Natural Environment Blog

Chris over at Fly.co.uk recently informed me of an infographic on their website. The infographic shows some interesting statistics on world carbon dioxide emissions.

For example, according to the infographic, in 2009, China produced 6,200 million tonnes of CO2 compared to 5,800 for the United States. One only needs to look at the population of these two countries to see that something appears to be out of whack.

China has over 4 times the population of the US and yet, the US emits almost as much CO2 as China. Unfortunately, this gap is bound to widen as China becomes more and more prosperous.

As one would expect, the infographic has an airline/transport spin (no doubt due to the fact that its on a flight website), so there are some interesting statistics in that area.

A copy of the infographic is below. Due to its size, I’ve resized it to fit on this blog.

You can view the full-sized infographic here.

David from PETA contacted me regarding letters PETA recently sent to the attorneys general of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. In the letters, Peta is urging the attorneys general to bring charges against BP and all other culpable parties of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico of cruelty to animals.

“Just as BP is the subject of a federal criminal investigation, causing needless pain and suffering to animals violates each affected state’s anti-cruelty laws,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “BP can compensate for the loss of human livelihoods, but it can never make up for the loss of life that it has inflicted on these states’ animals.”

According to PETA, the anti-cruelty laws of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida provide that any person who unnecessarily causes the torment or death of any animal is guilty of a misdemeanor.

The impact on the oil spill on wildlife includes:

• Some oil-soaked birds lose the ability to float and ultimately drown.
• Other birds die from hypothermia or hyperthermia after oil destroys the insulating powers of their feathers.
• Oil contamination in turtles can cause chemical burns, and kidney, liver, and brain damage can result after animals ingest the tar balls and chemical dispersants that have inundated the Gulf.
• Marine mammals lose body weight when they can not feed due to contamination of their environment by oil
• Birds become easy prey, as their feathers being matted by oil make them less able to fly away;
• Marine mammals such as fur seals become easy prey if oil sticks their flippers to their bodies, making it hard for them to escape predators

Those are just some of the affects of oil spills on wildlife. And, there’s also the affect on the food chain. For example, poisoning of wildlife higher up the food chain if they eat large amounts of other organisms that have taken oil into their tissues. This can also result in poisoning of young through the mother, as a dolphin calf can absorb oil through it’s mothers milk.

To date, more than a thousand animals-including 333 sea turtles and 41 dolphins and other mammals-have been collected dead along the coast. Whales are also expected to be among the casualties.

How Can I Help?

You can assist PETA by sending your concerns to the attorneys general in question.

About PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 2 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other “pests,” and the abuse of backyard dogs.

PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

Larry King Live will be hosting a telethon on Monday night. Proceeds from the 2 hour event will go towards rebuilding the gulf coast.

Celebrity participants include Chelsea Handler, Sting, Tim McGraw, Kathy Griffin, Alyssa Milano, Deepak Chopra, Pete Wentz, Ted Danson, Robert Redford, Harry Connick Jr., Jenny McCarthy, Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Aaron Neville, Kerry Kennedy, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Anderson Cooper, Tyson Ritter, Lenny Kravitz, Ian Somerhalder, Edward James Olmos, Philippe Cousteau and more.

All donations will be distributed between the following three charity associations:

• The Nature Conservancy: In response to the Gulf Coast oil spill, The Nature Conservancy has launched their Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration, expanding their efforts for long term recovery for the Gulf of Mexico and habitats along the coast, including salt marshes, oyster reefs, marshlands, beaches and estuaries.
• The National Wildlife Federation Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund: Supports efforts to find and save oiled wildlife, and help recover their delicate ecosystems that make up their nesting and breeding grounds.
• United Way: Offering help to the families along the Gulf that are facing financial, educational and health-related challenges as a result from the economic disruption from this Oil Spill. The United Way Gulf Recovery fund will provide emergency assistance, such as help with food, rent and utilities, and support long-term recovery efforts to rebuild these lives and these communities.

The telethon will begin at 8pm (ET) on Monday, June 21.

The Big Wild asks “How Wild is North America?”

