Human growth has strained the Earth's resources, but as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in protecting our planet's many overlapping ecosystems.

See the British documentary film that has not been released in the US, primarily due to legal pressure brought upon the producer (Tracy Worcester) by the film’s main “villain,” Smithfield Foods (the world’s largest pork producer).

Despite four letters threatening litigation, the UK’s Channel 4 played the film last summer. But since no US insurer would back the film’s release here in the States due to concerns over threatened lawsuits from Smithfield, it has become essentially a black market film. Thus as Americans have fought censorship by our government for more than 200 years, corporate censorship continues unabated.

By measuring post-holiday spice levels in waterways, scientists hope to raise awareness of the public’s role in protecting water quality

As the aroma of spices fills the air this holiday season, scientists from the University of Washington (UW; Seattle) want citizens to remember that what they consume has a direct impact on their local waterways.

In 2006 Richard Keil, associate professor of the UW School of Oceanography, started monitoring benign spices in the local waterways. His goal was to find an interesting way of showing citizens how their everyday activities affect the natural world.

Keil works with Research Scientist/Laboratory Manager Jaqui Neibauer, SoundCitizen Program Coordinator Brittany Kimball, and his students to gather samples and perform the research. Water samples are processed in UW’s Aquatic Organic Geochemistry Lab, where the team measures levels of cinnamon, thyme, and vanilla.

“The nice thing about the spices is that they’re not threatening,” said Neibauer. She explained that university scientists hope people make the connection between consuming spices and consuming other compounds such as medicine to start understanding how their routines have a significant impact on the surrounding environment.

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