When an ecologist and a cartoonist team up to explore the realities of colonizing Mars, the result is a humorous and highly informative book on whether humans are truly up to settling space. They detour into the intimacies of zero-gravity intimacy and the challenges of ensuring a food supply. From BookShelf contributing editor Melody Kemp, a review of “A City on Mars.”
"In the 1930s, workers using explosives and machinery excavated a 13-mile tunnel beneath Mt. San Jacinto to bring Colorado River water to Southern California. The Metropolitan Water District recently offered visitors a look inside the tunnel, an engineering feat that is a key piece of the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct."
"Federal health officials announced plans Tuesday to phase out synthetic food dyes made from petroleum, marking a significant shift in how the U.S. regulates chemical additives in food."
"Why some U.S. cities are so much greener than others." Includes lookup map.
"The change may speed up flood recovery, but it will leave communities — and taxpayers — facing the same problems over and over again."
Next week, hundreds of environmental journalists are expected to gather in Arizona for #SEJ2025, the Society of Environmental Journalists’ expansive annual conference. Co-chair Kendal Blust has highlights of the four-day event, plus how the challenges facing the Southwest are those of communities across the United States, and why now is a critical time for journalists to come together. Read her rundown and register now, before the April 16 midnight deadline.
"At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is nothing like record-smashing 2023. But it ‘s the third year in the row with near-average or above-average snowpack."
