Josh Peterson
Latest Stories from Josh Peterson
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Coral Reefs in Danger? Climate Champ to the Rescue
Rebecca Chan, a California Climate Champion and Columbia University sophomore, recently returned from Okinawa, Japan where she studied the effects of climate change on coral reefs and discussed the ramifications of a warming world with scientists and
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Missouri Accidentally Bans Tupperware from its Waterways
Photo: GregPC via Flickr Are you thinking of taking your family rafting near the Ozarks this Labor Day? Well, you’d better leave your Tupperware at home. A poorly written Missouri law has mistakenly banned polypropylene from most of the state’s
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Illuminating Candle Pollution
You can add paraffin candles to the list of seemingly mundane objects that can negatively affect your indoor air quality. According to a new study put out by American Chemical Society, burning candles is a common and long
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Youth Volunteers Tire of Green Grunt Work
It is the youth who seem to be the most interested in the green movement, probably because they have the most at stake. If environmental conditions degenerate to the point of no return, young people are going to have to deal
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Filling Tires with Wood May Increase Gas Mileage, Quality
Photo: Shadyside Lantern via Flickr. Trees may be employed to build the fuel-efficient tire of the future. Wood science researchers at Oregon State University have been studying microcrystalline cellulose. This substance can be created from most
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Women Should Sing to Their Tomatoes. Guys Should Shut Up.
We may live in society that stresses equality between the genders, but when it comes to gardening, women seem to have an upper larynx. According to a recent experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society in England, tomato
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Are Shredded Tires Polluting Our Playgrounds?
The EPA is reexamining whether crumb rubber, made from shredded tires, is safe for playground applications. Previously, the EPA had okayed shredded tires for civil engineering and public recreation projects, but
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Hope May Be Harmful to the Environment
Imagine that you are on a rocket ship that might be headed into the sun. One of the leading scientists on board tells everyone that the ship is going to become trapped in the sun's gravitational pull within ten years. The
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Search for Air France Flight 447 Hindered By Garbage
Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic ocean near Brazil this week. Rescue workers and officials are pessimistic that they will find the downed craft or the black box. The first major obstacle was that the aircraft
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Mechanical Animals to Terminate Poaching
Photo: Tostie14 Via Flickr If you would have told me three months ago that a robot turkey was a worthwhile invention, I would have argued with you. "No," I would have said. "I'm not quite sure what turkeys do with their time, but I'm pretty
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Bike to Work, Pocket 20 Bucks a Month
Remember that Renewable Energy Tax legislation that passed a few months ago? It was filled with all sorts of green goodies, like alternative energy credits and money for weatherization assistance programs. Congress,
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Cult Members Imbue Lakes With Positive Energy, Fiberglass
Four members of Orgonise Africa, a New Age group, were arrested by Mozambican police for attempting to sabotage the Cahora Bassa dam by dumping a corrosive substance into water supply. The four men, a German
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Alternative Builders Search for Solutions in Southern California
The 6th annual Alternative Building and Design Expo took place in Santa Monica, California on May 8th and 9th. They had free valet bicycle parking, but non-valet car parking cost eight dollars, just another fine example of how going green saves you
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Was "Free Willy" Better Off in Captivity?
Keiko the killer whale, also known as Willy from the movie Free Willy, died in captivity in 2003. Many attempts were made to release the whale into the wild. All were failures. Now, researchers are saying that the efforts to
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Yangtze Alligator Population May Be on the Upswing
Only 120 Yangtze alligators live in the wild. The Yangtze River, the alligators' natural habitat, is so polluted that the ecological damage has been called "largely irreversible." Poaching is another obstacle to the reptiles'
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A Chat with Peapod Designer Peter Arnell
Via Peapod The Peapod, a neighborhood electrical vehicle, will be available to consumers on Earth Day. It costs $12,500. It goes 25mph, has a travel range of thirty miles and is not allowed on highways. These are fairly typical statistics for an NEV.
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Vespanomics 101 in Costa Mesa
Piaggio, the parent company of Vespa, held a "scooter salon" in Costa Mesa, California on April 6 in order to publicize the opening of the Piaggo Technical Center. The salon featured scooter rides, a little wine, some
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Sick Turtle Checks Self Into Hospital
A 73-pound loggerhead turtle materialized in the waters near the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida on March 29. Loggerhead turtles are not common in the harbor. When hospital personnel first spied the turtle, they
