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The 5 R's of sustainability can help you be a more conscious consumer
Being a conscious consumer is good for both the environment and your wallet because it means thinking twice before you buy. An easy way to make sustainable decisions is to follow the 5 R’s of sustainability: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot or compost. Sabrina Auclair owns Unpacked Living, a sustainable refillery store in Beverly, Massachusetts. “Using your reusable water bottle, bringing...
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How Newton's fight against plastic waste will change your takeout order
A new ordinance took effect in Newton, Massachusetts, on Friday, one that’s meant to reduce environmental impact – but it may change the way you dine. “Massachusetts is genuinely running out of places for its trash to go. We now export 40% of our waste to other states.” At Newton’s Resource Recovery Center and across the city, reducing waste is…
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Latest EPA assessment shows almost no improvement in river and stream nitrogen pollution
The EPA’s newest assessment of water quality and nutrient pollution in U.S. rivers and streams shows almost no progress on cutting the nitrogen pollution that comes primarily from farm chemical runoff.
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Drought-prone California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water
California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.
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Local researchers devise way to turn plastic into fuel
Every year the world produces 430 million tons of plastic, according to the United Nations. Much of that plastic ends up in our oceans. According to the UN, 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean every year. Now, one group of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has come up with a groundbreaking way to turn that plastic into…
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Local researchers looking to turn plastic into fuel
A group of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has come up with a groundbreaking way to turn that plastic into fuel and it could be a game changer when it comes to cleaning up our oceans.
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A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots
In a remote, dry patch of California farm country, a battle is raging over carrots. Or rather, over the groundwater where they’re growing northwest of Los Angeles.
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UN kicks off Climate Week as phasing out fossil fuels becomes priority
The heat is about to be turned up on fossil fuels, the United States and President Joe Biden.
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Hudson River swimmer completes 315-mile trek
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh completed the trek to raise awareness of the need for clean rivers.
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‘Like a Russian roulette': US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure
Federal research linking “forever chemicals” to testicular cancer confirms what U.S. military personnel long suspected. But as they seek testing for PFAS exposure, many wonder what to do with the results. There’s no medical treatment yet.
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China bans seafood from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear plant released wastewater into the sea
Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
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Conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event: ‘Florida is just the tip of the iceberg'
Florida’s coral reefs are getting hit the hardest by marine heatwaves right now, but conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event, NOAA says.
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Livestock pollution: EPA denies tougher regulations for large farms
The Biden administration is rejecting a plea from environmentalists to toughen regulation of large livestock farms that release manure and other pollutants into waterways.
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Montana judge rules Americans have constitutional right to clean environment
A Montana judge ruled Monday that citizens have a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment.
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Maui officials and scientists warn toxic particles will remain after the flames flicker out
Officials in Maui are warning residents that it remains too early to return to some parts of the island where firefighters have extinguished flames.
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Scientists make it official. July was the hottest month on record by far
Now that July’s sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organization made it official: July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month on record by a wide margin.
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Hammerhead worms: What to do if you see these invasive pests
Hammerhead flatworms — an invasive pest that looks like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a leech — have been spotted in the Washington, D.C., area and across the United States.
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Rare ocelot spotted in Arizona
A trail camera caught a rare ocelot sighting in Arizona, where the endangered big cat has only been spotted a handful of times over the last decade.
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In a nod to Oppenheimer's legacy, US officials vow to prioritize cleanup at nuclear lab
The price tag for cleaning up waste from the once top-secret Manhattan Project and subsequent Cold War-era nuclear research at Los Alamos National Laboratory has more than doubled in the last seven years.
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Some cities are digging up water mains and leaving lead pipe in the ground
Many American cities have been excavating water mains, revealing lead pipes and leaving them there.