Arctic Shortcut Beckons Shippers as Ice Thaws

Arctic Shortcut Beckons Shippers as Ice Thaws
by Andrew E. Kramer and Andrew C. Revkin, September 10, 2009

Summary: Two German ships, the Beluga Foresight and the Beluga Fraternity, are on the final stretch of their journey from South Korea to Siberia. Due to global warming, the Arctic ice has melted, which has allowed the ships to use a new shipping route. Although the icebergs were once common, the ships journeyed through the Northeast Passage safely, with the aid of two Russian icebreaker ships.

Critique: Although the existence of this passage is economically beneficial for Asia, in environmental terms this is horrible. Global warming is threatening the sea levels and animals, including us humans.

Following Trash and Recyclables on Their Journey

Following Trash and Recyclables on Their Journey
by: Mireya Navarro, September 16, 2009

Summary: Karin Landsberg of Seattle went rummaging through her trash and recycling bin and pulled out several materials. Some of these include a can of beans, and a compact fluorescent light bulb. She and her companions glued electronic tracking devices onto them, seeing if the item will be buried in a landfill or actually recycled. One goal of this unusual experiment, is to give people a sense of their actions on the environment in a way that would make them change their habits, said Carlo Ratti, director of the lab at MIT.

Critique: Although this is a silly experiment, it is also an important one. This is because not only will people learn where their trash is going, this experiment will influence people to find a safer alternative