The other oil import

Why palm oil is key to cutting the carbon emissions from our food system

Deforestation is at the top of the CIA’s list of environmental issues facing Indonesia, and much of it can be attributed to the creation of palm oil plantations, built to satisfy demands of the American market, which has increased the import of palm oil by 485 percent over the last decade.

A batty battle

Local, federal agencies accused of 'caving' to special interests

Near dark iron gates that cover cave openings in the Flatirons, a sign explains that the caves have been closed because white-nose syndrome has already killed more than 5 million bats. Local author and cave expert Richard Rhinehart informed the City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) office of an inaccuracy on the signs.

Beetle-mania

Is Colorado ready for a new beetle infestation?

After suffering more than 15 years of a mountain pine beetle outbreak, Colorado’s forests are now facing another bark beetle epidemic. Last year, 183,000 acres of Colorado’s forests were infested with the spruce beetle, bringing the total acreage affected by spruce beetles to just under 1 million since the initial outbreak in 1996.

Putting your money where your meal is

New philanthropic fund aims to invest in local food system

A nonprofit fund called Soil Trust, which will be officially launched at Slow Money’s upcoming National Gathering in Boulder on April 29 and 30, aims to enable local citizens to up the food sustainability ante and put their money where their meal is — or, rather, where it comes from.

Smart fashion: Clothing ethics under the microscope

H&M set to open in Boulder while shifting towards conscious trends

No need for the herald: It’s a well-known fact that American society is a consumerist culture.

Forest Service says when trees die, people die

Study explores intersections of forest health and human health

Forest Service researchers have used the emerald ash borer, a beetle that has killed more than 100 million trees in the eastern and midwestern U.S., to study the correlation between human health and forest health. They conclude that counties severely impacted by the emerald ash borer also had higher human mortality rates.

An unbalanced equation

Conference on World Affairs panelists discuss biases and the struggle for equal opportunity and equal confidence

Shortly after Ben Barres, a professor of neurobiology at Stanford University, gave a speech about his discoveries regarding nerve cells at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998, an MIT faculty member was overheard saying, “Ben Barres gave a great seminar today, but then again, his work is much better than his sister’s.”

Is water Colorado’s earthship-limiting factor?

Colorado's rainwater harvesting laws pose a challenge for 'biotecture' homes

Earthships aiming to land in Colorado pour on a slew of questions about rights to the rain. Permaculture-minded and rather postmodern, the gridfree homes are designed to catch rainwater for consumptive, gray water and black water use. But in most parts of the state, catching rainwater is illegal.

Lingering problems from a banned pesticide

DDT linked to high blood pressure in women

Women exposed before birth to the banned pesticide DDT may have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure later in life, according to a study published March 12.

An ocean to learn from

Author David Helvarg comes to talk about how California’s ocean management techniques could apply in Colorado’s mountains

Journalist and ocean organizer David Helvarg is attending this month’s Colorado Ocean Coalition Blue Drinks to talk about his new book, The Golden Shore. On its surface, Helvarg’s latest book offers a lengthy history of California and Californians’ relationship to the ocean and their 11,000 miles of coastline.

Eco-briefs | City offers events on water and weeds

The City of Boulder is holding two events on May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, to cover some summer concerns: water restrictions and a noxious weed eradication program.

Eco-briefs | The Second Kitchen food co-op plans to expand on the Hill

If passed by the House, SB 252 would require rural cooperatives with more than 100,000 meters to obtain 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. To help compensate for extra costs, the bill would also allow co-ops to tack on an extra 2 percent to customer bills, rather than the 1 percent that gets added now.

Eco-briefs | Breweries unite with nonprofit to promote awareness of water quality

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, is joining forces with more than 20 craft breweries to campaign for clean water.

Eco-briefs | Fuel scandal sends Texas man to prison

Jeffrey David Gunselman of Texas has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after admitting to defrauding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by acting as a business owner of a bio-diesel fuel production company in order to generate renewable fuel credits — then selling them to brokers and oil companies, according to the EPA.

Eco-briefs | 'Chasing Ice' filmmaker to discuss and debut footage at free event

Boulder-based photographer James Balog will discuss his work, which captures the effects of climate change on glaciers around the world, at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 1, at the University of Colorado’s Macky Auditorium.

Eco-briefs | Mars on the mind

NASA has announced that a recent rock sample taken from Mars indicates the planet could have once supported living micro-organisms — just as the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado announced it has crossed another milestone in building NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN).

Eco-briefs | Aerosols from one side of world influence rainfall on the other

A field study conducted by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) shows that dust and microorganisms help spur precipitation, which California counts on for its water supply.

Eco-briefs | New University of Colorado study shows biodiversity protects against disease

The National Geographic Society funded a research project at the University of Colorado that was designed to further understanding of the correlation between biodiversity and disease.

