Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than…oops. Let’s start again— 720,000 ladybugs winged their way from Bozeman, Mont., to New York City, where they took up residence on the East Side of Manhattan.
Author Archives: admin
Firefighting costs escalate
Salt Lake Tribune March 1, 2008 By Alison Berry Just before dawn last week, a red ball of fire streaked across Northwestern skies and exploded midair. The spectacular meteor sent residents in several states running for their phones to report possible forest fires. Although the land is still blanketed in snow with temperatures below freezing,Continue reading “Firefighting costs escalate”
Smart Growth
By C. Kenneth Orski and Jane S. Shaw "Smart-growth" policies, which became popular nationwide during the 1990s, are regulations designed to reduce suburban sprawl and control growth. They encourage people to live close together within walking distance of shops and offices. One goal is to reduce the use of the automobile. Another is to createContinue reading “Smart Growth”
Should water be privatized? Yes
Global Researcher February 2008 By Terry L. Anderson "No one washes a rental car" is a truism that suggests that ownership is crucial to stewardship. We also might say, "No one conserves water" for the same reason–too often it’s not clear who benefits from conserving water because it is unclear who owns the water. AsContinue reading “Should water be privatized? Yes”
Transforming Pollution Into Profits
Every year, Thailand’s largest agroindustrial companies discharge approximately 175 million cubic meters (6.18 billion cubic feet) of water into open air lagoons, polluting stream, rivers, bays, and water tables. The discharge, a byproduct of the agroprocessing industry, contains agricultural pollutants such as manure, sewage sludge, and polluted wastewater. The wastewater also contains several greenhouse gases,Continue reading “Transforming Pollution Into Profits”
Get ‘er Done
When PERC started in 1980, it was a small think tank. People at PERC did research and published it in academic journals and university press books. Mainstream for us was having op-eds in newspapers—even some in the Wall Street Journal. As PERC matured, we knew that we were having an impact on the academy, butContinue reading “Get ‘er Done”
Dams:
ECONOMIST, n. a scoundrel whose faulty vision sees things as they really are, not as they ought to be.—after Ambrose Bierce Dams are often touted as engines of economic development, able to markedly reduce poverty. Irrigation made possible by dams, for example, is said to increase agricultural productivity and thus per capita income. But itContinue reading “Dams:”
Opinions
PERC Reports offers optimism and encouragement to climate change doomsayers. PERC advocates free market solutions for environmental problems, finding solutions where others find only frustration. The current issue (Fall 2007) uncovers a reason for faith in capitalism, the system that PERC fellow Brian Yablonski argues has fostered the reemergence of the American bison through ranchingContinue reading “Opinions”
Impressions
Up in Smoke “A problem that the Forest Service created—excess fuels—prevents appropriate burning, and so the problem grows. It is one of the great paradoxes of fire suppression that the more effective we are at fire suppression, the more fuels accumulate and the more intense the next fire will be.” —USDA Forest ServiceContinue reading “Impressions”
Montana Under Glass
All around Montana, broken beer and wine bottles are showing up on roads and walkways. Admittedly, these are not the sharp, jagged pieces normally associated with broken glass, but rather the pulverized variety giving the glass both the consistency and appearance of gravel with the added attraction of multicolors. A crusher turns the glass intoContinue reading “Montana Under Glass”