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July 21, 2007
by Andrew Ellis for the Arizona Republic
July . . . the time of year when Arizonans study the horizon for a break in the monotonous weather pattern of late spring and early summer. After enduring our weather doldrums of May and June, a little hunger for some dramatic weather is expected.
But really, does the monsoon matter?
July 6, 2007
by Rod Groff for the Arizona Republic
Surviving summer in Phoenix requires near-constant access to beverages and increasingly consumers are choosing non-carbonated drinks, especially bottled water.
According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, U.S. sales of bottled water have spiked from 3.8 billion units sold in 1997 to 279 billion units in 2006. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) single-use plastic bottles that are most common are frequently littered and have a lower recycling rate at 23% than any of the most common packaging materials according to a February report by the Consumer Recycling Institute (CRI).
June 30, 2007
by Harvey Bryan for the Arizona Republic
The subject of global warming is the focus of considerable national and international attention of late. Taking action, however, does not have to be so distant or dependent on governments. There is a lot an individual or household can do, such as measure its “carbon footprint.” This concept was created to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that an activity releases into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to global warming. Once your footprint is calculated, you can make changes to your behavior or lifestyle to reduce that footprint. Carbon footprinting can be undertaken at various scales: the units of measure are usually in pounds or kilograms of CO2 per year for the smaller scale or metric tons of CO2 for the larger scale. Value through the use of offsets has also been placed on CO2. Carbon offsets can be purchased from $6 to $30 per metric ton of CO2 per year from a seller who promises to use that money to neutralize or offset your CO2 emissions.
June 9, 2007
by Jonathan Fink for the Arizona Republic
Arizona is a state built on optimism – a welcoming land of dazzling landscapes, abundant sunshine, and seemingly limitless economic opportunity.
But lately there is a growing unease among our citizens, concern that the bounty that drew us here might be running out. The decade-long drought might turn into a 1930s-style Dust Bowl. The choking “brown cloud” of air pollution might never lift. Night-time temperatures might pass the century mark and keep on rising. Freeway construction might never relieve the growing load of traffic.
