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.

GM restarts electric vehicle program!

Awhile back I mentioned the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?, which chronicled the sad demise of GM's electric vehicle program, to the point where every single one of the experimental EV-1's was systematically repossessed from its owner and crushed or deactivated, effectively ending GM's brief foray into alternatively-fueled vehicles.

Last week, the cover story of Business Week magazine detailed how GM realizes that high gasoline prices are most likely here to stay, and that they are losing market share to companies like Toyota and Honda, whose alternatively-fueled vehicle businesses are thriving. The designers at GM are now frantically trying to make up for lost time by energetically pursuing development of new vehicles, including plug-in electrics and hybrids. It's an interesting mea culpa from what was once the largest company in the U.S., which is now suffering the same fate as the rest of the American auto industry, and it outlines the effort GM is putting into trying to not only catch up to the companies that have passed them in sales, but to once again become an innovator and an industry leader. The whole article can be viewed here. Recommended reading.

For those interested in the high-end electric vehicle market, check out the Tesla Roadster. No, I don't get a commission if you buy one!

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.

From Daily Kos: Dangerous corporate lobbyists

This may seem like an unusual inclusion for this blog, but I feel the article linked below is necessary reading for people who seek to learn more about some of the underhanded methods used by certain private interests in order to influence public policy in this country. Rather than attempt to reproduce or introduce any of it here, I'll just send you over to Daily Kos to read an excellent post:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/11/195640/848

What is to be done? Stay aware and informed, and write your representatives in Washington frequently to let them know you're paying attention; sign petitions and attend demonstrations; and don't ever give up your commitment to preserving American democracy.

My Spring Peepers are disappearing

There is a small pond slightly downhill from my house that every year has been home to hundreds of frogs -- peepers and bullfrogs that illuminate the evening with a cacaphony of song. I could always count on arriving home, when after dark, and being escorted up my walkway to my house by their musical racket. In the last few years, however, there has been a steady reduction in their numbers, as evidenced by the volume of their singing, such that this year they seem to be either very late, or absent altogether. The bullfrogs seem to come after the peepers, so perhaps they haven't arrived as yet. However, an article in the current issue of Defenders magazine, from Defenders of Wildlife, points out that amphibians such as frogs, salamanders, etc., are extremely sensitive to environmental stress and change, and that many species around the world are now in serious decline.

Is the disappearance of my Spring Peepers, as well as the rest of the world's amphibians, the proverbial "canary in the coal mine", a warning to us all that climate change is real, and that it's time for some serious thought about how to protect the environment -- for the frogs' sake, and for our own? I suspect that it is.

Read the above-mentioned article here. Comments welcome.

To the readers of The Natural World

I want to apologize for leaving this blog unattended for so long. I didn't think many people were paying attention to it, so it was put on the back burner for awhile. As it turns out, some people have been been looking in, and I have received some comments on it. I'm glad people are finding it useful. I've been meaning to start up again with a more personal focus, things more in line with personal experience as opposed to more general posts on green living, but I thought I would open it to readers to see what you preferred: would you rather see more posts on, say, my personal bird and wildlife sightings and my life in the Topsfield woods, or would you prefer I do a little research and write or post more about the larger world from an eco-friendly point of view? Originally, my idea was to include both as part of a whole, but if there's a strong preference for one over the other, I'd be happy to focus on that for awhile.

Please write to the address in the profile, or leave comments on the blog. I'll post any comments that are on topic and not offensive to anyone. And thanks for your interest!

Dave

...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.

Building a new home? Try "energy-free"!

This post may be aimed at a smaller-than-usual segment of my readership, but whenever I come across something that I find interesting I like to share it with you. This is for all those who may be considering building a new house, and it comes from the redoubtable Treehugger: why not consider a home that's practically energy-free? These homes, from Enertia, use minimal, and in many cases no, energy for heat, cooling, electric power or hot water. They are complete units that take into account the siteing and orientation of the structure, the lighting on your homesite, the climate you live in, etc., and are available for all types of homeowners -- those who wish to build part or all of the homes themselves, or as completely constructed units. Many styles, sizes and configurations are available, and the homes' visual appeal is as good as the usefulness of the technology.

Take a look at their website. There's a lot to be gleaned about energy saving in home design. If you are building, consider that the savings over time can help defray a substantial portion of your construction costs. Enertia has done a lot of work in creating homes that are as ecologically sound as they are handsome.

Simply put...

Okay, you asked for the secret of life? Here it is -- well, not the secret of life, exactly, but the secret of living meaningfully.

I have heard it said,

Man and the world are not separate. Every action we take affects the world in some way. We do not live in a vacuum; everything in life is interrelated.

Man has the distinction of being able to make choices in his actions. We can choose to act positively or negatively, in order to affect the other aspects of the world for better or for worse. The wise person will make choices based on respect of this law, and of the other beings (and so-called non-beings) in the world. If we simply act with respect, and a concern for making choices that benefit the world as a whole, happiness will increase. That is guaranteed.

I have tried not to make this preachy, or sutra-like, but the truth of it is obvious. Act with carelessness and the world becomes sloppy. Act with anger and the world becomes hostile. Act with kindness, and the world becomes gentle and friendly. It can be seen in everything we do. Sometimes it takes time for an action to generate a reaction, but eventually it will, and the world (and you) will reap the benefit, or suffer the consequences.

See the world as your friend and ally, and don't disrespect it. It will be good to you in return.

