EcoHearth: Come Home to the Earth

When President Obama announced his support for Southern Co.'s plans to build in Georgia the first new US nuclear power plant in 30 years, our first reaction was “no more nukes!” To some, nuclear reactors are the face of the future; to others ticking time bombs of the past. Are your facts decades out of date as were ours? Steven Kotler examines the evolution of nuclear technology and explains how the new generation of nukes is cleaner, safer and less vulnerable to terrorist attack. It hasn't yet changed our position, but it has opened our mind. - Ed. Read on...

Something all humans share, from celebrities to the homeless, is air. Not so obvious is the quality of that air and how it affects our health. While we think of global warming as something taking place above our heads, it’s easy to forget that those heat-trapping and often chemical-laden gases affect our lungs before they reach the clouds. Read on…

Located high above the western tree lines, from British Columbia to New Mexico, live a small species of rabbits called the American Pika. While these diminutive critters, otherwise known as the Little Chief Hare, may be cute and cuddly, they also have a much more serious and important role. They are among the best early indicators of climate change. Pika cannot survive longer than an hour in temperatures exceeding 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and their disappearance from their typical colonies has convinced scientists that climate change is happening much faster than expected in North America. Read on…

Reward or penalty, carrot or stick—which provides the most motivation to recycle household waste?

Recycling programs not only vary from country to country—different local authorities within the same nation often have contrasting ideas as to what works best. The success and failure of diverse recycling philosophies around the world, from pay-as-you-throw charges to voucher rewards, are instructive in this regard. And they can provide a template for countries and local authorities in creating their own recycling operations. Read on…

Frogs have been disappearing worldwide at unprecedented rates, and currently one-third of the world's 6,485 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. This should come as no surprise since frog populations are being assaulted from many directions at once--global warming, pollution, habitat destruction, infectious diseases, over-harvesting and invasive species being the greatest menaces. Despite this onslaught, there’s a lot you can do to reverse this disturbing trend. Read on…