Howard Zinn joined by many on the Left have criticized Obama for his failure to take bold positions on the war and on the economy. But that did not stop them from joining the exultation of those Americans, black and white, who shouted and wept Tuesday night as they were informed that Barack Obama had won the presidential election. As the first African American in the White House, elected by an enthusiastic citizenry which expects a decisive move towards peace and social justice, he presents a possibility for important change.

By Howard Zinn - l'Humanité , Nov. 07.2008

American Smelting and Refining - better known as Asarco - was formed in 1899 by a group of industrialists that included William Rockefeller. In 1901, the Guggenheim family wrested control of the company from Rockefeller and expanded it. Asarco would become the nation's third-largest copper mining and smelting company. Asarco owns 38 facilities nationwide, including three in Texas: a metal refinery in Amarillo, a metal waste-treatment facility in Corpus Christi, and most notoriously, a smelter in El Paso that spewed lead and arsenic into surrounding neighborhoods for decades.

By Melissa del Bosque - The Texas Observer , October 31, 2008

HARD DRIVES, printers, fax machines and cellphones move along a conveyor belt at the rate of six tons an hour into the gaping maw of a 16-foot-tall, 60-foot-long shredder at e-Scrap Destruction, in Islandia, N.Y. Inside a chamber covered to prevent flying debris, the machine’s steel blades noisily chew through the components, reducing them to shards no more than four inches long. The shredded material goes back on the belt, where an overhead electromagnet removes material containing iron as the waste moves along.

John Hanc - The New York Times , November 13, 2008

Thick brown clouds of soot, particles and chemicals stretching from the Persian Gulf to Asia threaten health and food supplies in the world, the U.N. reported Thursday, citing what it called the newest threat to the global environment. The regional haze, known as atmospheric brown clouds, contributes to glacial melting, reduces sunlight and helps create extreme weather conditions that impact agricultural production, according to the report commissioned by the U.N. Environment Program. The huge plumes have darkened 13 megacities in Asia - including Beijing.

The Associated Press | Beijing, China - , November 13, 2008

More than a half century ago, Aldo Leopold helped this country develop an environmental conscience. Leopold, who write "A Sand County Almanac," was a leader in the movement for wilderness preservation. Not long after Leopold died in 1948, The Wildlife Society created the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award. The highest honor bestowed by the society, it's a lifetime achievement award given to those whose careers have made a difference to the cause of wildlife conservation. This year's winner, Dr. Richard Taber, actually worked with Leopold. Taber received the award Saturday in Miami at the annual conference of The Wildlife Society.

By Katie Scarvey - Salisburypost.com , November 11, 2008

The Business Case for Sustainability. Ethics before the bottom line are hopeful changes in corporate think. Sustainability strategies are now more often part of long term goals. To think that the head of the "beast" may change colors.

Environmental Leader , October 27,2008

we are each Bioaccumulators. Everyday we ingest, inhale or absorb into our skin a raft of compounds that, in our long evolution, the human race has not encountered in sufficient quantities to train our bodies to process and dispose of harmlessly.

Jennifer Parrish - The Santa Cruz Sentinel , October 25,3008

The pressing issues on Americans' minds today are the election and the economy. But as we cast our votes for who we think can best right a near sinking financial ship and throw a life perserver around our own economic prospects, there is another important issue to consider: the enviornment.

Election Guide - AlterNet , October 21, 2008

Heating costs this winter are expected to go through the roof, according to the federal Energy Information Agency, but residents can keep more of the warmth inside by inspecting home heating equipment now and by following simple, effective energy conservation measures. Average household expenditures for all space-heating fuels are projected to be $1,137 this winter - October 1 to March 31 - a 15-percent increase over the estimated $986 spent last winter, the federal energy agency announced today. The largest increases will be in households using heating oil and natural gas, according to the EIA's Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook.

Environmental News Service | Washington, DC , October 14, 2008

For an agency that claims to be rooting out conflicts of interest, the Food and Drug Administration has done a poor job of handling what looks like a potential conflict on a committee evaluating the safety of bisphenol-A, known as BPA. There is growing fear that BPA — a chemical found in baby bottles and liners for canned goods — might affect the brain development and behavior of fetuses and young children or cause other problems. The F.D.A. said in a recent draft assessment that the small amounts that leach into food or milk are not dangerous, but scientists at the federal agency for toxicological research have expressed concern.

Editorial - The New York Times , October 14, 2008