Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'consumption'

Oil Prices Keep Dropping Despite Production Cuts

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:05:00 EST

Oil producers are about to reduce output, and tensions are growing in the Middle East. Such developments usually tend to drive up oil prices, but the global economic recession is becoming so severe that energy consumption keeps falling. Oil prices are down more than 70 percent since last July.

Why Are Oil Prices Sinking So Quickly...

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Oil prices are down to about $66 a barrel, a huge decrease from the all-time high of $147 in July. Consumption is down globally. People are driving less and the economic meltdown has resulted in factories producing less as well.

Slumping Gas Consumption Cuts Into Highway Funds

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Americans are not driving as much because of higher gas prices. A drop in gas consumption is hurting gas tax revenues, which pay for roads, bridges and mass transit projects. Transportation officials say they need to rethink the way they collect and dispense money for transportation. They say the current system of relying on the federal gas tax is unsustainable.

Energy Conservation Starts At Home

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:41:00 EDT

When Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley challenged the state's 5.6 million residents to reduce their home electricity consumption by 15 percent, NPR's Richard Harris looked at ways his household could better conserve.

McDonald's Dollar Menu To Increase

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

When times are tough, hamburger consumption goes up., but McDonald's still plans to raise the price of its dollar menu. We examine the contradiction.

How Lower Oil Prices Might Increase Demand

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Senate brings up another bill aimed at lowering gas prices Tuesday, as Republicans tout a new slogan: "Find more. Use less." It's a paradox because finding more oil drives the price down, which encourages consumption. And despite talk of conservation, election-year efforts by Congress to lower gas prices may actually diminish incentives to lower oil consumption.

High Pump Prices Put Dent In Driving Habits

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

High gas prices appear to have prompted Americans to cut back on driving. New government numbers show gas consumption at a five-year low. Motorists talk about how they're adapting.

What Happens If You Throw Nothing Away For Six Months...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Imagine what it would be like to stockpile your garbage for an entire year. Dave Chameides is doing just that. It's his experiment to better understand how he affects the environment through his consumption. Six months in to the project, Madeleine Brand visits him at his home to check in on the state of Dave's trash collection, and his marriage.

Raw Milk: Panacea or Poison...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:11:00 EDT

Only eight states allow raw milk to be sold in stores for human consumption, but that hasn't stopped people across the country from drinking it. Fans argue that pasteurization kills good bacteria as well as bad, but experts are divided.

Young Indians Fight Restrictions on Alcohol

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:58:00 EDT

Attitudes are dramatically shifting in India where young beer- and wine drinkers are taking on what they call the "morality police" who impose strict restrictions on the consumption of alcohol. Among them is Suketu Talekar, who is setting up his own microbrewery.

High Oil Prices Expected to Curb Consumption

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Host Renee Montagne has this morning's business news.

Ways to Design Gas Savings into U.S. Roads

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:56:00 EDT

Roundabouts instead of intersections with traffic lights, lowering speed limits, and removing some stop signs may be just some of the ways in which drivers can reduce gas consumption. Ian Lockwood, traffic engineer at a Florida-based community-planning design firm, sees ways to cut consumption in the face of record gas prices.

Hip Hop Group Subtle Releases New Album

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

The hip hop group Subtle's new album, Exiting Arm, places its narrator in a science fiction world where he is forced to write pop songs for mass consumption. Subtle's leader Adam Drucker drops by to discuss it.

Scientists Find Internal Clock Sets at Mealtime

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

It is well known that many organisms have a "circadian clock" — a biological time-keeping mechanism that connects the body's rhythms to external light levels. Now, researchers have found a second internal clock connected to food consumption that can overrule the regular light-based clock.

Denver Drivers Learn How to Boost Fuel Economy

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:41:00 EDT

Around 400 Denver residents, including the city's mayor, are part of an experiment to see if drivers can be trained to drive "greener." A device in their cars will track whether they have bad driving habits that increase fuel consumption, thus contributing more to greenhouse gas emissions.

China's Growing Thirst for Milk Hits Global Market

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:19:00 EDT

Got milk? China does. In just eight years, consumption of milk has almost tripled. New wealth and new dining habits among China's burgeoning middle class is driving that growth which is helping to drive up dairy prices around the world.

A Ukrainian Pop Star's Would-Be Revolution

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:57:00 EDT

Ruslana, Ukraine's biggest pop star, switches between two roles on stage: a limp, pale, synthetic woman chained to a machine for energy, and a vibrant warrior whose energy comes from clean, renewable resources. But in post-Soviet Ukraine, her fans are more interested in capitalist consumption than conservation.

Salmon Prices to Skyrocket

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Grocery shoppers who want to buy wild salmon this year are going to have pay some wild prices. The California and Oregon seasons have been suspended, leaving only a trickle of fish in Alaska available for consumption.

Americans Using Less Gasoline

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:54:00 EST

For the first time in years, people in America are buying a little less gasoline. Analysts say it may be a sign that high prices and a slowing economy are beginning to change people's driving habits. So far in 2008, consumption has fallen about half a percent.

Will Economic Issues Affect Gas Use...

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST

Americans have been reluctant to change long-standing driving habits. But as gas prices rise and the economy slumps, some see the opportunity for a new approach to gasoline consumption.

Enjoying Kimchi in Space

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:09:00 EST

South Korea plans to send its first astronaut to the International Space Station in April. He will carry with him the cabbage delicacy kimchee -- specially engineered for astronauts' consumption.

Study: Red Meat Compounds Tied to Cancer

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:00:00 EST

A new medical study links high consumption of red and processed meats to an increased risk of different forms of cancer.

'Marketplace:' Divorce, an Environmental Hazard...

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:14:00 EST

Michigan State University researchers have added divorce to the long list of things that are bad for the environment. In the U.S., divorcees occupy 38-million extra rooms and the researchers argue it dramatically increases water and electricity consumption.

Guatemala Imposes Dry Law for Elections

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:00:00 EST

Many Latin American countries ban alcohol consumption around election time. The so-called "Dry Law" was in effect in Guatemala this past weekend during the presidential elections. While many men don't like it, women do as it tamps down domestic abuse.

What Happens to Horses as Slaughterhouse Closes...

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:59:00 EDT

DeKalb, Ill., 60 miles west of Chicago, was home to the only plant in the nation that slaughtered horses for human consumption. But Illinois lawmakers banned the practice this year, and the slaughterhouse was shut down. Some horse owners worry that the law might have made things worse.