Grain growers in Washington’s Spokane Valley traditionally burned the rubble on their fields after harvest. More recently, concern about air quality amidst the growing population is forcing many of them to give up the practice. As a result, the farmers have been left in the lurch. They still must remove the rubble, which they doContinue reading “Blast from the Past”
Author Archives: admin
Cost-Effective Strategies for Land Trusts
Just as businesses provide goods and services, land trusts provide environmental amenities such as wildlife habitat and scenic views. And like businesses, land trusts must keep their costs in check.
Farming for the Future: Agriculture’s Next Generation
Agriculture has proven that it can feed the world. Ever-increasing yields and changing demographics have ensured the cultivation of sufficient food; only distribution remains an obstacle.
Regulation by Litigation: The Diesel Engine Episode
This paper discusses a new form of regulation. Rather than issuing rules, some government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, have started to file lawsuits.
Regulating Air Quality through Litigation: The Diesel Engine Episode
RS-02-3: 2002 By Bruce Yandle, Andrew P. Morriss, and Lea-Rachel Kosnik Summary In recent years, a new form of regulation has emerged. Instead of issuing rules to control the behavior of firms and industries, government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, have been filing lawsuits. Such litigation enables regulatory agencies to make an end-run around congressionalContinue reading “Regulating Air Quality through Litigation: The Diesel Engine Episode”
It’s A Wrap
The search for bio-friendly food packaging material may have finally come to an end. EarthShell has developed a product from limestone, sand, and starch from potatoes or corn that will decompose within a few weeks when exposed to air. This packaging, Ali-ITE, has two distinct advantages over many other new products. Production costs are theContinue reading “It’s A Wrap”
Water Logged
An unlikely treasure lies buried in the cold dark depths of Lake Superior. Its golden hues emanate not from precious metal, but rather old-growth oak, maple, birch, and elm. Scott Mitchen, a professional treasure hunter, is thrilled with his find. During the late 1800s, millions of trees were cut and floated across the lake; however,Continue reading “Water Logged”
Dung Power
British dairy farmers are on the cutting edge of a new power source. The dung from their 5,000 cows is fueling a biogas plant on the north coast of Devon, England. The project is a joint venture between Farmatic of Germany and twenty-eight Devon dairy farmers. The waste is collected and then allowed to fermentContinue reading “Dung Power”
Computer Career
James Burgett, a 350-pound biker and ex-heroin addict, runs one of largest nonprofit computer recycling centers in the United States. Most of the money he makes is poured back into nonprofit activities. He has supplied refurbished computers to nearly every school in Oakland, Calif., human rights organizations in Guatemala, orphanages in Mexico, and disadvantaged peopleContinue reading “Computer Career”
Hunting — and Saving — Whales
At long last, new technology opens the possibility of property rights in whales — but international whaling regulators prefer “no whaling” over conservation.