Berkeley Students Protest Expansion

For about one year now, students at Berkeley University of California have been protesting the building of a $125 million training center for the university's sports teams. Students have been holding a tree-sitting protest for a year now, and university officials are beginning to take action. The new sports center will destroy dozens of evergreen coast live oaks in a field on campus. Officials have won the right to remove the protesters, however it will be extremely difficult.

There have been plenty of suggestions on how to oust the students, from fire hoses, to tranquilizer darts, even skunk spray, however university officials have yet to make a drastic move. They have placed wire fences around the area, and even considered trimming lower branches of the trees to make it difficult to transport necessities up to the sitters. However both sides say they do not want a big confrontation.

Most of the sitters rotate shifts, spending a few hours to a few weeks in the trees while others hoist up supplies and food. Two people have already fallen from the trees breaking bones. It is unclear how long this protest will go on, or what the next step will be, but hopefully the two parties will reach a mutual decision to please everyone.

For further reading, see here

Kickass Backpack

In a lighter tone than my last post, I present to you all the way to power those small gadgets that you have on you at all times. I'm talking iPods (though I do not have one, and in no way condone supporting Apple), phones, and other various things you may have with you during your average day.

The innovation comes in the form of polyvinylidene fluoride, a fabric that absorbs static electricity created by the act of walking. Apparently, it does not produce much energy, but more than enough to power those little devices, and much more than is needed to power a small LED light.

The first object that will be used in conjunction with the fabric is a backpack, although someday more complex things, such as full clothing, may allow us to charge our MP3 players just by walking around school.

Story here: EcoGeek.org, and here: Carectomy.com.

Liquid Coal

Well well well, I was under the impression that liquid coal was good stuff. Man, was I apparently wrong. I suppose that I was looking at it simply from the view that it would provide us with an abundant source of fuel for the next few decades, after the original fossil based fuels had gone. But, it seems that liquid coal is much worse for us, for a variety of reasons.

The stuff pollutes the atmosphere much more than traditional fuels. Also, it would require much more mining, and apparently the entire idea is just too expensive to consider. Companies that plan on doing this process are asking to be subsidized by the government. Hopefully those assholes will realize that we do not need to continue to be dependent on such hazardous fuels any longer.

Maybe if we had just signed the damned Kyoto Treaty....

Anyway, you can read the story here: EcoGeek.org, and you can take action here: NRDC

A step in the right direction.

On Monday a Japanese fleet consisting of four ships set out toward Antarctica to hunt the endangered humpback whales. Greenpeace announced that they were setting out to track down and shaddow the fleet in order to lessen their catch and protect the whales. They had said that if the fleet was not called off, they would "take direct, non-violent action to stop the hunt." This is the biggest humpback whale hunting fleet since the 1960's. Greenpeace referred to the whale hunters as "violent environmental terrorists who must be stopped."

For more on this, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21877284/

I think that Greenpeace is totally in the right for trying to protect a species that is already on that endangered species list. The humpback whales are beautiful, majestic creatures that deserve the right to live and not be hunted, especially since there are so few of them to begin with. Greenpeace is often portrayed as over enthusiastic activists, when in reality there are a few over zeallous members, but over all it's just a group of people working to preserve this environment that we take for granted. The fact that they're working so desperately to end whaling and save so many species is great.

To help, visit http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/

Oil Spill Threatens Wildlife

A recent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay is threatening the wildlife around the area, especially the local birds. On November 7, the freight ship Cosco Busan collided with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge due to heavy fog. The majority of the oil spilled has already washed up on beaches, however the high tides predicted to come around Thanksgiving could carry the oil back into the water, causing more damage to the wildlife. Cleanup teams also removed a lot of the oil, but there are still remnants along some parts of the coast. Approximately 16,000 gallons were cleaned up, and another 4,000 evaporated. The remnants of the spill creates tar balls, which could linger on the beaches through the end of the month. The sand on the beaches also sticks to the oil, forming thick, heavy masses which can sink down into the earth.

The effects of the spill are having disastrous effects on the wildlife in the area. Nearly 1,400 birds have already died, among the 2,000 that were drenched in oil. About 18 beaches and piers were still closed over the weekend as cleanup crews work tirelessly to restore California's coast back to it's natural beauty. However tides can carry the oil up to 40 miles away, threatening area sanctuaries and breeding grounds. A criminal investigation is being conducted on the crew of the ship.

For further reading, see here

A rapidly disappearing world.

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is on the verge of being labeled an endangered species by the federal government. This sea turtle can be located on the shores of California and Hawaii and also nest on the eastern shore of Japan. The turtles are already listed as a "threatened" species, and the government thinks it would be beneficial to upgrade their status to endangered.

For more on the Loggerhead Sea Turtle problem, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21881087/

When the subject of the rapidly growing endangered and extinct species list is brought up, it's often met with the argument "well the planet is just ridding itself of the species it doesn't need anymore to make room for the new ones." It's true that species eventually die off, however the rate at which entire species are disappearing is alarming. Over the summer I know of at least five different animals that were put onto the endangered species list off the top of my head, and I'm sure there's plenty more.

Organizations such as The Red List are attempting to raise money and awareness of the up and coming problem of endangered species. Hundreds of animals are on the red list and hundreds more are in danger of being put on the red list.

