Rethinking Recycling

by Bill Schlesinger Recycling remains the easiest way for the average citizen to help achieve a closed-loop economy, in which all waste is reused to generate new products. Recycled materials,…

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Electric or gas?

by Bill Schlesinger With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), several readers have asked me to evaluate the net benefit of EVs for the mitigation of climate change.  I…

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Too Darn Hot

by Bill Schlesinger "Too Darn Hot," Cole Porter, 1948 In 1992, then Senator Al Gore hosted an informational hearing on climate change, where I was honored to participate.  One of…

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Watering the lawn

Summer means attention to lawn care.  Mid-summer drought leads to frequent repositioning of garden hoses to ensure a green lawn.  Water bills skyrocket.  Is this mindless? Just how much water…

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What is a species?

by Bill Schlesinger Enacted in 1972, the Endangered Species Act is widely regarded as having saved various species with low population numbers from extinction. The number of individuals necessary to…

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Embrace old growth

by Bill Schlesinger The current heated debate about the importance of saving old-growth forests is muddled by confusion about what constitutes an “old-growth” forest.   Is old growth a forest that…

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Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

climate change map by Bill Schlesinger As warm-blooded organisms, humans and other mammals have a normal body temperature that is slightly above the average temperature of their evolutionary environment.  The…

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What’s in a Road Name?

Close up image of a young skunk walking toward the camera. Summer in Wisconsin by Bill Schlesinger When I see a road sign for Quail Run Lane in a new…

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Deerly Beloved

by Bill Schlesinger Most folks who live in the eastern United States, particularly in New England, are likely to have experienced more than one close encounter with White-Tail deer.  In…

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Paving the Earth

by Bill Schlesinger I recently reviewed some plans for a proposed new apartment complex in Durham, NC.  I was surprised to see that the footprint of the building accounted for…

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