Tag: ecology

why I went brita and in part why I don’t drink soda pop

  • The Story of Bottled Water
  • Fiji Water: The only brand of bottled water supported by a corrupt military dictatorship.
  • World Water Day. (According to the UN, dirty water kills more people than violence.)
  • Lewis Black talks sharp about bottled water.
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (As recently discussed on the David Letterman show by Charles Moore: Pt 1, Pt 2.)
  • Living without plastic.
  • Chris Jordan’s documentary photographs of albatross dead from eating plastic.

    • it was easy to do


    Originally uploaded by Foxtongue.

    Melting glaciers show climate change speeding up: UN, scientists. “New data released Monday shows that the melting of mountain glaciers worldwide is accelerating, a clear sign that climate change is also picking up, the UN environmental agency and scientists said.”

    Global warming causes species shift. “U.S. scientists say as global warming increases, many plants and animals will begin migrating northward to locations with more suitable temperatures.”

    Where have all the birds gone? “…this year the annual Big Garden Birdwatch has revealed how the predicted devastating impact of global warming on Britain’s bird species is taking effect… early indications appear to confirm the worst fears of bird lovers.”

    Climate change hitting developing countries worst: UN. “Climate change is having an increasing impact around the world, with developing countries the worst hit and least capable of defending themselves, a top UN climate change official said Monday.”

    Rising sea levels doom beaches, geologist warns. “Most of Hawaii’s sandy beaches are eroding, and the rising sea level will only make things worse.”

    146 US levees may fail in flood. “The Army Corps of Engineers has identified 146 levees nationwide that it says pose an unacceptable risk of failing in a major flood.”

    Weather satellite fleet at risk. “Scientists soon will lose access to crucial information that helps them better understand and predict everything from hurricanes and earthquakes to global warming and environmental decay…”


    Originally uploaded by Foxtongue.

    The Great Barrier Reef ‘facing extinction’. “The Great Barrier Reef will become ‘functionally extinct’ within decades at the current rate of global warming, while wilder weather is set to affect property values and drive up insurance bills in many Australian coastal communities.”

    Britain could go back to rationing. “Britain may need to go back to Second World War-style rationing if climate change runs out of control, environment minister Ben Bradshaw has warned.”

    Survey shows 13% of Americans have never heard of global warming.

    Climate change means hunger and thirst for billions: report.

    Indonesia may lose 2000 islands to climate change. “Indonesia could lose about 2,000 islands by 2030 due to climate change, the country’s environment minister said on Monday.”

    Future flood of ‘climate refugees’ ahead? “Global climate change could pose serious challenges for police in B.C. — from public disorder during natural disasters to climate refugees fleeing flooded countries, according to an internal RCMP report obtained by The Vancouver Sun.”

    Africa must prepare for climate change. “Africa must be prepared for more droughts, floods and cyclones because of climate change caused by industrial pollution, which has already damaged rural economies on the continent, experts said on Tuesday.”

    Zimbabwe: quality water supplies fast deteriorating.

    Water meters introduced in face of global warming. “All Londoners face using compulsory water meters after the Government gave the go-ahead to tough plans to deal with the consequences of climate change.”

    Queensland to drink waste water. “Mr Beattie said that falling water levels had left his state administration with no option but to introduce recycled water in south-eastern Queensland, starting from next year. ‘We’re not getting rain; we’ve got no choice,’ he told ABC radio. ‘These are ugly decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There’s no choice. It’s liquid gold, it’s a matter of life and death,’ he said.”

    Water crisis plan sinks in red tape. “A strategy to save billions of litres of water has become so mired in bureaucracy that the State Government has approved only 15 per cent of the plans to slash usage that it demanded from Sydney’s biggest guzzlers – industry, councils and its own agencies. Almost a year after most of the plans were supposed to be delivered, only six of the 37 government sites have even lodged their proposals.”

    Chairman: Bush officials misled public on global warming. “The Democratic chairman of a House panel examining the government’s response to climate change said Tuesday there is evidence that senior Bush administration officials sought repeatedly “to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming.””

    tabdumping: for those limiting days where I have no time to write

  • “Birds for bulbs is a cute site and a great idea. The basic premise is this: If you switch one or more of your light bulbs to a CFL (Compact fluorescent light-bulb, which produces smaller amounts of harmful emissions), and send them an email with your name, they’ll draw you a bird. Your bird shows up on the bird pages with your name as a mouse over, and in return you switch to a cheaper and more effective bulb. Rosemary from Bird and Moon draws the birds, and they’re beautiful. Anyway, it’s a fun demonstration that every little bit counts.” as said by Joey.
  • In order to combat light pollution, city officials in Reykjavik, Iceland, “will turn off street lights on Thursday evening and people are also being encouraged to sit in their houses in the dark.” The clincher: “While the lights are out, an astronomer will describe the night sky over national radio.” via WorldChanging via +Z. (Speaking as someone who’s gone so far as to actually disabling street lights, I want to kiss whomever set this up.)