A bit of help
December 17, 2007
Here’s a pretty good list of things you can do to “green your life.” Most of these are rather viable… really, it’s just a matter of us actually doing these things. Of course, none of these has some sort of immense impact on the world, nor all of them colelctively. The important thing is to get as many people as possible doing whatever they can to minimize our impact. So, without further ado…
1. Line dry your clothes. Dryers don’t even come with an “Energy Star” rating – that’s how bad they are in terms of energy consumption. Line or rack drying your clothes saves a ton of energy and thus CO2 from going into the environment. Cost: $20 or less.
2. Compost your food scraps. Small indoor composters are very inexpensive and save a ton of waste from going to the landfill. The newer ones don’t even smell, and worm bins are even more effective! Cost: $40 and up.
3. Replace your light bulbs with CFL’s or LED lights. A small upfront investment can save hundreds of dollars (an a lot of energy) over the lifespan of these bulbs. Cost: CFL’s cost about $5 each.
4. Install a programmable thermostat. By having the temperature in your house automatically regulated, you can save money on your utility bills. Cost: Starting at $50.
5. Install sink water aerators. These cheap little things slow down the flow of water out of your sink, saving you money and saving us all water use. Cost: $2-$3
6. Replace the weatherstripping on your doors and windows. Stop the cold air from getting in and the heat from escaping during the upcoming winter. Cost: $5+ per roll.
7. Plant some native trees in your yard. By spending some money on trees, you not only shade your house so you can use less AC, but you also help to absorb CO2 in the air. Cost: $30 and up.
8. Insulate your hot water heater and your water pipes. This can help keep the heat in your house down (in the summer) and help your heater to work less to heat your water. Cost: $50 or so.
9. Keep your fridge coils clean. Do you clean the back/underside of your fridge? If not, it might be working harder than it needs to to run efficiently. Cost: $0.
10. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Make sure you make the best use of the water and energy needed to run a dishwasher! Cost: No more than your regular use!
11. Make sure all your major electronics are on power strips. Even when they are “off”, stereo equipment and computers continue to draw electricity. Turning off a power strip at night or when you leave the house reduces energy use and saves money. Cost: As little as $10.
12. Wash your clothes only in cold water. I don’t use hot water for anything anymore, and our clothes are just as clean. Cost: Nothing, really!
13. Stop junk mail from coming to your mailbox. Services such as Opt-Out Prescreen and Catalog Choice are both free and do a good job of stopping that flow. Cost: $0.
14. Buy a convection oven. Using a convection oven for smaller meals instead of the big oven can save a ton of energy use. Cost: $50-$150.
15. Use rechargeable batteries. We no longer need to buy any batteries, as we have a full set of rechargeables for all of the gadgets, remotes and smoke detectors in the house. Recharging batteries keeps dead ones out of the landfill and saves you money in the long run. Cost: $10 and up.
16. Be sure you have a low-flow shower head. Today there are great ones available that actually provide a great amount of pressure but use less water. I just got this one and we love it. Cost: $39.
17. Spend some money on houseplants. A lot of plants inside your house both clean the air and provide fresh oxygen. Cost: $10 and up.
18. Make an all-purpose cleaner from baking soda and water. Combine 4 spoon-fulls of baking soda and a quart of water in a spray bottle, and you can use it to clean almost anything. Cost: $1.50
19. Use washable rags instead of paper towels. Using old rags to clean up messes not only saves you a few bucks but also keeps paper out of the landfill. Cost: Potentially $0 if you have rags laying around.
20. Invest in a barrel to collect rainwater from your downspouts. This water can then be used to water any and all outdoor plants. Cost: $50 and up.
21. Use both sides of computer paper. Once you print something and no longer need it, cut it up and make a notepad out of it. Cost: $0.
22. Stop the bottled water use! Bottled water has been shown to be no better than your typical tap water – it just costs more and leaves a trail of empty plastic bottles everywhere. Invest in a faucet water filter and save money and the environment. Cost: $20
23. Bring your own bag to the store – any store. Most people talk about bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, but why not bring them everywhere? We leave a few in the car in case we stop to shop somewhere unexpectedly. Cost: A few bucks, if not free.
