Rolling in the muck. Pollution in Vietnam’s rural areas is on the rise, negatively impacting the environment and local inhabitants. The most telling statistic is the life expectancy of people dwelling in some villages is five to 10 years shorter than the national average. [News Source]

Vets: Burn pits are killing us. The president's promise – and the military's approach – won't change a fundamental challenge with the way the government responds to its warriors' wounds. [News Source]

Platte County’s ‘Green Build’ program moves forward. Platte County’s voluntary “Green Build” program promotes energy efficiency, a reduction in pollution and water conservation, and could be a model for other counties in Northwest Missouri. [News Source]

Ministry to focus on water, sanitation and air pollution. An environmental working group, divided into six thematic sub-groups, was tasked with conducting a broad overview of the state of the environment, devising guidelines, and suggesting remedial measures to control pollution, sources said. [News Source]

City’s air quality on the nose. Air pollution in Sydney dramatically worsened last year with one in 10 days officially failing air quality standards. [News Source]

Haiti children face ongoing disease and trauma. Under 18s make up almost half of Haiti's 10-million population and aid agencies are warning they are at great risk from ongoing physical and psychological trauma. [News Source]

Natives urge Metro to incinerate, not dump. Don't dump your garbage and poison our land, water, deer and salmon. That was the impassioned plea from Interior aboriginal leaders, who urged Metro Vancouver directors to stand firm against expanded use of the Cache Creek regional landfill. [News Source]

Ratcheting down ozone. EPA is proposing to tighten the nation’s air quality standard for ground-level ozone, a move that could carry a big price tag for industry while delivering large health benefits to Americans. [News Source]

BP’s Whiting refinery plans temporary shutdown. The temporary shutdown of a Northwest Indiana refinery to address pollution concerns could affect gasoline prices, but the details are being kept secret by state and company officials. [News Source]

Smog is so bad in Utah that residents are urged to stay inside. A thick layer of smog stubbornly lingering over parts of Utah has fouled the state's air so badly this week that health officials warned people not to exercise outside and some schools kept children inside for recess and sports. [News Source]

Richardson leaves green legacy. Gov. Bill Richardson was committed to solving New Mexico's water problems. He wanted to make the Land of Enchantment the land of solar panels and wind turbines. He tried squeezing into a hybrid vehicle for a while and urged residents to go green. [News Source]