Tag: "pollution"
Fracking in Urban Oilfields: A New Study Sparks More Debate
A rigorous study shows that fracking is unharmful when the stakes are high. Not much should be made of it.
Post on Oct 11, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
The Fungus Among Us Could Help Clean Oily Soil
There’s more to fungi than just mushrooms. Buried in the soil live large fiber networks of fungi. And these fibrous microbes might be able to help clean up polluted soil.
Post on Jun 06, 2012 by Melissae Fellet from QUEST Northern California
Rise Above Plastics
Plastic is forever, with virtually every piece of petroleum-based plastic ever made still in existence. That's why it's so critical to oceans and beaches that we dramatically reduce our use of plastics, especially single-use plastics.
Post on Sep 15, 2011 by David McGuire from QUEST Northern California
Clean it Up
Plastic in the ocean doesn’t go away, it just gets smaller. Approximately 70% of this plastic sinks to the bottom where it sits like a time bomb waiting to be assimilated.
Post on Sep 07, 2011 by David McGuire from QUEST Northern California
Bay Area Mercury
The Bay Area's mercury problem arises from the special geology of the Coast Range that concentrates the metal in the mineral cinnabar.
Post on Jul 21, 2011 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Coastal Cleanup Day
Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, plastic knives and forks, tangled fishing line, plastic bags, food wrappers, cigarette butts… all this and more will be collected from California’s beaches this coming Saturday, September 25, on Coastal Cleanup Day.
Post on Sep 20, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
40 Years of the Clean Air Act
In 1969, there were 65 days when Bay Area air quality exceeded federal health standards. Under those same standards, last year, there wasn’t a single day over the limit. On the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, we examine the impacts that the law has had on public health, business, and environmental justice in the Bay Area and what still needs to be done to improve the quality of our air.
Post on Sep 14, 2010 by Amy Miller
Polishing Oakland's Crown Jewel: Lake Merritt Reborn
Oakland's Historic Lake Merritt is in the midst of a multimillion dollar face lift.
Post on Aug 20, 2010 by Amy Miller
Producer's Notes: The Plastic Breakdown
Life was easier back before I produced this piece. Now everywhere I look and everything I touch seems to be made of plastic.
Post on Apr 20, 2010 by Jon Fromer
The Changing Bay: Wetland Restoration Projects in Northern California
Wetlands — they are possibly the most diverse ecosystems on the plant, according to environmental scientists.
Post on Apr 18, 2010 by Roberto Daza
Reporter's Notes: The Changing Bay
Less sediment in the bay means there's less for the wetlands, which could be an issue. But there's one thing that makes it worse: sea level rise.
Post on Apr 16, 2010 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Ghost Fleet On The Move
Argentine ants have had amazing success as an invasive species in the US. Their West Coast super colony numbers in the billions and spans from Mexico to Oregon. But aside from invading homes, they've had a dramatic effect on native ants and local ecosystems.
Post on Apr 02, 2010 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Truckers Clean Up Their Act
Poor air quality can exacerbate breathing problems such as asthma, as well as cause other negative health outcomes. In few places is this more apparent than West Oakland, where reporter Amy Standen investigates the amount and types of carcinogens that are being emitted by diesel trucks and new air quality rules air officials believe will turn things around.
Post on Jan 22, 2010 by Amy Standen
Scenes from the Pacific Garbage Patch
Quest reporter Amy Standen talks with journalist Lindsey Hoshaw, who has recently returned from a trip to the Pacific Garbage Patch, about what she found there.
Post on Dec 08, 2009 by Amy Standen
Producer's Notes: Mercury in San Francisco Bay
Because there wasn't time in the QUEST TV segment on mercury in the bay to include information on safe fish eating practices, below are the guidelines, along with web links, to help you get plenty of Omega 3s and still keep your mercury levels low.
Post on Oct 06, 2009 by Sarah Kass
Being Green on the Way to Work
On Thursday, May 14th, expect a jump in the number of bikes on the road in San Francisco. The reason for the inflation? Bike to Work Day.
Post on May 13, 2009 by Cat
Reporter's Notes: Get the Soot Out
It's not just truckers that will have to spend a lot of money to retrofit their diesel engines. And quite a few trucks on California roads will actually be unaffected by a new California diesel regulation. The California Air Resources Board is expected to vote on a new diesel-emissions regulation when the board meets on December 11 and 12 in Sacramento.
Post on Dec 05, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Fast Trains
The devil's in the details, so the details aren't entirely in the proposition. There are still many open questions about Prop. 1A on the November ballot, the proposal to bring high speed rail to California – and that makes sense, since there are a billion details, many of them contentious, in any $9.95 billion initiative and $45 billion project.
Post on Sep 19, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Sea of Plastic
It's hard to imagine the scope and breadth of the Great Garbage Patch that lies in the North Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean between the West Coast and Hawaii. It's estimated to be about double the size of Texas.
Post on Aug 22, 2008 by David Gorn
Producer's Notes: Ghost Fleet
On the surface of the story, the Ghost Fleet of Suisun Bay is leaking toxic waste in the form of peeling ship paint containing nasty heavy metals into an already stressed bay ecosystem. Bad guys: Mothball Fleet. Good guys: Enviros who are suing. Simple, right?
Post on Aug 12, 2008 by Amy Miller
