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2012: A Year of Weather Extremes

Posted by joeycello on Friday, 21 December 2012 in Climate Change

From unprecedented drought to killer cold, 2012 was a year of weather extremes. Becky Oskin In 2012, the United States suffered 11 weather-related events that cost $1 billion apiece, according to a preliminary list released Thursday (Dec. 20) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ...

Impact On Biodiversity

Posted by Dale on Thursday, 20 December 2012 in Climate Change

Global warming is causing plant and animal species to alter their geographic ranges and the timing of key life events such as migrating, flowering, or laying eggs — a shift that could adversely impact biodiversity as well as ecosystems, a new government report has revealed. T...

Living in a Sustainable City

Photo shared by bchristo on Thursday, 20 December 2012 in Sustainable Development

We are living in a uniquely urban time in Earth’s history. In 1800, and for a thousand years before, just 2% of the world’s people lived in urban areas. Within the past five years, we have reached the point where more people are living in cities than in rural areas. By 2050, arou...

A Green Christmas?

Posted by amir on Wednesday, 19 December 2012 in Climate Change

It’s almost Christmas, but basketball hoops and kayaks are still popular items at Natick Outdoor Store. "We’re not selling many sleds, but the upside is they’re still buying other gifts," said Henry Kanner, who manages the downtown Natick shop. While Kanner’s store offe...

NRDC’s Plan to Reduce Power Plant Emissions

Posted by EarthDude on Thursday, 13 December 2012 in Air Quality

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a proposal to reduce power plant pollution by 26 percent by 2020 and 34 percent by 2025. The plan’s key component is that the EPA, partnering with states, would set new carbon pollution standards under the Clean Air Act. The b...

The world's population of mountain gorillas has increased to 880

Posted by britt on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 in Wildlife Conservation

The world's population of mountain gorillas has increased to 880, up by at least 100 since 2006, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Clearly these great apes are still at risk, but the increase give conservationists a reason to celebrate. "The latest census of ...

Uganda's Gorillas Has Grown to 400

Posted by britt on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 in Wildlife Conservation

The population of Uganda's mountain gorillas has grown to 400, up from 302 in 2006, according to a census conducted last year, bringing the total number of mountain gorillas in Africa to 880 and giving hope to conservationists trying to save the critically endangered species. Uganda is no...

52 New Sustainability Grants from The Coca-Cola Foundation

Posted by McCormick on Tuesday, 04 December 2012 in Sustainable Development

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fifty-two community organizations in 21 countries around the world were awarded a total of $8.6 million in grants from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, during the third quarter of 2012. The grants, which fund initiatives ben...

Pollution World Wide up 3 Percent Last Year

Posted by bchristo on Sunday, 02 December 2012 in Earth Violators

The 2011 figures for the biggest polluters: 1. China, up 10 percent to 10 billion tons. 2. United States, down 2 percent to 5.9 billion tons 3. India, up 7 percent to 2.5 billion tons. 4. Russia, up 3 percent to 1.8 billion tons. 5. Japan, up 0.4 percent to 1.3 billion tons. 6....

Can LIFE OF PI Help Raise Awareness for Tigers

Posted by EarthDude on Sunday, 02 December 2012 in Arts and Entertainment

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's new epic "Life of Pi" showcases the relationship between a teenage Indian boy and a Bengal tiger. But in reality, the predators are under increasing threat from humans. Poaching remains a tremendous danger for the remaining feline population, with rising d...

Eco Tree

Posted by babrown on Sunday, 02 December 2012 in Green Design

Every year the debate returns. What is more Eco-friendly Christmas tree? Real or Fake? Many believer that buying a fake tree is the smarter choice because it lasts for years and you aren't cutting down a real tree. However, the production of these fake trees create harmful byproducts that are bad fo...

'Tis the Season

Posted by babrown on Saturday, 01 December 2012 in Green Products/Services

Its that time of year again. Christmas lists are handed out and you often find your self going from one side of town to the other looking for that perfect gift in just the right color, style, and price range. Not only are you spending precious time that could be spent with family and friends but you...

EPA rejected for Air Quality Plan

Posted by amir on Wednesday, 28 November 2012 in Air Quality

A federal appeals court has overturned U.S. EPA's latest plan for eight regions of the country, such as California's San Joaquin Valley, that still aren't meeting air quality standards for smog that were replaced more than a decade ago. Levels of ground-level ozone, the main component of ...

Gorilla Conservation Tracked for 5000 Days

Posted by Wolf on Monday, 26 November 2012 in Wildlife Conservation

Fifteen years ago, ranger-based monitoring (or RBM for short) was initiated as a tool in the conservation of mountain gorillas. Whether patrolling the park for law enforcement or tracking mountain gorillas for health assessments or to facilitate visits by tourists or researchers, data is being colle...

eGo CarShare: Being Good to the Earth is Good for You Too

Posted by babrown on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Green Products/Services

I graduated from the University of Iowa this past May. Like many others, I found myself without a job, without a car, and the first of many student loan payments arriving in the mail. Fortunately for me, after a few months of living at home, I found a part-time job and an internship making the move ...

Beijing Makes Changes To Fight Air Pollution

Posted by plantitfilm on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Air Quality

For decades, air pollution has threatened the health of people in Beijing. Brown smog hangs over the city. The sun, when you can see it, is tinged a rusty brown, like looking at a flashlight through a piece of paper. City-dwellers wear surgical masks to protect their lungs from the pollutants and ot...

Is the EPA Doing Enough to Protect Your Air?

Posted by amir on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Air Quality

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the Clean Air Act (CAA) prevented the premature loss of 160,000 American lives per year in 2010. By 2020 this number is expected to rise to 230,000. This makes the Act one of the most important public health measures ever enacted. Where do these num...

Co-Exsisting with Tigers in the Tiger Express

Posted by McCormick on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife Institute of India is partnering the state forest department in the study with National Tiger Conservation Authority putting in Rs 1.6 crore for the project A comprehensive long-term study of tiger dispersal and its ecological aspects in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) landscape is...

Biofuel Startups Turn to Cosmetics For Profits

Posted by britt on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Biofuels

Once a promising source of green energy, high-tech biofuel is being eclipsed by skin cream and food products as manufacturers shift to more lucrative products. After Congress enacted a renewable fuel standard in 2005, more than a dozen Bay Area companies joined the race to desig...

Saving Fish - From The Fisherman to the Dish

Posted by amir on Tuesday, 20 November 2012 in Ocean/Seas/Coastlines

A visit to the seafood section of nearly any local supermarket these days is likely to induce feelings of guilt. You cast an eye on the Atlantic cod, halibut, salmon, and yellowtail flounder glistening on ice—only to discover that each is among the 13 species now overfished in New England, according...