Posts filed under 'Get Involved with the Environment'
How cool is this? Sidewalks that generate electricity
Think about this: every time you take a step, you generate kinetic energy. What if the kinetic energy from thousands of pedestrians could be harnessed, stored and redirected for other uses?
A new product designed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems Ltd., flexes beneath each step, absorbs the kinetic energy produced by every footstep, and creates 2.1 watts of electricity per hour. The energy is either stored within lithium polymer batteries or distributed to nearby lights, information displays, and much more.
Constructed from marine grade stainless steel and recycled materials, the surface of each slab features the rubber from old tires, and the internal components are made from recycled aluminum.
It is estimated that busy sidewalks receive up to 50,000 steps a day, so the potential energy is enormous.
The first prototypes have rolled out in East London. If all goes well, Pavegen has plans to go worldwide, to some of the busiest spots on earth. Fantastic idea!
Add comment October 29, 2009
We did not know that all bears hum (except pandas)
Here’s a great story about the Bearwalker of the Northwoods.
For 43 years, Professor Lynn Rogers has studied wild bears, walking and playing with them, gaining amazing insights into their behavior.
Professor Rogers has made a special study of the American Black Bear.
His studies reveal the bears as peaceful, playful creatures, which even hum when they are content.
Interestingly, in all of his years working, walking and living with bears, Professor Rogers has never been attacked. According to the article, there have been only 3 recorded black bear attacks on humans in the past 100 years.
Add comment October 27, 2009
Massive pod of killer whales sighted off Scotland
Finally, some GOOD news about the environment.
The BBC reports that, for the first time, a massive pod of up to 50 killer whales has been filmed off the coast of Scotland.
Evidently, the beautiful creatures dropped by to feed off of mackerel escaping fishing nets. They also eat scraps thrown back into the water by the fishing crews.
Killer whales are actually members of the dolphin family, and are known for their intelligence.
Scientists first documented this behavior in the 1980s and fishermen in Scotland have seen the behavior develop since.
“They are pretty quick to cotton on, and it’s something they are doing all around the world where there is a big fishery,” says Mr Andy Foote of the University of Aberdeen, a marine scientist advising the BBC Autumnwatch team.
“But what’s great about this one, is they aren’t viewed as a pest, they are just going after mackerel that are stuck in the nets or escaping and they don’t take any of the fishermen’s catch,” he says.
“They don’t damage the nets or get stuck in the nets, there is a benefit for both parties and the fishermen are really fond of the killer whales.”
So maybe, just maybe, the orcas and the fishermen can work as a team? And some human behavior can actually work out for the benefit of the creatures of the sea?
Add comment October 16, 2009
Battle to save America’s wild mustangs
Why don’t I ever hear about this stuff in the American news? I live in the American west.
But the Times of London reports that at the beginning of September, the US of Bureau of Land Management began to round up wild horses using a helicopter in an effort to reduce their numbers.
It is part of a scheme that has resulted in 33,000 mustangs being caught, with only about 26,000 left to roam.
Land officials say that if the herd is not managed its population would double or triple within a few years, resulting in many of the horses starving to death.
Planning documents obtained by a request under the Freedom of Information Act suggest that a mass cull has been considered, including a proposal to offer vets counseling to cope with the number of animals that would have to be put down.
But of course there’s another side of the story:
Wild mustangs were protected by a 1971 Act of Congress which declared that wild horses be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”.
“Since wild horses were protected by Congress in 1971, the Land Bureau has taken away 19.4 million acres of their land,” according to Ginger Kathrens, a wildlife film-maker.
So it’s not surprising that the horses have quickly outrun the resources that have been left to them.
Here’s a bit of Ginger Kathrens’ work from the PBS Show “Nature”.
Add comment September 28, 2009
Europe backs 2-year ban on bluefin tuna
Sushi lovers may have to find another favorite fish dish after plans for a worldwide ban on bluefin tuna fishing were backed by the European Commission yesterday.
The bluefin is a highly prized delicacy, particularly in Japan, where one specimen can fetch £60,000, but spiralling demand has led to the near exhaustion of stocks, resulting in moves to place it on a list of the world’s most endangered species.
European ministers will make a decision on the issue this year, but are expected to back calls for the fish to be fully protected for two years to allow stocks to recover.
Read more about this story from the Times of London.
Fun fact: Atlantic bluefin tuna are warm blooded.
Read more information about bluefin tuna.
Add comment September 28, 2009
“National Parks: America’s Best Idea’ documentary starts tonight
If you’ve seen ‘The Civil War,’ ‘Jazz’ or ‘Baseball,’ then you’re already familiar with the work of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
His latest work, ‘The National Parks: America’s Best Idea’ premiers tonight at 8 p.m. on most PBS stations.
