New Year’s Resolution: Make a Difference for the Environment

Laurie David, producer of Al Gore’s documentary about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” gives us some tips on how to go green. Not only is she a producer but is also the author of “Stop Global Warming: The Solution is You” and founder of the StopGlobalWarming.org Web site. All she wants is for everyone to do something. “The impact of small actions by millions of people will be huge,” she says. People are starting to realize that they have to do something because in the future we won’t to able to stand these high temperatures if they continue to rise.

Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”

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David tries to get her point across by comparing household products and harming the environment. For example, she explains that there is no reason why we should be cutting down virgin wood to make toilet paper. The green solution: “If every American household changed just one roll of paper made with virgin wood to one recyclable post-consumer roll, half a million trees would still be standing.”

Since we are in a new year and have a fresh start let’s try to help the environment in every way we can. Here are some tips in order for you to do your part for the environment:

• By using compact fluorescent bulbs we are saving 300 pounds of carbon dioxide and about $60 a year.
• Buy a reusable water bottle, instead of throwing plastic ones out.
• Take the plug out of your electric sockets. Mobile phones, BlackBerry devices, iPods, digital cameras and other electronics use energy, even if they are turned off, if the charger is still going.
• Don’t waste to much time in the shower.

Leonardo DiCaprio Driving his Hybrid

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• Buy a hybrid car. By doing so you’re not only saving money on gas but you also aren’t releasing pollutants into the air.
• If you’re waiting for someone turn off your vehicle. By turning off your engine your are cutting down fuel emissions and improving air quality.
• Buy food from local grocery stores. If it’s local less gas will be used to transport the food.
• Don’t use paper of plastic bags, but instead cloth bags. You aren’t creating more waste and you are using something that’s renewable.
• If it’s cold at home don’t go strait to the thermometer, put a sweater on.
• Use recycled paper. Your saving countless trees and five pounds of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

For more “green tips” visit David’s Web site, http://www.StopGlobalWarming.org.

Source:

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11924

Michael Taylor has created a new sport of finding and sizing up the tallest species on the planet, California’s ancient coast redwoods. In search of the tallest trees Taylor equips himself with three things: a laser range finder, a head for numbers, and an explorer’s zeal.

California’s Ancient Coast Redwoods

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In a span of eight weeks during the summer, he and Chris Atkins (a fellow amateur), searched the unexplored redwoods for the tallest trees. It is said that they have accomplished their goal in finding what it is to believe the three tallest trees in the world. All three of them are higher than 370 feet and are as old as 2,200 years. “The discoverers christened them Helios, after the Greek sun god; Hyperion, his father; and Icarus, the mythological youth whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun.”

They are credited with cataloguing more trees than anyone else that measure 350 feet and up. After years of measuring most of the loftiest redwoods all they have left is explore one more unexplored area and then they will be done will California’s ancient redwoods. They plan on completing this task next summer but doubt they will find another 379.1 foot tree. “Only 36 coast redwoods taller than 360 feet have been recorded. Atkins or Taylor had a hand in locating 28 of them. In the 370-feet-and-up category, there are only four. Atkins and Taylor found them all.”

For over 30 years, it was said that a 367.8 foot tree found by Paul Zahl in 1963 was the tallest known. It wasn’t until Taylor proved Zahl wrong that a list of tall trees began being compiled. Now anyone can challenge the discovery of the tallest tree. Over the year’s Zahl discovery has lost over nine feet. This might have been caused by weather, diseases, or visitors.

Tyler, who makes a living selling silver on eBay, used up alot of his time and money into this search. His parents were afraid that he was going to rank redwoods instead of make money. “I was always really fascinated with the extremes — the biggest elephant, the longest anaconda,” Tyler says. “Why? I don’t know.” Sometimes in life it doesn’t matter how much money you make, but instead feeling a sense of fulfillment after completing something you have always wanted to do. Tyler should be proud of discovering what he did and having the patience to do it. I give him props.

Sources:

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11974

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia

After reading Motrya’s blog on global warming and what kind of an effect it has on winter sports I decided to a little research of my own. I wanted to look up the negative effects that global warming has and found an article about polar bears. According to the Bush administration, polar bears need government protection because their habitats are melting due to global warming. I feel bad for the poor, helpless animals. How would you feel if your home was burning down right in front of your eyes and there was nothing you could do to save it?

Two Polar Bear Cubs in Their Habitat

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This realization has allowed the Bush administration to take a step in the right direction. Their willingness to acknowledge the growing problem of global warming and the need to take action has allowed for them to open their eyes up to new possibilities.

Global warming is making life really hard for the polar bears. The warming temperatures have caused them to lose their natural habitat and it’s making it harder for them to find food. Reduced food availability is causing some polar bears to starve to death and others to resort to cannibalism. Some even have drowned by being trapped on small islands of melting ice while attempting to swim for safety.

Arctic sea ice, polar bears’ natural habitat, is melting at a rapid rate. It is said by scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research that the region will be ice-free as early as the summer of 2040.

