ApocaDocuments (10) for the "Recovery" scenario from this week
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Sun, Jun 1, 2008
from Vancouver Sun:
Everyone knows acid rain, but what about black water?
In other words, when it comes to sorting the "clean energy" from the "smart energy," most of us don't know what we're talking about.
According to EcoAlign, an eco-marketing group, the green gap isn't just about misusing words. Our lack of understanding contributes to a "growing misalignment" between our intention to become more green and our ability to do so. Unless we get to know the new vocabulary, we run the risk of committing the kinds of eco-errors that could lead to ecocide -- or, worse, an entirely avoidable ecopolypse. ...
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Language defines cognition, said Chomsky -- so let's start talking, since it's clear our cognition needs a boost.
(and really, ecopolypse? who do they think they are, making up words?)
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Sun, Jun 1, 2008
from CNET News:
Plant power to fight toxic tech
Most Americans live and work in buildings awash in chemicals blamed for asthma, lung cancer, and a host of other maladies.
The best way to clean the air could be with a green thumb, according to Bill Wolverton, a former NASA environmental scientist who has spent more than 30 years studying how plants purify the air. The results of his research could come to market this fall as a household air filter that looks like a potted plant.... Based upon chemicals in common consumer products, for instance, a peace lily might be ideal for a laundry room, and a new couch could be flanked by bamboo palms. Among the plants researchers found to have potent air-purifying qualities are the Eureka palm, lady palm, peace lily, and rubber plant. ...
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How sweet to use a peace lily to filter out toxins!
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Sun, Jun 1, 2008
from Associated Press:
China kicks off drive to kick plastic bag habit
"China on Sunday became the latest country to declare war on plastic bags in a drive to save energy and protect the environment." ...
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Now if we could get China's population of over 1.3 billion people to stop farting we'd really be making climate progress!
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Sat, May 31, 2008
from Toronto Star:
The Frozen Ark: Toward Jurassic Park
Since 2004, the little-known Frozen Ark project in Nottingham, England has been quietly gathering, storing and preserving genetic "backups" of species for whom conservation efforts have come too late – or not at all. Priority is being given to 40 animals that are extinct in the wild but still living in zoos. Next in line are 10,000 or so species whose populations have fallen as human numbers inexorably rose. The Frozen Ark is a "doomsday animal vault." Small tissue samples of endangered species are being frozen and preserved in liquid nitrogen. ...
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Let's see -- can we freeze the ecosystems needed to support the critters?
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Sat, May 31, 2008
from MIT newsoffice:
MIT develops a 'paper towel' for oil spills
The scientists say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, and can be recycled many times for future use. The oil itself can also be recovered. Some 200,000 tons of oil have already been spilled at sea since the start of the decade.
"What we found is that we can make 'paper' from an interwoven mesh of nanowires that is able to selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids--oil-like liquids--from water," said Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and leader of the work. ...
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If only the Exxon Valdez had had a few rolls of those towels in their cupboard.
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Sat, May 31, 2008
from Telegraph.co.uk:
New insect repellent last three times longer
To identify the new repellents, the team conducted a rigorous search of a library of compounds known as N-acylpiperidines (related to the active ingredient in pepper), using a brain like computer, called an artificial neural network, to link chemical structure to repellent qualities.
They used the neural net to find better versions of DEET, which is able to block the insects' sense of smell. Insects also find DEET unappealing to bite through, and at higher concentrations they tend to avoid contact with DEET.
The researchers then tested the 34 best candidates in the laboratory on human volunteers. ...
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Given the tragic die-off of the bats, the folks in the northeast US will be very interested. Let's test the health effects of this stuff first, though, ok?
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Sat, May 31, 2008
from Newcastle University, via ScienceDaily:
Organic Free Grazing Cows Are Cream Of The Crop
A new study by Newcastle University proves that organic farmers who let their cows graze as nature intended are producing better quality milk. The Nafferton Ecological Farming Group study found that grazing cows on organic farms in the UK produce milk which contains significantly higher beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins than their conventional 'high input' counterparts. ...
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Who'da thunk it?
Happy cows make happier milk.
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Sat, May 31, 2008
from NOAA Marine Fisheries, via ScienceDaily:
Healthy Parents Provide Clues To Survival Of Young Haddock On Georges Bank
In 2003, haddock on Georges Bank experienced the largest baby boom ever documented for the stock, with an estimated 800 million new young fish entering the population. With typical annual averages of 50 to 100 million new fish in the last few decades, fisheries biologists have been puzzled by the huge increase and its ramifications for stock management. They have been looking for answers and may have found one -- healthy adults.... "Simply put, having more food to eat gives adult haddock a chance to get into better physical shape to reproduce healthy offspring with a higher chance of survival." ...
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Phytoplankton: a mouthful for us to say, or a mouthful of nutrition for the haddock.
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Thu, May 29, 2008
from Strategic Management Journal:
Green Firms Rewarded By Financial Markets
Using data on 267 U.S. firms, Mark Sharfman and Chitru S. Fernando of the University of Oklahoma analyzed whether firms that had improved their environmental risk management also experienced a reduction in their total cost of capital, and found evidence supporting their hypothesis.
Financial markets seem to perceive greener firms as safer investments because of a reduced likelihood of litigation, government penalties, and/or catastrophic accidents. The financial markets reward this lower level of risk by charging the firm less for its capital, thus allowing the firm to carry more debt. ...
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Go green, and give great customer service, and you are golden!
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Thu, May 29, 2008
from TIME:
Eating bugs
The very qualities that make bugs so hard to get rid of could also make them an environmentally friendly food. "Nature is very good at making insects," says David Gracer, one of the chefs at the Richmond festival and the founder of future bug purveyor Sunrise Land Shrimp. Insects require little room and few resources to grow. For instance, it takes far less water to raise a third of a pound (150 g) of grasshoppers than the staggering 869 gal. (3,290 L) needed to produce the same amount of beef. Since bugs are cold-blooded invertebrates, more of what they consume goes to building edible body parts, whereas pigs and other warm-blooded vertebrates need to consume a lot of calories just to keep their body temperature steady. ...
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Mealworm Cheet-os. Red Ant Energy Drink. Mosquito Coast nutrition bar. Sugar Beetle pie. MmmmMM!
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