This week has been a time to start thinking small. From soil microorganisms, to edible bugs, to our own personal biota, small is big. The New York Times has run two stories about little things in the last week. One, by the inimitable Michael Pollan, talks about how important microorganisms are to human health, and…
Thirteen years after AquaBounty first applied for approval of its genetically engineered (GE) AquAdvantage salmon, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is poised to finalize its environmental assessment (EA) with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and approve the application. Friday was the deadline to submit comments to the FDA. Despite over…
Piglets flung into the air. Calves repeatedly given electric shocks. Dead chickens left to rot in cages next to living ones. Abuses like this should certainly concern lawmakers, both because these practices are inhumane and because they can cause serious animal and human health problems. And many state legislatures are, in fact, taking action. It’s…
In Telluride, it’s still snowy (hurrah!), but here in Washington, DC, it’s starting to feel like spring. The witch hazel is flowering, with its invigorating, refreshing smell, and crocuses and daffodils are starting to brighten the ground with brilliant yellows and purples. Seeing life start to pop from the earth is a reminder that it’s…
This month, responding to campus activists who have been working on the issue for over a year, Vanderbilt University divested from “land grabbing,” withdrawing a $26 million investment in EMVest, a company that has been buying agricultural properties in Africa and converting them into large-scale commercial farms that grow food for export. (See Oakland Institute’s…
Pollution is a problem. Water pollution can also cause problems in the ocean, like the dead zones I discussed in an earlier post (http://www.tellurideinside.com/2012/06/earth-matters-dead-zones-in-our-waters.html). In addition, I have written about the problem of marine debris and steps we can take to address it (http://www.tellurideinside.com/2012/09/earth-matters-take-on-the-trash.html). My co-author Billy Mason has given talks at Prescott College about…
A new Presidential term always starts with some changes, but there are several in store for President Obama’s second term that could make a big difference for the environment. Some of the positions that will have new leadership include Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of State, and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration….
At lunch, A friend asked “What’s going to happen with GMOs?” I didn’t have an answer, but I did come up with some issues to watch. I’ll go into some of these in more detail in an upcoming blog, but here are the topics I think will be worth considering in the coming year: •…
For this coming year, I have several fishes – I mean wishes – for the ocean. Here are a few: • Less plastic Plastic is one of the most persistent pollutants in the ocean, and one that can cause serious harm to living organisms. We have made big strides recognizing the problem, with more attention…
Star. Pillar. Elkhorn. Staghorn. Mountainous star. Pocillopora elegans. Pachyseris rugosa. Astreopora cucullata. Barabattoia laddi. Those are just nine of the 66 species of coral proposed for endangered listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). On Friday, November 30, after more than three years of review, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service…