Why North America Is Losing in the Monarch Games Wanna talk Olympic pursuits? Every fall, monarch butterflies in eastern North America embark on an epic journey. Putting in 50-100 miles a day, they travel up to 3,000 miles from the U.S. and Canada to the fir forests of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, where they settle in … Read more
Trash Talk: Are Sink Disposals Good for the Environment? OMG hold your nose! There’s a mystery substance at the back of the fridge, and it’s scaring all the other food with its excessive stink. Now what? Pitching the moldy glob straight into the sink disposal means it can basically disappear from your life instantly, i.e., … Read more
The Lawn Ranger: What Happens When You Leave Grass Clippings on the Lawn? It’s time for a showdown…between law-abiding homeowners and the grass clippings running rampant on their lawns. Could these outlaws be contributing to the dastardly thatch threatening to destroy their turf? Find out in this action-packed installment of EcoMyths. First, let’s tip our … Read more
Buzz-kill: Afraid Bees Are Out to Sting You? It’s criminal—every day, in yards, picnic areas, and outdoor cafes across the country, scary bees stalk unsuspecting humans, slap-happy with sting power and thirsty for blood. Or…at least that’s how lots of people think of bees. Who among us has not frozen in cartoonish fear at the … Read more
“Hold Your Nose!”—Said No Real-Life Composter We Talked To, Ever Every nose has its own unique point of view, er, smell—but all are likely to turn themselves up at the smell of rotting trash. Why then would we assault our nasal passages by composting, aka, piling up a bunch of food and plant waste with … Read more
To be real or not to be real? That is the age-old Christmas tree question. Well, okay, “age-old” might be a bit extreme, considering that the modern take on artificial Christmas trees didn’t hit the stage until the 1930s, when the clever folks at the Addis Brush Company used toilet brush bristles to create the … Read more
No Time Like the Present to Go Green It can be easy to assume eco-gifts are passé. How many reusable totes can one person have, after all? But unlike some passing trends, green gifts are only getting cooler. For proof, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite things, from decidedly non burlap-inspired eco-fashion to … Read more
Itching for more knowledge on the world that surrounds us? You’ve come to the right place for science and tips on all things straight-up environment, from climate to water to wetlands. Go ahead, get smarter. climate science + tips hot snow science Ode to snow: we love it, we love it, we need more of … Read more
In or out of the garden, plants rule. They give us all food, clean air, intrigue, shelter, medicine, and more—all while looking good (or at least interesting…) on top of it. Find out why by entering the wide and wonderful world of EcoMyths-approved plant science… seed science + tips hot seed science Making the Case … Read more
Planet Earth is a pretty sweet spot to call home. More than any single building could ever hold, this great big green world has nurtured humankind’s earliest memories, our greatest leaps forward, and our most awkward/endearing moments…so yeah, most people have some deep feelings, spoken or not, about our shared casa. Behold, scientific research that … Read more
