CITY HALL — In February, amid discussions of raising city fees on everything from adult recreation leagues to municipal swimming pool admission, Councilmember Bobby Shriver called out what he felt was the “800-pound gorilla in the room.
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that only a handful of outdated coal-burning power plants generate a sizable amount of the mercury pollution generated in the United States? If so, is anything being done to clean these sites up or shut them down? — Frank Pearson, Wichita, Kan.
CITYWIDE — Six months after the revised ordinance banning the use of leafblowers within city limits went into effect, the Office of Sustainability and the Environment has noted a major decrease in the number of reported violations, staff said.
Dear EarthTalk: Can you explain the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act? What does it purport to do and has it been signed into law? — Megan Wilson, Austin, Texas The Safe Cosmetics Act was introduced in the U.
CITY HALL — If city officials get their way, harnessing green energy will be a little bit easier on the wallet. Solar energy has long been discussed as a strong candidate for renewable energy because by the time the sun is no longer there to produce it, we won’t be either.
Dear EarthTalk How are wild dolphins faring on the high seas? Recent reports of dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico may well be due to last year’s BP oil spill, but I imagine there are many threats to dolphins from pollution, human overfishing and other causes.
Dear EarthTalk I heard someone say that legalizing pot — as Californians considered doing last year — would benefit the environment. How would that be? William T.
Dear Earth Talk How healthy is soy? I heard that, despite its healthy image, most soy is grown using chemicals like other crops and is even being genetically modified.
Dear EarthTalk Not long ago we were reading a lot about hydrogen’s role in a clean energy future, with cars transitioning from gasoline-powered engines to hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
Dear EarthTalk: What’s the nutritional difference between the carrot I ate in 1970 and one I eat today? I’ve heard that that there’s very little nutrition left.
Dear EarthTalk Is air quality in the United States improving or getting worse? Is it cleaner in some parts of the country than in others? K. Gould Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Dear EarthTalk Why don’t cleaning products have to list their ingredients, and are these products tested for what they might do to your health? Patricia Greenville Bethel, Conn.
