On June 26, 2010 join Hands Across the Sands to protest off-shore oil drilling, at a beach near you!
USCG- Deepwater Horizon oil platform 2010
The Gulf Coast is just now heading into what will be months and years responding to the April BP drilling platform explosion and oil leak. At his point scientists are worried that the oil will spread at least as far as the Florida Keys, another important marine ecosystem area. Oil is about to wash up in Louisiana and is effecting New Orleans. (See New Orleans artist Michelle Levine's painting that seems to foretell this disaster, that she started last year. Bless the talented and grounded people of New Orleans!)
Interesting recent reports about climate change effects-
About an hour east of Washington, D.C., there's a forest where trees are suddenly growing much faster than ever before — some of them even twice as fast: Curiosity Rises With Trees' Strange Growth Spurt- NPR, 3-28-10. Just the fact that this researcher has seen a 12% rise in carbon dioxide in the 23 years he's taken measurements is amazing by itself. (Higher CO2 so faster tree growth?)
Greenland and Antarctica hold the world's largest reservoirs of fresh water, locked in their giant ice sheets. Global warming may cause large parts of these ices sheets to melt within centuries — changing the shape of coastlines around the world. Neat animated graphic of coastal area around the world & the effects of rising sea levels: Rising Temperatures, Disappearing Coastlines- NPR, 12-8- 2009
Green globs of mucilage form around the Mediterranean coasts in the summer. But the authors of a recently published study on mucilages found that outbreaks have risen nearly exponentially over the last two decades. And they are forming in the winter as well. Researchers suspect a connection between the proliferation of these goopy blobs and climate-driven sea surface warming: Watch out for the blob!- Yahoo Green, 10-22-09
Moringa oleifera (Forest & Kim Starr -http://www.hear.org/starr/)
The Moringa oleifera tree is native to India, and is cultivated widely throughout many countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. (It is not tolerant to frost- so would only grow in some climates.) Many parts of this tree are edible and highly nutritious. (It's called the 'drumstick' tree for it's edible immature green pods.) Organizations like Trees for Life advocate Moringa's use in human malnutrition and disease prevention, and for livestock fodder.
Urban life can seem awfully sterile with little greenery and/or abandoned lots. Often residents have no opportunity to connect with plants by actually growing them. (A must have experience for all children, in my opinion.) It looks like some city dwellers are tired of having just house plants or a few potted plants at windows; urban gardening, including edible foods farming, is becoming a movement. Here's a snapshot of what is happening. Continue reading →
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust? Not in the 'modern' burial. Since the introduction of embalming (say since the US Civil War) bodies are no longer reunited with the earth. (Having heard the report from a family member present at the relocation of a decades deceased relative- embalmed corpses do not naturally biodegrade. Sorry- it has to be said.)
Each year tons of resources are wasted in burials (hardwood or metal coffins, concrete vaults), and pollution released (formaldhyde from embalming, cremation air releases, and herbicide/pesticide maintenance of cemeteries ). The long-term and personal costs are staggering.
A while back a friend asked about alternatives to the modern wasteful and impersonal burial; luckily now there are choices. The Eco or Green burial movement aims to stop the waste and pollution caused by conventional burial methods, while also preserving nature areas. People from many differing faiths or perspectives are now turning to green burials. So if you want a tree planted to grow at your natural burial site- like me- you have options. Continue reading →
