environment

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Buildings Made From Recycled Bottles

Talk about a great way to recycle, these 14 buildings are actually constructed from plastic bottles that likely would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. With over 2.4 million tons of plastic discarded every year, ideas like these show there are far more environmentally sound solutions to plastic disposal than simply throwing it in the trash. In fact, since these designs don't require the energy that recycling demands, they're actually greener than melting the plastic down to be used in other... READ ON

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Exclusive: Mike Rowe Talks "Human Planet"

NOTE: My interview with Mike Rowe appears below a bunch of discussion of the documentary Human Planet. Jump to the "Interview" heading if that's what you're here for. Human Planet premieres Sunday, April 10 in the US on Discovery. Two episodes air each night, running from 8-10pm EST on April 10, 17, and 24. Check your cable listings for more details, and set your DVRs -- again, this is a huge justification for why you bought a big shiny HDTV. This time around, Mike Rowe will narrate the... READ ON

Article

Going Solar

[caption id="attachment_76035" align="alignleft" width="550" caption="My son, Jack, eager for the installation to... READ ON

Article

Digitizing the Environment

I’m getting really excited by all the activity buzzing around alternative energy. This was something I was pushing for as an activist in college, back in the late 80s. Way ahead of my time? You bet. Frustrated? Oh yeah. We knew it would take more than us do-gooders, even back then. We knew there’s have to be money in it. And, of course, the world has wised up over the last 10 years, especially over the last three. For my part, I’m thrilled to report that we’re going solar at my house! We don’t... READ ON
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Toxic Towns: 6 Cases of Polluted Places

Every once in a while, an environmental disaster makes big news, but the effects remain years after the headlines have faded. Here are six stories of what human activity did to mess up Mother Nature. 1. Mossville,... READ ON

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Douglas Adams on Lemurs, Monkeys, Parrots, the Universe, and Everything

Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (among other awesome stuff) was an environmental activist particularly concerned with endangered species (read more about his work on Wikipedia). Just days before his death from a heart attack in 2001, Adams gave a hilarious talk about some of the animals he encountered during his career. He describes adventures in the rain forest, strange animals, and an overview of "twig technology" through the years. At one point he says, "I was a monkey... READ ON

Article

What a Rich Retired Genius Does in His Copious Spare Time

Nathan Myhrvold is a professional eccentric multimillionaire polymath (for the non-geeks among us: a rich geek who does a bit of everything). After making his millions at Microsoft, Myhrvold decided to travel the world checking out archaeological sites, penguin fecal patterns, barbecue, dinosaurs, and whatever else struck his fancy. Myhrvold is a huge geek, in a great way: he gets big bonus points for using the word synecdochally and dropping a different s-bomb within the first few minutes of the TED... READ ON

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Video: Inside the Chernobyl "Zone of Alienation"

On April 26, 1986 a massive accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in what is now the Ukraine. A nuclear reactor exploded, sending radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and killing more than 50 people, with another 800,000 exposed to radiation and increased risk of cancer. Around the Chernobyl plant is a 30-kilometer Zone of Alienation (I'm not making this name up), established to prevent people from entering the most heavily contaminated area (and hurriedly evacuated, as you can see by... READ ON

Article

Extremophiles: Life on the Edge

The possibility of life on Mars and other planets and moons has been debated for as long as we have known about those planets. Now that water has been found on the Mars, that possibility is more believable than ever. Sure, conditions are fierce on Mars, but research here on planet Earth reveals that life forms can be tough. In fact, wherever it was once thought that no life could exist, more and more organisms are being found that not only live, but thrive and evolve. Hot... READ ON

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"The Botany of Desire" Documentary, TONIGHT at 8pm on PBS

Update: the entire documentary is now available online for free! A new PBS* documentary, The Botany of Desire, premieres Wednesday night (tonight!) at 8pm on PBS stations throughout the US. It's based on the popular Michael Pollan book of the same name, and I urge you to carve out two hours (in most markets between 8pm - 10pm) on Wednesday night to watch it. The program is packed with science, history, and beautiful photography. I've seen the film in advance, and I highly recommend it,... READ ON

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