Getting back on track

I'm getting a little off the track here. My idea for this blog was to describe a way of looking at life which emphasized a personal relationship between man and the earth, to show that living a good life meant becoming connected to the land (not so much the planet as the ground under your feet), and to one's fellow human, and other, beings. This is the way the Indians live, as do many aboriginal cultures around the world, and it's where Western civilization seems to have gone a bit askew. The people in Western culture, and those of other so-called developed parts of the world, who understand this the best are the family farmers, and the people who live in and support the agricultural community. These people know best what the earth physically consists of, what it provides, and what its needs are. They know how to nuture and care for the earth, and therefore they know how to sustain it, to love it in the deepest sense.

Unfortunately our civilization has evolved with a highly developed sense of greed and acquisitiveness, and an addict's need for power and dominion over each other, and over the earth. Simply living in harmony with the earth has become inadequate; now a man must own a piece of it, along with the animals, minerals, and vegetation contained within it. Rather than simply celebrating his existence, he becomes protective of it, and instead of being able to share the earth's bounty with his brothers and sisters, now he must trade for it. In order to trade effectively he must be in a position of advantage; to increase his stock of tradeable goods, corners are cut, eventually leading to the degradation of the earth itself. This is how we have found ourselves with the problems of global warming, disappearing topsoils (large factory farms don't rotate crops, a practice which allows topsoil to replenish itself), depleted populations of fish and marine life, and massive pollution of the earth and its waters and skies. A whole new economy has developed around the remediation of these problems.

These are great concerns, and one can see how easy it is to gravitate toward discussion of them. However, this is not why I originally started this blog. I will, of course, continue to discuss important issues as they arise, but henceforth I want to get back to the blog's original purpose of examining the small, personal economy, and leave the bulk of the discussion of global problems to the experts in such matters. In the meantime, please look over some of my linked websites, especially the collection of Wendell Berry's writings. The life of this Kentucky farmer/naturalist/economist can serve as a great example for developing a relationship to the earth that is grounded and meaningful. He reminds us not to bother so much about the larger world, but to tend carefully the part that we live on. Rather than "think globally, act locally", Berry tells us to "think locally and act locally". To live in such a way is so much more fulfilling for all concerned -- the earth as well as ourselves.

Another Sneak Attack on Organic Standards

Followed a link from the intrepid Treehugger to the website of the Organic Consumers Association to this story:

WASHINGTON, DC- The USDA has announced a controversial proposal, with absolutely no input from consumers, to allow 38 new non-organic ingredients in products bearing the "USDA Organic" seal. Most of the ingredients are food colorings derived from plants that are supposedly not "commercially available" in organic form. But at least three of the proposed ingredients, apparently backed by beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch, and pork and food processors, represent a serious threat to organic standards, and have raised the concerns of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), as well as a number of smaller organic companies and organic certifiers. (Full story)

There is a petition and a form for public comment on the organicconsumers.org site. Unfortunately, time has virtually run out for public comment (only open for seven days) although there is a request by the association for an extension of the comment period, so we may get a chance to put our two cents in.

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.

Addendum

The following are the corporate members of USCAP:

(new members in bold)

Alcan
American International Group
Boston Scientific
ConocoPhillips
Deere & Co.
Dow Chemical Co.
General Motors Corp.
Johnson & Johnson
Marsh Inc.
PepsiCo
Shell and Siemens Corp.
Alcoa
BP America
Caterpillar
Duke Energy
DuPont
Florida Power & Light
General Electric
Lehman Brothers
Pacific Gas & Electric
PNM Resources

These companies are worthy of your letters of praise and encourgement.

Joint call from business for aggressive pollution cuts

From Environmental Defense:

Business Coalition for Climate Action Doubles

The unprecedented coalition calling for a cap and trade system to combat climate change, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), has more than doubled its membership.

In a move that transforms the political landscape, General Motors is the first automobile manufacturer to join the coalition of high-level corporate and environmental leaders. The group's mission is to urge the federal government to:

* cut greenhouse gas emissions 60-80 percent,
* create business incentives and,
* act swiftly and thoughtfully.

USCAP member companies represent industries critical to slowing climate change, including car manufacturing, utilities, chemical production and manufacturing. Twelve new companies join the original members, bringing the number of corporate partners to 22.

Read more at www.environmentaldefense.org

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

Ornithology 301: Hybrid Warblers

It has long been known that birds occasionally, though rarely, interbreed -- a male of one species will mate with a female of another, yielding often interesting results. Nowhere are the results more colorful and fascinating than in warblers, the tiny songbirds that are already seemingly infinite in variety. An informative article at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology website gives us a "mystery bird": while educating the reader about hybridization, the article offers a challenge for sharp-eyed birders to identify a recently discovered hybrid's parentage. Caveat -- this is for serious birders who want a) a tough challenge for the eye, and b) an introduction to a fairly advanced topic in ornithology, although it's written for the average reader and no knowledge of difficult science is assumed. I found it fascinating, and, for the record, I didn't identify either of the bird's parents correctly!

Eat locally

Considering a new diet? Want to help change the world at the same time?

Try the "100 Mile diet"

Karl Rove shows his true colors on the global warming issue

From Sheryl Crow and Laurie David, via HuffPo:

Last night Thelma and Louise drove the bus off the cliff or at least into the White House Correspondents Dinner. The "highlight" of the evening had to be when we were introduced to Karl Rove. How excited were we to have our first opportunity ever to talk directly to the Bush Administration about global warming.

more...