Monsanto Wins $84,456 in US Supreme Court Case Against an Indiana Farmer

Farming will never be the same after the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Monsanto in a seed patenting case against an Indiana farmer that some had hoped would break the company’s monopoly on modern agriculture. Monsanto sued Vernon Bowman after he purchased their Roundup Ready Soybeans from a grain elevator to plant a late second crop, The Guardian reports . Bowman argued that the patent was exhausted since he bought the seeds from a third party, but the corporate giant said he had agreed not to save any of the harvest for replanting when he entered into a contract to purchase their seeds. Justice Elena Kagan agreed that patent exhaustion did not apply in this case and the court ordered Bowman to pay $84,456. Read the rest of Monsanto Wins $84,456 in US Supreme Court Case Against an Indiana Farmer Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Environment , farming , genetically modified organisms , GMO , Indiana farmer , Indiana Farmer loses to Monsanto , Monsanto , News , patent exhaustion , roundup ready , Supreme Court agriculture case , US seed patenting        

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Monsanto Wins $84,456 in US Supreme Court Case Against an Indiana Farmer

Maine’s Grass-Covered Cold War Bunkers Provide Refuge from Deadly Bat Disease

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) inherited 43 cold war era bunkers in 1994 when the former Loring Air Force Base in Maine shut down. Used as a storage and aerial delivery site for nuclear warheads, the base was transformed into the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge . For years the USFWS sought a new life for the old grass-covered bunkers and finally in 2012 they decided to convert two of them into artificial caves for sick bats. White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), the worst wildlife disease outbreak in recent history , has killed up to 6.7 million bats throughout North America, compromising crucial agricultural services to the tune of $53 billion. The bunkers are expected to provide a healthy respite from contaminated caves for hibernating bats. Read the rest of Maine’s Grass-Covered Cold War Bunkers Provide Refuge from Deadly Bat Disease Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: adaptive reuse , artificial caves , bats , cold war bunkers , Environment , grass-covered bunkers , hibernacula for bats , Loring Air Force Base , News , Northern Maine Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge , US Fish and Wildlife Service , white-nose syndrome        

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Maine’s Grass-Covered Cold War Bunkers Provide Refuge from Deadly Bat Disease

How Does Your Electricity Use Compare to the Rest of the World?

The United States has been doing a good job of cutting carbon in recent years. Emissions are down 12% in the last 5 years, and half of those cuts have come in the power sector where natural gas, wind and solar have been replacing coal. But when it to comes to electricity emissions from the home, we still have a lot of work to do. In a comparison of sixty countries , we found only Saudis have bigger electricity footprints. The average American uses 4,700 kWh in the home each year, costing them $600 and generating almost three tons of carbon emissions. Getting smart about tackling your electricity use can slash both your power bill and your carbon footprint. Learn more at Shrink That Footprint . + Shrink That Footprint The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: average american carbon footprint , average emissions USA , cut your energy bill , emissions , emissions of the average american , green energy , reduce your carbon footprint , us emissions        

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How Does Your Electricity Use Compare to the Rest of the World?

Obama Campaign is Gunning for Republican Climate Skeptics in New Grassroots Push

President Obama photo from Shutterstock Critics say that the Obama Administration hasn’t done enough to arrest climate change, but a new campaign launched by Organizing for Action , the group behind both of Obama’s presidential campaigns, suggests otherwise. OFA sent out an email to supporters this week with a video that pokes fun at leading Republican figures who have publicly denounced climate change as a hoax, The Guardian reports. This new grassroots push is designed to call out those congressional leaders who have blocked efforts to implement widespread reform that could slow climate change. Read the rest of Obama Campaign is Gunning for Republican Climate Skeptics in New Grassroots Push Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Climate Change , climate politics , congress , Environment , global warming , grassroots campaign , John Boehner , News , Obama campaign , Organizing for Action , republican climate skeptics , united states        

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Obama Campaign is Gunning for Republican Climate Skeptics in New Grassroots Push

