9 posts tagged “environmentalism”
Founded by some senator named Gaylor Nelson in 1970 - a year of Vietnam protests, Apollo 13, the Beatles' last album, and the death of Jimi Hendrix - this day of environmental observance has been growing steadily ever since. According to Wikipedia, it is the only holiday celebrated simultaneously around the globe in over 174 countries, by people of all backgrounds and religions. That is so cool.
Even though it's technically this Tuesday, I've already done my celebrating - painting faces all day long in a beautiful park for a local Earth Day event.
peace.
Even though it's technically this Tuesday, I've already done my celebrating - painting faces all day long in a beautiful park for a local Earth Day event.
peace.
Have you heard of PaperBackSwap.com? It is an online club devoted to the ancient practice of book exchange, for the anti-consumerism people. It is also yet another practical way to exercise the 3 R's, for the earth-friendly people. Reduce: Save trees - don't buy brand new books when you can find them used, in perfectly good condition. Reuse: If you're done reading it, don't throw it out. Pass it on to someone else. Recycle: The postage materials as many times as you possibly can!
Also check out its sister-sites: SwapaDVD and SwapaCD, for your all your media needs.
peace.
Also check out its sister-sites: SwapaDVD and SwapaCD, for your all your media needs.
peace.
You know those annoying stickers on all the fruits and veggies in the produce department? Believe it or not, their sole purpose is not to adhere resolutely to your apple, and then cling relentlessly to your fingers when you finally flick them off.
Besides the names of the fruit itself and possible the farm where it was grown, each sticker has 4 or 5 digits on it and here's what they mean:
A 4 digit number means the fruit/veggie was conventionally grown (this includes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides).
A 5 digit number beginning with a 9 means it's organic (although you probably already knew that from the big sign that says: "ORGANIC CARROTS!").
A 5 digit number beginning with an 8 means it's genetically modified (beware the franken-fruit!).
GMO's are relatively new to the world of food technology, but scientists have already identified several possible risks they may pose to the environment, including a reduction of biodiversity. Biodiversity is what keeps the earth's ecosystems stable, all plant and animal species are parts of an intricate web of interdependence. Constant evolution and variety protects these species from environmental hazards. By homogenizing our food crops, we are making them more susceptible to things like agricultural pests and sweeping diseases. Watch this (nerdy) video.
Besides the names of the fruit itself and possible the farm where it was grown, each sticker has 4 or 5 digits on it and here's what they mean:
A 4 digit number means the fruit/veggie was conventionally grown (this includes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides).
A 5 digit number beginning with a 9 means it's organic (although you probably already knew that from the big sign that says: "ORGANIC CARROTS!").
A 5 digit number beginning with an 8 means it's genetically modified (beware the franken-fruit!).
GMO's are relatively new to the world of food technology, but scientists have already identified several possible risks they may pose to the environment, including a reduction of biodiversity. Biodiversity is what keeps the earth's ecosystems stable, all plant and animal species are parts of an intricate web of interdependence. Constant evolution and variety protects these species from environmental hazards. By homogenizing our food crops, we are making them more susceptible to things like agricultural pests and sweeping diseases. Watch this (nerdy) video.
peace.
Step It Up 2007 is national action organization calling for some good political leadership on global warming. Their goal: to cut carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050
(it would be nice if that could happen sooner,
of course...).
This Saturday, Nov. 3, they'll be having rallies all over the country for their Step It Up 2: Who's a Leader? campaign. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any of the rallies, but you can visit stepitup2007.org to find one in your area!
peace.
(it would be nice if that could happen sooner,
of course...).
This Saturday, Nov. 3, they'll be having rallies all over the country for their Step It Up 2: Who's a Leader? campaign. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any of the rallies, but you can visit stepitup2007.org to find one in your area!
peace.
Rachel Carson grew up in a time of... limited educational opportunities for girls and women. She was born in the early 1900's, when academics were still not a socially endorsed factor in womens lives (the pursuit of knowledge interferes with housekeeping, you know). The very fact that she became a prominent female biologist is impressive.
Then, in 1962, she wrote the book credited with launching the current environmentalist movement.
Her research and arguments were questioned, criticized and disregarded. She was called a "hysterical woman", and because she was attractive yet unmarried she was "probably a communist". The biochemist Robert White-Stevens said, "If man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth."
Despite the closed-mindedness of her pesticide-happy time, Carson's work endured. The hushed-up facts about the consequences of irresponsible spraying she revealed in Silent Spring persisted, and eventually lead to the banning of DDT in 1971.
