Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change Awareness Effort Follows Through with 350.org

After Blog Action Day 2009, the organizers and the bloggers who participated in making October 15, 2009 a successful day for environmentalists worldwide are now taking another step in helping to create awareness in mitigating global warming by reducing the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Thus far, the worldwide recession has already lessened the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, but a direct effort is what is needed.

The aim, which will be discussed in the meeting of world leaders in Copenhagen in December this year for a new global climate treaty, is to lower the level of C02 in the air to just 350 parts per million gallons in the earth's atmosphere. This is what it would take for climate to become manageable and not lead to global warming which will cause unwanted global changes such as higher sea levels resulting from ice melting from the polar caps.

In anticipation of the Copenhagen climate event, 350.org was organized and marks October 24, 2009 as the International Day of Climate Action. Those who wish to participate in this worldwide undertaking can proceed to the 350.org website where they can start an "Action" or join one that's close to their area. They can then upload pictures and other media of their local event to show the world. Local events will appear on a map where the details may be viewed.



Join the No Impact Project, starting on October 19, 2009 and show the world what you're doing to lessen your carbon footprint!

Cow Dung Can Cool the Planet and Give Energy As Well

There are cows practically everywhere. Cows are an everyday source of meat and milk for people but not everything that comes out of it is appreciated by many. Take for instance cow dung. A lot of people would want to stay clear of it for obvious reasons. But the truth is that cow dung is really a good resource as good as milk. The reason is because cow dung burns well and long when dry. In fact, it's used by many cultures in cooking food. When cow dung burns, methane, a greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere, supposedly contributing to global warming.

So, if cow dung is supposed to contribute to climate change, how can farmers contribute to the prevention of global warming by using cow dung as fuel? The answer is to do so in a systematic and managed way that harvests the methane from the waste product to be used as fuel. Yes, methane is one of the fuels of choice of people and it's usually sourced elsewhere. Now, because of biofuel technology and techniques, cow dung can now be processed to produce the useful gas, which is stored, and not released in the atmosphere. It's one way farmers can create energy for their own farms as well as be producers for the country.

How cow urine used to make a softdrink in India.

Have fun with farm animals your own way! If you can't build a giant catapult to send them hurtling towards the other farm half-a-mile away, then you can do the next best thing, which is to buy this Cow Catapult Deluxe Set. Click here or on the image to purchase.

The Green Effect: Help Some Environmentalist Get $20,000 in Funding

Green Effect is a venture of Sun Chips and National Geographic. The aim of the program is to give $20,000 to an environmentalist to serve as funding for a vote-winning environmental project. The whole thing is intended to promote community green movements. Green Effect had asked Americans to submit unique ideas that would contribute to efforts in saving the earth. Over 2,500 ideas were received by the organizers.

Now, there are ten finalists who are revealed on July 7, 2009. Through votes, people can help determine one who's deserving to get the $20,000 and help make the planet a better place to live in. The judges (Edward Norton [he's been going green, lately], Jayni Chase, Boyd Matson, Phaedra Ellis Lamkins, and Dave Haft) will then choose four more who will also receive the same prize money. Once the winners are chosen, they would then all have the chance to present their ideas in Washington D.C. and be featured in National Geographic Magazine.

Water Shortage in Mid 21st Century Predicted for Equatorial Region

Rainfall scientists predict a shortage in water in the equatorial tropical regions that would be felt in the middle of the 21st century. Oceanographic researcher Julian Sachs of the University of Washington describes what's involved as the most prominent rainfall feature on the planet that people depend in in the equatorial region due to the lack of groundwater there.

The reason for the prediction comes after environmental data revealed that the earth's major band of rain has been moving northward at the rate of 1.4 kilometers per year and this has been going on for 300 years. At least a billion people rely on this source of water which is a major player in how the earth's climate behaves.

For now, equatorial Pacific islands still enjoy abundant rain, but that may soon change in 25 to 50 years. Despite the tripling of the demand for water in the past 50 years, there is still no global shortage of water. The lack, as has been documented, is often the result of human activities, like excessive siphoning of groundwater. But this time, the cause appears associated with a warming trend, which may be slowed down or possibly halted with efforts to prevent global warming due to greenhouse gases.

The research conclusions are based on cores of sediments from inland bodies of water on Palau, Washington, Christmas and Galapagos islands.

Lake Baikal Environmentalist Awarded Eco Prize

Lake Baikal (left) is a very geologically important lake in Siberia. It is the oldest and deepest in the world with indigenous species living in it's environs like the Omul fish. It is 1.5 kilometers deep and regularly belches out methane, a greenhouse gas that creates what are called ice rings kilometers across that are visible from space.

Lake Baikal faces threats from a number of industries, primarily mining and fishing (left). But there is another threat and it takes the form of a uranium enrichment plant. Environmentalist Marina Rikhvanova has campaigned for the stoppage of the construction of the factory. She believes that the radioactive material involved will eventually be released into the lake in an accident that will be waiting to happen once the facility is up and running.

Rikhvanova's efforts have earned her the Goldman Environmental Prize and has raised awareness on the plight of the lake which is technically protected by a UNESCO declaration. It's officially a World Heritage Site.

Save gas! Convert your car to burn water.

