Green Options » noise pollution

#6 Groningen, Netherlands: Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:23:27 +0000

Groningen would be number one on this list if we were looking at percentage of residents who bicycle for transportation purposes. About 57% of travel in Groningen is by bicycle!

The city has been named the world’s best bicycle city a couple of times (1993 and 2006). It is a university city which is part of the reason why it has so many people bicycling, but it has done amazing things to make the city more bicycle friendly as well. The bicycle facilities you can see on the following pages will probably blow your mind away.

Read more of this story »

Whales and Dolphins Can No Longer Hear in Oceans

Derek Markham — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:50:29 +0000

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), just released a report showing that in recent decades, the noise created in the ocean by human activities has risen significantly, which poses a major threat to marine mammals.

Commercial shipping noise, seismic exploration, sonar, and off-shore construction and recreational activities are all contributing to an increasingly more disorientating environment for mammals in the ocean.

Under-water sounds for communication, navigation and food locating are key for whales, dolphins, porpoises and other cetaceans. Man-made noise pollution can cause behavioral changes such as abandoning breeding and feeding areas, and in some cases lead to mass stranding and even death.

“Protecting marine species from ocean noise is critical to their survival. Ocean noise can travel over vast distances and affect marine species across many national sea boundaries. Therefore it is vital that countries work together to build strong agreements to prevent marine species being drowned out by disruptive, man-made noise.” - Veronica Frank, IFAW Campaign Officer

Read more of this story »

Court Rules Against Bush Plan to Allow Snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park

Levi Novey — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:39:06 +0000

A federal judge has banned snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park. He said that a plan approved by the Bush Administration to allow 500 snowmobiles to travel daily through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the winter months would cause damaging noise pollution, air pollution, and would also stress wildlife.

Read more of this story »

Neighborhood in Lima, Peru Takes on Noise Pollution by Passing 1 Dog Per Apartment Law

Levi Novey — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:39:44 +0000

When it comes to pollution, Lima has it all. The air is contaminated, the water, the sky, the streets. Pollution is everywhere.

I was quite surprised to read earlier today, that among all of the possibilities, a neighborhood in Lima has taken a stand on the issue of noisy, barking, scurrying, dogs. Who would have thought that noise pollution caused by dogs would get a group of Lima citizens up in arms?

Without a doubt, the level of noise pollution in Lima is tremendously high. When combining the cacaphony of sounds that arise from traffic, parties, animals, and so on, you will be hard pressed to find Lima residents who at some point have not been annoyed by the constant tapping of their ear drums. For this reason, I think there is merit in passing a law that attempts to limit noise pollution in Lima. Whether or not targeting the population of dogs as a method to control noise is the right way to do it– I’m not sure.

Read more of this story »