Joshua Zaffos

Plastic bombastic

“Boy, did your mother do a number on you.” If you’ve ever heard that, it may be truer than anyone would like to contemplate. A recent study, reported on in The Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin on November 24, links mothers’ exposures to plasticizing chemicals with “less masculine” playtime for their young sons. The chemicals, [...]

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Eco-Pimp My Lava Lamp

The New York Times has a story this morning on eco-consultants, who are supposed to help families make their homes and lifestyles more environmentally friendly. Among the groups that earn a mention is GenGreen, a Fort Collins-based outfit that I profiled in a September 2007 story for the Chronicle.

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The Why of the Storm

A June 2007 cover story for the Chronicle: Many researchers have concluded that climate change is feeding extreme hurricanes, and an amplified fear of more Katrinas could bring about the second coming for weather modification. A computer simulation from a Colorado State University professor could be the future of the field — and the federal government’s contingency plan for looming hurricane disasters. But, then, just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should.

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Peak Performance

Wilson Peak outside of Telluride was off-limits to climbers for years, until a conservation group finally brokered a solution. When access was OK'd, Erik Weihenmayer, the much renowned blind mountaineer, led a party to stand on the 14,000-foot summit, and I went along for the walk for a 2008 story.

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