We all know and love Harry Potter. Most of us have read and reread all seven books multiple times. When I came across this article, it made me love Harry Potter even more! The Harry Potter series contains thousands of pages. They also sell millions of copies. That is a lot of paper and as a result, a lot of trees being cut down. The final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was printed of paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This means that the paper used came from forests that are managed in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
So why the change of heart to switch to recycled paper for the last book? In 2005, Greenpeace made a big deal about how the sixth book killed thousands of trees. The publishing company took this to heart, and decided to make the switch.
So whether you love the series or hate it, Harry Potter has started a trend to switch to recycled paper. Not only does Harry Potter save the wizard world, he also managed to save some trees too!
What is Earth Day? Well, it is a day intended to raise awareness about a wide range of environmental problems and to inspire people to do something about them. In the United States, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, however the first Earth Day was actually on March 21, 1970. John McConnell was the brain behind this idea and chose this March date because it fell on the vernal equinox that year. McConnell believed that Earth Day should “be a time of equilibrium when people put aside their differences and recognize their common need to preserve Earth’s resources.” The UN approved McConnell’s Earth Day on February 26, 1971.
We all think of the Navy as a group of brave individuals determined to keep America safe at all costs. However, the whales have a very different take on these protectors. Scientists have proven that military sonar can injure and even kill whales. In early 2008, a federal court prohibited the Navy from conducting major mid-frequency sonar exercises in California without safety measures in place and refused the White House’s bid to excuse the Navy from this law. Also in 2008, a federal court limited the regions where low-frequency sonar may be used.
So how does sonar actually hurt our whales? Sonar can spread a harmful sound across tens or even hundreds of miles of ocean. These intense waves of sound can cause whales to alter their dive patterns. As a result of a new dive patterns, many whales are shown to suffered physical trauma such as bleeding in the brain and ears. Whales also rely on sound in order to find food. Sonar has been shown to disrupt feeding habits and cause the whales to panic and flee.
Even though it is ludicrous to ask the Navy to eliminate all sonar testing, we can only hope that we will be able to control where it is done and hopefully save some whales along the way.
Most people never stop to think where their food comes from. People don’t think twice when they hear that their bananas are from Guatemala or their chocolate is from belgium. In fact, most of the produce that is sold in the US travels an average of 1500 miles before it actually gets sold. In order to get this produce into America, trucks, planes, and boats are used. All of these vehicles emit CO2 into our atmosphere. Every year, about 270 million pounds of grapes arrive from Chile to California. This is a 5900 mile journey in ships and trucks that releases 7000 tons of CO2 each year. So why not eat locally? Before you buy something from the supermarket, think twice and think about all of the CO2 emissions from that produce. Is it worth it? You can most likely buy the same produce from a local farmer with far less emissions and feel alot better about the world you live in!
Not only does tailpipe exhaust from school buses dirty the air outside, but diesel exhaust also dirties the air inside the bus. The NRDC, Coalition for Clean Air, and the University of California at Berkeley measured the air quality of school buses as they traveled their routes in Los Angeles. One study found that diesel exhaust inside a school bus could be four times higher than those found in passenger cars driving just ahead of the bus. The diesel levels insde the buses “were more than eight times the average diesel-exhaust content of California air.”
But what is so bad about diesel exhaust? Numerous studies have shown that diesel fumes cause cancer, particulary lung cancer. The students who ride the bus everyday for many years have an unacceptably higher chance of getting cancer later in life. Diesel exhaust contains carcinogens and tiny particles that can cause or worsen breathing problems. This news is especially alarming to me because I used to ride the bus to and from school everyday for 9 years. So this news sucks to me.
However, not all buses run on diesel fuels. There are cleaner fuels available, but nearly half of all school buses use diesel. Hopefully my old school bus chose not to use diesel fuel. Older buses have higher emissions levels than newer ones. Cleaner fuels for buses to run on would be compressed natural gas or propane.
So urge your school to switch to a cleaner fuel options to keep kids safer.
The United States overtook Germany as the leader in wind power last year, and will probably become the leader in solar power this year says analysts. Last year, before Obama promised to boost clean energy, the US wind power capacity rose to 25 GW, enough to power five million homes. The US Senate, under the Obama Administration, has just recently approved some $31 billion in tax breaks and incentives to boost alternative energy and efficiency. Obama wants to double America’s alternative energy over the next few years. This year, analysts expect the US to beat Germany in solar power also.
I, for one, am exstatic about the Obama Administration and their plan for alternative energy use. I think it just shows that the climate crisis is finally beginning to impact people, and now people want to make a difference. It also helps that creating “green” jobs will cause a major boost in our failing economy. Maybe our economic problems have come at the best time because now it can pair with the climate crisis, and work to help eachother. Also, while watching the Superbowl, I saw some ads that I had never seen before. They were for GE telling people to support more efficient and alternative energies. It got me excited because now the climate crisis is becoming real to so many people and I truly believe that alternative energies are going to be huge!
Inspired by the movie we watched today in class, I have decided to do a little more research on these toads. The Cane Toad is an invasive species in Australia and is spreading rapidly across the continent. The toads really do not have any predators as most animals/reptiles seem to keep away from the toad and its lethal poison. Most natives have learned to accept these toads, and some, as shown in the film, have learned to love them.
