RealitySandwich - Eco

Our Evolving Solar System: Plasma, Polar Reversals, and 2012

Mark Heley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:23:11 -0800

The following article is excerpted from The Everything Guide to 2012, released in 2009 by F+W Media, Inc.

Glowing Shrooms

Kyle Davis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:03:51 -0800

Seven new “glow in the dark” species of mushrooms were discovered around the globe this October. Four of the species are completely new to the shroom family while the other three have adapted this new trend towards luminescence, making a total of 71 known species to emit light.

Future Ivy Outbreak

Stephen Hershey — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:39:17 -0800

From 1998 to 2004, scientists Lewis Ziska and Jackie Mohan experimented in a wild forest by emitting carbon dioxide onto plant life, matching the degree of expected CO2 levels in the year 2050.

While trees gained a relatively normal 20% increase in growth, they found poison ivy growing 150% more than other plant life.

Mobility-on-Demand

Zachary Koval — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:40:48 -0700

This summer, the second annual Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize was awarded to a group of seven students from the MIT Media Lab for their project ''Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility on Demand'. Their initiative involves a network of fold-able scooters, bicycles and cars made available throughout the city as rentals for urban citizens. These lightweight electric vehicles would help relieve traffic congestion and city pollution while saving energy and space.

International Day of Climate Action

Zachary Koval — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:25:57 -0700

Staging the world's largest grassroots "open-source" campaign, 350.org calls on the world to organize actions incorporating the number 350 in order to emphasize its importance to our survival.

Meet the Veggie Spider

Kyle Davis — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:56:20 -0700

Buzzing over the web this week is the discovery of the Bagheera kiplingi, a new member to the arachnid family being documented as the first vegetarian of his kind.

Evolver Spores: Thought for Food

Jonathan Phillips — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:05:00 -0700

Wed, Oct. 21

Anti-Pollutant Houseplants

Zachary Koval — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:19:22 -0700

Often touted as stress relievers, houseplants may be useful for more than just general atmospheric aesthetics by clearing harmful dust and chemical particles found in your work and living quarters. The New Ecologist names 10 houseplants to help clean up your air in a natural way.

Slow Money Alliance

Jennifer Palmer — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:07:33 -0700

The Friends of Slow Money Alliance want you to join thousands this week in seeding a new economy by contributing $5 or more to the Slow Money Alliance.

Return of the Living Bumblebee

Marisa Smith — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:32:22 -0700

The short-haired bumblebee has been extinct in the UK since 2000, making it one of two bumblebee species to have died out in the last 70 years. Many bee species have faced challenges surviving due to changes in natural habitat and the ravages of parasites and disease.

Grown in Detroit

Zachary Koval — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:05:14 -0700

The new award winning documentary Grown in Detroit, focuses on a program teaching teen parents the agricultural skills necessary to create urban gardens and farms. In a city where nature has reclaimed parts of the urban landscape, The Catherine Ferguson Academy helps teen mothers reclaim the land, allowing them to reap the economic and spiritual benefits of empowerment.

The film will debut on Detroit Public TV on September 22nd at 9PM.

Scientists Clone Earth's Oldest Living Organism

Kovvy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:34:23 -0700

Though the Lomatia Tasmanica was discovered by man less than a hundred years ago, carbon dating shows that the trees are more than 43,000 years old.

Inflatable Solar Power

Kovvy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:15:03 -0700

Don't want to do costly and time-consuming renovations to your house in order to reap the benefits of solar power? Soon, you might not have to! These inflatable solar panels will zip together to provide easy solar power to pretty much any building.

The Magic Eco Kingdom

Kovvy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:05:36 -0700

Global Inheritance has created the first theme park aimed at educating the public about sustainability, global warming, and other environmental issues. Located in "the heart of Hollywood, California," Environmentaland features permanent exhibits, such as painted recycling bins from the TRASHed: The Art of Recycling exhibit, power-generating bicycles and a seasaw, and solar and wind-powered golf carts.

Pine Ridge Permaculture

Alan Scheurman — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:56:32 -0700

According to the Republic of Lakotah, The Pine Ridge Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota is experiencing "inhumanely deplorable conditions." On the reservation, Lakota men have a life expectancy of less than 44 years, the lowest of any country in the world. The Lakota infant mortality rate is five times higher than the U.S. national average and the median income level is approximately $2,600 - $3,500 per year. According to the ROL, 97% of Lakota people live below the poverty line.

Green Dream

Nathan Clark — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:20:25 -0700

Natural Alternatives to Pesticides

Kovvy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:31:48 -0700

Many chemical pesticides on the market work only on adult bugs. That means that multiple applications of the chemicals will have to be used, since they wouldn't harm the immature pests or eggs. Also, insects have been building up resistances to the chemicals, so higher and higher concentrations have to be used to maintain effectiveness. Fortunately, there are many natural alternatives to chemical pesticides that can be used on large or small scales.

