Environment

Levels of a widely used class of industrial chemicals linked with liver toxicity, developmental problems, tumour growth and hormonal disruptions exceed federally recommended safety levels in public drinking-water supplies for 33 states in the U.S. according to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Most of us are well aware that when disaster strikes, we’re on our own. That has been proven in disaster after disaster, like when it took days to get aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. But usually, the government likes to downplay the need for independence. When they begin telling people to get ready, you’d better be sure that you are, because that means they know – absolutely know – that they won’t have the resources to aid those in need.

Summer is almost here and the air is already full of the the sound of whining air conditioners, all seriously sucking kilowatts. Yet much of that air conditioning load could be reduced or the air conditioning season shortened if we did simple things, many of them common before air conditioning was common in North America. Here are some low-tech tips for keeping cool. The best ideas are those that keep the heat out of your home in the first place, rather than paying to pump it out after it gets in.