Intensive farming of tequila plant harming biodiversity - life - 15 June 2007 - New Scientist Tech Home.Jobs.Archive Home.Jobs.Search Subscribe. Tools Drink too much tequila and you may lose your marbles, but a huge appetite for the drink is killing off more than just brain cells: intensive cultivation of its main ingredient, Agave tequilana, is harming the genetic diversity of other agave species. Intensive farming of tequila plant harming biodiversity 15 June 2007. Tools Drink too much...

My sympathies are with the English farmers who have seen their crops washed away, but in global terms this was just a blip. I have to admit to a degree of scepticism on global warming, but those doubts are now increasingly in reverse gear. The climate for the last eleven thousand plus years has been remarkably mild, so mankind has no experience with abrupt climate change or runway global warming. April was just about as wonderful as anyone, especially farmers, could wish, then along came...

Kroodsma said he originally expected more resistance to global-warming issues in the generally conservative Midwest but says the pairs message has been well-received. Our message is very simple: Global warming is a serious issue, and there are some really great solutions. Global warming affects the whole world, but we as Americans have a special opportunity to make a difference because we are such world leaders. States such as South Dakota have enormous economic potential to become energy...

It was designed to recharge an average of nine million gallons of water per day, providing recharge capacity and wildlife habitat to replace habitat previously removed to make improvements to the adjacent Sonoqui Wash. The project s first phase began operation in January 2007 to coincide with start-up of a new water reclamation facility. While the primary focus is management and storage of reclaimed water, the master plan also includes possible public amenities such as a visitor center,...

The commitment calls for all institutions to create a plan for becoming climate neutral a state in which institutions have no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The effort, called the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, involves a range of goals from building all new structures to green standards to buying electricity from renewable resources. Within two months of signing the commitment, institutions must establish a way to develop a plan, and within a...

Resorts get into global warming. Aspen had long been among the few major ski areas that talked loudly about global warming. Now, as demonstrated by Berry s testimony before the Senate, the industry is at least speaking forcefully to the issue of humanity s role in the changing climate. We pretty much subscribe (to global warming theory) across the board. California s ski industry got off the climate-change fence five years ago, siding with legislators who wanted to mandate improved...

About 60 percent of the nation's forests are privately owned, and only a small percentage of forests on public land are protected from logging. Many people remember the battles over the last of big trees that took place in the 1980s and 90s, and assume that the treehuggers won and the old-growth forests are protected. The result of that suit was a new critical habitat proposal, released on June 12, which actually reduces protected owl habitat by 23 percent - about 1.6 million acres....

I'm so glad to see that Sherry Boas, in her "Simply Living" column," is taking on some hot subjects, such as the fact that most Florida aquatic life is safe to swim with, and that we still badly need a "bottle bill' similar to those enacted in other states. Curbside recycling cleans up but 'bottle bill' is best -- OrlandoSentinel.com. I'm so glad to see that Sherry Boas, in her "Simply Living" column," is taking on some hot subjects, such as the fact that most Florida aquatic life is safe...

What once was nothing more than a grassroots initiative is increasing in popularity as concerns deepen about the effects chemicals are having on people's health, the environment, and overall quality of life. But this isn't an ordinary cup of tea: Think bacteria, fungi, protozoa and other compost ingredients stuffed in what looks like a wind-sock inside a 22-gallon drum in his garage. Staudt is one of a growing number of landscapers who have embraced organic lawn care as an alternative to...