Home/Posts Tagged ‘New York’
Posts Tagged ‘New York’
Pollution, Weird Stuff, Apr 3rd, 2012,
Photographer and urban historian Steve Duncan explores and documents hidden aspects of urbanization and industrialization, from disused missile silos in the United States to the archaeology of Ancient Rome. In a series for National Geographic, Duncan investigates urban underground rivers. These rivers are not natural phenomena, like some subterranean waterways that run through cave systems, but rather the result of human engineering. For purposes of urban development, for hundreds of years mankind has changed the courses of rivers and streams, covering them up and forcing them underground. Most of the rivers examined in the series are in New York and…
Tags: london, National Geographic, New York, river, subterranean, underground, waterway
Natural disasters, Nature, Aug 29th, 2011,
Tropical storms are battering two parts of the world at present: the east coast of the United States and parts of East Asia. Hurricane Irene raged up from the Bahamas through North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and into New York, where it was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday. According to the Associated Press Irene has claimed at least 21 lives in 8 US states. Two nuclear power plants in the US were shut down due to the hurricane, one in New Jersey (purely as a precautionary measure) and one in Maryland, which suffered minor damage. From the Guardian: A reactor…
Tags: Asia, hurricane, Irene, Maryland, New York, nuclear, tropical storm, typhoon, US
Health, Politics, Pollution, Jul 25th, 2011,
New York City’s long-serving mayor Michael Bloomberg has a history of highlighting the “public health” aspects of political issues: tobacco, trans-fats, handguns and now coal. Far from a leftist, the pro-business, social liberal, mega-rich philanthropist and media tycoon is neither George Soros nor Silvio Berlusconi, but he’s got a few things in common with both. Bloomberg, once a Democrat, then a Republican and now an Independent, has come out hard against coal. But his latest move is not a political power play – it’s a charitable donation to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. A cool $50 million (€35m) charitable…
Tags: Bloomberg, coal, Health, Mayor, New York, NY, Pollution
Health, Nature, Weird Stuff, Jun 23rd, 2010,
An earthquake hit eastern Canada today. Yes, Canada. The 5.0 magnitude quake struck along the Ontario-Quebec border region around 1:41 PM EST, at a depth of approximately 12 miles (19.2). Tremors lasted about 30 seconds, shaking homes and businesses, but there are no reports of injuries or damages. A number of businesses in the Ottawa area were also evacuated. Apparently, the tremors could also be felt in several US states, including: Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia. I can’t speak for the other states, but I felt nothing of the sort in Pennsylvania….
Tags: 5.0, breaking news, Canada, earthquake, eastern Canada, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, tremors, US, Vermont, West Virginia
Green living, Weird Stuff, May 18th, 2010,
How do disillusioned, arty Manhattanites recycle without getting bored out of their ultra-hip, urban skulls? They smash it up. New York artist David Belt has created a project called ‘Glassphemy!’ where patrons can at once recycle and purge their violent impulses by spectacularly smashing glass bottles into a massive Plexiglas structure. The bottle throwers are lifted on a platform above the 30-foot (6 meter) clear rectangle, where they can aim and fire at people standing on the other side of the bulletproof glass. The impact of the bottles triggers flashing lights, adding to the spectacle. It reminds me a bit…
Tags: aggression, art, Belt, bottles, David, dumpster, glass, Glassphemy, installation, New York, pool, Recycling, smash
Climate Change, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, May 6th, 2010,
There has been a huge amount of writing on the Gulf oil spill in recent days; from business analyses to stories highlighting the natural catastrophes caused by the massive leak – to rationalizations, political opinions, updates on BP’s efforts to staunch the flow and even the odd bit of weird news – or weird bit of odd news as the case may be. Here are just a few examples of the variety of coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The New York Times Environment section has a decent selection of articles on the spill. Here is a quote from…
Tags: BP, Deepwater Horizon, disaster, drill, gallons, Gulf, hair, london, mess, Mexico, New York, news, oil, spill, spill baby spill, Times, weird
Climate Change, Green living, Mar 17th, 2010,
