Divorcing Mother Nature

The rising divorce rate doesn’t affect just the family– apparently, it takes a toll on the environment as well. According to a study published Monday at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, to lessen the toll humans are taking on the earth, it's better for people to stay together.

“A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household,” said Jiangua Liu, who authored the study. Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University, explains households with more people sharing space are more efficient than those with less-– for example, a refrigerator uses the same amount of power whether there is one person using it, or three.

Two households forming from the split of one married household simply doubles the amount of land, water, and energy consumption and usage. Liu calculates divorced households add an extra $6.9 billion in utility costs, as well as an added $3.6 billion for water.

The study stresses it isn’t condemning divorce, as Liu adds that “some people really need to get divorces.” It just aims to show that living with other people reduces the impact of humans on environmental resources.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DIVORCE_ENVIRONMENT?SITE=CAANR&SECTION=SCIENCE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A sinking feeling

One morning in Papa New Guinea, the ocean tide came in much higher than anyone had ever expected.

“I don’t know,” said Filomena Taroa when asked about what had happened. She had led her grandkids to higher ground the avoid the water that day. “I’d never experienced it before.”

This is only one of many reports that have been coming in from shorelines around the world. It’s tangible proof of how global warming is affecting us.

A handful of these villagers are going to travel to Bali, Indonesia this week to the U.N. climate conference. They want something done about their coasts and the effect that global warming is making, which is appearing all too real for them.

At the meeting, research group Global Governance Project will propose an international fund for climate refugees.

The ocean’s rising level appears to be rapidly increasing. Between 1993 and 2003, the U.N. climate-science network measured the seas to have risen globally one inch every 10 years; in a study done last year, oceanographers found the sea in parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans, to have risen almost one inch per year.

As the ocean creeps up onto the shoreline, islands are getting smaller and lands are becoming flooded. Ursula Rakova is one of those islanders suffering from the travesty: “We don’t have vehicles, an airport. We’re merely victims of what is happening with the industrialized nations emitting ‘greenhouse gases.’ Rakova lives on the Carteret atoll near Bougainvilla island.

There, villagers depend on the taro root as one of their food staples–so far, the saltwater has ruined their taro gardens. It has also contaminated the well water system. They are now suffering from chronic hunger. In response, the national government presented $800,000 to some families on the island–however, that left 3,000 other islanders empty-handed.

“That’s not enough,” Rakova said.




http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919

Penguins aren't enjoying the cruise

The effects of a diesel fuel spill off the coast of Antarctica that happened one month ago may still be hazardous. The accident’s location intersects with the migratory path of several penguin breeds in the area, said Maria Jose Rosello, a Chilean marine biologist. She names the area as a breeding grounds for Antarctic, Adelia and Papua penguins.

The spill may also affect other organisms in the area. Veronica Vallejos, director of the scientific department at the Chilean Antarctic Institute, said the area is a high biodiversity zone, so the danger is even higher for the habitants. Those in danger include sea lions, fish, seals, krill, algae and plankton colonies, which are all integral to the area’s food chain.

The spill occurred when The Explorer, a cruise ship on a 19-day long trip off the coast of Antarctica, hit ice. Onboard were 50,000 gallons of diesel, 6,300 gallons of lubricant and 260 gallons of gasoline.

Diesel oil continues to flow from the ship, which has already sunken 4,800 feet into the ocean.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fg-penguins2dec02,1,4768397.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset=true

Riding into the future

It won’t quite be Disneyland, but this month at events like the International Electric Vehicle Symposium, attendees will be able to go on rides in over two dozen alternative-fuel vehicles. Features of these events include hydrogen fuel cell-power SUVs and solar paneled hybrid cars. Besides the car demonstrations, the symposium will have panel discussions and seminars. Some topics they’ll wrestle with are battery technology and fuel-cell development.

Additionally, next Saturday (Dec. 8) will be the first annual Renewable L.A. festival. There, event-goers can ride in or drive (it depends on which car) more alternative-fuel vehicles. There won't be any Deloreans, but they’ll have a Volkswagen Jetta powered by biodiesel oil present, along with a Prius equipped with rooftop solar panels.

Planners want to “raise awareness of solar electricity as a clean renewable energy source and to raise awareness of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,” said Zan Dubin Scott, one of the event organizers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-nutsbolts1dec01,1,7234658.story?coll=la-news-environment

Seeing red

In recent weeks, about 600 birds have been stranded onshore in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Scientists blame it on the red tide.

