CITY HALL — The City Council won’t finalize its plan to overhaul Santa Monica’s taxi cab permitting system until this fall, but cab companies are already raising concerns about the level of transparency in City Hall’s proposal to greatly reduce the number of cabs and cab companies in town.
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that bananas are taboo for anyone who is concerned about rainforest destruction? Even if I seek out “fair trade” or organic bananas, am I feeding the demand which is causing rainforest to be cleared? — Laura Barnard, Hillsboro, Ohio Sadly, the short answers to these questi
Dear EarthTalk OK, so are cell phones emitting dangerous radiation or not? If so, which phones are safer that others and what do we do to minimize exposure? Luke Alderman Santa Fe, NM The jury is still out as to whether or not the radiation emitted by cell phones can cause negative health effects fo
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that the BP oil leak is much more of an environmental threat than previous spills from tankers, and if so why? — Nathan Gore, Pawtucket, RI No one knows for sure how the ongoing oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico will affect the deep sea ecosystem, but scientists are no
Dear EarthTalk The U.S. got socked with several major storms this past winter. Local weather reports never mentioned this as odd. But is it a sign of global warming? R.
CITY HALL — In a series of votes late on Monday, the Planning Commission supported allowing developers to build taller projects in most areas of the city, sparking criticism from neighborhood activists and their allies on the commission.
CITY HALL — Hoping to improve recycling services for residents, the City Council is expected Tuesday to approve a $65,000 contract with Morley Construction Co.
Dear EarthTalk Can airplanes be run on cleaner fuels or be electric powered? Are there changes afoot in the airline business to find cleaner fuels? Reema Islam Dhaka, Bangladesh Given air travel’s huge contribution to our collective carbon footprint — flying accounts for about three percent of carbo
Dear EarthTalk: At a meeting of a local art association, an artist who paints in acrylics said that doing so is more eco-friendly than painting in oils.
Dear EarthTalk: I’m told that, despite improvements in recent years, pesticides in flea collars are still harmful to pets and humans. Are there ways to minimize fleas without resorting to chemical concoctions? And is anything being done to ban these dangerous products from store shelves? — Nancy Tro
Dear EarthTalk I am very interested in purchasing household cleaners whose ingredients and final product are not tested on animals. Where do I look? Debbie Reek via e-mail According to most animal advocates, the fact that manufacturers of household cleaners still use animals to test the toxicity of
Dear EarthTalk: Which woods are OK to purchase, and which are not, in the interest of preserving forests and not harming those who depend upon them? Jon Steiner, Boise, ID Deforestation continues to be one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, especially in fast developing regions like Sout
