Green Chemistry

Your Summer 2011 cover story, "Pure Chemistry," by Laura Wright Treadway, serves an important role in inspiring universities to develop green chemistry curricula. Having been a scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency for 22 years, I can say with certainty that green chemistry lies squarely at the crossroads of academic disciplines related to environmental and human-health issues. I do have one quibble, though: the article begins with a student collecting lint, presumably for analysis, and states that he sticks the wad in his pocket. This is bad science -- the lint should at least be put in a plastic baggie, if not a sterile lab sample collection bag. I would hate for others to think that green chemistry is some kind of guerrilla effort that condones sloppy science.

Leif Magnuson
Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Region 9, EPA
San Francisco, California

Motown Rising

On page 49 of Matt Power's "Motown Revival?" the author claims that "almost 20 square miles of Detroit's land area -- nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco -- has been abandoned." San Francisco covers about 49 square miles, which means Detroit's abandoned neighborhoods add up to less than half San Francisco's size.

Carl Stein
San Francisco, California

The editors reply: Yup, your math is definitely better than ours. We regret the error.

I was pleased to see your article "Motown Revival?" I grew up in Michigan, and about half my family worked for the auto industry. As an urban planner, I began to see what was happening to Detroit in the 1960s. The situation has worsened, but I still feel an allegiance to Motown. When debate raged about bailing out the auto industry, I asked friends if they realized the importance of every auto production job to our economy. Most had no clue. Though I no longer live in Detroit, I gain hope from small victories: the election of a mayor with apparent integrity and ambitions for doing the right thing; a new Chrysler ad that boasts of its hometown roots. Even the Lions are getting better!

Tim Price
La Jolla, California

The Tortoise Problem

In his appraisal of the book Powering the Dream, George Black explains that author Alexis Madrigal challenges us to make a choice: "What's more important … phasing out fossil fuels or saving the threatened desert tortoise?" The question could have been phrased this way: "Which is more important: phasing out fossil fuels, thereby saving the earth from global-warming disaster, or saving the desert tortoise for the moment and eventually losing the earth, including the desert tortoise?" The supply of fossil fuels is limited, yet our demand for energy will keep growing. Obviously, some other energy source will have to replace fossil fuels. Meanwhile, atmospheric and ocean carbon dioxide keep increasing. The only practical way to produce sustainable, clean, utility-scale power is concentrating thermal solar power in places like the Mojave Desert, as is already under way. Yes, some tortoises will have to be sacrificed to avoid losing everything. That's called triage.

Albert Z. K. Sanders
East Hampton, New York