The big story in Boston last week: “The seas along the East Coast from North Carolina to New England are rising three to four times faster than the global average.”

• Rising sea level a threat in East, study says – Boston Globe. “The maps show that if sea levels rise just 2.5 feet, it could take little more than a Nor’easter to put much of the Back Bay, East Boston, South Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, and elsewhere underwater, including much of Logan International Airport and the financial district.”
• Refrigerants Have 2,100 Times The Warming Effect Than CO2 – Treehugger. The HCFCs that have replaced ozone-depleting CFCs seriously contribute to global warming.
• What is Important When Buying a New Room Air Conditioner – Green Lifestyle Consulting. If you absolutely need an air conditioner, what you should look for in one.
• In Its First Life, an Oil Platform; in Its Next, a Reef? – New York Times. Conservation groups work to protect an ecosystem that has grown up around an oil platform.
• The Afterlife of Cheap Clothes – Slate. This makes me really question the warm feeling I get when I donate clothes to Salvation Army.
• Why Are Poland Spring Bottles So Crinkly? – Slate. Poland Springs gets props for using 1/3 less plastic in its bottles.
• Dirtying Up Our Diets – New York Times. I’m not sure how well I understand this argument. For instance, I’ve developed cat allergies, but that’s not because I was never exposed to cats—I’ve had cats my entire life except for three years in college.
• Here’s what to buy organic – Grist. The Environmental Working Group comes out with its latest dirty dozen list.
• A Different Kind of Market – Local In Season. Union Square is now hosting speciality food markets on Thursday nights as well as Saturday morning farmers markets. I’ll have to check this out.