This week, from September 19-25, marks the 20th anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. The old way of doing things was to let companies pollute, and then pay a fortune to try to clean it up. This act states that it is a national policy of the United States to prevent pollution at…

The Prius has been the top selling hybrid automobile of all time. Toyota is taking the success of the Prius and expanding their clout in the green vehicles market. By the end of 2012, the Japan-based automaker is set to introduce six new hybrid models, two of which will be in the Lexus luxury brand,…

You’ve been tossing and turning all night. Rolling over, the clock says 2:30 am. Instead of reaching for the bottle of Nyquil, or something even stronger, researchers from Northwestern University (NWU) have a much healthier alternative to falling asleep – aerobic exercise. Regular cardiovascular exercise can improve the quality of sleep, overall mood and vitality…

Tigers, like most big cats of the world, are in retreat. In the past, tigers were found all throughout Asia, from the Caspian Sea to Siberia and Indonesia. Now they occupy only six percent of their former range. In the last decade alone, tiger-occupied area has decreased by 41 percent. Despite decades of conservation initiatives,…

As September begins to bring cooler temperatures, Americans can look back objectively at the past summer (June-August). The above average temperatures in the contiguous states combined to make it the fourth warmest ever. Only seven of the lower 48 states had normal temperatures, and 29 were much above normal. This news is detailed in the…

A toxin produced by a type of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, has been devastating a colony of sea otters off the coast of California. In a paper published in the journal, PLoS ONE, by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz, researchers link the…

There is widespread knowledge of airborne creatures taking to the water. Everybody knows about ducks and geese, penguins, and seabirds that dive for their prey. But, there is scant attention for the seaborne creatures that take to the air. Flying fish really do fly. A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology takes…

The Potomac, which runs through the heart of the United States Capital, has suffered centuries of environmental degradation. Water quality has declined steadily as more humans have populated its watershed. However, according to new research, the river is beginning to benefit from restoration efforts that have improved water clarity and reduced nutrient overload. The result…

Modeling for climate change is an extremely complex process because Earth’s climate is so complex. It is an interrelated system that involves the atmosphere, biosphere, land, and oceans. A change in one can cause a chain reaction in all the others. By studying ancient climate change patterns, scientists are better able to predict what might…

Every state government has their own agency for the protection of the environment which they operate in conjunction with federal laws and statutes. When those state laws do not match up with their federal counterparts, the potential for conflicts increase. A recent example of this is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) clean-air permitting…