. Tourists can hunt for bones on private land, accompanied by a guide, and will receive a finder’s fee for any specimens they manage to track down. Dinosaur Discoveries will sell the fossils and share halfContinue reading “More Market Perspectives”
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”
Wilderness By Reservation
Private wilderness playgrounds are the future for quality outdoor recreation. At least that is what William Altenberg, Jr., is betting on. In northern New Hampshire, he leases 24,000 acres of timberland from the International Paper Company and offers hiking, biking, kayaking, and backcountry skiing to paying customers. He is building lodges, yurts, and a 100-mileContinue reading “Wilderness By Reservation”
Recipe For Sludge
Sift it, bake it, and put it on the garden. That is basically how contaminated soil or sludge is cleaned and returned to use. The baking process causes the contaminants to vaporize leaving the soil clean enough for a variety of human uses. Soil Restoration and Recycling (SR2) is a Chattanooga, Tenn., company that isContinue reading “Recipe For Sludge”
Market for SO2 emissions
By Daniel K. Benjamin The results of the SO2 tradable emissions program are in– and the economists were right. Economists have long argued that tradable emissions permits are, in principle, superior to the command-and-control approach in reducing pollution. Traditional regulators have disagreed. The results of a pioneer trading program are now in, and they suggestContinue reading “Market for SO2 emissions”
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”