America’s wetlands are diverse ecosystems featuring an array of flora and fauna – learn why it’s critical that we care for our wetlands and the creatures that live there.
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Cool Effect have just partnered to ensure protection of the diverse ecosystem in Makira Natural Park in Madagascar.
Originally published on EdenKeeper.org Interfaith solidarity in Malaysia’s culture is so strong it extends to providing free solar power, “regardless of creed or race.” A recent donation sees a Chinese temple, a Christian church, a Muslim mosque, and a Chinese primary school going solar together in the town of Kota Belud, Sabah. These four special
If waves of cheap rhino horns 3D-printed with real rhino DNA are flooded onto the Asian markets, is this a form of rhino conservation or capitalistic exploitation? This critical question is gnawing at the root of a controversial business venture to use real rhino DNA in the commercial production of 3D-printed rhino horns. In a
The oceans are huge carbon sinks for the world. Fish and whales comprise only a tiny part of their overall biomass. Nevertheless, studies have shown that fishing and whaling by humans have altered the ocean’s carbon storage and sequestration capabilities by causing a change in the food chain, or a trophic cascade. As naturalist and
Originally published on EdenKeeper.org As endangered sea turtles are returning home to the gorgeous Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, a new initiative to support conservation efforts is in full bloom at the Blue Osa Yoga Retreat. Expanding its vision as an enlightened eco-resort, Blue Osa has recently joined in to protect and conserve
Declaring that the sixth mass extinction has arrived, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich confirms that species are disappearing off the face of Earth faster now than at any time since the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Calling for “fast action to conserve threatened species, populations and habitat before the window of opportunity closes,” Ehrlich and his team
Originally published on EdenKeeper.org Taking action to conserve nearly half of Suriname, native tribes have joined in the efforts to protect the Amazon Biome. Declaring an indigenous conservation corridor spanning 72,000 square kilometers (27,799 square miles) of southern Suriname, the Trio and Wayana Communities of Suriname presented a declaration of cooperation to the National Assembly
With the population of the critically endangered black rhino only around 5,000, why did the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (US FWS) recently issue sport-hunting permits to kill two black rhinos in Namibia? The permits, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each, will allow two wealthy American sport hunters to import their black
When environmentalists, farmers, and loggers speak about forests, the discussion usually revolves around the issue of deforestation, which is one of the largest contributors to climate change. As James Ayre pointed out in a recent PlanetSave article, forest cover estimates are currently a subject of hot debate because a new satellite imaging study contradicts the
World Wildlife Day not only offers a good opportunity to celebrate beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora. The day helps raise awareness of conservation and its many benefits to people as well. It also reminds us to step up the urgent fight against wildlife crime, with its wide-ranging environmental, economic, and social impacts. On December
Underwater habitat at Aquarius Reef Base (photo provided to Flickr courtesy of Stephen Frink, www.stephenfrink.com/) On July 2, 2014, ocean scientists who have spent the last 31 days living in an ocean-floor habitat 63 feet underwater will decompress and return to the surface. They’ve been down there on “Mission 31” intensively studying ocean acidification and climate
The Value of Water Coalition hosted an in-depth conversation at the Newseum in Washington DC on the current condition of water infrastructure in the United States, the consequences of letting leaky and failing systems worsen, and solutions to water challenges of today and tomorrow. Our water infrastructure systems, a matter of pride for over a
CLICK HERE to return to Pickle Panda Finds Love in the Time of Robot Bees‘ table of contents. Part 1, Chapter 4 “See you tomorrow,” said Pickle, mocking Ramses’s deep baritone. “Who does he think he is? Telling me to ‘be cool’ and calling me ‘bro’? It’s maddening!” “O. M. G. Shut. Up,” said Kelsi,
CLICK HERE to return to Pickle Panda Finds Love in the Time of Robot Bees‘ table of contents. Part 1, Chapter 3 As soon as Meghan started shouting about the panda, Ramses could sense, instinctively, that something was wrong. He was already turning towards her when she started fainting, and, moving swiftly with a grace
By collecting most of the hot, soapy water that flows off of you during a ten-minute shower, Orbital Systems’ new closed-loop shower promises to reduce your water use by up to 90%, all while reducing the energy it takes to keep that water warm- by as much as 80%! All of which begs the question:
A new study has shown that selective logging of tropical forests may be one of the few feasible options for conservation in the face of the huge financial incentives pushing developing nations and tropical landholders to convert forests into cash. The study analysed data from more than a hundred studies of tropical forests that
Unlike last year, Americans are about as likely to say they want to protect energy production as they are to say they want to protect the environment, according to new results provided by Gallup. In the results based on phone interviews conducted over the weekend of March 8 to 11, 47% of Americans answered that
Curriculum in U.S. schools is often a contentious topic, with various interest groups battling over what material is “right” or “useful” for the nation’s children, and concepts like conservation often get lost in the shuffle. Conservation knowledge is good to have and wise to impart no matter what the political climate or attitude toward
With the world’s population approaching 7 billion people, we are encountering a threat of a lack of clean drinking water. Now is the time to start conserving water and considering processes to alleviate the lack of clean drinking water.
