By MELISSA T. CASTRO It’s a species that’s rarely heard of, even more rarely seen, and soon it won’t be seen at all. The vaquita porpoise is the world’s most rare marine mammal, and with estimated numbers plummeting to about 30, it is on the brink of extinction. Considering the estimated numbers of vaquitas in 2008 was at 567, there
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS Sustainability and good environmental stewardship definitely count as pluses in the PR department of any multilateral corporation. But for Unilever, the British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company that produces everything from chicken soup to hand soap, the Sustainable Living Plan – a seven-year experiment with a global program aimed at reducing the firm’s carbon footprint, boosting recycling, cutting
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS Their very name means “man of the forest,” and anyone who has ever seen an orangutan up close and personal will understand why these highly intelligent primates, with their human-like features and their acute sensitivity, are considered to be one of our closest living relatives. And yet, despite their gentle, unaggressive nature and their compassionate personalities, the
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS For the second straight year, the number of monarch butterflies arriving in Mexico for their winter retreat has dropped dramatically, according to Mexican government sources. Compared to last year, the number of monarchs, which migrate annually from as far north as Canada during the winter months, has dropped by nearly 15 percent compared to last year’s figures,
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