All of Burns’ movies are thoroughly researched, beautifully narrated and filled with interesting tid-bits.
We’re really looking forward to it.
Check out this trailer. The introductory footage is a bit long, although it’s undoubtedly beautiful. Narration starts at around one minute in.
Add comment September 27, 2009
This is recycling? Europe and America are dumping trash abroad
If you saw the recent 60 Minutes episode about the illegal exporting of trash to Asia and Africa for “recycling,” you might think this is only a problem in the United States. Basically, tougher laws governing recycling and trash disposal of hazardous materials have led to a kind of black market trade in waste.
Computers, television monitors and cell phones are often gathered up, placed into cargo containers, misleadlingly labeled and sent overseas for “recycling.” Once at the destination, it is often an open question whether any of the alleged recycling every happens.
And often, when recycling does happen, the conditions are extremely hazardous to the employees of the facility and the adjacent environment. For example, toxic plastics are burned to remove gold and silver used in the composition of computer parts. The health effects on workers, often low paid children, are horrendous.
Today’s New York Times features an article about similar practices in Europe. Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, has now become the “trash chute” of Europe. From Rotterdam, mislabeled cargo containers are now shipping trash off to developing countries. Often times, the trash simply sits and rots.
The reason for this trafficking? Europe’s tough new laws governing the disposal and recycling of waste have created incentives for polluters to ship the trash off-shore. The costs of recycling and proper disposal of hazardous materials and trash are higher in Europe.
Once again, it’s a case of good intentions without proper regulation and enforcement. Ideas that sound good on paper don’t always work out that way in the real world.
We of course support efforts to clean up the environment. But we also think we all need to “think globally” about our efforts.
It’s a great feeling when you sort your garbage and try to act responsibly when it comes to disposal of computers, cell phones and other electronics. But it’s extremely disheartening when you discover that entire villages in places you’ve never heard of are being poisoned and sickened by performing the recycling you’re supporting.
Add comment September 26, 2009
Dog waste composting project raises environmental concerns
Green pioneers in Ithaca, New York, have succeeded in establishing a pilot program for dog waste composting at one of the city’s dog parks — part of the Allan H. Treman Marine State Park.
The park now supplies corn-based bags. Dog waste is gathered in the bags and thrown into large bins at the park’s entrance. Once a week, the waste is removed, taken to an off-site composting facility, mixed with yard and wood waste, and then it sits.
The problem is that no one has yet figured out exactly what it might be good for. Possibilities include landscaping, potted plants or blending with topsoil.
And that all sounds really great. But here’s the catch:
In the same online edition of the New York Times that carries this story, there is horrifying video coverage about the problem of contamination of ground water caused by the use of dairy waste as fertilizer.
The video chronicles the lives of people who live near large dairy operations in Idaho. Manure from the dairies is held in lagoons until it is pumped into trucks and spread onto fields as fertilizer. Tests of groundwater have shown levels of nitrates, pathogens and bacteria far exceeding acceptable levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition, there are concerns about disease markers and antibiotics in the groundwater. In fact, one mother who lives near the dairies reports that she and her two teenage daughters all stopped menstruating when they were drinking their tap water. Within a month of going to distilled water, they all began menstruating again. So this is serious.
To us, this raises concerns not just about the regulation of the dairy industry in Idaho. It also raises questions about composting projects like the one in the Ithaca dog park. Both involve the recycling and reuse of animal waste. And both are based on evidence that animal waste makes good fertilizer. The question, however, is how do we treat the animal waste to ensure that it not only makes good fertilizer, but that it is also safe and harmless for the groundwater it affects?
We don’t want to put a damper on efforts to go green. And in fact there’s plenty of groundwater contamination from conventional dumps. Surely there is a solution to this problem. We just don’t know the answer. So we’re wondering, do any of you?
1 comment September 18, 2009
Vancouver’s winter olympics will be the “greenest games” of all time
It’s only a matter of time before the media blitz for the February 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia consumes the airwaves.
But meanwhile, we think it’s worth pointing out the extraordinary efforts Vancouver’s committee has made to green the games. And of course we commend them!
Check out this video from the BBC.
Go Canada!
Add comment September 14, 2009
West Coast fishing fleet plays by new rules for greater sustainability
Here’s some good news.
After years of work and negotiation, the West Coast groundfish fleet is now embarking on the latest system in fisheries management, known as ”catch share.” Fishermen are given their own individual shares of the total catch, personal responsibility for not catching overfished species, and a promise of better prices for the fish they do haul up.
The idea is to move toward sustainable fishing practices and to protect the seafloor from damage caused by bottom trawling gear.
Catch share gets rid of the traditional race for fish, where fishermen go full-bore until they fill an overall quota, or inadvertently catch too many overfished species — known as bycatch.
1 comment September 5, 2009
