"In Defense of That Daily Visitor, Unsolicited Mail"

Synopsis: A brief Q-and-A style interview with Michael J. Critelli, 59, executive chairman of the mailing company Pitney Bowes concerning the environmental impact of unsolicited mail.

As a high-ranking executive for a mail company, I don't know if Mr. Critelli is the most reliable source for environmental statistics. Sure, he has the mail part down. He knows how much mail is sent out and what the logistics are for unsolicited mail, but he cannot really be trusted to tell the unskewed truth about its environmental impact. It is his job. Why would he tell a national newspaper that his company is having a negative effect on the environment? Especially with the "going green" mania of the US right now, any whisper of environmental irresponsibility could seriously damage a company. So, I don't know why the New York Times chose Mr. Critelli to interview about the environment. I do understand that he knows a lot about the postal system, but they should have coupled this interview with another one from an environmental agency or some other source with environmental clout. Overall, it was one-sided. Mr. Critelli spoke of statistics, but I couldn't really buy anything he was saying. Why would he know those numbers anyways? It all just seemed a little biased and unsupported.

Links:
Article
Direct Marketing Association - Issue: Do Not Mail
Pitney Bowes

"Movement Against Bottled Water Gains Municipal Adherents"

This article serves as one of the few instances where I have witnessed The New York Times actually acting as a New York paper. I know it has a New York section, but rarely is that relevant to my life, so rarely do I take the time to read it. This article, however, did a very good job of connecting a smaller New York issue to the entire country. The author's use of varying sources, from small Suffolk County organizations to nationally acclaimed environmental agencies, provided a large perspective on the issue. Also, the reporter clearly identified that the issue about which she was writing "represents a trend across America" and made an effort to broaden the story to the national spectrum. It was very well done and did accurately get the point across.

Links:
Article
Food & Water Watch - Bottled Water
Environmental Working Group - Report on Bottled Water
American Beverage Associaton
Long Island Neighborhood Network - Bottle-less Water Campaign
Pacific Institute - Water Program

"Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy"

By Lisa W. Foderaro
Published: October 9, 2008

Taking an interesting spin on the environmental issue of "going green," Foderaro focused on children and their up-and-coming roles as activists. I have never before seen this global topic portrayed in such a way and it seemed very humanizing. The article gave a very fair representation of all opinions about this new generation of "eco-police" and covered every aspect of the issue. Foderaro discussed everything from how the environment is impacting schools to the psychology of a child with this newly discovered environmental obsession. She also detailed the different child-friendly forums that have been established to discuss going green, such as Nickelodeon's "Big Green Help" and Scholastic's "Save the Planet" message board.

This article was very well thought out and clearly written. There was no political bias and Foderaro made no judgment call about whether children should be concerned with this issue. The article remained at a respectful distance and simply observed the phenomenon without personal opinion or political agenda. I doubt I have ever seen a more fairly written article concerning such a controversial topic. Perhaps children can bring that out in a reporter?

Links:
Article
The Big Green Help
Scholastic's Saving the Planet (I would suggest checking this out. You would be surprised at the issues that kids bring up and how passionate they can be.)

"One in 4 Mammals Threatened With Extinction, Group Finds"

This article gave a nice, broad overview of a very small aspect of a huge environmental event - the World Conservation Congress. The article touched on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species that was revealed at the congress and did a good job of incorporating portions from all aspects of the list, not just focusing on mammals, but also amphibians and even arachnids. However, I hope this article is just one of many about the WCC. According to the IUCN website, the World Conservation Congress is:

More than 8,000 of the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable
development: from governments, NGOs, business, the UN and
academia. Together in one place for 10 days: to debate, share, network,
learn, commit, vote and decide. The objective: ideas, action and solutions for a
diverse and sustainable world.

This event is epic for the environment. It is extremely significant. More than 8,000 leaders! Together for 10 days! And they're all hoping to make proactive decisions to help save our environment and all of the creatures in it.

The article was nice. It did a good job of overviewing the IUCN's Red List, but I sincerely hope that the WCC gets more attention in the newspapers. The congress doesn't end until October 14, so there is time for the New York Times to pull some fantastic reporting together for such an important issue.

Links:
Article
International Union for the Conservation of Nature - Congress