Open Thread Plus Cartoon Of The Week
Updated: 2012-06-30 01:49:22
A penny for you cyberthoughts. By Mike Luckovich From the Cartoonist Group.- A penny for you cyberthoughts. By Mike Luckovich From the Cartoonist Group.
Is It Safe To Shut My Pump Off Overnight To Save On Electricity Costs? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A
Updated: 2012-06-29 22:56:14
Just about everyone is looking for ways to save money on their monthly bills – and you might think that turning off your pond’s pump every night is one way to stretch some of your hard-earned cash. Think again! Though most pumps do cost a nominal amount of money to run 24/7, if you shut yours down each night, you could be affecting your pond’s water quality and your fishes’ health, and that could cost you even more in the long run.The Real Costs of Bottled Water
Updated: 2012-06-29 16:34:22
Bottled water is sold to us as a fresh, healthy, and pure product. Yet in reality, when you buy a bottle of water you're may just be buying back your local tap water at a mark-up of up to 1000 times the actual cost. Not only is bottled water no better for you than plain old tap water, but the environmental cost of the packaging used to beautify it is a serious issue.Habitat for Humanity Registers 100th LEED Home in Grand Rapids
Updated: 2012-06-29 16:04:24
After dozens of new and gut-rehab LEED projects, the Grand Rapids, Michigan Habitat for Humanity affiliate is ready to begin a new era... that happens to be a really old era too.Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage
Updated: 2012-06-29 14:50:05In March, 2012, Population Media Center became a member of Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage. Current and past PMC serial dramas have addressed early marriage, and our organizational emphasis on elevating the status of women around the world make this partnership a good fit moving forward. Girls Not Brides is [...]Conservation and Ecology Impact Factors 2011
Updated: 2012-06-29 03:13:50
Here we go – another year, another set of citations, and another journal ranking by ISI Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports. Love them or loathe them, Impact Factors (IF) are immensely important for dictating publication trends. No, a high Impact Factor doesn’t mean your paper will receive hundreds of citations, but the two are correlated. [...]June 29 News: Britain Coal Imports Rise 20 Percent, Bringing Its Coal Use To Highest Level Since 2006
Updated: 2012-06-29 01:10:42
A round-up of the top climate and energy news. Britain is burning more now than at any time since 2006, despite official promises to move to greener fuels. [The Sun] Imports are up 20 per cent to 18 million tons this year — with coal responsible for generating 42 per cent of all UK electricity, [...]Economic Sustainability: Two Views to Our Future
Updated: 2012-06-28 15:19:35
No previous civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural supports. Nor will ours. Meeting the Need for Family Planning: Still a Long Way to Go
Updated: 2012-06-28 14:31:49Thanks to the Population Institute for writing up a summary analysis of a recent study released by The Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA. Please note the call to action at the end, which urges and empowers you to write your senators and representatives on the issue at hand. You can access this call to action here: [...]7 Best DIY and Upcycling Meetups Around the World
Updated: 2012-06-27 16:34:13
If getting together with other crafty folks in order to share thoughts, ideas, tools and materials sounds like your cup of tea, here are six of the best DIY and upcycling meetups around the world.Seek true sustainability over growth
Updated: 2012-06-27 14:52:48Below is a Letter to the Editor, printed in an Oklahoma newspaper. Near its conclusions, it suggests an interesting idea: organizing to force local Chambers of Commerce from around the country to renounce population growth as an appropriate objective . Given given sufficient local leadership and activism, it is plausible such efforts could catch on. [...]Exponential population growth possibly a problem
Updated: 2012-06-27 14:47:00Below is an opinion piece from a writer in Colorado. Exponential population growth possibly a problem See: http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120623/COLUMNISTS14/306240020/Exponential-population-growth-possibly-problem?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s&nclick_check=1 By Glen Colton The Coloradoan Colorado, once known for uncrowded open spaces, scenic vistas, clean air and a high quality of life, is suffering from the negative impacts of our addiction to exponential population and economic growth. [...]7 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Remodeling More Eco-Friendly
Updated: 2012-06-26 17:41:46
A kitchen remodel isn’t just a chance to make your space more trendy or functional, it can also be a chance to make it more environmentally friendly. London Summit on Family Planning
