It’s 4 a.m. and I’m sitting in the front seat of a Toyota Hiace passenger van, leaving Guyana’s capital of Georgetown for Lethem, a town on the Brazilian border. My ride may look like just another passenger van, of the sorts used for public transport throughout Asia and Latin America but, the off-road tires, lifted-up suspension, and extra parts in a rooftop basket are all a … [Read more...] about A road through the kingdom of the jaguar
Costa Rica: cheaper energy with renewables and regional integration
During this time when electricity prices are rising every day, lowering them by 10% may not seem like much. But a reduction of this magnitude should be considered very good news. The news gets even better given that the average 10% reduction in the price of electricity in Costa Rica recently announced by the state power company was achieved using clean energy, which doesn’t … [Read more...] about Costa Rica: cheaper energy with renewables and regional integration
The Beef and Me
I remember back in the 80’s reading about an environmental assessment by a respected institution, the Union of Concerned Scientists. These were the early days of life-cycle analyses, and these Concerned Scientists were seeking the answer to the following question: Which behavior of the average US family had the most devastating environmental impacts, taking into account their … [Read more...] about The Beef and Me
We need more steel. Here’s one way to mine it safely from old ships
Until recently, if I were asked to imagine ship-breaking operations, I would automatically think of one of those documentaries where skinny barefoot children crawl around inside beached and broken ships, pulling and cutting off the salvageable material, including scrap metal for recycling. For their efforts they receive only pennies plus a host of injuries and ailments. The … [Read more...] about We need more steel. Here’s one way to mine it safely from old ships
Labor Principles for Businesses that Respect Child Rights
In Latin America, 13 million child laborers can be found selling goods alongside the roads, working beside their parents on farms, as domestic workers in homes, and doing hard labor in hazardous industries. Globally, however, the number of children involved in child labor has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. This is due, in part, to … [Read more...] about Labor Principles for Businesses that Respect Child Rights