Organic foods sales are growing exponentially, prompting some reflection and analysis here and abroad. An AP article says that U.S. sales have grown “15 to 21 percent each year,” and a piece in the British paper The Guardian reveals that U.K. sales grew a stunning 30 percent in 2005. I’m all for the popularization of organic foods, but there are certainly some downsides to this trend: factory-style “organic” farms and attempts to weaken certification standards, to name two.

Waking up to the noise of a jackhammer next door is no way to start the day—and the same is true if your home is in the ocean. But fish, whales, dolphins, and other animals that live in the sea can, just like us, become deeply stressed by loud noises. A new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that “intense underwater sound” from oil and gas exploration, military sonar, and other human activity is bad news for marine life. And the oceans are becoming an increasingly deafening place to live.