Many of us have had the experience of breathing in the fumes from lawn mowers, weed trimmers and motor boats. You can smell and see the pollutants from these engines. That will all change soon. Stricter antipollution laws will take effect as soon as 2010 for inboard and outboard boat engines, and 2011 for lawn and garden equipment. Catalytic converters will become standard in these engines. The companies that manufacture these products have resisted the change because it would make these items more expensive.  read more »

It has longed been feared that the introduction of invasive species leads to the extinction of native species. In fact some scientists believe that biological invasions are among the two or three forces driving species into extinction. However, in a new study, ecologist and biologists are report that some invasions are not detrimental, and often do not bring about extinctions. They observed that in New Zealand in fact invasive species can even advance the evolution of new diversity. Invasive species may push native species out of their original habitat.  read more »

With the price of oil climbing continually consumers are obsessing with any idea that will lower their energy bills. Home energy use is one area in which consumers have some control. However, the problem is that there is no way to monitor the amount of energy appliances, TVs, computers, cooling and heating systems actually use. This may all changing the not so foreseeable future. The answer may be home automated networks. This technology would be able to help monitor all of our energy using devices.  read more »

The summer Olympics bring about much excitement around the world. However, who could have forecasted that the Olympics would bring about a plan to reduce air pollution in Beijing. New laws governing the use of cars are expected to take 3 million cars off the road. Cars with odd plates are banned one day the next cars with even numbered plates are banned. This must make one wonder how much more governments could accomplish if they were truly committed to ending air pollution. During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics moves were made to lower air pollution.  read more »

Awareness of the energy saved by using compact fluorescent bulbs (CFB) instead of the incandescent ones has led to the tremendous increase in the sales of the CFBs. However, because of the mercury contained in these bulbs, consumers experienced difficulties in how to properly dispose of them without creating an environmental hazard. Gratefully Home Depot is coming to the rescue by making recycling somewhat easier. Home Depot will accept these bulbs in all their stores, thereby helping consumers dispose of them properly and with less effort.  read more »

With predictions that gas will soon reach five dollars a gallon, the production of the first hydrogen-powered fuel cell car has caused a stir. Even though, Honda will only produce 200 cars to start with, it has caught the attention of the public. The fuel cells work by combining hydrogen and oxygen from ordinary air to make electricity, which then powers the car. However, there are certain drawbacks that must be conquered before these cars, which according to Honda can get up to 74 miles per gallon, can become the mainstream of American society..  read more »

Once again an invasive specie has made its way into our environment. This time it is the Colorado River that is endangered. The quagga mussel is the culprit. This Eurasian specie of mussel is known for its rapid breeding and has a reputation for bringing about economic and ecological destruction in areas that it inhabits by stripping nutrients and microorganisms from the water. These nutrients and microorganisms are essential for many of the indigenous birds and fish in the Colorado River.  read more »

Once again the Bush administration has tried to evade the harmful effects of global warming. However, the Federal Court's decision has forced the hand of the Bush administration. The released report projected that the poor,and the elderly and communities with outmoded public-health and public-works systems will face increasing risks from global warming.  read more »

The dangers of air pollution to one's health have been widely established. However, a new study now shows that air pollution also increases the risk for deep vein thrombosis, which are blood clots in the leg veins. For some reason, the risks are smaller in women, but for men they can be up to 70% greater, depending on the level of pollution in their community. Since it is difficult to avoid air pollution, a healthy lifestyle is now even more important.

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Los Angeles is considering taking drastic action in trying to avert the possibility of the most severe water shortage in decades. Their solution is to use heavily cleansed sewage to increase the supply of drinking water. Even some former critics of this plan claim that new technological advances will make the water safe for drinking.  read more »