To help, visit http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlist.htm

We need to pay more attention to the world around us and how fast it is deteriorating. All of the problems that are causing animals to be put on the red list can be traced back to human error. We're ruining the only home we've got and it won't be long until we find ourselves on the list we ignore.

Solar Power

Solar cells. I remember those. As an avid builder of K'nex models (forget the fact that I'm slightly above the recommended age), I remember when the company came out with a solar cell motor. I saw it in stores, I knew some of my friends had it, but god be damned if I could get my hands on one. I would have bought one myself, but the sets were kind of expensive- and I had no money.

Well, that may change.

A new type of solar cell is stirring things up. Similar to a traditional cell only in its energy harnessing capabilities, the Nanosolar Powersheet is a thin strip of metal with solar energy absorbing paint applied directly to it. This paint can also be applied to other things, as pointed out by Dan Kammen, founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley.

The greatest thing is that the sheets are very inexpensive, about one tenth the cost of traditional solar cells. And they are made very fast. This means that they can start to help with this country's, and this planet's, energy needs soon.

Maybe I'll get my chance to make low powered K'nex models again.

Check out the story here: EcoGeek.org
Or the original story here: PopSci.org

Some Thanksgiving turkey with a side of oil...

On November 7, 2007 an oil freighter struck the Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge due to heavy fog, spilling 58,000 gallons of oil into the Bay. The spill was handled and most of the ares were cleaned and reopened by Friday, however the oil that has washed up on the beaches in little balls was neglected. It's predicted that the tides will peak in the bay shortly after Thanksgiving and the heightened water level will was the balls of oil back into the bay.

For the entire story, visit MSNBC.com

The question we should be asking ourselves is why weren't all of the beaches thoroughly cleaned after the oil spill? Why was there still oil left out in the environment? The smallest change to an ecosystem can completely bring down the entire community living withing that specified ecosystem. The pollution of the San Francisco Bay is will result in the loss of fish and other life in the bay, fresh water to surrounding communities, and diminishing of plant life that rely on the bay as a source of water. What people don't understand about the environment is that it is a carefully constructed web and everyting within that web relies on everyting else. Therefore, if one thing is disturbed, whether it be biotic or abiotic, the entire web is affected in some way. Something as simple as a little bit of oil slipping back into the bay could result in horrible health epidemics, or an increase in the price of fish or water bills. Sometimes, things that aren't even related are affected. Like when Hurrican Katrina hit New Orleans, the price of gas went up. People were so focused on the flooding of Louisiana, that they didn't notice the oil rigs that were damaged.
The point is, the environment needs to be more carfully managed. The analyzation needs to be meticulous and relentles because at the end of the day, whether we like to admit it or not, we're part of that web, and we'll pay just as much as every other part.

UPS: What can GREEN do for you?

We all know that the United Parcel Service is famous for those big brown trucks. Even their slogan focuses on that trademark mud color. However a new color will soon be taking over, sort of: UPS is now going green. In a decision announced earlier this week, UPS will soon release over forty small electric vehicles in parts of Northern California to deliver to locations that are normally congested and difficult for the big brown trucks to maneuvering.

The new vehicle is called the Xebra, and is produced by a company named Zap, located in Santa Rosa. UPS's ground fleet is approaching 95,000 vehicles, and electric trucks are soon moving in, hopefully to replace the majority of the fleet. Not only do the new electric vehicles help the environment, they also are less expensive and cut costs for UPS. Good job UPS, keep up the good work!
For further reading, see here

Dirty China

China is one of the world's leading consumers of coal used for power. China's burning of fossil fuels affects the entire world, and should be stopped. It takes about a week for the pollution from China to reach the United States. The effects are present in the rising levels of mercury in American rivers. It also increases the amount of clouds in the sky as well as diminishing the ozone layer. The United States is not the only country affected by China's dirty ways. Acid rain caused by the pollution is created all over Wester Asia. You would think a country as technologically advanced as China would have more efficient ways of producing power.

It is reported that China has 20 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world. Even though certain markets have boomed, the effects of pollution has covered China's crops with soot and dust, having disastrous effects on China's agricultural industry. China's power plants have absolutely no sort of pollution control and the big companies behind them basically refuse to even investigate the possibility of cleaner energy. The people of China seal there windows, limit outside activity, and must wash every fruit and vegetable because the air quality is so bad it almost makes life unbearable. So come on China, do the world a favor and stop killing the Earth!

For further reading, http://blogs.tampabay.com/energy/2007/11/china-keeps-the.html

As temperatures increase, so does insurence in the USA

Recent figures just released show that because Global Warming is linked to the strengthening of hurricanes, property insurence is through the roof. Insurence companies are recalculating the cost of protection because hurricanes are becoming more and more devastating.

For actual figures released from insurence companies, visit: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/page.cfm?tagID=14044

It is now becoming impractical to buy property or vacation in high risk areas now because it's not only financially inconvenient, but it's now threatening to put yourself in the direct line of these monsterous hurricanes. Storm surges are greater now then they ever have been and that not only affects property, but that also endangers people that find themselves caught in a hurricane.

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=5361&campaign=486