WAMU 88.5 : The Big Fix

The Grass Isn't Always Greener

Play associated audio

Glenda from Alexandria, Va. suggests that managers of public property should plant native ground cover instead of grass. She says this idea could reduce maintenance costs and provide local habitats for wildlife. Bob Inglis says that's a good idea, as long as the choice is left to local decision makers. Joe Romm agrees and says that it could help conserve water.

Host Al Lewis wants to fold car insurance, registration fees and excise taxes into the cost of gas. Romm likes that this would pay for insurance coverage for all drivers. Inglis thinks that this proposal helps tie the price of car insurance to how many miles people drive. He wonders how this would work if electric vehicles replace gas-powered cars.

Music: "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" by Wilson Pickett

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.
NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.
NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.
NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.