GreenAnswers Blog

The Year of the Tiger

Because many people find them to be among the most charismatic and beautiful of all animal species, it's no surprise GreenAnswers members often have questions about tiger populations, behavior, and conservation.  Since we're now in the Chinese Year of the Tiger, this interest is especially timely.  It's also important because tigers in the wild are one of the most endangered mammal species.  In celebration of the Year of the Tiger, I've compiled some of the most interesting questions about the world's largest big cat which GreenAnswers members have recently asked. What is ... Read more »

Uncle Sam and the Environment

Here are some questions asked by GreenAnswers members regarding the federal government and how it deals with policies regarding our environment. What are the priorities for the EPA in 2010? Obviously the EPA must continue a wide array of programs and regulations, but one of the main focuses it has stressed for the new decade is finding a viable candidate to replace foreign oil in the energy market place. The EPA has instituted a number of initiatives, research programs and other regulations to encourage the development of alternative energy facilities like wind turbines and tidal energy ... Read more »

E-waste: A growing problem with no clear solutions

There have been a lot of questions recently about e-waste; how it hurts our environment and what we could be doing better to ensure more e-waste is properly recycled. Here are some questions from GreenAnswers that discuss this rapidly growing problem. First and foremost; what impact does electronic waste have on the environment? There are several ways that electronic waste or e-waste can affect the environment. Rachelk explains that products that become e-waste have very high turn over rates and so more and more electronic waste continues to pile up as we buy new cell phones and bigger ... Read more »

Climate Change Denial Addressed Head-On

As governments around the world move closer to taking much-needed action on the climate, it's no surprise that those who don't want to see action have stepped up efforts to discredit the science behind global warming.  Sometimes the group of fossil fuel-friendly media pundits, bloggers, and even industry-paid scientists who try to cast doubt on global warming are referred to as "global warming skeptics."  In this post however, I use the term "denialist" instead of "skeptic" because, in my opinion, it is much more accurate.  Skepticism is an essential part of the scientific ... Read more »

Our Unpredictable Planet: Questions About Natural Disasters

Among the times when people are most likely to notice the natural world is when it suddenly becomes dangerous: whether in the form of a hurricane, earthquake, or some other "natural disaster."  With rising global temperatures threatening to increase the likelihood of some natural disasters, these events are also a reminder of why it's a good idea not to upset the planet's natural systems too much.  For this post, I've collected some of the most interesting questions GreenAnswers members have asked about disasters ranging from tornadoes in the US to the recent tragic earthquake in ... Read more »

The Oil Impact

The US economy's dependence on oil as a fuel source is always a hot topic in environmental circles, so it's not surprising that the past week has seen many interesting and thought-provoking questions about oil from GreenAnswers members.  For this blog post, I've rounded up some of the recent oil-related questions, to examine the environmental and economic impacts of our reliance on this fuel. Why is oil such a good source of energy? This question from jacobson is a great way to start out, as it gets right to the heart of why our economy has become so dependent on oil for generating ... Read more »

When Green Means Good Business

Today's business world is awash in advertising for "green" products and practices, demonstrating that the business community has finally caught onto the fact that sustainability makes for good publicity and consumer satisfaction.  However, determining which companies are truly doing all they can to protect the planet and which are more talk than action can be difficult.  In this post, I've collected recent questions from GreenAnswers members about green business practices, and attempted to highlight some of the companies and industry players that truly are making strides to a ... Read more »

Some Great Bird Questions

What is a bald eagle's favorite food? We'll start with this question from RolfG about what may be the most charismatic of all bird in the US.  Bald eagles are primarily adapted to feed on fish, and at the right time of year in certain eagle populations 90% of a bald eagle's food intake may be fish.  So fish would probably qualify as the favorite food of the bald eagle, but these birds normally feed on a variety of other things as well.  Bald eagles will take the opportunity to eat ducks, geese and other waterfowl - but they usually only attempt to catch sick or wounded ... Read more »

Starfish Extravaganza!

Several species of starfish displayed on a beach; they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. There have been a number of questions asked of GreenAnswers regarding starfish. These amazing little creatures are a vital part of the ecosystems in which they live and are found in dense populations throughout the world’s oceans. Scientifically, they belong to the Phylum Echinoderm and make up the entire class of Asteroidea. As amber87 tells us, there are more than 1800 different species of starfish in the world which is why starfish have their own genetic ‘class.’ Depending on the species, age ... Read more »

Amazing Plant Life

Plants are some of the most amazing organisms on our planet. They are found in all corners of the globe, from the cold plains of the Tundra to the dry, barren deserts; plants have adapted themselves to our planet quite exquisitely. However, as the Earth’s climate continues to change, many plants are forced to adapt once more to their changing weather patterns. How much light do plants need to grow? This question may sound simple, but it is very complex. Of the thousands upon thousands of plant species there are, each needs its own unique amount of sunlight for optimal growth; however, ... Read more »

