Jet fuel refined from the seeds of a cousin to the cabbage could cut jet fuel's cradle-to-grave carbon emissions by 84 percent, a researcher at Michigan Technological University has discovered.
Super corn and soybeans are so 20th century. With the world's population nearing 7 billion on its way to 9 billion by 2050, and climate change threatening land-based agriculture, marine scientists are looking for reliable new food sources through a Blue Revolution -- the intelligent use of aquaculture to supplement depleted wild fish stocks with farm-raised oysters and other valuable ocean "crops."
Tulane University researchers and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are planning to develop an "environmental observatory" in the lower delta of the
Mississippi River to study the impacts of climate change on this region of
wetlands and waterways that is vulnerable to devastating storms such as 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
St. Lawrence University's Japanese-style Zen garden is both teaching space and a place for over-stressed students to take a break for some quiet reflection.
As tempting as those "back-to-school" departments in stores are, students interested in living a "green" life at college should consider a different "must-have" list than the one offered by most colleges. St. Lawrence University has an eco-aware version.
Grinnell College Campus Environmental and Safety Coordinator Chris Bair is available to talk to reporters about Grinnell's campus sustainability efforts and student-led green initiatives.
Two abrupt and drastic climate events, 700 years apart and more than 45 centuries ago, are teasing scientists who are now trying to use ancient records to predict future world climate. The events - one, a massive, long-lived drought and the other, a rapid cooling that accelerated the growth of tropical glaciers - left signals in ice cores and other geologic records from around the world.
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, supports researchers who are designing new, more efficient chemical reactions that can also aid the environment by preventing waste, reducing energy usage and minimizing the use and creation of hazardous compounds.
With global focus intensifying on alternative and renewable energy solutions to satisfy both environmental and policy issues, presenters are being sought for the Materials and Society technical programming at The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society's (TMS) 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibition. The deadline to submit an abstract is July 15.
Reductions in the flow of the Apalachicola River have far-reaching effects that could prove detrimental to grouper and other reef fish populations in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, according to a new Florida State University study that may provide new ammunition for states engaged in a nearly two-decade water war.
Armed with a $165,000 EPA grant, one MTSU geosciences professor is embarking on a study that's focused on determining water pollution based on the presence of two hard-shelled, hardy microorganisms. She's found the organisms in Florida rivers that are used regularly by people in the area, and now, she's launching a similar study in Virginia.
Banning or restricting the use of certain types of fishing gear could help the world's coral reefs and their fish populations survive the onslaughts of climate change according to a study by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and other groups.
Changes in ocean chemistry "” a consequence of increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human industrial activity "” could cause U.S. shellfish revenues to drop significantly in the next 50 years, according to a new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
"This report is a very thorough, sobering synthesis of what we now know about the impacts of climate change on all of us," says Nancy Grimm, a professor at Arizona State University, one of the authors on the new federal study assessing the current and anticipated domestic impacts of climate change.
"Like Paul Revere, this report is shouting that the enemy is at our doorstep," said National Wildlife Federation President & CEO Larry Schweiger of the U.S. Global Change Research Program report.
Researchers have used sediment from the deep ocean bottom to reconstruct a record of ancient climate that dates back more than the last half-million years. The record, trapped within the top 20 meters of a 400-meter sediment core drilled in 2005 in the North Atlantic Ocean by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, gives new information about the four glacial cycles that occurred during that period.
What does it mean for a clothing or footwear company to be environmentally sustainable? What specific policies can apparel retailers and brands implement, and how does pursuing environmental sustainability impact a company's bottom line? These and other questions will be explored during the University of Delaware's next FIBERcast, set for Friday, June 19, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Register now at this Web site (http://www.ocm.udel.edu/fmi/xsl/fiber/preregister.xsl) for the live, audio program.
A research article published on June 11 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) describes an approach to identify which U.S. populations within specific geographic regions are likely to be most susceptible to adverse effects of heat, as well as which areas are most in need of intervention.
Dairy genetics, nutrition, herd management and improved animal welfare over the past 60 years have resulted in a modern milk production system that has a smaller carbon footprint than mid-20th century farming practices, says a Cornell University study in the Journal of Animal Science (June 2009).
Nutrition, environmental health, and food safety are issues that are becoming closely tied, according to speakers at the 2009 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo. Sustainability is becoming more important to the consumer when it comes to food, with factors such as production ethics and global warming being foremost.
As many as 4,550 of the more than 50,000 plant species in the Amazon will likely disappear because of land-use changes and habitat loss within the next 40 years, according to a new study by two Wake Forest University researchers.
As chief operating officer and co-founder of One Earth Designs (OED), Wellesley College senior Catlin Powers has spent as many as 50 hours a week during her college years fighting to bring heat, clean water and other necessities to those in need "” from the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas to economically depressed areas of the Dominican Republic, Ghana and India. Powers has been recognized for her work with several prizes this spring, including $75,000 from the St. Andrews Prize for the Environment.
Crop residues possess a critical role in sustaining soil organic matter, and as it is increasingly being used for the production of cellulosic-based ethanol, this removal may impact the long-term productivity of soils.
