As a species, we waste an amazing amount of food. According to Natural Resources Defense Council, people chuck an incredible 40% of all food we produce. Dumpster divers have long sought to live off of the excess of our inefficient system, scrounging for edibles amongst the trash bin. Going one step further, some enterprising cooks and activists from Austria have created a reality TV show dedicated to cooking exclusively from the trash called “Waste Cooking“.


Read the rest of ‘Waste Cooking’ is a Reality TV Show That Makes Delicious Dishes From Discarded Food

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Post tags: Austria, compost, david gross, days in trash, dumpster diver, food, food waste, freegan, Natural Resources Defense Council, okto, organic waste, reality tv, refuse, tobias judmaier, united states, waste cooking

The beluga whale, also known as the “Canary of the Sea,” could become as much of a harbinger of danger as its feathered namesake. The pure white whales of Cook Inlet, Alaska are at a great risk of extinction due to fossil fuel extraction. Genetically distinct and physically isolated from other belugas, groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have petitioned to have the animals and their habitats protected under the Endangered Species Act. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the entire population of Cook Inlet beluga whales for 2012 numbered at only 321, a drastic reduction from the 1,300 whales that existed several decades before.

Read the rest of Beluga Whales Endangered by Fossil Fuel Extraction in Alaska

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Post tags: airgun, alaska, apache alaska corporation, beluga whale, canary of the sea, cook inlet, endangered species act, fossil fuels, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NOAA, nrdc, pebble mine, petition

It’s not exactly breaking news that we humans waste a lot of our food, but a new study by the National Resources Defense Council puts a striking figure on the actual statistics, suggesting that we waste a whopping 40% of all food produced. With the average American discarding 33 lbs of food each month, MSNBC calculates that each person is responsible for throwing out an adult gorilla’s weight in food each year. That’s a lot of food.

Read the rest of National Resources Defense Council Study Finds 40% of the World’s Food Goes Uneaten

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Post tags: "sustainable agriculture", composting food, energy poverty, feeding america, food banks, food desert, food landfill, food wastage, Go Halfsies, Natural Resources Defense Council, perishable goods, produce expense, reuters food and agriculture summit, Urban Farming

As part of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has implemented rules that has forced coal and gas companies to either close down high-polluting plants or retrofit them to meet air safety standards. However some energy companies are refusing to comply and a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council has revealed that eight leading U.S. utilities, known as the “Gang of Eight” has spent millions of dollars lobbying and litigating to block, weaken or delay major Clean Air Act safeguards.

Read the rest of NRDC Report Exposes the Millions Spent By Utility Companies Fighting EPA Clean Air Regulations

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Post tags: carbon emissions, clean air, clean air act, coal power, Environment Protection Agency, epa, gang of eight, gas power, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pollution, utility companies

Photo by Kohane

In what could be a devastating expose for online search giant Yahoo!, a report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)(in conjunction with Humane Society International and the Natural Resources Defense Council) has declared that the company may be receiving profits from the hundreds of whale products offered for sale on its Japanese website. The report, titled Killing for Commerce, details how Yahoo! Japan sells the meat of endangered whale species on its website and as a result, the parent company based in the US receives profits from the sales of these products. The EIA also states that there is evidence to suggest that products derived from dolphins are also being sold.

Read the rest of Shocking Report Suggests Yahoo! is Profiting From the Slaughter Of Whales and Dolphins

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Post tags: Environmental Investigation Agency, Humane Society International, Natural Resources Defense Council, whale meat, whale products, yahoo japan, yahoo japan whale

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that by the end of the century, heat-related deaths in the United States are expected to triple as a result of climate change. As summer approaches, Americans dust off the BBQ, slip on their swimming gear and head to the beach. But sun-worshipers often pay a tragic price, and those who opt to stay indoors sometimes struggle to cool inefficient homes. Each year, there are approximately 1,332 heat-related deaths, and with temperatures rising due to climate change, the NRDC claims that this number could rise to 4,608 by 2100.

Read the rest of NRDC Report Says US Heat-Related Deaths To Triple Due To Climate Change

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Post tags: Climate Change, Design, global warming, green design, greenhouse gases, Health, heat related deaths, heat wave, inhabitat-news, Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc, summer, sustainable design, united states

The US Department of Energy, with backing from the oil industry, has successfully tested a new method to extract untapped natural gas from frozen crystals of methane hydrate, buried in ocean sediment and permafrost in Alaska’s Arctic. Some experts claim that this energy source could provide several hundred years of energy, and they want to tap it using a method which requires carbon dioxide to be injected into the ground. Any form of drilling in the Arctic raises serious questions about extracting fossil fuels in an environmentally sensitive region, but proponents claim that the drilling techniques have a low ecological footprint.

