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Carolina Luna Archive
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Is it Safe to Drill? “Fracking” America for Energy
Posted on March 8, 2013 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna The notion that there is an abundance of shale gas and other forms of unconventional gas in the United States, Asia, Europe, and elsewhere has prompted a global rush to explore and extract this energy source. In the United States, natural gas is booming as a result of horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and the rising of natural gas prices. Between 2006 and 2011 the annual shale gas production in the United States increased from 1 to 4.8 trillion cubic feet. Shale gas is viewed by many policymakers... -
Nvate Ndepth: Is Project Prevention Saving Children from Neglect?
Posted on November 5, 2012 | 2 CommentsBy Carolina Luna Editor’s note: [The intention of this article is to introduce the reader to drug abuse, its impact on families and how this impact can be changed in the eyes of different organizations. One organization, Project Prevention, believes the best way to prevent child abuse is to offer birth control to or to sterilize drug users so that children are not born into a potential situation. Other organizations, such as the National Advocates for Pregnant Women and the Committee on Women, Population and the Environment believe Project Prevention... -
Nvate Ndepth: Is Risky Business with King Coal Endangering Mountains in Central Appalachia?
Posted on September 27, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), a nonprofit legal organization based in Charlottesville, Va., published its 2012 Top 10 Endangered Places in the Southeast. The list aims to inform Americans about the environmental issues threatening several distinctive regions of cultural and ecological significance in six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. For example, the Dawson Forest in Georgia, the Savannah River in South Carolina and Georgia, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia are all listed. What... -
Keystone XL: Are Oil Sands a Solution or a Bandage? Part II
Posted on August 21, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna Here’s a link to Keystone XL: Part I Continued from last month’s issue of Nvate, Keystone XL is a proposed crude oil pipeline that would span nearly 2,000 miles and stretch from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This month’s issue focuses on the creation of jobs, consequences of an oil spill and suggested alternatives to the pipeline. To get the whole story, read May’s issue, wherein you will learn about the environmental impact that processing the oil has on Canadian forests and indigenous people.... -
Keystone XL: Are Oil Sands a Solution or a Bandage? Part I
Posted on July 16, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna At first blush, oil doesn’t have a lot to recommend it as an energy source. It’s dirty, poisonous, contributes to global carbon emissions, most energy released when oil is burned is lost as heat, and just try getting it out of cashmere. Still, the world can’t get enough of this stuff, and that demand is “fueling” interest in oil sources once too difficult or expensive to exploit. One source making the news recently is the Canadian Tar Sands and the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama shot... -
Meals on Wheels: Food Trucks Put Innovation on the Menu
Posted on July 5, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna Food trucks, once the unpleasant and monotonous “roach coaches” parked on the streets, are now colorful, outrageous, and exciting mobile kitchens creating ethnic food fusions. From coast to coast Americans are falling in love with food trucks. And what’s not to love? In Minneapolis, “World Street Kitchen” owned by brothers Saed and Samed Wadi, serves from an exquisite menu inspired by North African and Asian street carts. In Los Angeles, “Louks To Go,” offers Angelinos authentic Greek cuisine from a variety of gyros to Greek-inspired fries like... -
Nvate Ndepth: How Fair is Fair Trade? Part II
Posted on June 5, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna Click Here to read How Fair is Fair Trade? Part I Last month we delved into the players, the claims, and the facts behind Fair Trade. Advocates say the movement helps small-scale farmers improve living conditions by stabilizing their incomes, but does it actually lift people up from poverty? Fair trade networks provide annual reports in regards of their profits and how much farmers received throughout the year. But data on how much each cooperative or farmer received is hard to come by. This month we look... -
Nvate Ndepth: How Fair is Fair Trade? Part I
Posted on May 10, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna Chances are you’ve probably purchased a “Fair Trade” product. This social movement and international certification process aims to promote sustainable farming practices, improved social conditions, and increases wages among the poor farms that provide much of the world with its food. But what, exactly, lies behind the good intentions of the fair trade system? Advocates claim the fair trade system offers these smaller-scale farmers a more direct, environmentally responsible, and socially just trade relation between them and the consumers in wealthier countries. But how much is the... -
In Brief: Fair Trade
Posted on April 11, 2012 | 1 CommentBy Carolina Luna “Fair Trade” has joined “organic” and “green” on the list of feel-good marketing buzzwords. Products labelled Fair Trade purport to pay a living wage to the farmers who grow the product, who are often the poorest part of the supply chain. Most products which earn the Fair Trade badge are carefully vetted, but, as always, buyer beware. Arm yourself with these facts: Fair Trade goals: Create socioeconomic opportunities to marginalize producers Develop transparency between producers and buyers Pay producers on time and fairly Support safe working conditions... -
Buyer Beware: Greenwashing is the latest (all-natural!) snake-oil scam
Posted on March 22, 2012 | No CommentsBy Carolina Luna Whether for personal health or the global environment, more consumers than ever are looking for eco-conscious options. For many, that means buying household products labeled as “organic”, “all-natural”, or “green”, but what many don’t realize is that some “green” products are really not so green. Are companies misleading consumers with deceptive information and cynical labeling? It’s easy to go through a store today and see products decorated with pictures of leaves, trees, and green-trimmed packaging touting the environmental benefits of the product. Commercials by oil companies tout...