Arctic Sea Ice Melting

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has secured government protection for polar bears. “This is a victory for the polar bear, and all wildlife threatened by global warming,” said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “This is the beginning of a sea change in the way this country addresses global warming. There is still time to save polar bears but we must reduce global warming pollution immediately.” According to United States Representative Jay Inslee, “Sand in the hourglass is running out for polar bears, Congress needs to take bold steps to reduce global warming pollution before time runs out for this and other species.”

“The United States has failed to lead the world in tackling global warming. With under five percent of the world’s people, we generate more than 20 percent of the global warming pollution,” said Kert Davies, Greenpeace research director. “We must start cutting greenhouse gas emissions or the polar bear will be pushed to the brink of extinction within our lifetime.”

It’s kind of scary to think that polar bears might become extinct within our lifetime if we don’t do something about global warming fast. The Bush administration has taken many hits about them not reducing global warming and not allowing their climate scientist to speak out about the effects that global warming will have on us if we don’t correct the problem soon. Hopefully, the administration will realize that keeping secrets won’t solve the problem. If we don’t, who knows, we might be the next extinction.

Source:

http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/polar_bears.htm

When I was younger I would always ask my mom for 25 cents as we entered the grocery store. Why? I knew that there would be a vending machine where I could put my money in and get either a really pretty necklace or bracelet. Little did I know that this jewelry contains small amounts of lead. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted and plans on banning all children’s jewelry that contains more than .06 percent lead based on the jewelry’s weight. They don’t plan on recalling everything said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. They just want to get rid of those goods that can be harmful to the consumer. Those products that are subjected to recall must either refund the consumer for the product, provide a replacement or offer a repair.

Lead Jewelry

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A four-year-old Minneapolis died due to lead poisoning after swallowing part of a heart-shaped Reebok charm bracelet in February. This is the first such fatality linked to toy jewelry. This incident resulted in the biggest recall in CPSC’s history, 150 million pieces of children’s jewelry was recalled. About half of the 150 million pieces of toy jewelry actually contained lead, but because it was difficult to distinguish the lead jewelry from the non-lead jewelry, the industry decided to recall all of it, the commission said. Currently, the CPSCcan fine companies that continue to manufacture, sell or import jewelry that contains a large amount of lead.

These are some characteristics of jewelry from vending machines that may possibly contain lead:

• The rings are gold- or silver-colored with different designs and paint finishes and center stones in a variety of shapes.
• The necklaces have black cords, black ropes or gold- or silver-colored chains. They have pendants, crosses or various geometrical designs and may include fake gemstones.
• The bracelets include charm bracelets, bracelets with medallion links and bracelets with fake stones.

Jewelry that was Recalled for Lead Poisoning

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“We are very pleased to have the CPSC on board as a partner in solving this problem,” said Sierra Club press secretary Eric Antebi. Antebi also added that this problem wouldn’t have been resolved if it wasn’t for the assistance that the Environmental Protection Agency. The CPSC is currently working on this problem and hopefully that will be able to solve it before another innocent child dies from lead poisoning.

Sometimes my mother denied me of 25 cents at the grocery store, now I thank her for not falling into the temptation of breaking because she might have possibly saved me from getting lead poisoning. Even though, I really doubt that I would swallow a necklace or bracelet.

Sources:

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11935

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/consumer-protection/consumer-interest/child-safety-alert-lead-poisoning-from-metal-jewelry-306/overview/index.htm

Gerald Ford is remembered by most as being the 38^th President of the United States, the man who healed America’s wounds after the Vietnam War. What many don’t know is that he was he only American President who served as a park ranger in the National Park Service. When he was 23, Ford was working at the Yellowstone National Park as a seasonal park ranger and recalled his summer there as one of his best. One of his duties was to protect his fellow park rangers while they were feeding the bears. While working at the park Ford took up a second job at the Canyon Hotel and Lodge. There his job was to meet and greet VIPs. He told his supervisor that it was “undemocratic and un-American to give special attention to VIPs.” This kind of attitude was seen later from Ford during his presidency.

Ranger Gerald Ford at Yellowstone National Park

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Being a football player, Ford kept in shape while working as a park ranger by checking and listing the make, model, state and license number of 150 to 200 cars in two hours every morning. Once Ford became President he tightened the criteria for national parks and added 18 new areas to the National Park System. These 18 areas are:

• Boston National Historical Park, MA
• Big Cypress National Preserve, FL
• Big Thicket National Preserve, TX
• Clara Barton National Historic Site, MD
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, OR
• Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, ND
• Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, NY
• Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, AL
• Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, OH
• Canaveral National Seashore, FL
• Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, AK/WA
• Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA
• Ninety Six National Historic Site, SC
• Obed Wild and Scenic River, TN
• Congaree Swamp National Monument, SC
• Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, CA
• Monocacy National Battlefield, MD

Source: National Park Service

May President Ford rest in peace. President Ford faced hard choices and made the hard decisions regarding a time in our nation’s history. He improved our National Park System and we are thankful for what he has done. May God grant his family, and our nation, peace and strength through this time.

President Ford’s Tomb

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http://environment.about.com/od/activismvolunteering/a/ford_ranger.htm