Insights + Opinion

Next Steps for the GE Food Labeling Movement

Next Steps for the GE Food Labeling Movement

The final result from Washington State’s ballot initiative to label genetically-engineered foods was painfully close. A mere two percentage points (38,000 voters) made the difference between yes and no. Similarly, last year in California, the Yes side lost by a narrow margin. Also in both states, early polling showed a strong lead, which was then chipped away at […]

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    Help Free the Arctic 30 and Stand Up Against Fossil Fuel Extraction Everywhere

    Help Free the Arctic 30 and Stand Up Against Fossil Fuel Extraction Everywhere

    By Daryl Hannah and Phil Radford All around the globe, record numbers of people from all walks of life are being thrown into jails because they are standing up to protect the most basic of human needs—uncontaminated water, unpolluted lands and a liveable climate free from the ramifications of extreme fossil fuel extraction. If the greed-driven fossil fuel […]

    Green Your Holidays by Supporting Independent Poultry Farmers

    Green Your Holidays by Supporting Independent Poultry Farmers

    Chicken and turkey are among the most popular and versatile foods Americans eat, but they also bring health risks to your plate. Most factory-farmed poultry is raised with antibiotics—which leads to antibiotic resistance in humans. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to cut the budget for poultry inspections and allow big chicken companies to police themselves. […]

    Did Canada Just Have the Largest Coal Slurry Spill in Its History?

    Did Canada Just Have the Largest Coal Slurry Spill in Its History?

    A scary thing happened on Halloween near Hinton, Alberta. Canada had what may be the largest coal slurry spill in its history when a dam failed at the Obed Mountain coal mine and 264 million gallons (1 billion litres) of waste water contaminated at least 25 kilometers of the Athabasca river. Ten municipalities located downstream […]

    Oil and Honey: Fossil Fuel Industry vs. Sustainable Planet

    Oil and Honey: Fossil Fuel Industry vs. Sustainable Planet

    I’ve read most of Bill McKibben’s books and this one is the best. This book gives you an inside scoop on the last few years of McKibben’s life, both professionally and personally.  The professional part of McKibben’s life is about fossil fuels and is wildly intriguing, covering the birth of his organization 350.org, all the way through the end […]

    Exclusive Greenpeace Photos of North Dakota Pipeline Oil Spill

    Exclusive Greenpeace Photos of North Dakota Pipeline Oil Spill

    Phil Radford On Sept. 29, Steve Jensen, a farmer in northwest North Dakota, discovered crude oil “spewing and bubbling six inches high” out on his field while he was harvesting wheat. The spewing oil came from a break in Tesoro Corporation’s underground pipeline which carries crude oil from Bakken shale formation—fracking for oil—to Columbus, ND. By […]

    Greentown Labs: Helping Entrepreneurs Solve Big Energy Problems

    Greentown Labs: Helping Entrepreneurs Solve Big Energy Problems

    Stefanie Spear I had the opportunity earlier this month to meet the people behind Greentown Labs and many of the entrepreneurs growing their business ideas at this Boston, MA-based cleantech incubator. Greentown Labs enables entrepreneurs to create game-changing energy technologies that will transform the way people live, work and play. With a focus on creating […]

    Will EPA Protect Our Families From Toxic Coal Water Pollution?

    Will EPA Protect Our Families From Toxic Coal Water Pollution?

    Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Mary Anne Hitt In 1982, complying with a federal court order stemming from a lawsuit filed by environmentalists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), finally issued regulations governing toxic pollution discharges under the 1972 Clean Water Act. Industry polluters had used political clout to delay those regulations for a decade. But […]

    A Preventable Chemical Plant Explosion May Be Closer Than You Think

    A Preventable Chemical Plant Explosion May Be Closer Than You Think

    Phil Radford Last Thursday, President Obama issued an Executive Order mandating that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the departments of Labor and Homeland Security to develop plans for new safety measure at chemical plants like the one in West, TX, that exploded in April, killing 17 people and injuring hundreds. That West, TX, tragedy […]