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Making the Case for the Value of Environmental Rules“In a 2010 analysis of rules passed in the prior decade, the non-partisan Office of Management and Budget calculated benefits-to-cost ratios across various government agencies. The EPA came out on top with the highest ratios by far, with benefits from its regulations exceeding costs by an average of more than 10 to 1. If you care about well-functioning, free markets, the EPA would be the last federal agency you’d want to cut.” (via Yale Environment 360)
Artificial Glacier to Cool Mongolian Capital “In a somewhat bonkers plan — first reported in the Guardian— the city of Ulan Bator will attempt to capture some of the cool winter temperatures in huge ice blocks that will slowly melt over the summer and cool down the city. The aim is to build artificial ice shields — or “naleds” — that occur naturally in far northern climates and can grow to be more than seven meters thick.” (via Wired Science)
Yet Again, Organic Ag Proves Just as Productive as Chemical Ag “It turns out, when you actually compare chemical-intensive and organic farming in the field, organic proves just as productive in terms of gross yield—and brings many other advantages to the table as well. The Rodale Institute’s test plots in Pennsylvania have been demonstrating this point for years.” (via Mother Jones)
Counting Parking Spots, From Above” …they counted 21,690 parking spots in New Haven in 1951. By 2009, the number was 106,410. Hartford, meanwhile, went from about 47,000 spots in the mid-1950s to about 141,000 today. All the while, both cities lost considerable population, while the number of parking spaces per driver doubled.These trends speak to a conventional wisdom that more development, more businesses, more people—more of anything—should always come with more parking.” (via Atlantic Cities)