Frank Nelson
Christchurch Still Shaken By Quake One Year Later
A deadly earthquake that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, a year ago still has policymakers asking what should be the city's next step as it rebuilds and redesigns.
Leaky Homes Show Green Intentions Gone Wrong
In another kind of housing crisis, New Zealand homes built with chemical-free wood are leaky, while their owners are up a creek.
New Zealand Imports Foreign Workers: Dung Beetles
Burned by past introductions of "helpful" foreign species, New Zealand inches toward releasing the imported insects to clean up its pastures full of other introduced animals.
Employees Report They Treasure Old-Fashioned Values
In the recessionary times, it rings true that the best places to work don’t always offer the biggest paychecks or the most pingpong tables.
Immigrant Homeownership Trends Toward Midsize Cities
While big cities have been the traditional gateways for America's waves of immigration, midsize cities are becoming the new destinations.
When the Wheels of Justice Grind Out … Coupons
Critics draw attention to massive class actions that compensate attorneys well but recompense the afflicted with little or nothing of value.
Blue Protection Devastated by CITES Vote
U.N. body comes down heavily against ban on fishing for iconic bluefin tuna.
Pocket Guides Identify Tasty and Sustainable Fish
Bottom-up campaigns to educate seafood lovers and sellers about what species are in trouble haven’t turned the tide yet, but there’s still hope they’ll help.
Men's Health Savvy Needs Some Work
A different kind of health care reform is needed in America — how men treat themselves.
Tempest in a Cement Mixer
The world of carbonate chemistry is rocking over claims that a new kind of cement can sequester carbon.
Concrete Solutions for Climate Change
New concrete manufacturing processes are not only green, they take carbon out of circulation.
Let's Get Wind Power Off the Ground
A new crop of entrepreneurs believes that wind power can and should take to the skies — literally.
Leaving No Leaf Untracked for Food Safety
Industry responds to produce safety scares with a tracking system from farm to fork.
Program Puts Sidelined Doctors Back in the Game
As medically underserved Hispanic communities cry out for doctors, a new program puts physicians in their midst back into practice.
High Noon in Aisle 9
Labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein has been following Wal-Mart for half a decade now, and he believes changes in China, and not in the domestic landscape, may force its day of reckoning.
US Tax Havens - Partisans Seek Safe Harbor
Opponents and (the much quieter) partisans of tax havens both see their causes as 'leveling playing fields,' but they seem to be playing different games, one featuring U.S. taxpayers and the other international tax rates.
Paging Dr. Fido. Dr. Fido to the Recovery Room, Please
Having friendly animals comforting the afflicted seems intuitively sensible. Now researchers are confirming that with measurable results.
Still Willing To Buy Green, Or So They Say
Consumers may be reeling from one economic sucker punch after another but they still seem prepared to dig deep into wallets and purses in support of 'green' products.
Space May Be the Final Frontier for Some Renewables
The transformation of landscapes to accommodate 'friendly' energy technologies like solar and wind are not inconsequential concerns, says a former Interior official.
Green Planting: Eco-Friendly Burials Catching On
The numbers are still small and even proponents admit to a whiff of fad, but backers of green burials see their way of death as the wave of the future.
When Fire Strikes, Americans Grab the Family Album
Turns out we may not be the nation of hedonistic, greed-fueled Gordon Gekkos now being blamed, at least in part, for the collapse of the housing market, the dot.com crash and various other boom-and-bust bubbles.
The Cleanest Power Plant Is the One Not Built
University centers harness brainpower and technology to stop wasting energy — conserve, baby, conserve!
Dog Bites Man: Was It Pedigree or Poverty?
Dog bite is a rare mishap for most people but your chances of being bitten start to go up if you live in a lower income neighborhood and own a pedigree pooch. If you also happen to be a boy under age 10 and it's the middle of summer ... watch out!
Even With Climate Change, Nuclear a Hard Sell
As political debate heats up about a potentially greater role for nuclear energy in a world struggling to abate global warming, British researchers have been looking at what influences public opinion on this issue.
Carpooling May Not Be Silver Bullet for Congestion
A study of peak-hour traffic along the thousand-plus miles of high-occupancy vehicle routes in California shows that carpooling may not be the best solution for solving the state's — not to mention the nation's — traffic congestion problem.
Nuclear’s On the Road Again, But It’s Uphill
Climate change and fossil-fuel costs have re-energized the flickering nuclear movement in the United States, but many proponents are the fairest-weather of friends.
Small Wind, Big Business
The 2007 Farm Bill suggests tax credits as one way to offset the cost — as great as the environmental benefits — of small wind projects.
Going With the Wind
The United States remains on the low end of countries using energy powered by wind. Experts point to tax credits as a factor in efforts to establish wind as an energy source.