Eco-briefs | Fort Collins bans fracking

Following in the footsteps of Longmont, the Fort Collins City Council voted to approve an initial ban on hydraulic fracturing within city limits.

Eco-briefs | Nuclear sensors could be used to predict tsunamis and track greenhouse gases

A network of sensors used to track nuclear weapons since the Cold War could be used for environmental monitoring instead, according to a study published in Science last week.

See time-lapse animated GIFs of environmental changes over 28 years

Using annual photos from space, Google has compiled animated images that provide an overhead look at some major environmental changes over 28 years.

Carbon dioxide in atmosphere eclipses 400 parts per million

For the first time in human history, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has passed 400 parts per million, a symbolic mark that has not been reached for 3 to 5 million years.

One dead, two injured in Utah oil well explosion

An explosion at a well site in eastern Utah has killed one worker and injured two others.

Ohio city rejects ban on fracking

Youngstown, Ohio voters have rejected a proposed ban on fracking in city limits, but activists there say they won't stop trying to get the ban passed.

Conservative shoppers purposely avoid pro-environment products

Conservative shoppers are less likely to buy a product with labeling that points out that it helps the environment.

Environmental fashion: Check out the shirt that you only wash three times a year

First of all, since we're in Boulder: No, not every shirt is a shirt you wash only three times a year.

Solar power could replace fossil fuels, utilities acknowledge

How much could renewable energy shake up the energy industry? It depends who you ask.

NOAA: Expect almost ice-free summers in Arctic soon

The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that soon, possibly within the next few decades, there will be almost no ice in the Arctic during the summer.

Exxon hit with $236M court fine in NH pollution case

A New Hampshire jury has found gas company ExxonMobil liable for a $236 million cleanup bill in a groundwater pollution lawsuit.

'Hundreds of thousands of gallons' of oil blanket Ark. neighborhood

Mayflower, Ark. has been hit by a large oil spill from the ExxonMobil-operated Pegasus oil pipeline, causing hundreds of thousands of gallons to pour into yards and streets, Exxon confirms.

Spring 2013 Boulderganic Introduction

For green thumbs everywhere, this may be the most wonderful time of the year.

Intelligent irrigation: using less water for lawns and gardens in Boulder

The reality, they point out, is that we live in an arid environment, and instead of worrying so much about keeping front lawns green, perhaps we should adopt outdoor watering patterns that are more consistent with the hand that Mother Nature has dealt us locally.

A day in the life of a Boulder County GMO farmer

Roundup Ready sugar beet farmer talks about his trade in Longmont

Paul Schlagel’s business purchases usually consist of irrigation piping or seeds, so it’s understandable that the farmer is eager to show off his new toy: a GPS-guided John Deere tractor.

A greener way to grow

Local company cuts energy loss from greenhouses

Shopping only for local produce, or growing all of your own, sounds great until you remember one thing: avocados. And then tangerines, mangos, papayas, passion fruit — fresh-squeezed orange juice. Banana smoothies.

Injection rejection: How disposal drilling could backfire

As science catches up to oil and gas drilling, a disturbing picture is emerging

Some of the research that has been done recently reveals that injecting liquids into deep disposal wells at high pressure can and does cause earthquakes.

Boulder Creek’s bacteria battle

What high levels of E. coli actually mean for tubing, fishing and creek users

Not many sunbathers, tubers or other summer users of Boulder Creek know that for the past nine years the creek has had high counts of Escherichia coli (E. coli). From 13th Street to its confluence with South Boulder Creek, in-stream levels have exceeded Colorado water quality standards and have “impaired” it for recreational use.

Power use and marijuana: Where the grass isn’t greener

Indoor marijuana growing can consume large amounts of energy

Indoor marijuana grow operations aren’t as green as the weed they produce. According to data from Xcel Energy and estimates from those familiar with indoor growing, a single light used to grow 16 square feet of pot consumes about half as much energy as the average Colorado house in a one-month time frame.

The brighter side of wildfires

Scientists recognize importance of ‘black carbon’ in Colorado forests

As a farmer, Palke found a silver lining: the fire’s ashes. Inside his partially melted greenhouse, tomato plants were nearly buried in wet ash when rain rushed in. Weeks later, the tomato plants exploded in a frenzy of growth.

Space for change: Coworking spaces sustain entrepreneurial community

Coworking spaces are not your typical offices. You won’t find any cubicles and there are no bosses. A mobile application developer might work at the same table as a natural foods marketer, both sharing one common denominator: a sense of a professional community.

Hemp: The fiber side of cannabis

Amendment 64 legalizes industrial hemp farming in Colorado

While marijuana advocates celebrated the success of Amendment 64 in the November election, other cannabis aficionados began focusing on something new: farming hemp legally.