High population density equals less waste, fewer emissions and more efficient use of resources. In short, urban living is more environmentally friendly than rural or suburban lifestyles. This is the argument of David Owen, author of the book Green Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability. This isn’t an argument that naturally corresponds with typical images of environmentalists: fresh air-breathing activists who have abandoned the cities for solar powered houses with organic vegetable patches and compost toilets. However, noisy, dirty and crowded may be a lot more eco-friendly than sprawling, open and sparsely populated. An interview…
Tags: book, China, cities, countryside, David, efficient, environmental, Green, Metropolis, New York, Owen, sprawl, sprawling, suburban, urban
Climate Change, Politics, Mar 16th, 2010,
Several cities around the world have implemented automobile traffic congestion charges in order to cut down on traffic and pollution in busy urban areas. London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore have successfully applied tolls, while a similar system is proposed for San Francisco. New York City and Manchester, England have rejected proposals for such a charge. Guangzhou – perhaps more recognizable as ‘Canton’, a Romanization which has now become passé – is China’s third largest city. Like much of China, Guangzhou is developing and expanding rapidly. This is presenting challenging problems such as lost income due to time spent in traffic…
Tags: China, congestion, Guangzhou, london, Milan, New York, Pollution, Singapore, Stockholm, Times, toll, traffic
Climate Change, Nature, Jan 10th, 2010,
Meet New York State Police’s Environmental Conservation Officers. For their ‘Green is Universal’ coverage, NBC’s Dateline follows two green-clad cops who enforce environmental law on the streets of New York City. But these ECO Police are no new green trend – NBC’s Chris Hansen reports that they’ve ‘been around for over a century’. A police force that once concentrated on fish and game regulations now also tackles issues such as pollution and food sanitation in America’s biggest and busiest city, as part of the State of New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Sounds pretty cool – gun toting, big hat…
Tags: cops, Dateline, ECO, environmental, Environmental Conservation, Green, NBC, New York, officers, police, state
Climate Change, Dec 3rd, 2009,
When I was a kid I used to hear stories about all sorts of creatures that mutated and grew to terrible proportions from being exposed to toxic radioactive waste. Giant alligators lived in the New York City sewer system, ferocious gangs of rats scurried underneath the Manhattan streets and packs of wild dogs roamed abandon buildings. Heck, it was the 80s – every week they were making a new movie about that kind of stuff. But what’s really going on in the sewers of the Big Apple? Something decidedly less fascinating, but no less dangerous: toxic sewage overflow. According to…
Tags: New York, New York Times, sewage, sewer, TOXIC, Toxic Waters
Climate Change, Politics, Oct 11th, 2009,
Corresponding with New York City’s Climate Week and recent posts here on Greenfudge concerning the ‘city that never sleeps’, I thought I’d direct readers to a couple of positive news items about the NY environment. The first article is from that paragon on American journalism, the New York Times and covers the hopeful tale of a mound of garbage with a heart of gold. But don’t go digging for it just yet, because I’m speaking metaphorically. Actually I’m writing metaphorically, but you know what I mean. The September 6th edition of the Times ran a piece by Kenneth Chang detailing…
Tags: environment, New York
Climate Change, Politics, Oct 8th, 2009,
New York’s iconic yellow taxis are about turn over a new leaf. Part of the 800-page Climate Bill (now being debated in the US Senate) includes a provision that stipulates that all public taxis should be replaced with all hybrid fleets. This would take effect not only in the Big Apple, but in other major cities such as Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. According to the bill’s proponents, such a major change could result in saving over $4,500 per year in petrol costs and would be the equivalent of getting rid of 35,000 cars from the roads. Say Senator Kristen…
Tags: Climate change, New York, taxi, US
Climate Change, Sep 22nd, 2009,
Lots of pollution and chemicals, of course! Anyone who has ever visited New York and strolled down by the water has probably seen and smelled that. But that’s not all, folks. Not by a long shot. In a piece for New York magazine dated May 9th of this year, Christopher Bonanos explores what fascinating, scary and downright weird things lie beneath the dark and toxic waters around New York City. Did you know? A 10,500-mile (17,000 km) long gas main runs all the way from Mexico to the Hudson River to serve the Big Apple’s gas needs. Around 300 ships…
Tags: New York, New York Harbor, NYC