Theodora at The Big Wild recently contacted me to let me know about an infographic posted on The Big Wild website.

The infographic (right), compares how “wild” Canada, the United States, and Mexico are based on facts like each country’s ecological footprint.

I was particularly interested to see that Canada’s “wildness” factor is 82%, compared to 36% and 18% for the United States and Mexico respectively.

I was also amazed to learn that Canada accounts for 24% of the world’s wild forests, 20% of the world’s fresh water, and 24% of global wetlands.

According to The Big Wild:

Real wilderness needs to be large enough to keep the natural balance – and that means thinking big.

That’s the vision behind The Big Wild. Conservation scientists believe we need to protect at least half of Canada’s wild spaces to ensure the integrity of our ecosystems.

About The Big Wild

The Big Wild is a partnership project between Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op and Canadian Parks and Wilderness. The Big Wild is a a conservation project dedicated to protecting at least half of Canada’s publicly-owned land and water.

Lenny Kravitz is among the artists who will perform at Gulf Aid - a benefit concert to raise funds for wetland recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf Aid is a single day event with artists performing on 2 stages.

“I’ve come home to New Orleans to lend my support to fishermen & wildlife” Lenny tweeted on Monday.

The disaster was caused by an explosion in an oil pipe which is resulting in around 210,000 gallons of oil being poured into the sea each day, causing widespread environmental damage along the US coast.

Proceeds from the concert will go to benefit fishermen and their families, whose livelihoods depend on being able to work in the ocean, plus organisations that protect Louisiana’s coast.

Line-up

The line-up includes:
Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Mos Def, Allen Toussaint ,The Voice of the Wetlands Allstars (featuring Tab Benoit, Dr. John, Cyril Neville, George Porter Jr., Waylon Thibodeaux, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone, and Johnny Vidacovich), Zachary Richard, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Beausoleil, Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys w Jon Cleary, Marcia Ball, Irvin Mayfield’s Playhouse Review , Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers, , Rebirth Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Shamarr Allen, Jeremy Davenport, MyNameIsJohnMichael

More artists will be announced.

Details

Sunday, May 16 2010
At Mardi Gras World River City overlooking the Mississippi River in New Orleans
12 noon - 10 pm, Rain or Shine event (no refunds)

The $50 tickets are exclusively available via Elevate.

100% of the ticket proceeds and ticket handling fees are contributed to the wetlands recovery effort.

Mark Tercek, President & CEO  of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), has sent an email to TNC members encouraging them to help with the clean up efforts of the Gulf Oil Spill.

If you want to help with the clean up effort, but you’re not sure what you can do to help, here are 3 things Mark asks you consider:

• Make a donation to help The Nature Conservancy restoration efforts in the Gulf — your contribution to our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help TNC determine both the extent of the spill and the necessary long-term restoration work in the Gulf and states along its coast.
• Second, tell your friends about The Nature Conservancy’s blog and what’s at stake for the Gulf Coast. Forward them this post, post it to Facebook or tweet on Twitter. Get the word out that the plants, animals and people in one of North America’s most treasured places will need our help.
• Third, consider being a volunteer. The Conservancy is still assessing what volunteer opportunities will be needed and coordinating with groups like gulfresponse.org.

And in case you’re interested, here are the contents of the email:

Thank you. It’s hard to express how much all the phone calls and emails in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill mean to me and to all the Conservancy’s staff — especially those working long hours in the Gulf states.

Many of you contacted us again after reading our Alabama director of conservation’s blog posts in yesterday’s e-newsletter, asking what you can do to help Bill and his team respond to the spill.

Here are three things you can do today to help the Gulf coast, its wildlife and the people who depend on it.

• Make a donation to help our restoration efforts in the Gulf — your contribution to our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help us determine both the extent of the spill and the necessary long-term restoration work in the Gulf and states along its coast.
• Second, tell your friends about our blog and what’s at stake for the Gulf Coast. Forward them this email, post it to Facebook or tweet on Twitter. Get the word out that the plants, animals and people in one of North America’s most treasured places will need our help.
• Third, consider being a volunteer. The Conservancy is still assessing what volunteer opportunities will be needed and coordinating with groups like gulfresponse.org.

