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Kudzu is a flowering, ropelike vine, first introduced from Asia in 1876. The U.S. Soil Conservation Service once paid farmers to plant it to stop erosion; now kudzu rampages across large swaths of the South, strangling and killing trees and all other plant life in its wake. Benign-looking cheatgrass carpets the shrub-steppes of the West and feeds some grazing species and birds. But it's also explosive kindling that increases the frequency and intensity of wild forest fires. Drive along any U.S. highway and you'll likely catch sight of purple loosestrife's telltale slender stalks and magenta...
...Invasive plants are one of the greatest ecological problems we are facing right now," says W. Gary Smith, a landscape architect based in Austin. "My public enemy number one is the Norway maple." Popular for providing shade in yards across the Northeast, the Norway maple grows up to 30 ft. high in 23 U.S. states. New Hampshire classifies it as a noxious weed; selling or transporting it is illegal, and fines for doing so can range from $250 to $500 per plant...
...three-year-old plant in England's West Midlands was Cat's first European facility. Each month, it processes 15,000 worn-out, grime-encrusted engines and parts. Caterpillar has moved beyond remanufacturing just its own diesel engines and components; 40% of the automotive, truck, rail and marine motors and parts remanufactured in Shrewsbury were originally built by other companies. Fisher calls reman a "nicely profitable business." How profitable? Cat does not break out the figures, but Fisher says the returns are "above average," and Nasr notes that profit margins for some reman goods are double those of new products...
...practitioners also relish the challenge of giving clapped-out parts new leases on life. "It's all about taking back old stuff in mass quantities and doing something with it," Fisher says. That waste-not ethic is evident on the shop floor of the Shrewsbury complex. Tim Baker, the plant's operations manager, says employees get excited about coming up with new ways to salvage. "Our people are very passionate about not throwing things away," says Baker. "It's like tossing away money." And you don't become the industry's fat Cat doing foolish things like that...
...cloud formation has a net cooling effect. In addition, thinning forests mean fewer trees to soak up the carbon emitted by industry and transport. Deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global carbon emissions, more than from all the cars, boats and planes in the world. Plenty of programs plant trees to offset emissions, but it is even more important to save the trees we already have. "You've got to deal with forests if you're going to make any progress on climate change," says Carter Roberts, president of the World Wildlife Fund...