Silent Spring is considered one of the greatest scientific books of the twentieth century. Even though it was written decades ago, it has never gone out of print and is still a widely known source of information on environmentalism. After reading this book, I became curious about what legal restrictions for pesticide use had been enacted since it was written.
Common Pesticides In Use Today:
Chlorine Dioxide - Kills microorganisms.
Ethylene Oxide - Industrial chemical used to produce other chemicals, especially household detergents.
Methyl Bromide - Broad spectrum pesticide used to kill insects, weeds and rodents.
Paraformaldehyde - Disinfectant similar to formaldehyde.
The use of pesticides is much more restricted than it was years ago, and there is more information available to the public on safety guidelines and proper disposal. Once entire forests were sprayed to eradicate a single species of insect, fungus, or disease. Chemicals seeped into every living organism and were carried for miles through the water table, wreaking havoc on the surrounding ecosystem and killing the local wildlife. Now a more thorough legal process is involved for permission to use chemicals, but overuse is still a problem. Humans need to concentrate more effort toward developing sustainable organic farming practices and biological pest control, such as companion planting and augmentation, to curb pollution and stop permanent environmental harm.
Then, in 1962, she wrote the book credited with launching the current environmentalist movement.
Her research and arguments were questioned, criticized and disregarded. She was called a "hysterical woman", and because she was attractive yet unmarried she was "probably a communist". The biochemist Robert White-Stevens said, "If man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth."
Despite the closed-mindedness of her pesticide-happy time, Carson's work endured. The hushed-up facts about the consequences of irresponsible spraying she revealed in Silent Spring persisted, and eventually lead to the banning of DDT in 1971.
Silent Spring is considered one of the greatest scientific books of the twentieth century. Even though it was written decades ago, it has never gone out of print and is still a widely known source of information on environmentalism. After reading this book, I became curious about what legal restrictions for pesticide use had been enacted since it was written.
Common Pesticides In Use Today:
Chlorine Dioxide - Kills microorganisms.
Ethylene Oxide - Industrial chemical used to produce other chemicals, especially household detergents.
Methyl Bromide - Broad spectrum pesticide used to kill insects, weeds and rodents.
Paraformaldehyde - Disinfectant similar to formaldehyde.
The use of pesticides is much more restricted than it was years ago, and there is more information available to the public on safety guidelines and proper disposal. Once entire forests were sprayed to eradicate a single species of insect, fungus, or disease. Chemicals seeped into every living organism and were carried for miles through the water table, wreaking havoc on the surrounding ecosystem and killing the local wildlife. Now a more thorough legal process is involved for permission to use chemicals, but overuse is still a problem. Humans need to concentrate more effort toward developing sustainable organic farming practices and biological pest control, such as companion planting and augmentation, to curb pollution and stop permanent environmental harm.
peace.
You've heard all the statistics before. Deforestation is the commonly accepted term for the deliberate destruction and/or removal of vast wooded areas. Its infamous environmental impacts include massive contributions to ozone depletion as well as reduced biodiversity. In tropical areas, it is a key aspect in the exploitation of native peoples.
The measured forest loss since 1970 is over 277,490 miles. At the current rate of deforestation, the world's tropical rain forests may be completely gone by the end of the century.
Possibly the scariest thing about those already huge (and still growing) numbers, is that they don't shock us anymore. Experts estimate that we are losing, forever, at least 137 plant, animal and insect species a day. And? The numbers are just too abstract.
Rain forests, and the land they are on, are being used for a few main, perceivably profitable, reasons - with many harmful side effects.
Logging, for timber as well as paper, which also releases emissions thanks to the required machinery and transportation.
Land is cleared for cattle grazing, there's the contribution of the meat industry.
And of course forests must be leveled to accommodate insatiable urban-sprawl.
The simplest way to stop the measures is to kill the market.
peace.
Cited from wikipedia: "Over 200 million tons of plastic are manufactured annually around the world, according to the SPE. Of those 200 million tons, 26 million are manufactured in the united states. The EPA reported in 2003 that only 5.8% of those 26 million tons of plastic waste are recycled. The wastage of plastic at increased rates is causing problems with landfill capacity throughout the world. The use of biodegradable plastic is one means of reducing the volumes of waste produced by modern societies."
"Bioplastics", or plastics made from plant-based materials, have been available for years. They can be manufactured through the use of renewable resources and, given the right conditions, will decompose within roughly 12 weeks - as opposed to conventional plastics, which will never biodegrade.
