The smell of a live tree is part of the magic of the holidays for many people. In North America, between 30 and 35 million trees are sold at Christmastime. While reusable, or at least replantable, trees might be the ideal choice, the realities of economics and family traditions means [...]

It’s something that people throughout the United States and Canada take for granted.  Go into a kitchen, washroom, or even laundry room. turn on the tap, and cool, fresh water flows forth.  Water is so cheap that in many places it is unmetered. The demand for fresh water is universal, [...]

The United Arab Emirates, Australia and the United States have the worst overall records for emitting greenhouse gases, according to the CO2 Energy Emissions Index (CEEI), released last week by Maplecroft, a UK-based global risks analysis firm. This adjusted index ranks nations by weighting 3 separate criteria. The index gave [...]

On October 21, the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual Arctic Report Card. The report was prepared by a group of nearly 70 scientists, and describes how the arctic region continues its warming trend, and the effect that is having on weather patterns throughout the northern [...]

SoleRebels, the innovative Ethiopian shoe company that is the world’s first producer of Fair-Trade footwear, has recently announced a partnership with Europe’s Spartoo.com. Spartoo.com is a web-based fashion outlet that specializes in footwear of all types, from high-fashion to Goth to sport shoes. Spartoo is the largest online retailer of [...]

The United States is an extremely wealthy country, both economically and in natural resources. With a population of over 310 million people, it is the third most highly-populated country in the world, and the only western nation expected to experience large population growth in the future. All of those people [...]

Approximately 65 million years ago, or so the current theory holds, an asteroid plummeted to Earth, likely just off the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.  The K-T (Cretaceous-Tertiary) mass extinction event was responsible for the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, along with many species of other reptiles, plants, and invertebrates. The [...]

In northern Alberta, harsh weather is a fact of life, and late October is pretty much winter. On October 26th, 350 migrating ducks got caught in a storm, possibly with freezing rain, and were forced to land. They found open water right below them, but it was the absolute worse [...]

Amidst all the concern about the Deepwater Horizon spill, global warming, and a myriad other issues affecting fossil fuel usage, one item is often overlooked, an item that many people don’t want to think about too much. Oil is a finite resource. One day, it will eventually run out. The [...]

Running through the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the Citarum River has the distinction of being the most polluted river on Earth. While not quite as instantly toxic as the Techa River in Russia, the Citarum is so overflowing with garbage that is looks like a person could walk across the [...]