Kiera Butler

Senior Editor

Kiera answers your green questions every week in her Econundrums column. She was a hypochondriac even before she started researching germ warfare.

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Kiera has written about the environment, arts and culture, and more for Columbia Journalism Review, Orion, Audubon, OnEarth, Plenty, and the Utne Reader. She lives in Berkeley and recently planted 30 onions in her backyard.

Evangelical Influence on the Amish

—By Kiera Butler

| Wed Sep. 19, 2007 12:51 PM PDT

Religion News Service has a great story about Steve Lapp, a former member of the Amish community who became an evangelical healer.

While Lapp himself is an interesting character, the story is bigger than just him: Some members of the Amish community, it seems, have begun to adopt evangelical styles of worship:

With his talk of supernatural healings and events, Lapp seems more at home—at least theologically—in Pentecostal churches than among the Amish. But he is just the most extreme example of an evangelical influence creeping into the Old Order Amish community, according to a number of observers. The trend may be most evident here in Lancaster County, which, with 25,000 members, is one of the world's largest Amish settlements.

The Amish "are realizing that the Great Commission is about going into the world and preaching the gospel and not just having your little community rules and regulations," Lapp said.

More and more Amish talk about "a personal relationship with Jesus," and the "assurance of salvation and forgiveness" while attending Bible studies, singalongs and revival meetings. Alarmed Amish leaders have banned large-group prayer meetings and Bible readings as dozens of Amish families consider joining other churches.

Increasingly, evangelical churches are non-denominational, since many church leaders feel that the differences between Christian sects are arcane and ultimately unimportant. The Amish, though, have long valued their separateness from the rest of society. If evangelical nondenominationalism is beginning to reach all the way into this insular community, its influence must be profound indeed.

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Global Warming Bolsters Bone Trade

—By Kiera Butler

| Wed Sep. 19, 2007 12:07 PM PDT

We keep hearing about the strange side effects of global warming. Certain species—from poison ivy to cats—seem to be thriving in the warmer weather.

The latest species to enjoy the short-term benefits of climate change? Bone collectors.

As the Arctic thaws, all kinds of prehistoric bones are becoming more accessible, and museums and private collectors are paying hefty sums to the people who know where to find them.

Luckily, at least one of the bone hunters has a sense of perspective:

Davydov acknowledges that rising temperatures in Siberia have been a boon for bone collectors. "As the permafrost thaws, we obtain yet more objects for study," he says.

But then he reflects: "From the point of view of humanity, it would have been better if this had never happened."

How Many Grams of Fat? And What's the Carbon Footprint?

—By Kiera Butler

| Wed Sep. 19, 2007 11:36 AM PDT

The British snack food company Walkers Crisps has started printing the carbon footprint of each of its products on the packaging. Walkers hired an outside emissions calculating service called Carbon Trust to evaluate the environmental impact—meaning farming, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and disposal—of its products.

Word has it that nine more companies will follow suit soon, among them the mighty Coca-Cola.

Yet another good reason to shun the junk food: It's not just bad for you—it's bad for the earth, too!

Population Declines in Rural America

—By Kiera Butler

| Tue Sep. 18, 2007 1:08 PM PDT

Rural blog The Daily Yonder says the American countryside is in trouble. Because of both natural population decrease and outmigration, rural counties are shrinking fast.

A cool map, created by USDA demographer Calvin Beale, shows the trend.

The reasons for the population decline are complicated, but one thing is clear: The new farm bill isn't helping.

Survey Reveals Mixed Feelings about Brown v. Board of Ed

—By Kiera Butler

| Tue Sep. 18, 2007 11:40 AM PDT

It's been 50 years since Pulaski County, Arkansas's Central High integrated, and believe it or not, some people still aren't so sure it was a good idea.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock called 1,666 people in Pulaski County and asked them about race relations in the community since the Central High crisis.

The majority of respondents (69 percent) said integration was a change for the better, but the demographic breakdown was pretty interesting: While 77 percent of African Americans surveyed said the crisis had a positive effect on the community, just 61 percent of whites did.

And some of the negative comments were real gems:

The black culture is different in a negative way and I don't want this influencing the white culture. - White female, 79 years old

Sometimes black teachers give special treatment to the black students, that affects the quality of education the white students receive. - White female, 55 years old

Oy.