A few weeks ago we were sorely reminded of the extremism of the majority of the current Republican candidates. Among many other alarming things said, Republicans suggested eliminating or privatizing: FEMA, NASA, the EPA, the Federal Labor Relations Board, Medicaid and food stamps. Herman Cain promised not to appoint any Muslims who want to kill Americans to his cabinet. Michele Bachmann supports states’ rights on gay marriage, but also supports a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Rick Santorum wants to “a system of discipline” to “punish” gay soldiers, which suggests that his problem with pornographic Google results is not likely to abate. Tim Pawlenty views Iraq as “one of the shiniest examples of success in the Middle East.”
With over 50, 000 photos (and counting) capturing over 100 mammal species from seven protected areas across Africa, Asia and the Americas…a global ‘hidden camera” research project is giving conservation biologists a rare glimpse into the ordinary lives of many endangered or threatened mammal species.The camera study, conducted by The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network (TEAM), is helping to confirm what smaller, isolated studies have indicated: that habitat destruction is jeopardizing the biological integrity and diversity of many of the world’s mammals.
In an effort to be more green, many of us have started toting reusable plastic or aluminum water bottles around with us instead of buying bottled water on the go. Choosing reusable items over products that have to be recycled is one of the best things we can do for our planet. Recycling is good but not having to recycle at all is even better.
You’d think a toy company like Mattel would have the foresight to realize they’d eventually be called out on this, (Thank you, Greenpeace!) as well as the money and knowledge to make their packaging from something a bit less middle-finger-to-the-world-esque…say, recycled Barbie dolls?
Jonathan T. Scott’s latest book, New Standards for Long-Term Business Survival, has just been published. As with his previous two books on sustainability, this book is very easy-to-read and is available as a free, 30-page, PDF document that explains what sustainability is, why it is important, and how sustainable practices are being successfully implemented in businesses around the world.
I had a chance to interview Jonathan prior to the book release, and discuss his many years of influential work in promoting sustainable business practices.
Energy efficiency policies can create a ton of highly-needed green jobs in the United States.
As the price of electric goes up more people are looking for ways to reduce their power bill. One of the largest consumers of electricity in our households is the heating and cooling system.
You can find energy-efficiency rebates and other incentives easily, in seconds, on a new website from Silicon-Valley-startup Ennovations. Yes, that means, no Googling for hours (or days) trying to find what options you have in your area. Looking to retrofit your home a bit and make it more energy-efficient? Now you can save the most
Yasuni National Park, located 250 km inland along the Eastern most border of Ecuador, is a world record holder in biodiversity richness: The roughly 10,000 km² forest is home to 139 species of amphibians (besting Columbia’s Leticia Park with its 98 species) and an estimated 100,000 species of insects. This latter figure represents the highest
As Jeffrey Davis shares in the tagline for his great new greensite EcoSnobberySucks, “every step matters”. It’s a great message (and website) to remind us to stop disliking one another for our differences and start appreciating the steps everyone is taking to make this world a happier, healthier place. Need some assitance?From The FunTimesGuide to
Rwanda was recently awarded a Green Globe Award for world-leading environmental conservation work. In particular, the country was honored for “its restoration of the Rugezi-Bulera-Ruhondo wetland, an area that used to be severely damaged due to drainage, clearing, livestock, and overharvesting.” I love the way this news was introduced to me (via a generic press email): When
The world’s biggest cat, the tiger, is now living out its life in about six percent of the available habitat it could be living in. This according to a new peer-reviewed paper by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups who have identified 42 source sites scattered across Asia that will be the last
This Summer, Conservation International recently joined a promising initiative by some of the largest corporations operating in Brazil including Walmart, to commit themselves to biodiversity conservation in the country and the sustainable use of its natural resources.