Two of the most widely used bioplastics currently available are Polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from sugars and starches found in plants like corn and potatoes, and Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), which is produced by bacteria.
The philosophy behind bioplastics makes perfect sense. If you buy a bottle of shampoo, you're probably going to empty it within a year. So why should the plastic bottle it came in last forever? Everything is wrapped in plastic these days, and after all that packaging is discarded it ends up occupying space in a landfill.
As always, there are drawbacks. These plastics require the right conditions to biodegrade. Heat, moisture, oxygen and microorganisms are key components in the process, and these aren't found in the average landfill. Bioplastics have to be treated like compost to break down successfully, they have to be separated from all the other trash.
High production costs are absolutely crippling. Most environmentally friendly products are more expensive than their conventional, and polluting, counterparts. But new alternatives can't hope to cut costs if they're not widely enough produced to achieve large economies of sale. Unfortunately, most people (and companys) would rather stick with the cheaper options, instead of putting in the initial effort toward changing to safer ones.
peace.
The philosophy behind bioplastics makes perfect sense. If you buy a bottle of shampoo, you're probably going to empty it within a year. So why should the plastic bottle it came in last forever? Everything is wrapped in plastic these days, and after all that packaging is discarded it ends up occupying space in a landfill.
As always, there are drawbacks. These plastics require the right conditions to biodegrade. Heat, moisture, oxygen and microorganisms are key components in the process, and these aren't found in the average landfill. Bioplastics have to be treated like compost to break down successfully, they have to be separated from all the other trash.
High production costs are absolutely crippling. Most environmentally friendly products are more expensive than their conventional, and polluting, counterparts. But new alternatives can't hope to cut costs if they're not widely enough produced to achieve large economies of sale. Unfortunately, most people (and companys) would rather stick with the cheaper options, instead of putting in the initial effort toward changing to safer ones.
peace.
Let's start with this definition, compliments of Double~Tounged Word Wrester Dictionary:
global weirding n. an increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming.
English, Environment
Editorial Note: Global weirding includes an increase in average temperatures, heat waves, cold spells, hurricanes, blizzards, plant and animal die-offs and population explosions, and new animal migration patterns.
There have been several semi-historic natural disasters over the course of the past couple of years, the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in the Indian Ocean, Hurricane Katrina's devastation along the gulf coast, and the string of hurricanes that rampaged through Florida. The term "global weirding", coined by environmentalist author and business man Paul Hawken, is a fairly succinct way of describing these and other increasingly frequent tempests and earthly cataclysms. We're off to a good start in 2007, while weather on the East-coast this winter started out downright balmy, the Midwest was hit hard by ice and wind, and the citrus crop in California suffered from freezing temperatures. And I'm sure this is just the beginning.
peace.
I don't have to explain global warming, do I? The emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere is causing ozone depletion and rising temperatures world round. So this next little commentary is dedicated to a species taking this human-generated eco-bane a little harder than the rest.
Scientists noticed a drop in the polar bear population starting in the early '90s. Their average body weight was down, fewer cubs were being born, and fewer survived each year. The species is now considered "vulnerable", and experts predict a 30% decline in their worldwide population in the next 50 years. The US Department of the Interior is currently taking steps to to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Scientists noticed a drop in the polar bear population starting in the early '90s. Their average body weight was down, fewer cubs were being born, and fewer survived each year. The species is now considered "vulnerable", and experts predict a 30% decline in their worldwide population in the next 50 years. The US Department of the Interior is currently taking steps to to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
The polar bears' main source of food is seals, and seals breed on the ice. Usually, there is a three month period during spring for the bears to hunt on the sea ice before it melts. The bears need the extra fat they collect then to survive the rest of the year. Now, with the warmer conditions setting in, there is less time before the ice melts, less time to hunt for food. Swimming out to the rapidly thawing platforms of ice is dangerous, but polar bears can't survive on only the prey found on dry land.
So, if the consequences of global warming seem far off in the distant future, here's an issue happening right now. It will start with "little" things, a few species go extinct, but eventually the melting ice caps will flood coastal cities such as New York City, or Tokyo. A few degrees climate change can result in intensified hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions. Maybe we should start doing something about this. Like right now.
So, if the consequences of global warming seem far off in the distant future, here's an issue happening right now. It will start with "little" things, a few species go extinct, but eventually the melting ice caps will flood coastal cities such as New York City, or Tokyo. A few degrees climate change can result in intensified hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions. Maybe we should start doing something about this. Like right now.
peace.