But these toads are becoming a huge problem for Australia’s native species. The main impact of the toad invasion has been on the large predators like goannas, quolls, king brown snakes, and death adders. At the study site, scientists stated that there was a 90% mortality for the big goannas and lizards. That does not look good for Australia’s native species.
But there could be an answer to this Cane Toad problem. Professor Rick Shine from the University of Sydney has found that the lungworm parasite might be a potential controller for the population. In laboratory test, this parasite slowed down adults and killed around 30% of baby toads.
The scientists have also discovered the tadpole’s use of pheromones to communicate danger between tadpoles. The tadpole releases the “alarm pheromones” into the water when it is frightened or injured and it warns other tadpoles to clear the area. In the study, it was found that these pheromones stress the tadpoles out so much that about half died before becoming adults; the ones that did survive to adulthood was about half the normal size of an adult toad.
The team also studied attractant pheromones which could be used to lure tadpoles and than catch them for removal.
Previous efforts at trying to control the Cane Toad population have included building traps and fences and then physically removing them from the environment – some did this by storing them in a freezer.
Last year, at New York Fashion week, a personal favorite of mine, Aveda launched their new program called “Kick the Cap Out of Oceans.” This program is a first of its kind in the United States. After discovering that most plastic bottle caps do not get recycled because they are made from a different kind of plastic, Aveda was shocked. John Delfausse, who spearheaded the project, explained that machines cut off the tops of the bottles and then throw away the caps. Many of these caps are just thoughtlessly tossed aside as litter and end up in our rivers and oceans where marine creatures mistake them for food because of their bright colors. Aveda asked its stores, salons, and schools across the nation to collect more than 50,000 pounds of these caps. These caps were then sent to the plastics recycler to see if they could be ground up and remolded into new caps. Aveda then launched a limited edition Vintage Clove Shampoo with 100% post-consumer recycled caps and 95% post-consumer recycled bottles. Yay for Aveda! A company that is making a difference! http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/aveda-kick-the-cap.php
I was talking to a teacher one day who said that Whole Foods was now charging ten cents per bag used. This got me really excited. Finally a reason for people to start using the reusable bags! However, when I went to the store and talked to an employee myself I was sorely disappointed. The employee told me that they would give ten cents to the customer for every renewable bag they used when purchasing groceries. I asked why they would not start to charge per bag and the employee said that people already complain about Whole Food’s high prices and they didn’t want to give the people one more thing to complain about. Needless to say, I was disappointed. I believe that people respond better to loss. If a customer doesn’t use reusable bags for a day, no big deal, he isn’t losing anything. However, if the bags cost money, now that is an added pressure to the customer to begin to use renewable bags so that he does not lose money. Overall, I think the bag tax is a necessity for the United States.
Ireland has placed a fifteen cent tax on all plastic shopping bags. As a result, they have cut their use by over 90% and raised millions of euros in revenue. What an excellent idea! This is an idea that has seen such great success in Ireland…why can’t it be implemented in the US? This tax was placed in 2002 in order to curb litter and it obviously has seen great success. Ireland’s Environment Minister stated that the revenue taken in from the tax will be used to fund environmental products. The environment ministry said that before the tax, 1.2 billion plastic bags were used every year. Three months after the introduction of the tax, just 23 million were handed out – 277 million less than normal! Other countries such as Singapore and Bangladesh are looking to ban these plastic bags.
Clearly this is an environmental project that works. Not only are there a lot less paper bags floating around, but Ireland is now making a profit out of it. There are so many things that the US needs to do for our environment and that bag tax money would be really great. We could use that money to develop more efficient waste management systems, something the US is in dire need for. Overall, the bag tax is a win-win situation!
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a plastic substitute made from fermented plant starch, usually corn. It is better than the traditional petroleum-based plastics because it is biodegradable. However, in order for this plastic to break down it requires a controlled composting facility. That means the facility has to be heated to 140 degrees fahrenheit and constantly fed digestive microbes in order to break down into carbon dioxide and water. The problem is that most PLA ends up buried in a landfill with little oxygen and no exposure to sunlight. This means that the PLA could take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to decompose as opposed to the three months it would take to break down in a controlled composting facility.
PLA is considered carbon neutral as it is a plant-based product, usually corn. This is another benefit of this product because it will reduce emissions. When PLA is incinerated, it will not release toxic fumes.
PLA cannot be recycled though because it needs to be composted. It must be kept seperate from the recycling stream otherwise it could contaminate it. However there are only 113 industrial-grade composting facilities in the US, which does not seem to be nearly enough for the amount of compost the US produces.
PLA is also usually made from genetically modified corn. This is not a good thing because the US is still uncertain about the environmental effects and health risks that genetically modified food can cause. Many European countries will not allow genetically modified food to be farmed because they fear a widespread environmental contamination.
However, PLA still has some kinks to work out in order for it to become better than the regular petroleum-based plastic. Once the disposal of PLA is worked out, I am sure it will be a hit. You do not have to wait to stop using the petroleum-based products though, in fact you can begin right away. One of the worst uses of these plastics is to make those plastic grocery bags. So you can stop supporting petroleum-based plastics by using renewable grocery bags or choosing paper bags instead of plastic. Just remember, every bag counts!