Who Revived the Electric Car?

Erin Shaw — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:40:50 -0700

This week in Indiana, President Obama announced the financial recipients of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Forty-eight advanced battery and electric drive projects were awarded various amounts from $2.5 million for the University of Michigan for education programs all the way to $299.2 million for Johnson Controls’ production of battery cells. The projects were chosen by the Department of Energy from three categories: manufacturers of batteries and components, manufacturers of electric drive components, and grants to purchase vehicles for test demonstrations.

It's No Trick: Cruelty in the Modern Age

Jill Ettinger — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:58:24 -0700

Through the course of mankind’s ascent to modernity, our relationship with the natural world has evolved into strange facsimiles of simpler times. With every generation seemingly further removed from nature, the ways in which we once connected with it routinely have morphed into inexplicably pornographic displays of epic proportion. Zoos and theme parks are stocked with token varietals of creatures in all shapes, colors, and sizes for our weekend excursions. Our respite from the nine-to-five is a veiled shadow of what used to live -- and perhaps still does -- in our own back yards.

Scorching Summer Predicted

Marisa Smith — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:09:08 -0700

Researchers at the Forest Service and Oregon State University are predicting an "unusual" concentration of forest fires in the Western US over the next six months.

Counting Sheep

Erin Shaw — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:38:50 -0700

Sheep on the remote Scottish Island of Hirta have been shrinking an average of 5% every year, not because of natural selection, scientists say, but because of global warming. Climate change has shortened the harsh winters on the island, which means that the smaller ewes that wouldn’t have survived previous years now stay in the gene pool and decrease the average size of the entire population.

Greening NYC

Remi Gurak — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:06:10 -0700

On July 26th from 12:00pm until 5:30pm join GreenWorks NYC at the New York Academy of Sciences Conference Center for an inaugural roundtable and the launch of their multi-year effort to create an upgrade in results-driven collaboration in the Green Economy of New York.

Whale Culture

Bridget Algiere — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:33:44 -0700

A recent study reveals how understanding cultural diversity amongst whales may help ensure their survival. The idea that whales could sustain a culture is a relatively recent hypothesis. It was not until the late 1960s that the recordings of humpback whale songs provided a glimpse into cetacean communication. However, over the last decade, two pods found off North America’s west coast were found to have different dialects and feeding habits.

Greening the Mother Road

Erin Shaw — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:07:48 -0700

The Route 66 Alliance recently endorsed the Green Roadway Project’s plans to install a system of roadside charging stations for electric vehicles.

Ant Colony Conquers Earth

Bill Machon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:30:06 -0700

An Argentine mega-colony of ants has spread from it's home continent of South America to Japan, Europe, and the US. It is the largest known colony of any insect known. Ants from the colony in Japan, when introduced to its relatives from Europe and California, rubbed antennae and behaved as old friends. It should be noted that the spread of the colony is the result of unintentional human interference and assistance.

SF's Recycling Revolution

Jessica Pherson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:55:22 -0700

The Board of Supervisors in San Francisco has recently voted for the most vigorous recycling laws in the United States. The new set of laws, which involves separating waste into three different colored receptacles, will take full effect in fall, 2009. Fines for the failure to have receptacles range from $100-500, although a cessation on fines lasting until July 2011 will be put in place for specific properties in an effort to assist people getting used to the new program.

Caribou Crash

Matt Toussaint — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:54:46 -0700

A recent study published in Global Change Biology reports an average of a 60 percent reduction in caribou populations worldwide. Investigators looked at 58 different herds from Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia, and found that at least 34 were in serious decline. While a few herds are increasing in size, some are taking much larger losses. For example, a herd in Labrador that was 50,000 strong in the mid 20th century has shrunk to less than 1,000 animals. There are many contributing fact

Open Source Farming

Nathan Clark — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:53:01 -0700

The Open Source Ecology movement is bringing individuals together through the Internet to develop tools that can create replicable "resilient communities." One of the main goals of this collaboration is to reduce the cost of building such communities to that of scrap metal and labor. Their online ebook, The Global Village Construction Set gives instructions on just how to do this.

Doing More With Less

Nathan Clark — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:08:27 -0700

From the insulated concrete foundations made from recycled waste wood to their creative use of rainwater harvesting, Seattle's Case Architects are re-examining materials and resource consumption with the completion of Columbia City Green. These single-family homes also feature green roofs made out of plants to help prevent runoff, solar pre-heating water systems, and radiant floor heating systems. Case believ

Bobbing for the Big Apple

Tollevin S Williams — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:03:09 -0700