The red tide is an algal bloom that has been circulating in the bay at the same time these birds have been found ashore. It’s common in Monterey at this time of year. Scientists also say that such red tides are becoming more frequent and serious worldwide; they link this to climate change, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Either directly or as a byproduct, red tides produce a protein which scientists believe stick to the birds’ feathers and make them incapable of keeping themselves dry and warm. This would force the birds to leave the water in which they live and feed off of.

Dave Jessup, a state Department of Fish and Game veterinarian, said birds hurt by the red tide include loons and pelicans. 70 of these birds have died, and 530 have been taken to rescue centers, where their feathers are cleaned. Fish and marine mammals, however, seem to be unaffected.

Jessup also said that the red tide is likely to stay in the area until it is pushed out by a major weather system. Until then, the algal bloom may continue to injure birds.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov30/0,4670,RedTideBirds,00.html

The garden of good and evil

Terrachoice, an environmental marketing firm, says it found 1,018 products making eco-conscious claims, and that all but one of those products committed what they have marked as the “Six Sins of Greenwashing.”

“There were examples of shampoos that claimed to be certified organic, yet when we investigated and tried to find any sort of evidence of certification, we found none,” said Scot Case, a member of Terrachoice.

These are the ‘sins’ as follows:

The hidden tradeoff: This suggests a product is “green” based on very few factors, while potentially ignoring other environmental issues (for example, paper products that have recycled content but still have produce air and water emissions).

No proof: Products that lack certification of their “greenness” from a reliable and easy-to-access source (for example, energy efficient household lighting).

Vagueness: Claims that are too broad for consumers to understand properly (labels like, “All natural.” There are even poisons that are natural.)

Irrelevance: Making environmental claims that are unhelpful or unimportant for consumers (for example, CFC-free products...although CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, have been legally banned for three decades).

Lesser of two evils: When the label of “green” is placed on a product that, although may be “organic,” is still a product that as a whole, is questionable in its effect on the environment (organic cigarettes).

Fibbing: Outright false statements (Terrachoice found a detergent claiming to be packaged in “100% recycled paper” although it was wrapped in plastic).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919

Putting the 'eco' in decor

Columnist Arianna Huffington said it:

“It’s been a great transition: Hollywood has gone from the capital of conspicuous consumption to the cutting edge of conspicuous conservation.”

But when you’re watching Ryan Seacrest pronounce the Emmy Awards as an eco-friendly event while he’s surrounded by burning klieg lights, things can get a little confusing.

“I started to think about all this stuff because I’d be going to events and the invitation would be printed with the words, ‘This is a green event!’” said conceptual event designer David Stark. He has worked high-visibility events for some of the nation’s elite organizations and celebrities. “There’d be burlap tablecloths and green lighting – and I don’t mean fluorescent bulbs, but the color green – and somebody would stand up and say, ‘Change starts here!’ and I’d think, you’ve got to be kidding.”

Stark was then commissioned to take reigns in designing the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s awards gala. “I wondered how that stuff could be more thoughtful," he said. "And then the artist in me wanted to present a commentary, not just a solution.”

Stark had the museum shred six months’ worth of their office paper, which he combined with papers from his own office and personal tax returns. Those 6,000 pounds of paper were then transformed into giant chandeliers and topiaries resembling those of Versailles’ gardens.

Stark was also concerned with what to do with such decor after events. Two years ago, the Costume Institute’s party for Chanel was decorated by artist David Monn. Afterwards, the 7,000 gardenias and 25,000 pounds of boxwood used for the event “went into the Dumpster,” said Monn. Making the effort to create environment-friendly decorations seems redundant when it is just thrown in the trash the morning after.

Simon Doonan, the creative director of Barneys New York, has also taken a genuinely earth-conscious approach to decor this year. This month’s holiday storefront windows feature mosaics using recycled products like soda cans.

“You can do this stuff at home. You can go gold with decaffeinated Diet Coke, and there’s lots of blue and silver in drinks like Pepsi and Red Bull. You can make wreathes out of old silver pot scrubbers,” Doonan said, giving insight on the do-it-yourself phenom.

If you're design-savvy enough, you just may be able to save yourself a trip to the store and your wallet by reaching for your garbage can.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/garden/29eco.html?_r=2&ref=environment&oref=slogin&oref=slogin