Earthtalk
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Going paperless
Dear Earthtalk: My company talks the talk when it comes to the environment but could do so much more to reduce paper use. Do you have any tips to help get the higher-ups on board to reduce paper use company-wide? Answer: Cutting back on paper may seem “so 1990s” given the current focus of environmental […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Biophilic design
Dear Earthtalk: What is biophilic design in architecture and where can I see it implemented? Answer: Biophilia is defined as the inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature. The moral imperative of biophilia is that we cannot flourish as individuals or as a species without a compassionate and considerate relationship to the world beyond ourselves […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – California Redwoods
Dear Earthtalk: Are the California redwoods in danger because of the drought? Answer: California is home to two of the three redwood tree species: coast redwoods and giant sequoias. The coast redwood is the Earth’s tallest tree, growing more than 360 feet tall, with a trunk that can extend to 24 feet wide. The “General […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Drones
Dear EarthTalk: How are environmentalists putting drones to use to help further their causes? ANSWER: Conservationists are utilizing drone or “unmanned aerial systems” (UAS) technology to gather highly detailed imagery and other environmental data that is traditionally challenging to obtain. Wildlife biologist John Takekawa and his team at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), for […]
EarthTalk: Off-shore drilling?
Dear EarthTalk: Is off-shore drilling any safer for the environment today given lessons learned from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? ANSWER: The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in 2010 resulted in 11 lost lives and hundreds of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Various […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – SeaWorld’s Orcas
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve been seeing this ad on TV a lot by SeaWorld claiming they don’t take orcas from the wild and that orcas live just as long in captivity as they do in the wild. Are these claims true? SeaWorld has faced criticism and plummeting profits after the release of the 2013 documentary, Blackfish, which […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Protecting Polar Bears
Dear EarthTalk: How have polar bear populations in the Arctic been faring since the U.S. put them on its endangered species list in 2008, and what efforts are underway to protect them? Biologists estimate that as many as 25,000 polar bears roam the far north these days, with two-thirds of them in Canada and most […]
EarthTalk: Epic drought
Dear EarthTalk: Is California’s epic drought really the result of too much meddling by environmentalists like some conservatives have suggested? While no one questions that California is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in recent history, the jury is still out as to why, at least according to some conservatives like former […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Recycling paint
Dear EarthTalk: What is the best way to recycle my old and/or unwanted paint, primer and stains? Has one of the many popular shows on HGTV inspired you to renovate your own home? If so, you’re not alone! Home renovations have been on the rise the last few years in the U.S. and Canada, which […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Postal Service
Dear EarthTalk: What’s the latest with the U.S. Postal Service trying to reduce its environmental footprint? Starting delivery of some mail on Sundays doesn’t seem like a step in the right direction. As recent TV ads have been telling us, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has recently started delivering some mail on Sunday in […]