24. Use online banking. I know a lot of people are afraid of it, but really – it’s much easier for a thief to grab the mail out of your mailbox then it is for them to access your online accounts. Online banking saves you time, money for stamps, and reduces the amount of paper mail coming to your house. Cost: $0.
25. Rotate your car tires on a regular basis. Keeping your tires inflated to the right PSI and rotated regularly saves fuel. Cost: $25 a couple of times a year.
26. When painting, choose low or no VOC paints. Volatile Organic Compounds are what makes paint smell so bad and make it hard to breath. By choosing low or no VOC paint, it’s healthier for your home and yourself. Cost: The same as regular paint.
27. Read your favorite newspaper or magazine online instead of receiving the paper version. I enjoy sitting down with a magazine as much as the next person, but we are trying to get our delivery subscriptions down to the bare minimum as we try to read the rest of them online. Even the NY Times is now free to read online. Cost: $0.
28. Get yourself a library card and use it. Self-explanatory, I think! Cost: $0.
29. When buying big ticket items, spend the money and buy things that will last. Buying a toaster that will last 5-10 years is a better use of money than buying a cheap one that will break in a year. Doing so keeps things out of landfills for longer.
30. Shut off your computer and monitor when you leave work for the day. Nothing used to bug me as much as when my boss would leave for the day, leaving his office lights on, his monitor on, and his computer on. Unless your company backs up your computers at night on a network, there is no need to leave it on.
31. Unplug your cellphone once it is done charging. Once that light turns green, you are just wasting electricity. I only charge mine once it is about to run out of juice! Cost: $0.
32. Buy recycled paper toilet paper. The good brands (Seventh Generation, to name one) feel just as good as virgin paper, but save tons of chlorine pollution from the bleaching process and conserve millions of trees and gallons of water. Cost: Exactly the same as virgin paper TP.
33. Have a small yard? Why not try a push lawnmower like grandpa used to use! Cost: $50 and up.
34. Install outdoor solar lights. Instead of lighting the path to your front door using electricity, try some solar lights that charge all day and light up all night. Cost: $25 and up.
35. Buy it used. Anything – furniture, clothing, electronics – can be bought used in good shape. This saves one more thing from going to a landfill! Cost: Cheaper than new!
sourcfe: http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/10/30/35-low-cost-ways-to-green-your-lifestyle/
Thirsty?
December 17, 2007
This is absolutely revolting. Turn back if you are weak of stomach.
Citarum, near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is according to many the world’s most polluted river.
A poignant display of human disregard for the environment.
Yeah, thats ALL trash. The pictures speak for themselves.
Get some excercise, chubby
December 17, 2007
Planning a move?
http://bikeforpeace.org/bike_move.html
Bike Move November 5, 2005 Boulder ColoradoWe moved to a new place and decided to do it by bicycle. We sent out some emails and put the word out on the street asking folks for help. Eleven riders with trailers stepped up to the cause. It took us 4 trips to get everything moved. The daily Camera sent a photographer and did a story on our bicycle move Unfortunately these aren’t the best pictures and most of the people who helped and some of the trailers weren’t photographed. A big thanks to everyone who helped make our bike move happen. Rich and Wanda
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John Schwenker loans us his awesome 
Krista attaches her trailer 
We borrowed this 
Kind of a cool story, makes you think about more efficient ways to do other every day tasks… don’t be afraid to take that extra leap guys!
Make sure to check out the links at the bottom
Still not convinced eh
December 17, 2007
source: http://longrangeweather.com/images/GTEMPS.gif
Merely look upon the very last incline of the graph, my dear children, and you will see the light!
No where else on that graph do temperatures incline at such a steep steep rate (Elias)…
http://www.longrangeweather.com/images/gtemps2.gif
Another graph just to drive the point home…
More technology for youse
December 17, 2007
One of the burning problems that have sprung out of over-population is water shortage. And of course, energy crisis follows close behind. The world has awaken to the need of conserving these two vital resources. As a result, new and innovative gadgets are hitting the market, with an endeavor to lighten the burden on the environment’s resources.