Updated: 2012-06-26 14:52:43The following information is in regards to the upcoming London Summit on Family Planning, which will take place on July 11th, 2012. The U.K. Government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNFPA and other partners will host this groundbreaking summit that will mobilize global policy, financing, commodity, and service delivery commitments to support the rights [...]Arguing for scientific socialism in ecology funding
Updated: 2012-06-26 03:18:34
What makes an ecologist ‘successful’? How do you measure ‘success’? We’d all like to believe that success is measured by our results’ transformation of ecological theory and practice – in a conservation sense, this would ultimately mean our work’s ability to prevent (or at least, slow down) extinctions. Alas, we’re not that good at quantifying [...]How to Get Healthy Skin: Five Fruits for An All-Natural Look (Part 2)
Updated: 2012-06-25 16:44:28
Fruits are not only tasty and healthy when eaten, but they can be great applied to your skin, too! Once you get passed the slightly strange idea of lathering food on your body, you’ll be on your way to beautiful, healthy skin.Flotsam and Jetsam in the Human Wake
Updated: 2012-06-25 14:59:20Below are snippets of two articles reporting on current and expected demises of species we are ostensibly sharing the planet with — though “sharing” seems an exceptionally poor description of what is actually occurring. First, reports of significant, already occurred drops in penguin populations (with much more expected). Second, the troubles occurring In Kenya between [...]Why women’s needs must be part of the conversation at Rio
Updated: 2012-06-25 14:51:44Thanks to Jenny Goldie for sending me the article below. It is interesting, and I think good, to see Michael Brune (executive director, Sierra Club) join Suzanne Ehlers (CEO, Population Action Intrenational) as co-author of this piece, originally published in Grist. See: http://grist.org/population/why-womens-needs-must-be-part-of-the-conversation-at-rio/ Why women’s needs must be part of the conversation at Rio By Suzanne Ehlers [...]Counting the Cost (And Benefits) of Family Planning
Updated: 2012-06-25 14:47:45The following article is provocative for several reasons, not least of which is the string of comments appearing below it. It was published on The Guardian’s website. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2012/jun/20/maternal-health-contraception-and-family-planning Note: to access the Guttmacher report referenced, please proceed here (PDF): http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/AIU-2012-estimates.pdf Counting the cost of family planning As the London family planning summit looms closer, [...]A growing socioeconomic divide between parents
Updated: 2012-06-23 03:31:21
A New York Times blogger raises interesting questions this week about the effect on us all of the growing socioeconomic divide between parents. That is, more and more educated, well off woman will just be becoming mothers as their less well off, less educated peers are becoming grandmothers. Read more...What Should I Feed My Game Fish? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A
Updated: 2012-06-22 22:36:42
Sure, your bass, trout and other game fish nibble on nature’s all-natural bounty of algae, weeds, insects and worms. However, they also need supplemental nourishment, particularly if you’re growing them for sport. That’s where commercial fish food, like The Pond Guy® Game Fish Grower Fish Food, comes into play.Superficial Fertility Analysis Defuses Little
Updated: 2012-06-22 14:47:51The following essay, by one Mr. Bill King, was printed recently in the Houston Chronicle. There are plenty of otherwise true facts in the essay, along with a few errors, but the conclusions drawn by Mr. King indicate he has little understanding of the monumental effort that has gone into global fertility reduction — nor [...]Denver’s Waste Farmers Featured as “Impact Company”
Updated: 2012-06-21 18:56:43
Denver-based Waste Farmers, a venture by Inspired Economist founder John-Paul Maxfield, has been recognized as an "Impact company" by The [i4c] Campaign, and featured in a new video series by the organization.The Home Food Preservation Renaissance
Updated: 2012-06-21 14:28:53
This time of year brings an abundance of fruits and vegetables to farmer’s markets and grocery stores - the perfect time to stretch that food budget even further through home preservation.Brazil a model for slowing population growth – experts
Updated: 2012-06-21 12:50:30The following article reports on the success Brazil has had in achieving below replacement level fertility. See: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/brazil-a-model-for-slowing-population-growth-experts Brazil a model for slowing population growth – experts By Laurie Goering RIO DE JANEIRO (AlertNet) – Rosimere Lopes knows what she does not want in life. The 23-year-old, who lives in Cachoeirinha, a hillside slum in [...]Our Expanding Population
Updated: 2012-06-21 00:22:58A report highlights the link between global obesity and pressures on food security. Read more...Another Front Yard Garden Raises Hackles at City Hall
Updated: 2012-06-20 21:04:32
Karl Tricamo of Ferguson, Missouri, is challenging the city's claim that his front-yard organic garden violates city codes.What Makes Energy Efficient Windows Efficient?
