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US groundwater sparser than previously thought, technology may help
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalMany rural areas in the U.S. may be in danger of a groundwater shortage. Additionally, digging deeper for water in the form of new, deeper wells may not be a good long-term solution to compensate for increasing demands on groundwater because there is potential for contamination of deep freshwater and brackish water in areas where the oil and gas industry injects wastewaters into or in close proximity to aquifers. A new study may shed some light on use of underground freshwater and brackish water in some of the most prominent sedimentary basins across the U.S.
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Federal fracking push has state, local resistance
Michelle R. Matisons Natural ResourcesThe controversial oil and gas extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," was once regulated under an Obama-era rule addressing chemical disclosure when fracking public land. Since then, this rule has been overturned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as the federal government opens the field of oil and gas extraction to much opposition. Given the Trump administration’s anti-regulatory zeal, what is the current status of fracking in the U.S.?
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GM announces plant closures, Trump threatens to cancel subsidies
Michelle R. Matisons Transportation Technology & AutomotiveIf we need any more proof of the disparities between campaign promises and economic realities, consider that automotive giant General Motors has announced a restructuring that includes laying off 15 percent of its salaried employees and 25 percent of its executive employees. That’s 14,700 more North American workers without jobs by 2019. GM plans to "focus on electric and self-driving vehicles and prepares for a downturn in the auto market or a weakening on the U.S. economy." The company’s new motto? "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion." But, for some, Zero Jobs is all they see.
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New science, government studies highlight climate change’s urgency
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalFor over a year, we have witnessed one weather disaster after another besiege the United States mainland and beyond. This hurricane season, we saw Florence and Michael take Southern states hostage with a fury of wind and floodwaters, only to be paralleled with more California fires. "What next?" we ask. According to two new science and government studies, we can look forward to more compounded ecological catastrophes producing dramatic social changes.
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Errors by scientists bring some doubt to results of recent ocean warming…
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalScientists say they made some miscalculations in a report that claimed oceans have been absorbing more heat than experts originally thought. In a note added to the report, authors said while there are errors, it doesn't "invalidate the study's methodology or the new insights into ocean biogeochemistry on which it is based." According to the original report published by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for each of the past 25 years, oceans have absorbed an amount of heat energy that is 150 times the energy humans produce as electricity.
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Environmental issues heat up as court ruling halts Keystone XL pipeline
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalEvidence of environmental devastation looms in many places. However, one development that recently went the other direction regards the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. This 1,200-mile pipeline was slated to bring oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast by TransCanada Corp. The latest development saw U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Montana rule against the pipeline, claiming that a full environmental impact review was not completed for the project, and that the issue of climate change was not fully considered.
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Wildfires in Northern and Southern California claim 31 lives so far
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalParadise, California, north of Sacramento, is a town of 27,000 people that has been all but wiped out as both Northern and Southern California burn up in another round of deadly fires. So far, 29 lives have been lost in the northern part of the state, where the Camp fire has burned up 6,700 structures. In Southern California, the Woolsley and Hill fires have caused a mass evacuation of 250,000 people, leaving two dead and more missing. When residents fled their homes, they encountered serious problems as clogged roads made evacuation difficult.
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Pilot study: Microplastics found in human stool samples, tap water
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalThe war against microplastics continues to wage. Researchers now say they are finding the small, invisible plastic particles in human waste. Microplastics were found in stool samples of every participant from a small pilot study. According to researchers from the Environment Agency Austria and the Medical University of Vienna, the microstudy followed eight healthy volunteers from several different countries.
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How schools are going solar
Bambi Majumdar EducationThe Solar Schools 2025 initiative seeks to target 50 schools each year to go solar. The initiative, launched by the nonprofit Renewable Nation, encourages K-12 schools to increase photovoltaic panel usage. Many schools and districts are willing but administrators are unsure about the process, time frame and costs involved. Nine out of 10 schools in the U.S. that are solar-ready have not yet gone solar yet. Therefore, there is immense potential to be harnessed. Studies show that if 450 U.S. school districts install solar, they could each save more than $1 million over 30 years.
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Designing in many shades of green
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesGreen, or eco-friendly, is now widely accepted as a responsible way to design. Yet, in practice, designing green can take many forms. You need to consider your own as well as your clients’ values when offering green solutions. Even among clients who consider themselves to be eco-conscious and responsible, being green may translate into conserving utilities and faithfully recycling. These individuals want energy-efficient appliances and heating and lighting systems, water-saving fixtures, and well-insulated walls and attics. They also have their eye on another kind of green — money.
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