The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - 20 Years After: The Analysis
Twenty years ago last month, the supertanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Prince William Sound and ran aground, releasing 40 million liters {approximately 10 million gallons) into the surrounding sea and onto the beaches. It remains the worst oil spill in US maritime history. In the days that followed, impact inventories revealed the lethal outcome: a quarter of a million sea birds had been killed, along with 22 Orca whales, nearly 3000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, and unknown millions of fish eggs.
In 1991, the Alaskan and US Governments reached an agreement with Exxon Mobil in a 900 million dollar settlement, almost 200 million of which was set aside for scientific study of the disaster and its impact on the PWS ecosystem. Exxon Mobile also funded its own studies (generating 400 papers and reports) which were frequently in disagreement with the government scientists’ reports and findings.
Twenty years after, the Exxon Valdez spill has become the most studied maritime, industrial disaster ever. A news report in Science Magazine (March 26, 2009) by Lila Guterman (with Jacopo Pasotti reporting) presented some of the scientific findings from the post-spill research.
After getting down and dirty with your craft, there’s that dreaded task of cleanup. This simple task can get a little more dicey once the paint, marker, oil pastel or glue finds itself outside of the protected craft area. So to help, here’s a list of green cleaning products that you can use to clean up after craft time using supplies that you already have in your house.
Anyone who has ever tried to be a good roommate also has an idea of what it means to be an environmentally responsible citizen. Just mentally replace the rooms with ecosystems and the roommates with other animals (for some of us, this isn’t much of a stretch!). There are the inevitable struggles over shared areas, the vying for food in the fridge, and the ever-present question of cleanliness. What do we do with all 