Updated: 2012-06-19 16:15:15
Before you make an investment in green windows, educate yourself about some of the differences between energy-efficient windows and non energy-efficient windows.Who’s responsible for climate change? Not ecologists, right?
Updated: 2012-06-19 02:15:58
It’s sometimes difficult to take a long, hard look in the mirror and admit one’s failings. Today’s post is a thought-provoking challenge to all ecologists (indeed, all scientists) who gaily flit all over the known universe in the name of science. I’m certainly in one of the upper guilt echelons on this issue – and [...]Is Rural New Zealand Dying Out?
Updated: 2012-06-18 04:30:10New Zealand's rural population is set to decline and get older. Read more...Talking about budget cuts, how about population cuts?
Updated: 2012-06-18 02:50:33
“Media mogul and population control advocate Ted Turner recently told citizen journalists he would like to reduce the world’s population by five billion people, asking parents to be a ‘one child family… for 100 years.’" Read more...The invader’s double edge
Updated: 2012-06-14 18:30:09
Another great post by Salvador Herrando-Pérez that challenges our views on invasive species (some would do well to heed his words when it comes to species like dingos). I mentioned in his last post that he had just recently submitted his PhD thesis, and now I’m proud to say that it has been examined with no [...]A rise in ‘fertility tourism’
Updated: 2012-06-14 07:58:23
More and more women desperate to have babies in New Zealand are going overseas to find egg donors because they cannot get them in New Zealand. It seems that the main reason overseas ‘egg markets’ are more lucrative is because women are allowed to be paid for their eggs. Read more...Sex Selective Abortion in the USA
Updated: 2012-06-13 04:08:48Steven Mosher speaks to a house committee on sex-selective abortions in the USA. Read more...Costs and benefits of a carbon economy for conservation
Updated: 2012-06-12 04:10:37
I’ve had the good fortune of being involved now in a several endeavours funded by the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS); two of those were workshops targeting specific questions regarding estimating modern extinction rates and examining the effects of genetic bottlenecks on Australian biota. The third was a bit different, to say [...]We are doomed unless we get some Global Leadership (and Condoms)
Updated: 2012-06-11 23:50:15We are doomed unless we get some Global Leadership (and Condoms). Read more...I Know That Floating Plants Help Shade My Pond, But What Do Submerged Plants Do? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A
Updated: 2012-06-08 21:05:33
Got plants? If you’re like most pond hobbyists, you probably have plenty of growing and blooming greenery surrounding your water garden – but what about sub-surface varieties?What Can I Do To Reduce Or Remove Cattails From My Pond? | Ponds & Lakes Q&A
Updated: 2012-06-08 19:50:28
Cattails, when left unchecked, can proliferate and take over a pond or lake in no time. These common aquatic plants grow from 3 to 10 feet tall in dense colonies around the margins of ponds and lakes. In the spring, the green strap-like foliage grows from large, creeping, below-the-ground rhizomes.Claphappy Superbugs!
Updated: 2012-06-08 02:58:27
Our ability to treat gonorrhea is becoming less certain. Read more...Get boreal
Updated: 2012-06-07 14:56:25
I’ve been a little quiet this last week because I’ve had to travel to the other side of the planet for what turned out to be a very interesting and scientifically lucrative workshop. After travelling 31 hours from Adelaide to Umeå in northern Sweden, I wondered to myself if it was going to be worth [...]Ageing population? What ageing population?
Updated: 2012-06-07 00:43:07The new French president has lowered the retirement age to 60. Read more...Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Updated: 2012-06-06 01:49:00Twenty years ago at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, countries adopted Agenda 21 — a blueprint to rethink economic growth, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection. Marking that anniversary, this year sees Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, with aims to get bold agreements to address things like poverty, sustainable development, decent jobs, etc.This page provides coverage of recent events via Inter Press Service’s news feed.Read full article: Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable DevelopmentTurkish Prime Minister Angry that Promoters of Abortion Crippling Economic Success
Updated: 2012-06-06 00:53:44Turkey’s Prime Minister has expressed his anti-abortion stance in surprisingly strong words for a politician, albeit an Islamic one, linking the procedure to murder and saying the resulting curb in population growth is ‘crippling’ for Turkey’s economy. Read more...The Problems of City Dwelling
Updated: 2012-06-03 04:10:53Lancet and UCL have report on the growing urban population and what we need to do to better city-dwellers health. Read more...