Green Guru

When explaining why I don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken, despite the tempting aroma of a barbequed burger or bacon sizzling on the stove, I say that it’s better for the environment to abstain. But what, exactly, does that mean?

David George Gordon’s crusade to get people to eat bugs began in 1996. A professional science writer and former biologist, he was writing a book about cockroaches when he stumbled upon scientific papers explaining the medicinal properties of insects. Within days he had a contract for his next project, the Eat-A-Bug Cookbook, which came out in 1998. He’s been demonstrating how to perfect the meals—and explaining why insects are a valuable meat alternative—ever since.

Photo courtesy of Martine Sansoucy

It’s probably in your hamburger and your lean chunk, and you might not even know it.

CREDIT: NASA/SDO and the AIA Consortium

A storm is raging on the Sun’s surface. Last Sunday it erupted in the largest solar flare in seven years. Now particles that could have an impact on communication and homing pigeons are bombarding Earth. 

When the fiery red, orange, and yellow leaves fall from the trees and land on your lawn, pilling them high for jumping can be a family affair. And when you’re sufficiently exhausted from diving in the heaps of foliage, you can use the leaves to nourish your garden, shrubs, and trees. Instead of putting them in a bag, mow, mulch, mix, or compost them.

 
Many East Coasters are still reeling from hurricane Irene, which brought fierce winds and torrential downpours to the Atlantic seaboard this past weekend. The storm was just one of many hurricanes that impact American shores from June through November every year, yet despite their effects in the western hemisphere, they often form far away—from winds blowing off the coast of Africa.

As temperatures climb, refreshing salt water beckons. But when you take the plunge into the ocean's cooling surroundings, don't forget about the translucent creatures--which are critical to the marine ecosystem--swimming nearby. To find out just how poisonous they might be, read the Green Guru's response to a reader's question.

If you're one of many people who now have CFLs illuminating their lives, you may be wondering what to do with them when they die. Read this issue's Green Guru to find out.

Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) in the Serengeti, Tanzania.

Pilots tell stories of seeing vultures out of airplane windows. Radar shows long-distance migrants flying nearly four miles in the air. Lab studies show that some birds have special adaptations to make use of limited oxygen supplies. How high can some birds go? The Green Guru responds to our reader's question.

Ever wonder if the emissions from producing a hybrid car are massive? If so, you're not the only one. Check out our reader's question and the Green Guru's answer.