Read the rest of Researchers Successfully Extract Natural Gas from Methane Crystals Deep in the Arctic

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Post tags: Alaska Arctic, Alaska Drilling, Arctic Drilling, carbon emissions, Climate Change, Conoco Phillips, global warming, Methane Crystals, methane emissions, Methane Hydrate, Natural Resources Defense Council, us department of energy

Rising water levels. Stronger storms. Water shortages. Climate change will affect the United States in a variety of ways, but water is the resource that it’s guaranteed to impact the most. In states across the country — and particularly in the west — water is already a contentious and highly political issue, and turmoil is only expected to grow in the coming years. A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council looks at the relationship between climate change and water readiness in each of the 50 states, and ranks them based on both risks and climate change preparedness.

Read the rest of New NRDC Report Ranks States’ Preparedness for Water Challenges Linked to Climate Change

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Post tags: carbon, carbon pollution, Climate Change, CO2, Drought, global warming, Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc, rising water levels, water issues, Water Resources

Since the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration has known that widespread use of large quantities of antibiotics on healthy livestock contributes to the ongoing health problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Despite that knowledge, the FDA has done little to curb the use of penicillin and tetracyclines in livestock feed, which puts people at risk. But this week, in a major victory for food safety advocates, a US Magistrate Judge, acting on a lawsuit brought against the FDA by NRDC and partners, ordered the FDA to initiate proceedings to withdraw approval for antibiotic use in animal feed, unless drug manufacturers prove in a hearing that said antibiotic use is safe for humans.

Photo © Flickr user Joost J. Bakker

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Post tags: antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotics, cows, farming, fda, Food and Drug Administration, food safety, livestock, Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc, organic cows, penicillin, public health, super bugs, super germs, sustainable food, tetracyclines

While many of the conversations regarding Apple today will center around the launch of the iPad 3, the Natural Resources Defense Council has taken to its blog to attack the computer giant over its plans for its new Cupertino campus. The proposed Foster+ Partner-designed campus impressed us with its expansive glass facades and significant commitment to renewable energy sources, but the NRDC’s Kaid Benfield all but directly calls for a boycott of Apple products in light of its violation of “the most basic tenets of smart growth and walkability in the sprawling, car-dependent design of its new headquarters.”

Read the rest of NRDC Slams New Apple Campus Design as Car-Dependent Suburban Sprawl

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", apple, apple campus, apple inc., carbon emissions, cupertino campus, Foster + Partners, Natural Resources Defense Council, renewable energy, retrofitting suburbia, silcon valley, solar panels, Steve Jobs, suburban sprawl

When an environmental problem arises and the Army Corps of Engineers fails to act, leave it to an architect to pick up the reins. The Great Lakes, a vital source of fresh water, are threatened by Asian carp, an invasive species with no known predators. Architect Jeanne Gang has proposed a solution that would create a barrier between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan, restoring the natural flow of the Chicago River while also helping to introduce green infrastructure and revitalize a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

Read the rest of Invasive Species Threat Inspires Jeanne Gang to Reimagine Chicago’s South Side

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Post tags: Architecture, Army Corps of Engineers, Asian carp, chicago, Chicago's South Side, Design, Eco Architecture, eco design, Gang Studios, great lakes, green architecture, green design, Harvard Graduate School of Design, invasive species, jeanne gang, Lake Michigan, MacArthur grant, Mississippi River, Natural Resources Defense Council, neighborhood revitalization, Reverse Effect, sustainable design, urban planning

Environmentalists across the nation can breathe a sign of relief. On Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives rejected the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act, a bill designed to repeal light bulb efficiency standards. The BULB act, sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and supported by many Republicans, failed to reach the required two – thirds majority in the House, with the final vote at 233-193. If passed, the bill would have cost Americans $12.5 billion in energy savings.

Read the rest of House Rejects BULB, a Misguided Attempt to End Lighting Efficiency Standards

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Post tags: 2007 energy bill, bulb act, BULB act repealed, CFL bulbs law, congress votes against BULB act, energy efficiency laws, environmental sustainability laws, george w bush energy policy, green incandescent bulb, green light bulbs, light bulb legislation, Natural Resources Defense Council

America’s love affair with consumer electronics will likely rage on for years to come. With a constant stream of iPads, e-readers and smart phones hitting the market, it’s hard not to get sucked into purchasing products. But embracing new technologies brings up a huge question: What do you do with the old stuff?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generated about 3 million tons of electronic waste in 2007. Out of all that waste, only 13.6 percent of it was recycled — the rest wound up in landfills or was shipped to developing nations. The country’s growing mounds of e-waste are cause for concern both from a health and environmental perspective, so it’s important for consumers to properly dispose of unwanted electronics. Read on to learn how improperly discarded e-waste poses health, social and environmental problems.

Read the rest of Electronics Recycling 101: The Problem With E-Waste

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Post tags: Basel Action Network, e-Stewards, e-waste, electronic recycling certification, electronic take-back programs, electronics recycling, electronics recycling programs, environment and e-waste, epa, exporting e-waste, Government Accountability Office, Kate Sinding, Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc, problems with e-waste, toxins in e-waste