Plenty of Fish in the Sea?
In 2010, people across the globe munched their way through 128 million tons of seafood. That's according to the latest data coming out of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)...
Stories by Robynne Boyd
Heat Waves and Water Use Go Hand-in-Hand
With excessive heat spreading across the country, people are seeking relief by retreating indoors, turning up the AC, and staying well hydrated. In many parts of the country, particularly the Southeast and Southwest, the heat is exacerbated by ongoing drought, which means water is on everyone's mind and is being used at increased rates.It's common during extended periods of hot and dry weather, like we're experiencing now, for water use to increase, emailed Nancy Barber, Hydrologist with USGS Georgia Water Science Center.Most noticeable, explained Barber, is the increased demand for electricity for air conditioning, which means more water use at thermoelectric power plants – an amount that's already high...
What's in a name? "UN Sustainable Development Conference"
After 10 years of zooming around the world to cover the ozone, climate, and biodiversity negotiations, I realize the outcome of Rio+20 (and meetings of the like) has been staring me in my face.It became clear when Rio+20 concluded with much applause, but little else in terms of solid outcomes...
An Ailing Planet's Path to Rio+20
Our planet's health is ailing. That's the message in short from the 2012 Living Planet Report. Its content is sobering. We are devouring 50 percent more resources than the Earth produces annually...
Spring's First Harvest: local organic produce
Rise 'N Shine Farm's first bounty of the year Spring is here, and with it the first harvest of the season. It's my family's second year belonging to a CSA.
The Earth Beneath Our Feet
Some people take Earth Day more literally than others. Howard Garrett is one of them. Better known as the Dirt Doctor, Garrett believes that the health of the planet begins with the earth beneath our feet; it starts with cultivating strong vibrant soil, and blossoms outwards from there."Without healthy soil, we won't have healthy plants, animals or people," says Garret over the phone from his home in Dallas, Texas, where he advocates for natural organic gardening, landscaping and living.The soil, he says, is a living entity that's frequently mistreated...
Light on Landfills: Solar energy covers turn maxed-out landfills into solar farms
Hickory Ridge landfill outside of Atlanta, GA, is full. Like most landfills that reach capacity, it was capped to contain its noxious mix of debris that will slowly degrade over the decades and centuries to come...
Talkin' Trash: the Quick and Dirty on Recycling
(After watching the micro-documentary posted by David Wogan about landfill gas, I too decided to peer at a more positive and personal side of garbage...recycling.)About once a week, my family tends to clean-up of the contents of our fridge before dinner...
New Nuclear Reactors Approved
In a historic vote earlier today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Southern Company's application to construct the nation's first nuclear reactors in over 30 years.The license was granted in a 4-1 vote, and permits two new reactors to be built at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle (about 170 miles east of Atlanta)...
A "Near" Miss: Asteroid 2005 YU55
"To attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement. As humans we are doubly lucky, of course: We enjoy not only the privilege of existence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better...
Georgia’s New Nuclear Reactors Closer to Approval
Quick update: Two days of testimony wrapped up yesterday concerning the construction and operation of Plant Vogtle’s new commercial nuclear reactors.
The South's Nuclear Revival?
Construction of Vogtle units 3 and 4 (on right) in August 2011. Image: copyright Southern Company, Inc. After attending a nuclear fuel symposium a few weeks back, I felt it time to examine what's occurring in my own backyard in this regard...
Closing the Gaping Hole in the Nuclear-fuel Cycle
Nuclear power has been making headlines recently, largely due to the earthquake and tsunami that triggered hydrogen explosions, the melting of nuclear fuel rods and releases of radiation at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant...
Rail-to-Trail Revitalization
Once only visited by graffiti artists and the destitute, defunct train tracks were dingy causeways to be avoided. All this is beginning to change. In cities where open space is limited, expensive and scattered, developers and city planners are increasingly seeing old railroads for their hidden potential – land ripe for redevelopment, greenspace and multi-use planning...
Food: Knowing Where it's Growing
Just 30-miles Southwest of Atlanta's bustling gray-toned streets sits a verdant plot of land known as Serenbe. The farm is the source of my family's vegetables we pickup every Tuesday at a drop-off spot in the city...
One Footprint at a Time
Changing light bulbs won't save the world. That's what a friend said during a recent debate about the impact of one person's lifestyle on the planet.
Blue Carbon: An Oceanic Opportunity to Fight Climate Change
Mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses soak up to five times more carbon than tropical forests, making their conservation critical
The low-carbon diet: One family's effort to shrink carbon consumption
Part 2: A Little Research Goes a Long Way (see Part 1: Epiphany from up high: Can a suburban family live sustainably?) Tracking down an energy auditor on the cusp of the 2010 deadline for energy efficiency rebates proved tricky...
Epiphany from up high: Can a suburban family live sustainably?
There we were, racing through the stratosphere on a short flight home from Baltimore to Atlanta (577 miles and approximately 230 pounds of carbon dioxide per person).
Snaring the Wealth: Can Negotiators Reach a Uniform Position on Patenting the World's Genetic Resources?
A new international regime hopes to help reverse the trend of biodiversity loss as well as spur economic growth and research for both industrial and developing nations
