Hero weathers 23 Grim years (The Mercury) A TASMANIAN scientist has been named an international environmental hero. Laurie Porter, who works with the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in the far north-west, recently received a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Hero Award. [News Source]

Shutting coal plants will not improve our air. Power to the people, but at what cost? [News Source]

Don’t get angry about bad air; do something about it. WITH the release of Mayor Bill White's task force report titled "A Closer Look at Air Pollution in Houston: Identifying Priority Health Risks," many Houstonians are likely wondering why the city isn't taking stronger steps to attack the problems it identifies. [News Source]

Collecting toxic waste from homes. Pat Hutchinson, a retired nurse, said she and husband, Rob, refuse to dump old paint out onto the ground. [News Source]

Drivers tapped to fight ozone. Northeast Ohio motorists tired of rising gasoline costs got a bit of bad news Friday. [News Source]

More than hot air in summer breeze. Hot weather is expected to blow through the area this weekend and bring polluted air with it, prompting state and federal officials to issue their first unhealthy air warning of the year. [News Source]

Government steps up smog action plan. From 2007 all new diesel cars, minibuses and vans in Switzerland could be fitted with special filters to help curb dust particle emissions. [News Source]

Ozone limits don’t protect babies. In healthy infants, even ozone concentrations well below those allowed by federal law trigger asthmalike symptoms, a new study shows. [News Source]

Ecopolis now. The meteoric growth of megacities has brought with it huge environmental and social problems. But far from being parasites on the world, cities could hold the key to sustainable living for the world's booming population. [News Source]

The dirty secret of China’s economy. China's rapid growth has only worsened its environmental problems, and the government expects pollution to quadruple by 2020. [News Source]

Investigation sought in scrap-iron yard. Colton planners are asking state and federal environmental agencies to look into allegations by two citizens and a competitor that soil was contaminated at Colton Iron and Metal's south Colton property. [News Source]