Saving plants that may save us
One particular discovery highlights the importance of facilities like the Harvard Herbaria and Arnold Arboretum in storing and preserving the important information found in plants. An extract of a...
View ArticleStudent-designed lamp brightens Harvard dorms
Halogen lamps became increasingly popular through the ’90s. Their high-wattage bulbs gave off a clear, pleasant light and — at $15 to $25 — even a student could afford them. Unfortunately, the lamps...
View ArticleIndustrial disasters sparked field of environmental health
Two large, unnatural disasters helped to create the impetus for the field of environmental health to grow in scope. But before there was a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and before the National...
View ArticleScientists probe Northern Hemisphere ozone loss
The ozone layer shields us from cancerous ultraviolet radiation. Understanding how it is being destroyed was the mission of more than 350 scientists from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and...
View ArticleReport focuses on impact of power plant pollution
Air pollution from two Massachusetts coal-fired power plants is spread over a large region and adversely affects the health of hundreds of thousands of people. Harvard School of Public Health...
View ArticleMapping the brain’s response to breathlessness
In an experiment, healthy men were placed on ventilators, and their ability to take deep breaths was controlled. As their breathing was regulated, their brains were imaged using a PET camera. The...
View ArticleProtecting nature religiously
“Our religious institutions are the only institutions that are not completely implicated in the culture of materialism and growth,” said Bill McKibben, an environmental activist and a fellow at Harvard...
View ArticleEnvironmental health researcher studies lead poisoning in India
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic element, and exposure poses a serious threat to children whose neurological systems are still developing. Some children suffer from brain damage, poor motor skills...
View Article‘Evergreen Revolution’ called for
M.S. Swaminathan, a world-renowned agricultural scientist, outlined a plan that focuses on educating women in developing countries, getting new technology out to rural areas, and incorporating into...
View ArticleRoads scholar visits most remote spots
In the United States there are 4 million miles of public roads, which are used by at least 230 million vehicles. Obviously, these roads have a huge effect on their environments, including aspects of...
View ArticleNational environmental policy during the Clinton years
Researchers at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government examined the environmental policy record of former President Bill Clinton. Environmental quality improved overall during the decade, the...
View ArticleThe skin’s the thing for conserving a building’s energy
It has been estimated that a third of the world’s energy is consumed by buildings, a third by transportation, and a third by industry. With gasoline prices rising and electrical blackouts plaguing...
View ArticleStudent investigates investing in Mother Earth
Managers of “green” mutual investment funds seek to invest their clients’ money in socially responsible and environmentally friendly companies. But those managers, and individual investors, are often...
View ArticleIt’s easy being green
Eleven interns worked on seven projects across Harvard University for three months in the summer of 2001. The internships were sponsored by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, in collaboration with...
View ArticleA voice for the wilderness
Famed Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson is blunt about the dangers facing the world. He describes a 50-year “bottleneck” during which the Earth’s human population will continue to grow — perhaps to as high...
View ArticleMaternal history influences risk of asthma in children exposed to cats
Recent studies have gathered evidence that cat exposure during infancy can be protective against asthma. Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital confirmed these findings in all but one situation: when...
View ArticleBattling toxic molds
Molds are found in all kinds of environments. Estimates of the number of kinds of molds range from tens of thousands to more than 300,000, with more than 1,000 species known to typically grow indoors,...
View ArticleHeinz Center report presents environmental indicators
Statistics and reports on environmental damage and progress routinely come from dozens — if not hundreds — of nonprofit, government, and other agencies. Often the information disagrees with previously...
View ArticleReport documents health effect of biodiversity
A new report catalogues the connections between biodiversity and human health. The interim executive summary was presented at the United Nations in late October 2002, following the U.N. World Summit on...
View ArticleBan on coal burning in Dublin cleans the air, reduces death rates
In the 1980s, Dublin’s air quality suffered as people switched from oil to cheaper and more available coal for home and water heating. On Sept. 1, 1990, the Irish government banned the sale and...
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