An international research team returned recently from a drilling trip in Siberia, where they retrieved Arctic cores going back further than ever before collected, information they call "of absolutely unprecedented significance" for understanding past climate change and modeling future developments.
Cornell University's eight-acre composting operation reduces the school's total waste stream by half. It recently won a 2009 Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In the June issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), editor-in-chief Hugh A. Tilson announced that the EHP 2009 Paper of the Year is "Decrease in Anogenital Distance among Male Infants with Prenatal Phthalate Exposure," written by Shanna H. Swan, Katharina M. Main, Fan Liu, Sara L. Stewart, Robin L. Kruse, Antonia M. Calafat, Catherine S. Mao, J. Bruce Redmon, Christine L. Ternand, Shannon Sullivan, J. Lynn Teague and the Study for Future Families Research Team.
There's little doubt that coral reefs the world over face threats on many fronts: pollution, diseases, destructive fishing practices and warming oceans. But reefs appear to be more resistant to one potential menace "“ seaweed "“ than previously thought, according to new research by a team of marine scientists from the United States and Australia.
What is the best way to fully appreciate Henry David Thoreau's Walden? For a course at Furman University this spring, the answer was a bit unusual. Spend one week reading the book and another week building a replica of the rustic cabin that Thoreau lived in while writing much of the book.
The Cliffs Cottage at Furman University has all the latest technological innovations in sustainable living. Geothermal heating and cooling, two solar technologies, bamboo floors, furniture made from reclaimed wood, even cisterns that collect rainwater from the roof. The home has 3,400 square feet, but is so energy efficient that it can be heated and cooled for less than $75 a month.
To accelerate the development of knowledge on corporate sustainability, a diverse coalition of schools and institutions at leading universities has formed the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS).
According to the David Suzuki Foundation, carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation have increased 83 per cent during the last two decades. With the green movement taking off, the air travel industry is under pressure to come up with eco-friendly solutions. Ryerson University researchers have answered the call and they have just the laboratory to help the aviation industry straighten up and fly right.
An opening ceremony for what could be one of North America's greenest buildings "” a flagship building on the cutting edge of sustainable design and energy efficiency "” will take place at 4 p.m. May 29 at Washington University in St. Louis' new Living Learning Center at the university's Tyson Research Center. The Living Learning Center is a 2,900-square-foot facility built to meet the Living Building Challenge "” designed to be the most stringent green building rating system in the world "” of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC).
Expert team of international scientists is devising solutions for sustainably managing these small prey fish; overexploitation and inadequate management are threatening the marine food web.
From prediction to recovery, Florida State University's experts are among the best in the nation when it comes to the study of hurricanes and their impact on people and property. These experts are available to answer media questions and give perspective to news stories throughout the 2009 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
A melting of the Greenland ice sheet this century may drive more water than previously thought toward the already threatened coastlines of New York, Boston, Halifax, and other cities in the northeastern United States and in Canada, according to new research led by NCAR.
Dalhousie University's Eco-Efficiency Centre, located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, now offers a cost-free carbon footprint calculator for small- and medium-sized businesses in Canada.
Twelve Maryland Waterkeeper organizations and the Waterkeeper Alliance, represented by the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic, have reached an agreement with the Maryland Department of the Environment ("MDE") resolving the Waterkeepers' legal challenge to MDE's general stormwater permit for construction sites. As a result of this agreement, MDE has committed to making significant changes to the way it requires developers to prevent polluted runoff caused when rain washes sediment and other pollutants from these exposed areas.
A research article published online May 20 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) suggests that low-dose exposure to arsenic in drinking water may significantly alter components of the immune system and cause a number of changes in the body's response to respiratory infection caused by influenza A, also known as H1N1.
In a new book, University of Washington paleontologist Peter Ward suggests that Earth is ultimately inhospitable to life, and that life itself might be the primary reason. Rather than the nurturing idea of the Gaia hypothesis, he invokes the darker Medea from Greek mythology.
The most extensive study of pollutants in marine mammals' brains reveals that these animals are exposed to a hazardous cocktail of pesticides such as DDTs and PCBs, as well as emerging contaminants such as brominated flame retardants.
Should environmental scientists be advocates for environmental policy? To a wildlife ecologist from Michigan Technological University and an environmental ethicist from Michigan State University, the answer is a resounding yes.
Anti-infectives have become environmental contaminants of growing concern, as they are transported from landfills, agriculture and urban centers into waterways and drinking water, according to a review article published in the May 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).
Forecasts of polar bear populations and their likely responses to climate change have been strengthened by a new publication that refutes criticisms of the scientific basis for listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.
Ranganath Teki this month will earn his doctorate in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but his quest for learning and knowledge is far from complete. Along with his cutting-edge nanomaterials research and clever green energy innovations, Teki is fostering an undying fascination for the world around him and a greater appreciation for the connectedness of it all.
Oceanographers have long known that the 20-year-old paradigm for describing the global ocean circulation"“ called the Great Ocean Conveyor "“ was an oversimplification. It's a useful depiction, but it's like describing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a catchy tune.