Superfund polluter to run US environment division; House to make schools greener; U.S. is not carbon flat; wind-powered drive-in (but really, you should probably walk there).

Civilians caught in the battle, the humiliation of a lifetime, the most annoying governor of all time, torture investigation, and garbage to green.

Environment and ecology edition: Status of the Wilkins ice shelf, how not to solve global warming, Obama administration policy on climate, U.S. wind power capacity, turning Colombia into a desert, too much water in some parts of India, too little in others, flame-retardant in coastal waters, the toxic byproducts of water purification, plastic found in leatherback turtles, traveling off the grid, enjoying the birds of Belize, saving Madagascar, a solar cooker made of cardboard, concrete mixed with environmental impact in mind,avoiding 1,4-dioxane, reusing steel shipping containers, environmental toxicity and concentrations of color, an interesting interactive map of U.S. factory farms, Germany bans GM corn, treating for bee colony collapse, and NASA’s list of air-purifying house plants.

A special ecological edition: the costs and requirements of large-scale agriculture, tracking the endangered, eco-friendly design anda step forward in reducing mercury pollution.