Wednesday, 18 Feb 2004
Talkin' With Hawken
Enviro Visionary Paul Hawken Chats Politics and More with Grist
Paul Hawken -- renowned author of best-selling books about green business and building a sustainable economy -- jumped on the Howard Dean bandwagon in mid-January, proclaiming that the candidate represented the best chance for positive environmental change. Today, Dean pulled out of the race for president. What a difference a month makes. Grist caught up with Hawken a few days ago to get his take on the changing political tides and their environmental implications -- plus thoughts on Bush's market-based "new environmentalism," unconventional wisdom on Whole Foods Market, and more -- only on the Grist Magazine website.
only in Grist: Pauling around -- an interview with Paul Hawken -- by Amanda Griscom
To Leach His Own
Nalgene Water Bottles May Be Hazardous to Your Health
Here's some bummer news for the outdoorsy set: Recent studies have shown that polycarbonate plastics, including the kind used in popular Nalgene water bottles, may leach one of their constituent chemicals into water. The chemical in question, bisphenol-A, has been shown to cause chromosomal disorders and endocrine disruption and to have adverse effects on prostate development and tumors, breast tissue development, and sperm count -- in rodents. Nalgene says that no health problems have been demonstrated in human beings. Still, John P. Myers, environmental health expert and coauthor of a book on endocrine disruptors, says, "I personally recommend avoiding polycarbonate plastics -- don't let them come into contact with your food or water. I think the science is strong enough to justify precautionary measures today." What's next -- carcinogenic Therm-a-Rests? Is nothing sacred?Snow News Day
Yellowstone Snowmobile Saga Gets Even More Convoluted
Over the past months and years, we've written frequently about snowmobiles being banned (and un-banned, and banned again, and un-banned again) in Yellowstone National Park. Yesterday brought yet another volley in the legal Ping-Pong, with a D.C. appeals court judge castigating the National Park Service for allowing more snowmobiles into the park in the wake of a conflicting ruling handed down by another federal judge last week ... ah, to heck with it. The details beg the question: How has this issue taken on such immense significance? More than half a million public comments have been submitted in favor of a snowmobile ban, while the Bush administration seems to have put its full weight behind the tiny and almost politically powerless snowmobile industry. Today's Muckraker column reviews the story and explores its symbolic and emotional significance -- only on the Grist Magazine website.
only in Grist: Snow news day -- in Muckraker