Brazilian design student Joao Diego Schimansky’s Fog Shower is one such product. It happens to be one of eight finalists in the 2007 Electrolux Design Lab competition, which, if announced to be the winner in Paris, would bring the creator 5,000€ ($7,435). The theme of the competition was to create something eco-friendly and sustainable for 2020.
Go on a thinking binge…
December 17, 2007
http://spacecollective.org/gallery/
This site is pretty out there… its a combination of philosophy, astronomy, physics, biology, art… pretty much everything. I posted a good starting point for anyone who wants to do some deeper contemplation. It’s really a plethora of things… if you search the projects page, you’ll find one about the disappearnce of nature and mankinds effect on it.
The Early Earth
December 17, 2007
Magma “Ocean” May Have Flowed Inside Early Earth |
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Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
December 5, 2007
A thick magma “ocean” may once have slowly flowed deep beneath Earth’s surface, scientists say.
The new theory challenges the widely held notion that Earth’s mantle—the thick layer of rock between the outer crust and the inner core—had been solid throughout.
“For about 10 years, seismological evidence has accumulated [that there are] dense, thin [magma] pockets at the bottom of the otherwise solid mantle,” said Stephane Labrosse of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in France.
“We know that the Earth’s interior has been cooling down for most of its history, and this means that if there is [magma] now, there should have been more in the past.”
In a study published in tomorrow’s issue of the journal Nature, Labrosse’s team proposes that this magma ocean was one of two layers of molten rock generated by the blast-furnace heat that characterized early Earth.
(Learn more about the inner Earth.)
The top layer was about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) thick, said John Hernlund, a geophysicist at the University of British Columbia and one of Labrosse’s collaborators.
That layer was formed by the heat caused by multitudes of asteroid impacts. But it was not liquid for very long, having solidified within about 10 million years.
The new theory proposes that the heat that melted the core also melted the bottom layer of the mantle. This produced a layer of solid rock sandwiched between the short-lived upper magma ocean and the longer-lived lower one.
The existence of such a magma ocean would solve a long-standing riddle: why inner Earth’s mix of elements doesn’t quite match that of meteorites, which are composed of the same materials that formed our world.
“When you add up all of the Earth’s elements in the core and the mantle, they should equal something like meteorites,” Hernlund said. “But there were some very major discrepancies.”
Finish the article at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071205-magma-ocean.html for those interested… I highly recommend getting a bit more familiar with your mother planet and how she was made.
This is one crazy rodent…
December 17, 2007
Bizarre rodent with ears bigger than its head is caught on camera for first time
Last updated at 21:52pm on 10th December 2007 
Comments (3)
There’s something about the long-eared jerboa that doesn’t look quite right.Maybe it’s the tiny body and enormous floppy ears. Or perhaps the kangaroo-style back legs that can ping it over a metre up into the sky.
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Or even the super-hairy feet shaped like miniature snow shoes, and the pig’s snout of a nose …
Whatever, it’s quite a look – and it’s a look that has remained almost totally hidden from human eyes. Until now.
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Bizarre: The long-eared jerboa
For earlier this week, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) – which runs London Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park – released the first known video footage of the weird and wonderful creature jumping about in the Gobi desert, blissfully unaware of its rather arresting appearance.
“The footage and images really are extraordinary, incredibly charming – cute and comic in equal measure,” says Dr Jonathan Baillie, the ZSL head of field conservation who led the exhibition to track down and assess this most elusive species in the Gobi.
“But there’s more to the long-eared jerboa than that. It represents millions of years of evolutionary history. While it looks like a small rodent, it is very distinct. There’s no other animal of its type.”
Sadly, it’s also an animal that may soon be limited to textbooks and folklore. For while the tiny silky-haired rodent described as the Mickey Mouse of the desert has only just made its debut on the global stage, it may shortly be heading the way of the Dodo.
Thanks to climate change, pollution, illegal mining and (rather surprisingly, since it lives in the middle of a desert) the domestic cat, its numbers are in free-fall.
