Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published February 15, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo by eutrophication&hypoxia via Flickr Creative Commons We've been hearing about the intense flooding in Australia for weeks now , but a lesser known side effect is the impact those floods are having on the Great Barrier Reef. From the cyclone itself to all of the pollutants washed from shore out into the ocean is adding to the stresses ...
Read more...published February 12, 2011 and has No Comments
Image: SabbathManifesto.org One religious observance I can really connect with is the sabbath. A day of complete, unmitigated rest? Count. Me. In. That's the idea behind the Sabbath Manifesto : A creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world. Created by a group of not particularly religious Jewish artists in search of a modern way ...
Read more...published February 11, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo: Heat USA We're already well aware that the American Southwest, which is naturally hot and dry, is seriously strapped for water. And the situation is getting worse every day, with populations in California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico continuing an unimpeded growth trend that began decades ago. The fact there are too many people vying for limited resources ...
Read more...published February 11, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo Credit: John@lastocean.com Penguins/Killer Whales of the Ross Sea Kristina Gjerde is an expert on regulating the high seas. Or rather, as much an expert as anyone can be on a topic that is constantly questioned and changing. Regulating the open ocean is part of ensuring a sustained future for fisheries, whales, sea turtles, sharks, corals and countless other ...
Read more...published February 9, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo: Lin Pernille Photography / CC Some of the most revealing clues into the state of pollution since the the Industrial Revolution aren't only found within the words and sentences contained in centuries worth of scientific publications -- they're hiding in the very pages themselves, too. According to one chemist studying the history of pollution, testing the paper of ...
Read more...published February 4, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo by Ben Sutherland via Flickr Creative Commons The Amazon suffered a record-making drought in 2005, which was thought to be the worst in the 108 years since tracking rains and droughts began. However, researchers are now saying that the drought the region struggled through in 2010 was likely even worse. The impact of two major droughts within a ...
Read more...published February 4, 2011 and has No Comments
The December 2008 Tennessee coal ash spill. Photo Credit: Lyndsay Moseley, Sierra Club The words "hexavalent chromium" may not be ones you come across everyday, but they have made the news before. The deadly toxin first made headlines after Erin Brockovich sued Pacific Gas & Electric because of poisoned drinking water from hexavalent chromium . Now, new information from ...
Read more...published February 4, 2011 and has No Comments
Trees that were removed after being killed by mountain pine beetles; Photo by Forest Service - Northern Region via Flickr Creative Commons The mountain pine beetle infestations are spreading. As filmmaker Michael Pellegatti states , "To date millions of acres of forests and billions of trees are dead and there is no end in sight. Some estimates predict that ...
Read more...published February 1, 2011 and has No Comments
The battery pack of a Tesla Roadster electric car. Photo: Tesla Motors Turning Batteries Into Batteries In a gasoline car, the majority - on the order of 80-90% - of the environmental impact comes from usage (ie. burning fossil fuels). But with an electric car , most of the impact comes from manufacturing and disposal, especially if you charge ...
Read more...published January 29, 2011 and has No Comments
Photo Credit: Average Jane , Flickr. Granola can be a good source of fiber, and granola can be used as another word for Treehugger. Then there's grano.la. Notice the dot. It's a software program developed by a Virginia Tech prof with a TV star name and a graduate student with a fantastic mustache. The program can reportedly increase the ...
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The GeoSpring hybrid electric water heater is not only super-efficient, it's being manufactured in America at a plant that has lay idle for decades. Here is the original: Super Efficient Water Heater is First New Product to Roll Off GE ...
The GeoSpring hybrid electric water heater is not only super-efficient, it's being manufactured in America at a plant that has lay idle for decades. Read more here: GE's New Hybrid Water Heater is Super Efficient—and Manufactured in America