How to Increase Your IQ Easily

Biodegradable Plastic Products May Help Ease the Landfill Problem

Plastics are useful, but they comprise much of the waste that end up in landfills. Plastics are non-biodegradable and when they do disintegrate in time, they produce toxic byproducts. So it's a good thing that researchers are now making plastics that degrade.

Biodegradable plastics can be made from plant material that naturally decompose. For example, cornstarch-based eating utensils are now being sold to backpackers and campers. Other products use molasses and other sugars. The Coca-Cola company, for example, has released a plastic bottle made of such natural ingredients to allow it to degrade in time or when exposed to certain environmental factors.

Other plastics integrate a biodegradable compound called PLGA, which allows plastic products to degrade in seawater in as fast as twenty days. Polymer researcher Robson Storey says that it's science project that will make plastics more sustainable, especially when used in the sea. Currently, there is a law against plastics being disposed on in the sea, but this new plastic may require it to be rewritten.



Save gas! Convert your car to burn water.

How to Increase Your IQ Easily

Environmental Awareness Is One Thing... True Action Is Another

Well, there was Earth Day and lots of activities were launched. Some were actually earth-serving, but some may have been just self-serving, capitalizing on the interest people have about the environment and how to preserve it. But whether truly dedicated to the cause or not, most of the activities, such as the switching off of lights, served more to promote environmental awareness rather than action. For the most part, they only reached people who were already educated enough to know better. Those who did not have access to media and the news were likely unaffected because they did not know what it was all about in the first place.

The result was that those people who weren't reached by such environmental campaigns and news still continued on with their unacceptable behavior towards the environment, which can be as basic as littering (left pic from Graphic Reflections). It was also likely that a big percentage of the people who were exposed to such campaigns and were educated enough to know better, likely did nothing, content with letting those in public office to do what they were paid to do.

It's been almost 20 years since people first saw green and began movements for a better earth with sustainable industries that produced less environmental impact. But in that span of time, we can only name a few significant changes in the way we use technology and live our lives that really matter (e.g., alternative sources of energy, energy-efficient homes, and laws limiting emissions). But if you look around, you will see that a lot still needs to be done, and this is in both developing and advanced nations (e.g., chemical contamination of groundwater, vehicular greenhouse gas emissions, and non-sustainable landfills).

In spite of the efforts put into environmental awareness and news campaigns, there is still a much-needed lack of action in order for a lot of the wrongs being done to the earth to be corrected and rectified. Arguments as to the cause of changes like global warming are also not particularly helpful, but the fact remains that the North Pole is melting and breaking apart and that the polar bears are in danger of being extinct, and that coastal villages are being swallowed by the sea. Sure there's awareness about all of these, but are people really doing something? Are the campaigns targeting the right people? Are humans content to accept the changes on the earth and just let their grandchildren deal with them?

Save gas! Convert your car to burn water.

How to Increase Your IQ Easily

Solution to Dying Bats Needed to Avert Uncontrolled Insect Population Explosion

Bats are dying in the Northeastern United States, and while it appears that a white fungus is the culprit, scientists are still uncertain about the real cause. The white fungus grows in the damp and cold temperature inside the caves the bats live in for the winter.

Somehow, the fungus causes infected bats to burn their store of food reserves in the body faster than usual, and they emerge from hibernation earlier than usual before the thaw. These bats then forage in a less-than-ideal environment that is cold and with hardly any food such as the insects they eat. With a starved body and a harsh environment, the bats die.

The disease is now known as white-nose syndrome because the fungus can be seen growing on the nose of affected bats. While it is harmless to humans, scientists predict that a scourge of insects like mosquitoes may be at the offing since fewer bats would be there to eat them even as the epidemic spreads to other parts of the United States. Wildlife biologist Alan Hicks says that "the cause for concern is that this is going to race across the country faster than we can come up with a solution."

Proposals like artificially reducing the humidity and temperature of the caves where the bats are found have been frowned upon due to unforeseen effects on the ecosystem. So far, there is no real solution and the population of bats is going down fast. The endangered Indiana bat, for instance has population numbers down to 35% in one cave.

Two-headed Fishes in Australia Point to Chemical Contamination of Water

In the popular cartoon The Simpsons, the waste from the nuclear power plant where Homer works has created three-eyed fish (in intro video). That's fiction, but somehow, science fact can be just as odd and alarming. In Australia, for instance, fishes with two heads have been discovered. These fishes - bass - are in the larval stages and they survive only about 48 hours as what was observed in a Noosa River fish farm.

Matt Landos of the Australian College of Veterinarian Scientists says the two-headedness mutation and convulsions happen when they use water from the site in question and from collected bass from the same source. He says he has never seen anything like it in his career as a veterinarian. He's excluded biological infection as the cause and fear that the contamination comes from a nearby macadamia nut plantation where pesticides may have been used. He claims incidence of the mutation has increased in the past two years in spawning areas near the plantation.

The incidence of zoological mutations only shows how dangerous chemicals can be to the environment. Even if chemicals like pesticides are administered in low doses, they accumulate in time like what has happened in many parts of the world where the pesticide DDT was used. The chemical moved its way into the food chain and one of the results was overly thin shells of eagle eggs. Farmers should switch to organic farming where non-chemical pest deterrents are used instead.

Save gas! Convert your car to burn water.

How to Increase Your IQ Easily