Effects of a Changing Climate

The global warming and changing world climate patterns represent the most serious environmental problem facing us today, it's sometimes hard to remember what exactly global warming will mean for people, wildlife, and ecosystems all over the world.  Over the past week, many great questions have come in from GreenAnswers members about the effects of a changing climate on places both close to home and far away.  For this blog post, I've rounded up a sampling of some of the most interesting questions about global warming's effects.  What small island states are threatened by ... Read more »

Harvesting Resources from the Sea

Recently there have been a number of questions regarding over fishing and sustainable practices regarding harvesting resources from the sea. We as humans have always relied on the sea for a number of food sources from fish to seaweed, and unless we change our current practices to better reflect natural ecological models, we can expect to see the seas collapse under the pressure we have been putting on them. Who is affected by overfishing? A very board question, but still an important one to ask. Benz points out that everyone is affected by overfishing through a concept known as the Tragedy ... Read more »

Drinking GREEN!

There have been a lot of questions asked on GreenAnswers about the ecological impacts of certain alcoholic beverages (wine, beer and spirits). Each can have its own unique impact on the planet and for our members of legal age, hopefully this piece will help you choose a better brew (or other beverage) next time it comes to order. Grab a beer (preferably and organic one!) and raise your glass to green drinking Is alcohol production bad for the Earth? Vagamundo explains that it is all about scale. Microbreweries or local breweries usually only sell their beer locally, as opposed to large ... Read more »

Biofuels Break-Down

Among the many new energy industries developing to replace our reliance on fossil fuels, biofuels can be among the most confusing and controversial.  Though some see biofuels as a viable alternative to burning coal and oil, other environmentalists argue that biofuels have a large environmental footprint of their own.  Each of the many different biofuels now on the market has its own environmental impact, and some are undoubtedly more sustainable than other to produce.  In this blog post I look at some recent GreenAnswers questions about biofuels, and look at the pros and ... Read more »

Amazing Invertebrates

Some of the most interesting recent questions about wildlife on GreenAnswers have had to do with invertebrates: the vast collection of animals without a backbone.  From giant earthworms to colorful sea slugs, GreenAnswers members have inquired into the lives of some of the most fascinating but least known of creatures with which we share this planet.  For this blog post, I've collected together some of the best recent questions about invertebrates. How many different species of starfish are there? In this question meadowlark brings up one on the most-loved of marine ... Read more »

Pollution Problems on GreenAnswers

Pollution of the air and water has long been one of the most important concerns of environmentalists around the world, from the Chinese city of Beijing to the banks of the Potomac River in the eastern US.  In the questions compiled for this blog post, GreenAnswers members raise important issues encountered when dealing with air and water pollution.  Are West Virginia's waterways contaminated because of all the coal production? From mining coal to burning it for electricity generation or industry, the coal industry is one of the most polluting industries in the US.  With ... Read more »

All About the EPA

There have been a lot of questions recently about the Environmental Protection Agency, who is involved, and just what exactly it does. Katyr explains to us that President Richard Nixon first proposed the idea in 1970 and signed it into law through an executive order; it began work on December 2nd of that same year. Many members have pointed out that the EPA is not an international agency, but rather an agency that tackles domestic environmental problems; although their actions can and do affect other parts of the globe. The EPA is headed by the Agency's Administrator; who is appointed by ... Read more »

Best Ways to Help the Climate

How best to help the climate by reducing carbon footprints is always a hot topic on GreenAnswers; in this post, I've collected some of the most notable questions about the subject from the last week.  GreenAnswers members are clearly concerned about all aspects of addressing global warming and carbon pollution - from living low-carbon lifestyles to changing our economy so it takes less pollution to run.  The questions below cover the full spectrum, touching on everything from recycling to coal plants.1. What do carbon footprint labels on foods reveal? ... Read more »

Most Interesting Ocean Questions on GreenAnswers

In the past week we've seen some great questions in the Oceans & Coastlines topic, ranging in scope from how the world's oceans are classified to what can be done about the most important threats to ocean ecosystems.  Below I've rounded up a sampling of some of the most interesting questions, which touch on the oceans in many different ways. How much of the world's oceans are protected? [img_assist|nid=122059|title=|desc=|link=none|align=none|width=498|height=329] Here, our attention is focused on one of the most important measures proposed to protect ocean life: marine ... Read more »

Tigers to Tasmanian Devils: Conserving Threatened Wildlife on GreenAnswers

Do we need to change our plans for protecting the tiger to save it? This question from Alayna is a great way to start out - with one of the most charismatic of all threatened wildlife species, the tiger.  Traditionally tiger conservation has focused on preserving blocks of habitat, and enforcing rules and agreements to discourage hunting.  The World Wildlife Fund has selected seven major regions in the tiger’s range where populations have a chance of long-term survival, as well as four more places where conservation will be more challenging but still possible.  The WWF is ... Read more »