"Environment" is the buzz word at The University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor this semester. Following a trend among universities nationwide, faculty and students from all different departments here joined together to pay a tribute to planet earth with an Environmental Theme Semester. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert attended one of the events and has this report:
Author: Julie Halpert
Drinking Water Linked to Miscarriages
A new government-sponsored study of three California towns has turned up a potentially serious finding: that some tap water could be dangerous for pregnant women. The study is the first to find that high levels of chemicals used to disinfect water could increase the risk of miscarriage. That’s raised a red flag at the Environmental Protection Agency. And now the EPA’s moving quickly to see if the California findings hold true elsewhere. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:
Federal Policy Spurs Clean-Up
A new batch of federal funding intended to get the lead out of homes is expected to bring big benefits to several Midwestern cities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a plan late last year to dole out fifty-million dollars nationally to better educate the public on lead’s dangers and provide cleanup funds for individual homes. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more:
Epa to Release Nationwide Recycling Report
The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan has been able to work magic with its trash: turning virtually half of it into reusable products. That’s caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency. They’ll be highlighting 20 communities around the country that have had successful recycling programs in an effort to improve recycling nationwide. Ann Arbor is one of those cities. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert traveled there to see how it’s working:
Ford Halts Powder Paint Process
Environmentalists and the Environmental Protection Agency are protesting a decision by Ford Motor Company to scrap a pollution-free paint process at its new plant in Dearborn, Michigan. They’re questioning why Ford abandoned a promising technology that the Big Three auto makers worked together to develop. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:
Plastic Cars May Jump-Start Recycling
Last week, Chrysler Corporation unveiled a futuristic car at The North American International Auto Show. While much of the publicity focused on the car’s lower emissions, little was said about another possible benefit: the car could jump-start the plastics recycling industry. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson-Halpert has more: