Monsoon mayhem: A deadly monsoon has hit the Philippines, causing about 270,000 people to flee Manila and leaving 50 others dead. With more than half the city under as much as 10 feet of water, one disaster response official compared the scene to Waterworld. Reuters
Fanning future flames: Fearing that small fires will explode into bigger ones, the Forest Service has decided to fight any fire (even ecologically beneficial ones) in its wilderness areas -- a policy that make little financial sense and could increase the risk of large blazes over the long term. OnEarth
Better late than never: For decades, the U.S. has danced around its responsibility for health issues in Vietnam related to Agent Orange. During the chemical warfare, dioxin -- which has been linked to cancer, birth defects and other disabilities -- contaminated soils and waterways and it has persisted in the environment. But this week the U.S. will at least begin to clean up its mess at one former military base, where dioxin was once mixed and stored. Associated Press
Fresh Air Kids: How difficult would it to be for you to live off the grid in the middle of the woods? One New Jersey family decided to try it for a year in Maine. The verdict: "Parts of it were definitely hard." A particularly low moment involved a plugged-up toilet in a snowed-in cabin, but on the plus side, the family's three boys are unusually healthy, free of the coughs and colds that plagued them in the suburbs. New York Times
Backyard blazes: More than one in five Coloradans live in the Red Zone, where forests are most flammable, and in the last two decades, these areas have seen the construction of more than 150,000 new homes. But protecting these coveted, albeit combustible, properties is OnEarth
Sustain this: At six syllables, sustainability is an awfully long word. For comparison, here are some other six-syllable strings: She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. To be or not to be. Oops, I did it again. May the force be with you. And finally, a seven-syllable one: There must be a better word. Bloomberg Sustainability
Reinventing the wheel: Why don't typical cyclists ride on the same weird disc wheels as Olympic cyclists? While the disc wheels are more aerodynamic, allowing faster speeds, they have downsides: they're heavier and don't deal well with strong cross winds. So you might get to work a teensy bit faster on a disc-wheeler, but you also might be blown over into traffic. Slate
Bird droppings: The American Bird Conservancy estimates that anywhere from 100 million to a billion birds die every year after flying into glass. It's becoming even more of a problem as glassy and reflective high-rises sprout up in cities. Buildings with safer glass, decoys, and contoured surfaces can help protect birds. And you may want to rethink putting those indoor plants by the window. It will only confuse our feathered friends, which see only a nice place to rest and not the invisible yet deadly barrier blocking their way. NPR
What's your wing size?: A century ago, French artists imagined that future transportation would include whale-powered buses, flying cabs, and customized, personal wings. In comparison, self-driving cars are only sort of cool. Grist
Photo: Roberto Verzo
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
