Obama Appoints Science and Technology Team

In contrast to the Bush administration's apparent campaign to limit scientific inquiry (please see the previous post), President-elect Obama has appointed a first-rate team of scientists to take up the challenges of the 21st century. Here is his video address from December 20, 2008:

Whoops!

My goodness, I just noticed how long it's been since I've posted anything to this blog. I guess, like most people, I've been so caught up in the political campaigns that the blog has sort of taken a back seat to the TV news. To all those who faithfully look in here from time to time, my sincere apologies. Though I never shied away from including the political implications of some of these topics, I never intended it to become a political blog, per se. Hence the dearth of new posts during this highly-charged political season.

Now that it's over, there seems to be new found hope in a new president who has a stated commitment to environmental preservation and remediation. Barack Obama hasn't taken office as yet, but we are very hopeful that he will live up to his promise to see that he leaves the planet greener than he found it. We should all match his commitment with our own, and work together to see that the planet remains healthy for future generations.

A brief wildlife observation: I have let a vine grow over one of my window screens in my living room. It has become a haven for migrating birds passing through and stopping in our woods for a rest. Palm Warblers are common, as well as Carolina Wrens and other tiny winged creatures, and I press my nose practically up against the inside glass to observe them at close range. What a treat!


Carolina Wren

See you next time; not so long, I promise. Peace.

New blog!

I've moved the bulk of discussion of aternative vehicles and methods of transportation to a separate blog: Eco-friendly Transportation. Hope to see you there!

Germany and France ban pesticide linked to bees' disappearance; urge U.S. do the same

Germany has banned the use of clothianidin, a pesticide linked to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), mentioned on this blog in earlier posts and widely reported in the press. Likewise, France has banned imidacloprid, which is linked to disorientation in honeybees, which may explain the occurrence of abandoned hives in instances of CCD.

Geneticists in both Germany and France are urging the U.S. to issue a ban on these pesticides, and the EPA is considering the issue. Read the full story at Greenrightnow.com.

Website: Efforts of money interests to trump scientific inquiry demystified

The U.S. government and big industry (what's the difference, really?) are conspiring to alter the findings of scientific studies in order to best serve their own interests. They are tenacious, and their conspiracy runs deep. Trying to keep scientific truth separate from the government's version is difficult. This website seeks to unravel some of the tangled narrative:

The Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy

Environmental President? Ha!

Well, forget the notion that George W. Bush will be remembered as an environmental progressive. The sweeping motion to create hundreds of thousands of acres of maritime preserve has apparently been abandoned; at least I haven't heard any news about its passage. Instead, it's been replaced by a call for new offshore drilling to add to our nation's oil reserves. This is a wholly unneccessary endeavor, since the major oil companies are already sitting on thousands of 68 million acres of land, covered by signed lease -- oil-rich land that is being held for speculative purposes, presumably to be used to keep profits up if it becomes necessary. In addition, any oil discovered by new drilling off America's coasts, besides being environmentally risky, very likely won't show any influence on aggregate supply or retail gas prices until 2030.

This should teach us never to elect an administration that is as beholden to industry as Bush and Cheney.

(No links for this post; information is from a presentation by Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA] at a meeting of the Democratic Women's Leadership Council, broadcast yesterday on CSpan.)

Another factoid, from Rachel Maddow: the U.S. consumes 25% of the world's oil. We produce 2% of the world's oil. Even if we were able to increase our oil output by a factor of five (not likely, since all our refineries are already operating at capacity), we would still be able to produce only 10% of the world's oil -- while still consuming 25%! Seems to be time for some new thinking...

George W. Bush -- the environmental president?

Much has been written and spoken about George W. Bush's abysmal record in environmental matters over the course of his presidency. Lawyer and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, called Bush's environmental record the worst in history. Earlier this month it was revealed that he spurned accepted scientific data and the warnings of scientific professionals for politcal purposes. He has been a monument to irresponsible judgement in important matters concerning the planet, such as pollution control and climate change.

Now, however, President Bush is eyeing a sweeping measure that will create a gigantic marine reserve. Two areas are being looked at in the Pacific, as well as one in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Atlantic. This will instantly become the largest creation of such a reserve in U.S. history, with a possible 600,000 square miles of protected ocean area in the Hawaiian Islands area alone. In doing so he hopes to establish his legacy as being a visionary in environmental regulation and preservation, and of course undoing a seven-year record of having done the exact opposite. I'm not sure I can truly forgive him for all that he has done that has been harmful to the environment, but the new marine reserve, if indeed it does come to pass, will certainly be to his credit. Comments welcome.

