Grist News

Dissolving your corpse is the green way to go

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:05:12 PDT

Concerned about the environmental impact of your burial or cremation? Well, don't die. But if you must, consider a third option: have your corpse dissolved. In a procedure called alkaline hydrolysis, the deceased is put into a stainless-steel cylinder resembling a pressure cooker; application of lye, 300-degree heat, and 60 pounds of pressure per inch produces a brown, syrupy liquid that can be unceremoniously dumped down the drain. (It also leaves a dry residue that could be buried or displayed in an urn on the mantel, for those who wish.) The procedure has been used in the U.S. for over a decade to deal with animal carcasses, but hasn't found popularity -- or legality -- in funeral homes. But thanks to its environmental advantages, it could yet take off. "It's not often that a truly game-changing technology comes along in the funeral service," the newsletter Funeral Service Insider exclaimed recently, but "we might have gotten a hold of one."

source: Associated Press
see also, in Grist: Umbra advises on corpses

Stressed by housing slump, developers sell land to conservationists

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:05:18 PDT

Looking for a bright side to the real-estate crunch? Look no further: Some developers, financially stressed by the housing slump, are selling land to folks who want to conserve it. It's a win-win situation: developers aren't stuck building expensive real estate that no one wants to buy, and conservation groups like the Trust for Public Land and Nature Conservancy get more funding and buying power. "Two to three years ago, local farmers and ranchers were eager to sell off their land and cash out," says the Nature Conservancy's Cristina Mestre. "Now, we're being approached en masse [to buy development rights]."

source: The Wall Street Journal

U.S. fails to be climate leader because of war, says Obama

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:05:17 PDT

The war in Iraq is one reason the U.S. is such an environmental laggard, Barack Obama said in a CNN interview Thursday. "I think the way we have run this war in Iraq has ... led us to ignore the critical needs for us to focus on a sound energy policy in this country," Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "It has left us unable to lead on critical global issues like global warming." Americans, said Obama, "want to succeed, they want to get a college education. They want to be scientists. They want to be, you know, on the cutting edge of clean energy." But, he said, "the dynamism and the innovation of the American people" is stifled "when we're spending close to $200 billion a year in other countries, rebuilding those countries instead of focusing on making ourselves strong."

sources: CNN, CNN

Snippets from the news

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:05:39 PDT

• Wild Sky Wilderness bill becomes law at long last.

• Illinois really, really wants FutureGen.

• Rancher acquitted of murdering nun in the Amazon.

• Don't buy tar-sands oil, say green groups.

• Seattleites urged to stop buying bottled water.

• Beijing Olympics will be "basically" carbon neutral, says official.

EPA needs to pay attention to carbon monoxide, says judge

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:05:47 PDT

Carbon dioxide gets all the press, but the U.S. EPA is way behind on its legal obligation to update the nation's carbon monoxide regulations -- and it needs to get crackin', a federal judge ruled this week. Federal law requires a reassessment of carbon-monoxide standards every five years, but the EPA last took a look at the standards in 1994. While carbon monoxide is not considered to be a huge public-health threat, two recent studies have found that it could be dangerous at levels previously considered safe. Carbon monoxide comes from auto tailpipes and fossil-fuel refineries and can cause health problems, birth defects, and, at high levels, death. Following full scientific review and a comment period, any changes to the standard must take place by May 2011, said U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, rejecting the EPA's request for an extension to October 2012.

source: San Francisco Chronicle

Greens and developer come to agreement in SoCal

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:05:50 PDT

A long-running disagreement over what should be done with the largest swath of privately owned wilderness in southern California has been settled by a deal between green groups and a developer. Ninety percent of the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch will be conserved, while 26,000 homes will be permitted on the remaining 10 percent. The Center for Biological Diversity, which was not involved in the truce, expressed iffiness, saying that the development would disrupt crucial habitat for the endangered condor. But the green groups involved in the deal -- including NRDC, the Sierra Club, Audubon California, the Planning and Conservation League, and the Endangered Habitats League -- were satisfied that a good balance was struck. So was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who stated that the agreement shows how "we can protect California's environment at the same time we pump up our economy." Yes, he said "pump up."

sources: Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Central Valley Business Times

Brazilians and Indians are the greenest, says survey

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:05:35 PDT

Brazilians and Indians are the most eco-friendly folks in the world, and Canadians and Americans are the least, according to a new survey done by the National Geographic Society. Consumers in 14 countries, representing more than half of the world's population and about three-quarters of its energy use, were ranked on their sustainability in the areas of housing, transportation, food, and consumer goods. Brazil and India tied for the win with a score of 60 on the sustainable-consumption scale, followed by China, Mexico, Hungary, Russia, a tie between Great Britain and Germany and Australia, Spain, Japan, France, Canada, and the United States. Brazilians bested the housing category; Chinese topped transportation, and Indians were first-class in food. The U.S. was lowest or second-lowest in all four categories. The society admits that the high scores of developing countries are likely a product of necessity rather than choice; it plans to conduct the survey annually and watch trends over time.

sources: National Geographic News, McClatchy Newspapers, The Economic Times, ScienceDaily
straight to the Greendex: Consumer Choice and the Environment - a Worldwide Tracking Survey

Sea lions actually not assassinated, say officials

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:05:43 PDT

Think the twisty tale of the Bonneville Dam sea lions can't get any twistier? Think again! The six sea lions that were reported to have been assassinated over the weekend were not in fact killed by gunshots, officials now say. The cause of death is still unknown; human involvement has not been ruled out, but investigators are also considering the role of dehydration, heat exhaustion, or panic.

source: Associated Press

Big Oil will shell out for groundwater cleanup

Thu, 08 May 2008 08:05:48 PDT

Some of the nation's largest oil companies will over the next 30 years have to pay to clean up groundwater befouled with gasoline additive MTBE. In settling a suit brought by 153 public water providers in 17 states, a dozen companies -- including BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron -- will also have to pay a total $423 million cash. If approved, the settlement will be "a step in the direction of making the parties responsible for the contamination pay for it rather than the folks who drink the water and pay the rates," says an attorney for the plaintiffs. Well, most of the responsible parties anyway -- six defendants, including Exxon Mobil, did not agree to settle. MTBE, which began to be added to gasoline in 1979 to increase octane levels, is a possible carcinogen and can give water the taste and odor of turpentine. It is now banned in 23 states, and oil companies stopped using it in 2006. Estimates of the cleanup cost have reached $30 billion.

sources: Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The New York Times

Snippets from the news

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:05:30 PDT

• Kansas Senate tries yet again to get those damn coal plants built.

• Northwest sea lions can't be captured or killed until early 2009.

• Climate change comes after koalas.

• Canada may have violated Kyoto Protocol rules.

• Biking in New York ain't fun.

• Clean the air, kill the Amazon.