Though its habitat is so remote no one knows exactly how many exist, experts estimate the population has dropped by more than 80 per cent over the past decade, and it is on the official list of the 100 most endangered creatures on the planet.
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Huge ears: The rodent is dubbed ‘the Mickey Mouse of the desert’
So what could be so special about a creature that – let’s face it – looks like a mouse with big ears?
Though there are a number of jerboa species, the long-eared version is the only representative of an entire genus, meaning that, biologically speaking, it exists in a group all of its own, with no near relatives.
As a result, Dr Baillie is “ecstatic” to have tracked it down. Not least because, until now, we’ve known virtually nothing about it.
“They’ve been sealed off in their hostile and remote world for millions of years, so pretty much everything – when they breed, hibernate, how long they live, how many offspring they have – is a mystery,” he says.
Which makes the film footage showing them venturing out under cover of dark to bounce about like little Zebedees particularly precious.
By setting humane traps, the researchers were also able to look at the rodents close-up and study their behaviour. “It’s an extraordinary animal that looks as if it’s been designed by committee,” says Dr Baillie. “Kangaroo legs, snow shoe feet, huge ears and a pig’s nose – nothing matches.”
But everything is as it is for a reason. The comedy ears – over a third bigger than the head – are vital for pin-pointing and catching insects in the dark (it is a nocturnal hunter).
The specially adapted hairs on the long back feet help it to hop over the shifting sands. And the kangaroo-like back legs? They give it a spring that can evade most predators.
“Some of them can jump up to metre high,” says Dr Baillie. “Which, when you consider they’re roughly the size of a mouse, is an unbelievably big jump.”
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Long tail: The rodent has a huge tail
Sadly, the one thing experts also know about jerboas is that their numbers are in sharp decline.
A series of exceptionally dry years, linked to global warming, together with increased agriculture and illegal gold mining in the region have all had a catastrophic impact on the incredibly delicate desert ecosystem to which jerboas have so cleverly adapted.
For millions of years, the key to the animal’s survival has been its amazing ability to adapt to uncompromising and brutal environments. Jerboas have managed to survive so long by building a fantastically complicated two-tier system of defences.
First, they have temporary burrows which are often simply escape routes, dug just 10cm to 20cm deep into the desert. But these are in addition to permanent burrows which are well hidden and far more elaborate with multiple entrances and internal chambers for nesting, food storage and hibernation. When they are in residence, they use plugs of sand to keep the heat out and moisture in.
It is a brilliantly efficient system. So it seems somehow rather insulting that after more than eight million years in such a hostile environment, the long-eared jerboa’s main predator is the simple domestic cat.
“It may be a desert environment, but where you have agricultural communities or illegal mining, you find cats, because they’re used to keeping the rodent population down,” says Dr Baillie.
“But in the evening, if they’re still hungry, they’ll go into the desert and hunt jerboas. And it’s amazing the impact they have. A solitary cat can catch up to 20 jerboas a night.”
That’s why the experts from London Zoo have identified the longeared jerboa as being one of the creatures needing the greatest help. They are concentrating their conservation work on those species which have few relatives and whose numbers are known to be under threat.
Sadly, the Mickey Mouse of the desert is just one of many on a long list which includes the slender loris, a huge-eyed primate from Sri Lanka, the bumble bee bat – weighing just 2g, it is probably the smallest mammal in the world – and the 3ft tall pygmy hippopotamus from Liberia, which experts fear may already be extinct.
As Dr Baillie says: “It is a tragedy that so many species are slipping silently towards extinction, but we will continue to work through the list until we have some confirmation of all of the animals on it and an action plan for the future.”
Back in Mongolia, the long-eared jerboa is blissfully unaware of its endangered status.
“They look so vulnerable, but when you see them hopping along, they have plenty of attitude. And a very impressive set of teeth,” says Dr Baillie. “When people see this tiny creature, I’m convinced they’ll want to get involved in its conservation.”
That’s if the cats don’t get them first.
• For more information go to www.edgeofexistence.org
Endangered: The strange-looking rodent
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=500961&in_page_id=1770