Here’s our weekly roundup of environment and wildlife news. Enjoy.
Genetic barcoding is a technique that involves identifying segments of animal DNA (genomes) that are unique to each species. These unique genetic sequences are preserved in a database (the iBOL library) that anyone can access for free.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/fgT-QfcjXw4&hl=pl_PL&fs=1] Here is this week’s “greencast” or screencast of great green news from around the internet (that we didn’t already cover). Enjoy the video above via YouTube or in high definition on screenr. By the way, if you happen to notice the sound of pedestrians, cyclists or streetcars in the background, it is because I
The fight is on to save one of East Africa’s most treasured national resources. [social_buttons] “If the Mau Forest is destroyed, Kenya will die,” said scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai of the University of Nairobi. Together with scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the grass-roots Green Belt Movement, the Wangari
A controversial new proposal would allow nations (i.e. Japan, Norway and Iceland) to kill endangered whales. Quotas will be based on politics, not science. In 1986, commercial whaling was officially banned by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), an entity established to protect dramatically declining whale stocks. Despite this ban, certain nations, most notably Japan, Norway
The UK fishing fleet has to work 17 times harder today than it did in the 1880s to catch the same amount of fish. [social_buttons]Researchers from the University of York and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) looked back through UK Government data to analyse the change in fish stocks since 1889. What they found was
[social_buttons] For the first time in 10 years Americans believe that increasing energy supplies should be prioritized over the environmental conservation. For the first time since the question was first asked by Gallup in 2001 – at which point 52% of respondents favoured environment over energy production – Americans are favouring themselves in the form
The Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly species was identified in September by Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department biologists. 1934 was the last Maine sighting of the butterfly. The recent finding was in the hardwood swamps of Berwick and Wells.
[social_buttons] Writing for GreenOptions I sometimes get contacted by PR firms wanting to promote projects. Sight unseen I usually shrug them off, I happen to only write about items that I have seen or used, and can feel good about endorsing. When MSNBC contacted me the other day with a preview of a new special
[social_buttons] Darby Nelson, a member of a Minnesota state panel that advises the Legislature on fish, game and wildlife habitat spending, is a classic conservationist. Almost 40 years after the first Earth Day, the term environmentalist is in some disrepute. Once a badge of honor for public-spirited citizens seeking to protect and clean up air,
Communities of all sorts are being disturbed by the fires in California. As another result of climate change, bird communities are expected to see some big changes in other ways, according to a new report released on September 1.
[social_buttons] I remember the good old days, playing backyard baseball. Every now and then the perfect pitch would come, and, no matter how terribly I’d been hitting up to that point, I’d knock that ball out of the park. And the crowd would go wild…until everyone saw where that ball was headed. And with a
Cold-blooded animals have a lifespan which is exponentially related to the temperature of their environment, a new study finds. That means that as temperatures increase due to global warming, cold-blooded animals around the world will begin dying younger. Given that the vast majority of animals on Earth are cold-blooded, including the likes of amphibians, mollusks,
Dunham the bottlenose dolphin was attacked by sharks and euthanized this Tuesday just 3 hours after being released from Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Experts nearby monitoring the dolphin said he was attacked by at least two different sharks, and that the wounds were life-threatening. They euthanized him immediately upon arriving at the scene.
July 20th, 2009 was the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic flight to the moon, where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon. 40 years ago, space flight inspired such awe that astronauts were hailed as heroes and celebrities by men, women, and children alike.
