Independent Journalist
Ecological Values / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published July 15, 2022 · Last modified July 16, 2022
The soft clouds of gray lint that slide off clothes dryer screens are tangible evidence of the dryer’s tumbling abrasion. Each handful comes at a cost, shortening the lifespan of garments. But the true...
Maine made headlines in April as the nation’s first state to ban the spreading of sludge and sludge-based compost. Supporters of the law recognized an urgent need — in the Act’s language —...
Climate Change/Energy / Ecological Values / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published June 5, 2022
The vacation promised to be high in enjoyment and low in carbon. Rather than flying somewhere and staying in a hotel, we would sail to a cabin powered by solar electricity. Our only fossil-fuel...
Ecological Values / Pollution/Waste / Slower Living / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 6, 2022 · Last modified June 5, 2022
We are consumers of convenience. Offer us a faster, easier, wrinkle-free, nonstick option, and we’re sold. We need no convincing that convenience is an inherent good; a lifetime of ads has done that...
Food / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 10, 2022 · Last modified June 5, 2022
Imagine giving soil the legal protections that air, water and marine ecosystems have. That’s the momentous step the European Union is taking to recognize healthy soil as critical for climate stability, ecological diversity and...
Climate Change/Energy / Ecological Values / Food / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published March 27, 2022 · Last modified April 3, 2022
During the growing season, I periodically join a crew of volunteers on a local farm, harvesting crates of vegetables headed for food banks. It lifts our spirits knowing that all this beautiful, wholesome produce...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published December 5, 2021 · Last modified March 30, 2022
The plastic industry could soon surpass coal in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, its growing climate impact is largely unnoticed. Plastic is ubiquitous, filling stores, overtopping landfills and littering shorelines. It’s even within us,...
Ecological Values / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sense of Place / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 18, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
In timber operations, like this one in Allagash, herbicides are typically applied after clearcutting to kill emergent hardwood species and foster growth of planted forests. Photo by Hilton Hafford. At a public hearing...