Already, we’ve put to work The Nature Conservancy’s best knowledge and expertise in the Gulf region.

Our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help us do even more and will be put to use by the Conservancy and its marine scientists and staff knowledgeable about the Gulf and about oil spill impacts to help the long-term restoration of this critical ecosystem.
Currently, our Louisiana staff is conducting flights over the coast with federal, state, and some of our non-governmental partners to help determine the extent of the spill and are working to protect critical oyster reefs in the Grand Isle, Biloxi Marsh, and Vermilion Bay areas.

I am in the Gulf region today to assess what more the Conservancy can do to respond and support our staff members who live along the Gulf and work every day on conservation here.

As you know, this is not just about the shrimp, the oysters, and the crabs. It is about both the Gulf’s marine ecosystem, as well the local economy and the people who depend on it.

I hope you will continue to follow Bill’s work and our progress on our blog.

Thank you for your offer to help and your critical support,

So, go ahead and take action now!

April 22nd will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day and with a new anniversary comes a new meaning for the day. Started in 1970, Earth Day was originally conceived as a day in which the people of the world could come together and educate themselves about the needs of the planet. However, with the “Green” movement in full effect, Earth Day has gone from a day of environmental education to a day of environmental action.

For this year’s festivities, a massive rally has been planned to take place in Washington that organizers are hoping will force Congress into signing a new and much needed climate bill. Organizers have also set up The Earth Day Network to give information about the day itself and give awareness to green campaigns that need members and support.

One of these green campaigns is A Walk For Water. This campaign will help raise funds to build permanent water resources in West Africa, which in the 110+ degree heat of the area, will both help save the water supply and countless lives of the impoverished West African communities. The Earth Day Network has also crafted other grassroots campaigns to help save important environmental areas like forests and wetlands. However, not every green initiative is of the grassroots variety.

The major conglomerate Siemens is getting in on the movement by running a green campaign called A Million Acts of Green that motivates customers to come up with green solutions for the upcoming Earth Day. Many other major companies like Globetrotters Engineering Corporation (an architectural company founded by CEO, Niranjan Shah) work every day to help the environment by designing energy efficient buildings and homes. This shows that the green movement is big enough even for companies like Siemens and Niranjan Shah’s Globetrotters Corporation.

Earth Day will celebrate its 40th anniversary, but in many ways this year’s celebration is somewhat of a rebirth. The day that was originally created to spread awareness and education of the planet’s problems has now become something more meaningful. It has now become a day in which the world works together to help and protect the Earth we all call home.

This post was contributed by Dan Grifen of Everything Left.

What is the Green Garage About?

If we look back in the history of inventions, considering mainly the civilian technology start-ups, we will find out that a lot of major success stories including the most famous one of William Hewlett and David Packard, came straight from a garage. The two Stanford University graduates built their first HP’s product right there, in Packard’s garage in 1939.

Today, HP is the world’s largest technology company.

The garage has become a symbol of a triumph of the idea over earthly limitations - evidence that it is not the place that matters, but the belief that you can change the world.

In that spirit, the Green Garage can be viewed as a pro-eco initiative that gives way to different kinds of projects aiming at the invention of cutting-edge green automotive technologies.

Through those garage doors comes hope, with the EcoCar Challenge

When you browse the offers of the vehicles for sale, do they mention the level of tailpipe emissions? Well, why would they, we all know that gasoline-powered cars emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants into the atmosphere. But that can change in the nearest future.

The U.S Department of Energy together with General Motors have become two major sponsors of the EcoCar Challenge held across the U.S and Canada. 17 universities have been challenged to take part in a three-year program, during which young engineers strive to develop innovative sources of clean energy.

17 teams in 17 garages across North America were provided by the sponsors with all the support needed for such an undertaking: money, technical mentoring, vehicle components and development facility.