Turkeys, again

Not too long ago I observed, in my neighbor's yard, an enormous rafter (look it up!) of wild turkeys -- possibly 20 of them! They had obviously found something delicious to eat, or amusing to do, as they kicked through the new grass on this woman's lawn. It was really pretty amazing; I don't think I'd ever seen a bunch that big before. Eight or ten, yes, but this was ridiculous! It was quite amazing to see. There were no displaying males; apparently there were several mothers with their young ambling slowly among the trees. I wished that I hadn't been in such a hurry at the time, I would have pulled up a bit and got a good, long look through my binoculars.

Now the other side of this coin is my bow hunter is also back. He had a shoulder injury of some kind last year and I didn't see him, but he pulled in early the other morning in a new pickup, ready to shoot a turkey or two to bring his family a good, fresh dinner. As usual, I was ambivalent about this. The guy seems to be okay; at least he's using a bow and arrow, far more sporting than a rifle; and I get the feeling there's quite a bit more chance involved, possibly because his bowmanship is not so good. I didn't suggest it; but you know, if it was Canada Geese he was after I wouldn't mind so much, since the geese seem to have a much greater population density. The turkeys are also so much more striking to look at, with their size and color. But once again I let it go, and wished him good luck. He doesn't want more than one or two, and I know he and his family are eating them (unlike a guy I once lived next door to in Gloucester who would shoot ducks and throw their carcasses in the trash). It's sad for me to think that any one of these beautiful birds would not be living out his natural life; but that is the way of the world, and we all must complete the circle somehow. One bird's life ends so that the hunters' may be extended. Seems that's how it's supposed to work.

...or live in a yurt!

Not ready to build yet? Or are you looking for a place to live while your energy-efficient home is being constructed? Or maybe you simply want to really connect with living on the Earth. Why not live in a yurt?

Nomadic peoples of Central Asia live in yurts, round houses made of a wood latticework frame and a canvas tarpaulin cover. Heavy felt is used for insulation, and heat is provided by a centrally-located stove, while the entire structure ventilates through a space in the center of the roof. These round structures are constructed in various sizes, and form the basic building design of the nomads of the mountainous plains in Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. They are easily adaptable to extremes of weather almost anywhere in the world.

I'm going to leave it to my readers to get more information from Wikipedia (lazy readers click here). Also, Y&Co. (groovyyurts.com) is a neat company that imports traditional yurts, as well as Mongolian fixtures and furniture, at what seem to be reasonable prices. They also buy their goods from village craftspeople, in order to preserve a rural economy in the region.

Photo is from Wikimedia Commons, and shows a Kazakh yurt, which are not as decorative as Mongolian yurts. More photos are available at both of the links provided.

Waste-to-energy is here! Write your Senators

The idea of waste-to-energy has been around for a long time -- at least since the time I was a budding young failure of an ethical investor, many years ago. Now, it seems its time has come; actually, its time came a long time ago, when the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere started growing at an exponential rate, but the technology was still very much in the experimental stage. Now, however, there are 89 plants online nationwide, and more in development. The time that has now come is the time for us to write our governmental officials and make sure they are on the bandwagon, for waste-to-energy is destined to become an important part of our renewable energy picture.

Today's waste-to-energy plants provide efficient trash disposal of about 90,000 tons of solid waste nationwide every day, while converting the compounds contained therein into enough methane-free electricity to power 2.3 million homes across the country. In this regard, waste-to-energy plants actually provide a reduction in greenhouse gases over ordinary landfill disposal methods. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals are also recovered in a more energy efficient method than mining virgin ore, providing a further reduction in greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide emission is also avoided by eliminating the need for the combustion of coal or oil in the energy generation process.

The Integrated Waste Services Association has just opened their Legislative Action Center, where you can contact your Senators and urge them to consider waste-to-energy as part of your state's overall energy profile. The IWSA website has far more information than I can possibly include here. Interesed people are encouraged to visit there to find out more about current trends and technologies.

New books

Al Gore -- The Assault on Reason

Al Gore moves beyond pure environmentalism and explores how the human environment has been assaulted by an aggressive, conservative agenda, resulting in a breakdown of reason.



Paul Hawken -- Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being, and How No One Saw it Coming

The noted envioronmentalist, social activist and green entrepreneur examines the worldwide movement for social change.

Click on book title for more info or to order from Amazon.com.

Reason for bees' disappearance found?

America's bee disappearances may be due, at least in part, to a toxic fungus similar to one that decimated the bee populations of Europe and Asia. This is a preliminary finding, but if true, it represents some hope for the restoration of the hives of bees neccesary for the nation's agriculture.

My brother sent me the Truthout article, and here is the original, from the LA Times.

What's happening to our bees?

Billions and billions of bees across America are dying, for poorly understood reasons.

Here's a detailed analysis from the Christian Science Monitor, April 4, 2007.

Or read a distillation by Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower's home page, www.jimhightower.com