There is a Hebrew phrase, tikkun olam, which means the perfecting or the healing of the world. Translated into action, this Jewish concept is essential to the environmentalist cause; as human beings continually evolve, the earth turns on its axis and resonates with conscious energy. A concrete expression of such environmental awareness is making itself […]

Many Americans dismiss environmental concerns as a problem for the future. While they believe that the United States should protect the environment, there is no sense of urgency. It is a common belief that Western culture and business can afford to damage the environment as long as we do not cross a certain threshold after […]

Over 500,000 miles of roads exist within our national forest system. Most of these are unused, unmaintained, and ecologically damaging roads that are only used by the most rash off-road vehicle devotees. These roads fragment fragile habitats, increase stream sedimentation, accelerate erosion, and increase wildlife mortality. Clearly it is time to do something about them.

The […]

So stop me if you’ve heard this one: “I’d pay more attention to current events if they weren’t so depressing.” It’s a sentiment that I run into a lot these days and I can understand it: Abramoff, Iraq, George Bush. Every now and then, we’ve all just got to put down the paper. But no […]

In a study recently released by Yale and Columbia, the U.S. ranked 28 out of 133 countries on the improved Environmental Performance Index. The index measures each country’s proximity to universal standards in areas such as clean water and energy efficiency. Admittedly an oversimplification, the index aims to quantify environmental health in a way that […]

Continuing its staunch refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. nevertheless joined forces with China, Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea in the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate (AP6). These countries, which produce 50% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, have agreed to set individual national goals for reducing these emissions. Like […]

“America is addicted to oil,” declared President Bush a few weeks ago in his state of the union address. A statement long past due, it’s still somewhat heartening to hear that the Bush administration is at least beginning to talk the talk of staving off an oil crisis. In his speech, the President suggested expanding […]

Scarcely two months after the Senate struck down the House of Representatives’ approval to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (a measure that was added as a rider to a defense spending bill), the issue has resurfaced in proposals for the 2007 budget. Even though the prospect of drilling met a quick death in […]