Category Descriptions

Here are short summaries of what we mean by the various categories covered in the Solutions Site.

Agriculture

Growing crops organically, integrated pest management, aquaculture, hydroponics, preserving genetic stocks, genetic manipulation of seeds, radiation of crops, halophytes, factory farming, land use practices, chemical use, food scarcity, permaculture, and other issues.

Air Pollution

Reducing vehicle emissions, industrial pollutants, and other human generated air pollutants such as those caused by fires. Reducing global climate change gases and particulate matter responsible for respiratory ailments will be among the main issues discussed.

Biodiversity

Concerns ranging from protection of tropical forest species to those of the coral reefs, from protecting oceans against pollutants to stemming over-fishing, from re-introducing species to protection of migrating birds, and numerous other issues.

Desertification

Ways to stem desertification, from volunteer small scale erosion control efforts to more elaborate techniques, from reducing deforestation on desert borders to controlling domestic grazing animals. The use of special crops, such as Atriplex numilaria, which can be eaten by domestic grazing animals without being destroyed, will also be discussed.

Energy

Energy efficiency and use of alternative sources of energy, from reductions in home consumption to large scale energy efficiency measures in industries, agriculture, and transportation; from use of wind mills, biogas, solar energy, and minihydropower, to fossil fuel emission reduction measures.

Industry

What industries can do and are doing to reduce pollutants and natural resource consumption, to re-use and recycle materials, to incorporate environmental concerns in the siting of facilities, to reduce occupational health hazards, and to take other measures to make environmentally friendly products.

Population

Many of the most successful initiatives to reduce population growth can be attributed to taking an integrated approach, one that addresses the quality of life through programs that not only provide for family planning and sex education, but also work to alleviate poverty, increase education for girls and women, protect the environment, and prevent AIDS and other sexually transmissible infections. In this category we will be addressing issues such as health conditions and population growth, environmental migration, and resource consumption in the United States. (Women’s health issues and prenatal development concerns will be discussed in the Health category.)

Public Health

Environmental impacts on health, with topics ranging from meeting nutritional and clean water needs to reducing respiratory ailments and other health problems resulting from indoor air pollutants; from emerging and reemerging diseases, such as malaria and dengue, to occupational health hazards and human waste management.

Toxic Chemicals

Ways in which manufacturing, agricultural, and other practices, including small scale operations, can be and are responding to the need to control toxic chemicals released into the environment. Topics will range from innovative approaches to reducing, controlling and cleaning up toxic chemicals to the recycling of chemicals between industries.

Transportation

Meeting transportation goals in ways that will effectively provide for basic needs while minimizing energy consumption and emissions.

Waste Management

Reducing use of natural resources, increasing use of recycled materials, and modification of consumption patterns.

Water

Protection of clean water sources and maintenance of water supplies as well as use of water for human consumption, agriculture, and industry. Water diversion and use for power generation may be discussed. (Water as habitats, e.g. oceans, lakes, wetlands, will be covered in the biodiversity category and aquaculture will be covered under the agriculture category.)