By Lucille Chi •
October 20, 2009
Have you seen the comic art for the 2010 Union of Concerned Scientists Scientific Integrity Cartoons? Shown above is a cartoon about science and the Endangered Species Act.
The entire calendar shows how “the absurdity of political interference in science is ripe for lampooning-and serves as a constant reminder of how vigilant we must be in defending science from politics.” The comics also highlight the need for the new administration and Congress to create a thriving federal scientific enterprise.
By Zachary Shahan •
August 20, 2009
We can’t expect much from the oil industry, but Greenpeace’s newest finding is as ugly as it gets.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 30, 2009
International companies such as McDonald’s are happy, and companies like Nike, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are asking for more.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 29, 2009
The European Union (EU) and MTV are working together to get young people involved in the climate debate. The major entities started their “Play to Stop – Europe for Climate” campaign this month. Working with international music artists and other international celebrities, this is a major campaign to mobilize the youth around the topic of climate change, and especially for the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December.
The campaign targets 11 EU countries — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The campaign will involve celebrities from the various participating countries.
By Lucille Chi •
July 28, 2009
The beautiful parrotfish (family Scaridae) performs many roles in coral reef ecosystems. With their large teeth they munch algae off the coral so that it stays healthy and alive. Parrotfish are constantly eating and digesting bits of coral whole, and excreting sand that helps create beaches. Since parrotfish spend all day searching the reef for food to eat and then turning it to sand, they actually produce up to 2,200 pounds (1 metric ton) of sand per year.
Ocean Conservancy tells us that in “reefs, parrotfish play a critical role as grazers keeping algae in check. Without grazers, algae out-compete the coral until they weaken or even die.” Actively protecting the gorgeous parrotfish from overfishing is the most important way to make sure that reefs are healthy, resilient, and bountiful.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 28, 2009
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is hosting a “Dump the Pump” video contest. The winner will get one free year on public transportation!
Currently, only two videos are on the site. Save some serious money on transportation — approximately 30%, the largest percentage, of a working family’s budget in the US goes to transportation. Submit a video today.
There won’t be only one winner.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 28, 2009
A new organization, starting off in South London, but open to working in other areas as well, is making links in the green world on the grassroots level and is getting some serious attention.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 27, 2009
Lifestyle is the biggest underlying contributor to our environmental impact. The things we buy, the products we use, the way we travel, are all influenced greatly by our lifestyle. Our lifestyle is the root of all our green (or not green) actions in some way or another. How we think, what we think about, how we spend our free time, our daily and weekly habits, what we decide to bring into our lives — this is our lifestyle.
I’ve come up with a top ten list of lifestyle factors that I believe have the biggest impact on whether or not we are living sustainable lives. Is your lifestyle sustainable?
By Zachary Shahan •
July 25, 2009
Advocates for better, green transportation achieved great success this year with a transportation bill in the House of Representatives that could change the United States forever. Not only advocates have brought this to where it is, though. The general public, the US Chamber of Commerce, AAA, the AFL-CIO, Associated General Contractors of America, and others have brought it to where it is today. This progressive bill would reverse auto-centric federal transportation policies that have led the US into various environmental, social and economic crises for the past several decades.
Unfortunately, delay due to lawmakers’ inability to come to a consensus and the Obama administration’s reluctancy to increase gas prices at this time (which are much lower, in real terms, than they were 54 years ago) may postpone the bill for another 18 months. However, there is opportunity to take action!
By Zachary Shahan •
July 24, 2009
Join other bicyclists or support a bicyclist to help combat global warming this Fall. For the second year in a row, bicyclists (and non-bicyclists) will join together for a climate conference “on wheels” — the Brita Climate Ride.
By Zachary Shahan •
July 24, 2009
The sun is coming out. And Europe isn’t waiting any longer. Some of the biggest businesses in Europe are ready to invest in the largest solar energy project in the world. They are looking to create a “solar energy belt” in the Middle East and North Africa.
How will the energy get to Europe? It will go through huge “super grids” under the Mediterranean Sea. Has this kind of thing happened before? Siemens CEO, Peter Löscher, says: “A few years ago we connected Tasmania with the Australian continent. And from 2011 there will be a 250-kilometer undersea cable supplying Majorca with electricity from the Spanish mainland. For us, this kind of thing is now part of our core business.”
