A nationwide survey of U.S. beekeepers released on Wednesday found that the pollinators have been hit by another massive population drop, with 42 percent of bee colonies nationwide dying in the last year — the second-largest annual recorded loss to date and a number that is too high to be sustainable, according to researchers. The…
The economics of wind power are looking good, according to a 350-page report issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy, which states that the nation’s swiftly expanding wind industry could help America significantly reduce its carbon emissions, support more than 600,000 jobs, and provide 35 percent of the United States’ electricity needs, all by…
The League of Women Voters is hosting Office of Sustainability director Therese Dorau during a “Lunch with the League” event on Friday. “Sustainability is a powerful tool for communities – it strengthens the local economy, cuts costs, and creates healthy, vibrant neighborhoods. Citizen engagement is an indispensable component of a sustainable city, so I’m grateful…
A pipeline rupture earlier this month in North Dakota is now revealed to have spilled a possible record-setting amount of “brine” created as a byproduct of oil drilling, with the full impacts of the incident still unknown. The North Dakota Department of Health was notified of the Jan. 6 leak in Williams County by pipeline…
Republicans take control of Congress on Tuesday, marking the first time since 2006 that the GOP holds both the House and Senate. Their first order of business: approving the Keystone XL pipeline, which would deliver Canadian tar sands oil to the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama’s response: not so fast. The White House said today…
South Bend’s Office of Sustainability is looking for your input. The office that is tasked with helping the city to become a more sustainable place is asking city residents to complete a survey to help them determine the city’s issues and opportunities. You can also offer your ideas and priorities for city government. “Your opinions…
Insects account for some of the most successful species on earth, and the success of humans has undoubtedly had a large impact on the structure and diversity of insect populations. Trends such as urbanization, agriculture, and climate change have even altered the insects that we typically come in contact with in our backyards, and houses….
A middle-of-the-night breach of the tailing pond for an open-pit copper and gold mine in British Columbia sent a massive volume of toxic waste into several nearby waterways on Monday, leading authorities to issue a water-use ban. Slurry from Mount Polley Mine near Likely, B.C. breached the earthen dam around 3:45 am on Monday, with…