Their task is to redesign a 2009 Saturn VUE so as to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. They can experiment, reengineer, cross the boundaries. There are three competition finals: one each year. Yet, all in all, those garage innovators work together to find the alternative sources of energy that would benefit the environment.

A new generation that will make the world a cleaner place

The whole project is not only about new approaches that may be innovative, but inefficient and difficult to adapt.

The team that wins the competition is going to be the one to actually produce the environmental vehicle of the future.

In a way, the EcoCar competition will give an incentive to the next generation of scientists and engineers to think ahead and see the future in developing the green vehicle industry.

So, maybe next time when you decide to look for cars for sale you will be able to choose the one that has come all the way through the Green Garage doors.

The post was contributed by CarTruckTrader.com. Visit us online to find vehicles for sale.

The Nature Conservancy have announced the finalists of their 4th Annual Digital Photo Contest. In an email to members, the Nature Conservancy said:

Thank you to everyone who submitted an image for consideration. Your love of nature has inspired us and continues to remind us of the magnificent lands, waters and wondrous species we work to protect and preserve, every day.

The support of members like you has allowed us to protect and restore over 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of river and is the reason that we are the leading conservation organization working around the world today.

There are 15 finalists in total, and it’s now up to you to vote for your favorite. Voting is open until Monday, February 8, 2010 at 10am EST. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced on February 15, 2009.

The winning photo will be featured on The Nature Conservancy’s website, which is visited by more than 3 million people annually.

So, place your vote now.

You can also check out all submitted photos at the Nature Conservancy’s Flickr page.

When you receive your electricity bill, do you often wonder, “Why do I pay so much?” There is no doubt that energy prices will not get any lower. On the contrary, they seem to increase all the time. However, there are things you can do to significantly cut back your energy intake. If you want to save your money to spend it on something more fun than bills, read the tips below.

1. Replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones if you haven’t already. They use up to 80% less energy and last 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs.
2. Always turn off the lights when leaving a room. This tip is commonly known, yet it applies strictly to traditional light bulbs that are not energy efficient. Remember that if you have got energy saving light bulbs, you should turn them off only in the case that you are leaving the room for more than 6 minutes. Constant turning these bulbs on and off will use more energy.
3. While cooking, always put a lid on the pot. This saves up to 15% on energy and your meal will be cooked faster.
4. When buying new appliances, choose Energy Star qualified models. They use 10 to 50% less energy and water than standard appliances.
5. When planning and building your house, make decisions that will make it energy efficient. Proper high quality house insulation and tight windows will ensure minimal energy loss. Installing windows shutters or outdoor roller-blinds will prevent warmth gathered inside the house throughout the day from escaping at night.
6. When ventilating a room, always turn off the heating.
7. Invest in a high-efficiency condensing boiler. This investment will surely pay off. Such a boiler is a real energy and money saver. A condensing boiler captures much more usable heat from its fuel than non-condensing boilers, meaning it does not require as much energy. This kind of boiler is equipped with a set of heating controls that gives you full control over the temperature in your home. You can adjust the temperature whenever you want.
8. Use heating wisely. If you have a programmer or timer combined with a boiler, set it so the boiler is working only when needed. If you spend part of the day out of the house, turn the boiler off. Modern houses warm quickly even if the heating was turned off for a long period of time. Most people do not need the heating on when asleep.
9. Do not leave electronic devices on standby. Maybe it sounds unimportant, but appliances left on standby still use energy. In an average household there are many electronics with standby modes, including TV sets, PCs, radios, and DVD and CD players. Every day, leaving them on sleep mode amounts to additional expenses which can easily be avoided. Each time you turn off an electronic device remember to unplug it as well.
10. Charge your cell phone properly. It is unfortunately a common mistake to leave the battery charger plugged in after the telephone has already charged. The charger left in the socket, even without the device, is still consuming energy. Always remember to unplug the charger.

Obeying these simple rules will help limit both energy usage and expenses. Simultaneously, you will contribute to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. World leaders are trying to do this on a global scale, but without the help of the citizens, they will never succeed.

Written by PennySaverUSA.com. Visit us online to find eco-friendly appliances for sale.