There’s plenty of buzz lately about fracking, or Hydraulic Fracturing, the extraction of natural gas from beneath shale.
On the one side are nat gas companies, who point out that natural gas burns 40% cleaner than coal.
On the other are those who’ve learned – frequently the hard way – the environmental damage wrought by the process.
But what’s amazing is how few of us know about fracking at all.
Given that it’s already happening in our backyards, I did a bit of digging myself. And found two awesome sources who explain fracking and its effects better than I could.
Scientific American does its usual in-depth job of giving the facts, within context and balance…and offering up some great (read “disturbing” images) as well.
And GreenMuze.com, a site for which I write my Ask the Greenius column, also covered fracking in Canada.
Have you heard of fracking? What are your thoughts?

I figured it was the sound of progress.
But when Frito-Lay unveiled its new compostable Sun Chips bags, the applause was, perhaps, drowned out by the noise of the bag itself. And though the noise became part of the marketing strategy, apparently it didn’t do enough to quiet the critics.
Frito-Lay just announced that it will discontinue the compostable packaging for all but the original Sun Chips flavor until it can create a quieter compostable package.
I confess I’m a bit of a compostable materials sceptic. Most consumers will toss their bags in the garbage can, rather than the requisite compost heap thereby rendering any attempts to green the packaging all for naught.
It is, however, important to start the conversation; to let consumers know that alternatives are available and why we need to consider them. Regardless of how they’re disposed, a biodegradable bag (not to be confused with a degradable bag) is still a greener choice as it’s made from plant materials rather than petroleum.
But if no-one can hear you over the noise of their Sun Chips back, I guess there’s not much point in talking…