EarthTalk

Dear EarthTalk: It has been said that global warming will bring a new ice age. Is this true or only fiction? -- Nitisha Jain, Delhi, India While no one can be sure what and how severe the effects of global warming will be, it is entirely possible that one outcome of our profligate use of fossil fuels could be an ice age. The theory goes that a warming-induced influx of cold, fresh water into the...

Dear EarthTalk: Can you enlighten on the environmental impact of the fashion industry? As I understand it, the industry overall is no friend to the environment. -- Tan Cheng Li, Malaysia According to the non-profit Earth Pledge, today some 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used throughout the world to turn raw materials into textiles. Domestically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that one-quarter of all pesticides used nationwide go toward growing cotton, primarily for the...

Dear EarthTalk: I'm a travel agent and our firm has several clients wanting to go with green vendors, including for travel (airline or rental car) and lodging.  Our company is supportive so would like to know which airlines, hotels and car rental agencies are going affordably green? -- Carol Biggar, via e-mail Just like every other industry, going green has become a mantra among airlines, car rental companies and even hotel chains. The fuel crunch of...

Dear EarthTalk: I don't understand why many people oppose wind power just because they have to look at the turbines. If you ask me, wind turbines are much nicer-looking than coal-fired, waste-to-energy or nuclear power plants. -- Michael Hart, via e-mail Whether it's a wind farm, a coal-fired power plant, a nuclear reactor or even just a big box store, there are always going to be locals opposed to it, declaring "not in my back yard!"...

Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone ever studied the environmental impact of discarded cigarettes? I'm constantly appalled at the number of drivers I see pitching their butts out their car windows. -- Ned Jordan, via email It's true that littered cigarette butts are a public nuisance, and not just for aesthetic reasons. The filters on cigarettes -- four fifths of all cigarettes have them -- are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that is very...

Dear EarthTalk: I recently had a tissue mineral analysis indicating that my levels of the nutritional element, molybdenum, were off the chart.  I believe this may be leaching from my stainless steel cookware. Is this element toxic to my body? -- Barbara, Fruitland Park, FL Having trace amounts of molybdenum in our bloodstreams is not only normal but beneficial. The element piggybacks onto bacteria to help us metabolize proteins and grow new cells, and also...

Dear EarthTalk: How are heating, cooling and electricity produced by geothermal energy? I don't understand how it works.  -- Delano Stewart, Wyandanch, NY The term "geothermal" is derived from the Greek words for Earth (geo) and heat (therme). In essence, geothermal energy is power harnessed from the Earth itself. Heat from the Earth's core, which averages about 6,650 degrees Fahrenheit, emanates out toward the planet's surface. Heated springs and geysers up to three miles underground can be...

Dear EarthTalk: Apparently boxed wine (instead of bottled) is becoming all the rage for environmental reasons. What are the eco-benefits of boxed wine over bottled? -- Justin J., Los Angeles, CA With more and more wineries offering organic varieties to lower their eco-footprint, it's no surprise that they're looking at the environmental impacts of their packaging as well. The making of conventional glass bottles (and the corks that cap them) uses significant quantities of natural...

Dear EarthTalk: I recently saw a reference to "Enertia houses" that require little in the way of external sources for heating or cooling.  Do you have any information on this housing design? -- Alan Marshfield, via e-mail Enertia is a brand name for homes designed and sold in kits by North Carolina-based Enertia Building Systems (EBS). The idea essentially marries the concepts of geothermal and passive solar heating/cooling into what amounts to a highly energy efficient...

Dear EarthTalk: Do you have current facts and figures about how much rainforest is being destroyed each day around the world, and for what purpose(s)? -- Teri, via e-mail. Pinning down exact numbers is nearly impossible, but most experts agree that we are losing upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest daily, and significantly degrading another 80,000 acres every day on top of that. Along with this loss and degradation, we are losing some 135...