Living in an older home that leaks hot or cold air? Don't want to spend a bundle replacing doors and windows? Check out these tips for weatherizing your house without spending a ton of money.
A round-up of the top climate and energy news. Please post other links below. The world’s air has reached what scientists call a troubling new milestone for carbon dioxide, the main global warming pollutant. Monitoring stations across the Arctic this spring are measuring more than 400 parts per million of the heat-trapping gas in the [...]
Thanks to Steve Kurtz for alerting us to this story, printed in the Daily Beast. Here, we find that an “official Vatican inquiry,” is being conducted by the Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, under the direction of Kevin Rhoades, a bishop from Fort Wayne, Ind. This turn of events follows a [...]
by Jocelyn Fong, via Media Matters Following relentless attacks on the solar industry in the wake of Solyndra’s bankruptcy, wind power has become the latest target of the right-wing campaign against renewable energy. But contrary to the myths propagated by the conservative media, wind power is safe, increasingly affordable, and has the potential to significantly [...]
The International Energy Agency has a new report out, Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas. Unfortunately, the IEA buried the lede — the Golden Age of Gas scenario destroys a livable climate — so the coverage of the report was off target. For instance, the New York Times opines, “Energy Agency Finds Safe Gas [...]
by Jane Dale Owen Although few people will even know about it, one of the most powerful corporations in the world is meeting in Dallas today. How shareholders vote on resolutions in that meeting is critical to public health and the environment. The corporation is Exxon Mobil — the largest, most profitable energy corporation in [...]
A round-up of the top climate and energy news. Please post other links below. Toyota’s Prius, a niche oddity when it went on sale 15 years ago, was the world’s third best-selling car line in the first quarter as U.S. demand and incentives in Japan turned the hybrid into a mainstream hit. [The Columbus Dispatch] [...]
This year marks my first "serious" attempt at growing my own vegetables and despite trying to absorb as much information as possible over the last few months there are a number of discoveries I've made that have forced me to significantly modify the original plan I had for my vegetable patch. Today I want to tell you why I made these changes, and highlight a few concepts that you, like me, may not have considered...
by Adam James As concerns mount over the accessibility and quality of meals in cities, urban agriculture is becoming a practical solution to give communities more choice — all while helping address greenhouse gas emissions from centralized agriculture. With over 80 percent of the American population living in metropolitan centers, urban farming has the ability [...]
Hans Rosling has created a new presentation related to population growth. The following link will take you to an interactive graphic, which Rosling uses through the video presentation. Rosling Interactive Graphic To see the 13 minute video presentation, please click here: http://www.gapminder.org/videos/religions-and-babies/
A new project in Phillipines is helping the people set up their own food businesses - a much better way of alleviating poverty than population control. Read more...
This month The Economist reports that Africa is currently experiencing significant falls in child mortality rates across the continent. Fantastic demographic news. In fact Michael Clemens of the Centre for Global Development names it “the biggest, best story in development”. Read more...
The general rule for stocking your pond is 1” of fish for every one square foot of surface area, but of course there are exceptions to every rule. First and foremost, don’t forget to leave room for your pond fish to grow.
A retention pond holds a specific amount of water indefinitely. The pond is designed to have drainage leading to another location to keep the pond from overflowing during heavy rains, but otherwise the pond is intended to always be full. You’ll frequently see these types of ponds in commercial properties or subdivisions, often with decorative fountains in the center.
Portland, Oregon, and other US cities, are exploring the eco district concept, which focuses on neighborhood-scale sustainability efforts.
There's no doubt that some opposed to environmental action fudge statistics to their advantage. But can large differences in data from like-minded organizations also undermine widespread efforts to "go green" by ordinary people?
I’ve just spent the last week at beautiful Linnaeus Estate on the northern NSW coast for my third Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) (see previous post about my last ACEAS workshop). This workshop is a little different to my last one, and I’m merely a participant (not the organiser) this time. Alan [...]
What are the real differences between incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs? Are the latter two really cheaper in the long run? A new infographic spells out the differences.
“Pro-Choice” Americans at Record-Low 41% See: http://www.gallup.com/poll/154838/Pro-Choice-Americans-Record-Low.aspx Americans now tilt “pro-life” by nine-point margin, 50% to 41% by Lydia Saad May 23, 2012 PRINCETON, NJ — The 41% of Americans who now identify themselves as “pro-choice” is down from 47% last July and is one percentage point below the previous record low in Gallup trends, [...]
Just as the slow food movement prompted us to think about where and how our food was being produced -- agricultural practices, worker safety, cleanliness of factories, treatment of animals, etc. -- “slow fashion” encourages fashion “consumers” to consider where and how their clothing is being made and to develop a greater sense of connection to the materials taken from the environment to create their looks.
With the world’s fleet of reactors aging, and with new plants suffering construction delays and cost increases, it is possible that world nuclear electricity generation has peaked and begun a long-term decline.
Cutting down on car emissions and using less fuel are two ways that help us green our lives. Commuting by bicycle is a great way to do this, but what if you live too far from work to make this a feasible option? How can the average person who doesn’t own a bicycle take advantage of all its green benefits? The answer is a bicycle share program, of course. In fact, there may already be a share site in your area.
The energy transferred from biker to bike doesn't necessarily have to create forward motion: it can be put to other uses. A few entrepreneurs around the world have seen the profit potential in pedaling: here are a handful of businesses powering themselves at least partially by human power.
The United States is arguably still the world’s greatest super power. Yet, just who makes up that superpower is changing. White people, excluding Latinos, are expected to see their influence and numbers diminish from a 70% share of the population today to a bare majority by 2050. Read more...
I wrote this last night with Euan Ritchie of Deakin University in response to some pretty shoddy journalism that misrepresented my comments (and Euan’s work). Our article appeared first in The Conversation this morning (see original article). – We feel we have to set the record straight after some of our (Bradshaw’s) comments were taken [...]
Two new studies presented at the Population Association of America’s annual meeting have found that parents are happier than their childless counterparts, making previous research to the contrary questionable. Could the immeasurable love you feel for your children outweigh the sleepless nights, endless washing and nights in after all? Read more...
A couple of years ago, James Hansen visited Adelaide and I was fortunate enough to attend dinner with him and his lovely wife Anniek. A truly inspiring scientist in all respects. His academic track record is unbeatable, and he puts his money where his mouth is in terms of climate change activism. In a similar [...]
To all ecology people who read this blog (students, post-docs, academics), this is an intriguing, provocative and slightly worrying title. As ecology has matured into a full-fledged, hard-core, mathematical science on par with physics, chemistry and genetics (and is arguably today one of the most important sciences given how badly we’ve trashed our own home), [...]
Today’s post comes from Salvador Herrando-Pérez (who, incidentally, recently submitted his excellent PhD thesis). – The hips of John Travolta, the sword of Luke Skywalker, and the teeth of Jaws marked an era. I still get goose pimples with the movie soundtrack (bass, tuba, orchestra… silence) solemnizing each of the big shark’s attacks. The media [...]