Outrider USA Builds Electric Hybrid Recumbents that Can Reach up to 40 mph

Looking to burn a little rubber while also burning some calories? Outrider USA manufactures and sells their Ultralight Adventure Vehicles that let you pedal while reclining comfortably on their electric hybrid bikes. Each of their four recumbent bikes features three wheels for stability and dynamic handling; they’re assembled here in the United States, and they expel zero tailpipe emissions. With the advantages of an electric bicycle, riders can cruise up to 40 mph with 100 miles of range. Read the rest of Outrider USA Builds Electric Hybrid Recumbents that Can Reach up to 40 mph Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cyclist , electric , fletcher , hybrid , Lithium Polymer Battery , north carolina , outrider usa , recumbent , speed , ultralight adventure vehicles        

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Outrider USA Builds Electric Hybrid Recumbents that Can Reach up to 40 mph

Dozens Flock to Tiny Town in West Virginia to Live a Life Free of Cell Phones

Photo via Shutterstock We’ve all become accustomed to having constant exposure to cell phones , computers and electronics in our day-to-day lives, but what if they were making us sick? A growing group of people who say they are painfully affected by the radiation from our gadgets have settled in a small town in the U.S. National Radio Quiet Zone , in Green Bank, West Virginia.  The residents say they all suffer from some form of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), and have decided to turn back to the simpler days, and shed their cell phones and other gadgets for good. Read the rest of Dozens Flock to Tiny Town in West Virginia to Live a Life Free of Cell Phones Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cell phone radiation , eco design , electromagnetic hypersensitivity , Green Bank West Virginia , green design , National Radio Astronomy Observatory , sustainable design , US National Radio Quiet Zone        

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Dozens Flock to Tiny Town in West Virginia to Live a Life Free of Cell Phones

United States CO2 Emissions Fall to Lowest Level Since 1994

Greenhouse gas emissions photo from Shutterstock The United States Department of Energy just announced that carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption have fallen to their lowest level since 1994. Factors ranging from an increase in renewable energy sources to a decrease in coal consumption helped make 2012 one of the cleanest years since the early 1990s. The Energy Information Administration found that the United States’ carbon emissions fell 3.7 percent from 2011, and a whopping 12.1 percent since 2007. Read the rest of United States CO2 Emissions Fall to Lowest Level Since 1994 Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Department of Energy , eco design , Energy Information Administration , green design , greenhouse gas , Lowest carbon emissions since 1994 , sustainable design        

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United States CO2 Emissions Fall to Lowest Level Since 1994

360 Beers Tested in Germany Found to Have Traces of Arsenic

Beer lovers beware: Researchers in Germany have found traces of arsenic in hundreds of tested beer samples. Many beers are filtered with diatomaceous earth , a mined sedimentary rock that contains iron, metals and can contain arsenic and makes the beverages clear. The beers tested were found to have levels of arsenic, some at twice the amount allowed in drinking water. Read the rest of 360 Beers Tested in Germany Found to Have Traces of Arsenic Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Arsenic in beer , diatomaceous earth , eco design , green design , Mehmet Coelhan , Reinheitsegebot , sustainable design , weihenstephan        

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360 Beers Tested in Germany Found to Have Traces of Arsenic

Site Pegs How Long Food Really Lasts

Every year, more food reaches landfills than any other solid waste material in the United States, according to the EPA. That equaled over 34 million tons of food waste in 2010 alone. Reducing food waste has several environmental, economic and…

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Site Pegs How Long Food Really Lasts

Trade in Polar Bear Parts to Continue Unabated Following Failed US CITES Bid

Photo via Shutterstock The United States proposal to ban the sale of polar bear parts was struck down yesterday after a bitter fight at the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species conference in Thailand. The US representative argued that until we are able to get a handle on climate change, which threatens the 20,000 or so polar bears that still exist in the wild, hunting adds an “intolerable pressure” to the populations. But Canada, the sole exporter of polar bear skins, teeth and other parts, claims that there is insufficient scientific evidence that the animal is on the verge of extinction. Read the rest of Trade in Polar Bear Parts to Continue Unabated Following Failed US CITES Bid Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: canada , CITES , Climate Change , cop16 , endangered species , global warming , IFAW , Inuit , News , nrdc , polar bear , Thailand , US , Wildlife , wildlife trade , wwf

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Trade in Polar Bear Parts to Continue Unabated Following Failed US CITES Bid

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