With media outlets from the New York Times to individual blog "reporters" typing at their kitchen tables covering the recession — with news, conjecture and as many opinions as there are people — one facet of all this doom and gloom that isn't getting much attention is the impact of the recession on our collective environmental footprint, especially all that consumer-culture waste we seem so eager to flog ourselves over.

The Washington Post reported that landfills around the country are noticing significant decreases in the amount of trash they're receiving, and it's logical to conclude that if a newfound frugality means less shopping, that also means less waste for the trash pile. Think about it: fewer purchases means less packaging (cardboard, plastic, packing peanuts, Styrofoam, etc.), and not just when you're talking about a new flat-screen t.v. Cooking at home often translates into more fresh produce and fewer frozen dinner purchases. And since we're all buying fewer new things, it seems we're more inclined to repair what we have or purchase or trade used items. All of these decisions result in less trash. Not to mention that a lower demand for goods can  — and does, as we've been seeing a lot lately — lead to factory closings. The obvious, serious, bad news there is that hardworking men and women are losing their jobs and their ability to support themselves and their families, at least temporarily. On the other side, one less factory running means one less factory sending contaminants into the air and/or water. Looking around, it seems that one silver lining to the current state of economic affairs might just be less environmental damage from our particular species.

What do you think? Have you noticed less waste and trash in your life because of the recession? Do you think that we might hold on to the better lessons from this experience as we move forward, ultimately, to more prosperous times? 

This Certified Wildlife Habitat in Austin is thriving with native plants for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Austin, Texas recently became the largest city in the nation to be certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

To earn the distinction, Austin residents took on environmental stewardship projects such as removing invasive plant species from parks and hosting gardening know-how workshops throughout the city. Community members also got to work making hundreds of landscapes meet the criteria to become NWF Certified Wildlife Habitats. Austin is now home to more than 900 Certified Wildlife Habitats, which include parks, businesses, schools and individual yards.

Alice Nance, conservation program coordinator for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, says Certified Wildlife Habitats welcome animals by providing food, water, shelter and a place for them to raise their little ones. These habitats must be maintained using sustainable gardening practices, meaning no excessive watering, and use of no or few pesticides and fertilizers.

Nance says one of the most exciting results of the Community Wildlife Habitat project has been the increased biodiversity popping up in the city’s gardens. And flora and fauna aren’t the project’s only beneficiaries: Nance hopes the environmental initiatives will bring Austin’s residents closer to nature and inspire more neighborhood pride.

Thirty-one other U.S. cities have earned NWF’s title of Community Wildlife Habitat. Visit Keep Austin Wild for more information on Austin’s wildlife conservation efforts, and check out the NWF website to find out how you can make your community a Community Wildlife Habitat.

It's no news that millions of people are tightening their belts during the recession, but what is news is one unintended silver lining. As people are buying less in general — and are repairing or refurbishing what they already have rather than running out for replacement items — landfills around the United States are seeing a significant decrease in volume. According to the Washington Post, some landfills are showing declines as large as 30 percent! Even when repair isn't an option, many people are turning to sites such as Freecycle for their shopping — and every toaster or mattress found at Freecycle means, yet again, one less product for the dump pile. Freecycle alone has gained up to 70,000 new members a week since last fall. Recession or no, less waste is certainly something to be excited about. Now hopefully we can remember the mantra of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair" even after we've worked our way back into black.

You can find out more in the full article, A Trashed Economy Foretold.

Biologists from the University of California, Berkeley, have reported that salamander populations in parts of Central America have declined sharply in the past 40 years — and global warming could be the cause.

UC Berkeley researchers compared data of current salamander populations in western Guatemala and southern Mexico to data collected from the locations between 1969 and 1978. The team found that two of the most common species of salamanders in the areas 40 years ago are extinct, and several others have experienced large drops in number.

Amphibian populations have been declining worldwide, and experts have attributed the drops in other amphibian species — such as the well-documented plummeting of frog populations — to factors such as pesticides, predators and habitat destruction.

But according to David Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley and the new study’s lead researcher, the salamanders in Guatemala lived on a controlled nature preserve, so neither outside predators nor human disturbance could have been responsible for their startling disappearance.

The nature preserve couldn’t guard the salamanders from the effects of global warming, however, and the climate conditions of salamanders’ habitat did change over the past 40 years. Salamanders are highly sensitive to climate and humidity, so even a slight increase in temperature could have caused them to seek higher elevations. Having thrived at their former altitudes for thousands of years, the salamanders were unable to adjust to these new habitats, researchers suspect.

Unlike other amphibians, salamanders are famously secretive creatures and often go unseen by all but keen, deliberate observers. Wake says salamanders’ effects in ecosystems do not go unnoticed, however: In forests, salamanders account for a large amount of biomass. Certain species even depend on salamanders for their own survival, such as the salamander-eating snake, which, according to Wake, is also showing signs of population decline.

See Science Daily's article for more information on Wake and his colleagues’ study, and check out A Wealth of Salamanders for more on these fascinating creatures and their unique presence in North America.

Photo by iStockphoto/Armin Hinterwirth

Exactly who determines what goes into the often-criticized school lunch? Surely Pepsi Co. and the pork industry don't have a say. Or do they?

Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are charged with the important task of re-authorizing the national school lunch program every five years, and here's a look at the many organizations attempting to influence the final decision.