"As leaves across America make their annual autumn pilgrimage from the treetops to the ground, lawn and wildlife experts say it's better to leave them around than to bag them."
"No plastic is truly recyclable — not even the water bottles and milk jugs that people usually toss into their blue bins."
"Climate activists are "baffled" over Egypt's decision to have Coca-Cola - a major plastic producer - sponsor this year's global climate talks."
Concerns about seaborne plastic waste go back decades, but science writer Juli Berwald suggests that myths and disinformation about sources and solutions continue to cloud the waters. From lentil-sized nurdles to sprawling fishing nets, 200 million tons of plastic now fill the ocean and, for her, it has become evident that the ocean plastics story is really a land story. But will the newly signed international treaty on plastics offer relief?
As concerns over global warming, the endangerment of plant and animal species, and water rights escalate, many environmentalists are turning to Indigenous people for guidance. As part of a Society of Environmental Journalists special initiative focused on covering climate solutions, we take a closer look at nature-based solutions and Indigenous people with reporter Brian Bull. Check out a resource toolbox and stay tuned for a reporting tipsheet in coming weeks. Plus, be sure to register for a Sept. 28 webinar on covering Indigenous communities and nature-based climate solutions.
"States are continuing to allow sewage sludge to be spread on cropland as fertilizer and in some cases increasing the amount spread, even as the PFAS-tainted substance has ruined farmers’ livelihoods, poisoned water supplies, contaminated food and put the public’s health at risk."
"Pennsylvania becomes the newest sacrifice zone for America’s plastic addiction."
"After two years, Brightmark Energy has yet to get the factory up and running. Environmentalists say pyrolysis requires too much energy, emits greenhouse gases and pollutants, and turns plastic waste into new, dirty fossil fuels."
Chicken production in the United States is a colossal industry controlled by a few vertically integrated companies. On a much smaller scale, it’s also heritage breeds and increasingly popular backyard flocks. As the latest avian flu outbreak makes headlines, journalist Christine Heinrichs looks at environmental reporting opportunities related to poultry pathogens, pollution and more.
"A new brand of offsetting allows companies to call themselves "plastic-neutral" while continuing to use plastic themselves. What's it all about?"
