After hearing years of depressing news about our enormously depleted fish populations, and how many of our solution-oriented fish farms are each actually more polluting than the combined “raw human sewage from a town of several thousand people,” I was about to put my last can of tuna in the closet as a proof for my grandkids of the days when we had fish. But now, with much improved technology and the concerned investment of a few business-minded individuals, your goldfish may have something more to smile about tomorrow. Read more…
Photo Credit: Curtis Palmer
We’ve all got computers, including me. In fact- I’m using one as we speak and have likely used one on a daily basis since…well, since I can remember. Societies produce more electronic goods by the minute it seems…but what happens to electronic devices like computers once we’re through with them? Read more…
Photo Credit: Didier Bier
You think you know what mushrooms are? Sure, they peek through the grass in moist areas, are neatly packaged in plastic crates in grocery stores, and sometimes overcooked on pizza. Not exactly the life-changing ingredient imagined when you think of our current global situation. Nevertheless, if we take the time to look just a little closer, we learn that these tasty mushrooms are simply the fruiting body of mycelium, our true hero in this story, that make up an underground network of fibers with enormous planet-saving potential. Read more…
Photo Credit Andy S-D
March 1 is a very important day in the world for the future of harvesting wind for energy in the United States. March 1 marks the deadline for the Mashpee Wampanoag of Cape Cod, the Aquinnah Wampanoag of Martha’s Vineyard, and project management company Energy Management to compromise on the construction of a long awaited, long debated wind energy farm in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. Cape Wind, the name of this project consisting of 130 wind turbines, each 440 feet tall, covering approximately 24 square miles offshore of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, has been receiving opposition ever since its conception in 2001. Read more…
Photo Credit: Scott Chang
The world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases is on it’s way to becoming the largest producer of clean energy, some say. China not only leads the race in production of wind turbines, but has made giant leaps ahead of the West in their manufacturing of solar panels as well. Not to mention- the country is rallying to find the most efficient types of coal power plants. This leads us to the question many are beginning to ask: Will China prevail in the energy-technology industry? Will the West at some point switch from a dependence on oil in the Middle East to a dependence on sustainable energy from China? Read more…
Photo Credit: Mike Baird
The Arctic Tern, a petit seabird weighing no more than 3.5 oz (.22 lbs), spends the summer months in the Arctic enjoying what little sun it can get before embarking on its incredible 43,000 mile journey across the world and back. A team of scientists from Greenland, Denmark, the US, the UK and Iceland outfitted the birds with “geolocaters” or tracking devices no bigger than the tip of a matchstick and followed the birds on their epic migratory voyage from the Arctic to Antarctica and back again. These minute tracking devices allowed scientists to clearly plot the Arctic Tern’s yearly flight route on a global map, which gave incredible insight into the birds understanding of global wind patterns. Read more…
Photo Credit: James Rickwood
Roger Nelson grew up on a farm and went out on his own to begin renting farmland in 1961. He and his family have continued their farming and had a reputation in their community of meticulous and ethical farming practices throughout the years. Their reputation, however, is now being tarnished as Monsanto (the world’s leading producer of the herbicide Roundup Ready and owner to most of the food seed companies around the world) is accusing the Nelsons of being thieves of their genetically modified soybeans. The Nelsons are among the hundreds of farmers Monsanto is suing, usually on the grounds of patent infringement. However, growers have begun to fight back in the courts, as they say Monsanto has no evidence of this claim. Read more…
Cavin B
While scientists, policy makers, and engineers are working towards legal enforcement of global carbon emission reductions, the political complexity of this issue has prevented immediate and wide scale action from being taken. Consequently, innovative solutions for curbing atmospheric carbon content are being sought after. In order to combat the resulting climate change stemming from the influx of atmospheric carbon due to fossil fuel combustion, some new research results have suggested a novel idea: “sink the carbon!” Read more…
Photo Credit: Michael Hodge
With so much media coverage and concern over global warming it’s easy to forget about other pressing environmental issues that are of equal severity such as deforestation, water quality, and biodiversity loss. These issues, which usually go hand in hand, are occurring at such accelerated rates all over the world that the UN says they are heavily impacting human well-being (not to mention the well being of the forests, waters, and all the biodiversity that exists within them). Read more…
Photo Credit: Yoshimasa Niwa
The holidays always turn out to be a mad dash for the latest, greatest in presents for family and friends. Among the clothes, video games, and gift cards is the recently and widely coveted e-reader. E-Readers are not only a convenient way to carry hundreds of books with you, they are also extremely environmentally friendly. Read more…
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