At least 1,700 miles of plastic trash is floating in what is commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Up until this point, scientists only had a vague idea of the scope of the trash they would find in the North Pacific Gyre, a vortex where four ocean currents meet.

Posted on February 28, 2012

New Scientist Magazine for February 25, 2012 notes that “There simply is no credible scientific alternative to the theory that humans are warming the atmosphere. In 2010, a survey of 1372 climate scientists found that 97 percent of those who publish most frequently in the field were in no doubt. They agreed with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that human activity had caused most of the Earth’s warming over the second half of the 20th century…. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).”

By not acting now, we are doing a disservice to those who will have to deal with the consequences of worsening climate change in the near future.

Posted on February 2, 2012

Recycling Plastic Bottles – What are the benefits to recycling plastic bottles?

Conservation of Oil. When a ton of plastic bottles are recycled approximately 3.8 barrels of petroleum is saved.

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions. The substitution of recycled materials reduces the emission of greenhouse gases that are produced in the manufacturing of virgin materials.

Saving of Landfill Space. Not having millions of plastic bottles in the landfill results in a saving of 6.7 cubic meters of landfill space that is at a premium right now. Plastic bottles also take an average of 500 years to biodegrade.

Conservation of Energy. Water and soft drink bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate or PET. Recycling of one pound of PET results in a saving of approximately 12,000 BTU’s (British Thermal Units).

Benefits of Reuse. Recycled bottles can provide an environmentally friendly source of materials for the manufacture of new products and substitutes recycle materials for virgin materials. (from Benefits-of-Recycling.com)

Posted on January 31, 2012

Nudging Recycling From Less Waste to None

By LESLIE KAUFMAN

New York Times

Published: October 19, 2009

At Yellowstone National Park, the clear soda cups and white utensils are not your typical cafe-counter garbage. Made of plant-based plastics, they dissolve magically when heated for more than a few minutes.

At Ecco, a popular restaurant in Atlanta, waiters no longer scrape food scraps into the trash bin. Uneaten morsels are dumped into five-gallon pails and taken to a compost heap out back.

And at eight of its North American plants, Honda is recycling so diligently that the factories have gotten rid of their trash Dumpsters altogether.

Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations.

The movement is simple in concept if not always in execution: Produce less waste. Shun polystyrene foam containers or any other packaging that is not biodegradable. Recycle or compost whatever you can.

Though born of idealism, the zero-waste philosophy is now propelled by sobering realities, like the growing difficulty of securing permits for new landfills and an awareness that organic decay in landfills releases methane that helps warm the earth’s atmosphere. To read more click here….

United Nations (UN) warns world lacks food:

The world population – the number of all living humans on the planet Earth – is today estimated to number 6.991 BILLION by the United States Census Bureau. According to a separate estimate by the United Nations, the number has already exceeded 7 BILLION. The world population has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Great Famine and Black Death in 1350, when it stood at around 370 million.

As the world’s population continues to grow, the United Nations warns that the world lacks food to support the growth. The UN estimates that within the next 20 years the world’s population will need 50 per cent more food and vast new reserves of energy and water [Reuters].

A major United Nations report on sustainability has warned that time is running out to ensure that there is enough food, water and fuel to meet the needs of the world’s rapidly growing population.

In a grim warning about the earth’s increasing demand for resources, the report found that demand will grow exponentially as the global population rises from 7 billion people to an expected 9 billion by 2040.

Within the next 20 years the world’s population will need 50 per cent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to UN estimates.

The report warns a failure to secure resources will condemn up to 3 billion people to poverty.

The report’s authors have urged governments to tackle sustainable development with a greater sense of urgency and political will. “The current global development model is unsustainable,” the report reads.

“To achieve sustainability, a transformation of the global economy is required. Tinkering on the margins will not do the job. The current global economic crisis … offers an opportunity for significant reforms.”

The panel, which made 56 recommendations for sustainable development to be included in economic policy as quickly as possible. Among the panel’s recommendations, it urged governments to agree on a set of sustainable development goals which would complement the eight Millennium Development Goals to 2015 and create a framework for action after 2015. It also recommends efforts to double productivity while reducing resource use.

Water and marine ecosystems should be managed more efficiently and there should be universal access to affordable sustainable energy by 2030. The authors also recommend the establishment of carbon and natural resource pricing, and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies by 2020. (source Asia Pacific News / ABC Radio Australia)

Posted on January 15, 2012

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Change a Light Bulb and Change the World

If you want to change the world, start by changing a few light bulbs. It is one of the best things you can do for the environment—and your budget.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if every U.S. household replaced just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that by replacing regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs at the same minimal rate, Americans would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year.

On top of that, replacing one regular light bulb with an approved compact fluorescent light bulb would save consumers $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and they last up to 10 times longer. Compact fluorescent light bulbs also generate 70 percent less heat, so they are safer to operate and can also reduce energy costs associated with cooling homes and offices.

The only real drawback to using compact fluorescent bulbs is that each one contains about 5 mg of mercury, so when they do expire, one should be recycling compact fluorescent bulbs to make sure they don’t end up in landfills. (from About.com – Environmental Issues)