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Stay married -- divorce is bad for environment
Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters
Irked spouses looking for a reason to stay married were offered a novel rationale by U.S. researchers on Monday: divorce is bad for the environment.

The global trend toward higher divorce rates has created more households with fewer people, scientists at Michigan State University reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More households means more energy expended to build, fuel, and provide water for them, the researchers wrote.

"Globally, the number of households is increasing much faster than the number of people," said co-author Jianguo "Jack" Liu in a telephone interview.

"Even in regions with declining population, we see substantial increase in the number of households. Divorce is the main reason for reducing the number of people in a household," he said.
(3 December 2007)
Divorce is

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Five tree fee for a Java wedding
BBC
An Indonesian student plants a sapling in Jakarta, Indonesia (1/12/2007)
Indonesia has been criticised for its rate of deforestation
Couples in the Sragen region of Java in Indonesia have reportedly been told that they need to fund the planting of five trees if they want to get married.

State-run Antara news agency reported that couples will have to supply seedlings or pay 25,000 rupiah ($3, £1.30) under the compulsory scheme.

Couples applying for a divorce face a higher charge of 25 seedlings or over 40,000 rupiah ($4.25,£2).

District officials say the programme is aimed at combating global warming.
(3 December 2007)

Senior transportation a growing concern
Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY
Going home for the holidays may bring cheer and joy to many but a harsh reality for others: Their parents are too old to drive.

As the oldest of the nation's 79 million baby boomers turn 61 this year, the specter of aging and its consequences loom large. Boomers may be worrying about their parents now but know they may experience similar challenges someday.

"They're getting to see it face to face," says Sandy Markwood, chief executive of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, who says the holidays reunite families who have communicated strictly by telephone or e-mail throughout the year. "They realize Mom and Dad are slipping and shouldn't be driving."

Concern over how the bulging population of seniors will get around in a sprawling nation heavily dependent on the automobile is paramount among advocates for the elderly - so much so that Markwood's group is making transportation the centerpiece of its annual "Home for the Holidays" campaign.

"Half of American households don't have access to adequate transportation options other than cars," Markwood says. "Rural America and suburbs don't have public transportation available."
(3 December 2007)

Civic Agriculture = Sane Housing
Nevin Cohen, The Nation (web-only)
... there is growing support for shifting tax dollars from agribusiness to family farmers and overhauling the farm subsidy program.

Indeed, the seeds of true reform are being sown throughout the country, as consumers are forging closer connections to farmers and developing a deeper policy interest in agricultural issues. Increasingly, Americans are buying food at farmers' markets or directly from farms through community-supported agriculture programs. State and local officials are adopting policies to expand farming in and around our nation's cities. A large cross-section of chefs, college students, community activists, and farmers are redesigning the food systems in their institutions, communities and regions. With more Americans developing relationships with family farmers and consuming farm-fresh food, many are questioning the large subsidies for commodity crops, which often rely on unsustainable farming techniques and make unhealthy food more abundant and inexpensive than fruits and vegetables.

This affinity between consumers and farmers has even encouraged real estate developers to build communities that blend working farms into the suburban landscape. From Massachusetts to California, subdivisions that include farms have sprouted, countering conventional notions that farmers and homeowners don't mix. Incorporating small farms into residential developments provides multiple benefits to everyone living in the community, not to mention profits for the developers. And unlike typical subdivisions, these farmland subdivisions have numerous potential environmental benefits, including land conservation, land restoration (if organic growing methods are used) and reduced reliance on food transported from distant sources. The social benefits are significant too. Residents in developments with shared open spaces report that they meet and connect with their neighbors on a regular basis.
(3 December 2007)