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Archives
Wanna Run An Orchard?
By Sheryl Rich-Kern on Thursday, January 29, 2009.The town of Hollis is looking for farmers.
A few years ago, the town bought more than 180 acres of apple orchards to preserve from development.
But the farmers who were working the orchard don't want to renew the lease.
So the town is looking for new tenants to harvest the land and preserve the views.
But so far there hasn't been much interest.
NHPR Correspondent Sheryl Rich-Kern reports.
Ocean Toxins and Angry Animals
By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
Few scenes in movies are scarier than the attacks of the vicious avians in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds. In the 1963 thriller, crazed birds terrorize residents of the northern California coast. Though the film was based on a short story, it may have also been influenced by a real life bird poisoning that occurred just a few miles from the home of Alfred Hitchcock. Since then, similar cases have been documented around the world, and scientists now believe they have identified an ocean toxin that causes suffering and erratic behavior in marine animals.
Amy Coombs produced this story for public radio's Living On Earth.
(Photo courtesy kookr via Flickr/CC)
Techno-Fixes For A Warming Climate
By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
Global temperatures are on the rise and weather patterns changing more quickly than many leading climatologists had anticipated. The international community can't agree on how to legislate carbon, and has failed to curb emissions.
A few years ago, the concept of geo-engineering - deliberately manipulating the climate to counter the effects of climate change - received little traction in the scientific community; it was too risky, politically unacceptable, even downright loopy. Today, a growing number of scientists are calling for a Plan "B", not as an alternative to curbing our emissions, but as a safety net for disaster.
Catherine Brahic is an environmental reporter for the New Scientist, where she's been covering geo-engineering schemes. She joins us to talk about several geo-engineering ideas: from the do-able (ocean fertilization, cloud seeding) to the far-out (putting giant mirrors in space).
Two of Catherine's recent articles:
A high-albedo diet will chill the planet
'Climate fix' ship sets sail with plan to dump iron
(Photo courtesy jurvetson via Flickr/CC)
Drugs in the Drinking Water
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, January 26, 2009.
The U.S. has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world, so most of us don’t think twice before turning on the tap. But recent technological advances have enabled scientists to take a closer look at that water. And they’re finding traces of pharmaceuticals in it - common drugs like Ibuprofrin and birth control pills. It turns out we’re drinking tiny doses every time we fill up at the tap.
Is #5 plastic a better environmental choice?
By EarthTalk on Sunday, January 25, 2009.
How much do volcanoes actually add to greenhouse gases?
By EarthTalk on Sunday, January 25, 2009.
Despite rumors and arguments to the contrary, greenhouse gas emissions from volcanoes comprise less than one percent of those generated by today's human endeavors. (Lyn Topinka, courtesy U.S. Geological Survey)
Next Green Thing: Eco-Warriors
By Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, January 21, 2009.Protecting natural resources and wildlife from illegal hunters, poachers and smugglers can be a risky business. A thousand rangers and park wardens have been killed on the job in the last ten years, according to estimates from Africa, Asia, South America, Europe – and the United States. The steady violence has led some environmentalists and academics to advocate for arming rangers to fight fire with fire.
The notion of eco-militias is not new. Military-trained park rangers and armies have been deployed to protect natural resources in Central Africa, Brazil and the Galapagos Islands. But some are pushing to confront extreme eco-destruction with international troops – imagine green helmets intervening as U.N. blue helmets do. These proposals raise big questions about accountability and justice.
Reporter Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow wrote about “eco-interventionism” for the Boston Globe “Ideas” section, and she joins us on Word of Mouth to discuss the idea.
(Photo by MATEUS_27:24&25)
New Hampshire Has Plans for Federal Stimulus Funds
By Peter Granitz on Monday, January 19, 2009.The stimulus package is finally moving through Congress.
And the possibilities of new federal money has New Hampshire highway and transportation officials drafting wish lists.
NHPR Correspondent Peter Granitz reports from Washington.
