Mother
Earth has been hurtling around the Sun at about 18.4
miles per second or about 67,000 miles per hour for
about 4.5 Billion Years.
Mother
Earth does not care whether we turn our home planet into
a cesspool or blow ourselves into oblivion via internecine
conflict; She will keep on orbiting around the Sun and
rotating through space at 1,070 miles per hour at the
equator until Ol' Sol burns itself into a cinder. If you
do not believe it, ask the dinosaurs.... It is up to us
and our everyday personal decisions and choices to keep
our species alive here into the future. What follows are
links to help us make the right decisions.
DISCLAIMER: If you are not into
ecology, conservation, global-warming, doing the right
thing for Mother-Earth and your children's children,
then please do not read any further, it will put you in
a bad mood and you will send the FloridaGardener nasty
e-mails which he does not like to receive.
New Planet Energy, which wants to build a plant in
Vero Beach, is promoting one of the most exciting energy
ideas since cold fusion.
The California-based company says that it can turn
trash of all kinds - yard clippings, car parts,
discarded tires - into a type of gas, and then feed the
gas to a unique bacterium that excretes ethanol. This
method, company officials say, is faster and more
efficient than other processes that use heat and enzymes
to produce ethanol, the alternative fuel that has become
such an important part of most plans to wean America
from imported oil.
But cold fusion - creating an almost unlimited supply
of cheap, renewable energy through a nuclear reaction -
remains a dream nearly 20 years after scientists claimed
to have accomplished it. In contrast, NPE Florida, as
the local firm is known, might be on to something with
its magical little bacterium, known as clostridium
ljungdahlii.
In any case, it is a good sign that start-ups are
competing to find the best technologies to produce
ethanol from sources other than corn. Florida, with its
abundance of material that could be turned into ethanol,
is the perfect state to host that competition. In
particular, Florida offers material other than food
crops. It makes more sense to produce ethanol from
materials that otherwise literally would go to waste.
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, has secured
grants for companies in his district that will produce
ethanol from food farming byproducts.
New Planet Energy Vice President James Stewart told
the Post Editorial Board that from the time a
truck loaded with waste backs up to the facility until
the material is turned into ethanol takes only about two
hours, compared with up to 50 hours for other processes.
For each dry ton of "feedstock" material, the plant
produces 75 to 85 gallons of ethanol. George Philippidis,
an ethanol expert and associate director of Florida
International University's Applied Research Center, said
that NPE might be exaggerating claims about speed. "It's
really hard to believe the organism is going to do it so
quickly." But overall, he said, the technology "has a
lot of promise."
There also are problems. New Planet Energy took the
lead last month after Alico, a land management and
agribusiness company based in LaBelle, backed out of
plans to jump into the ethanol business. NPE Florida
does not yet have the $110 million necessary to build
its Vero Beach plant, but hopes to secure state and
federal grants that would have gone to Alico.
NPE Florida hopes to start construction by the end of
the year on a plant that initially would produce 7
million gallons a year but would increase, in phases, to
21 million gallons. Within five to seven years, the
plant would produce about 100''million gallons. If
successful, the plant would be the first of many in
Florida. So, is this cold fusion, or is this an energy
breakthrough? That's what NPE Florida hopes to determine
in Vero Beach. Hope for a breakthrough.
The Book that Launched the Green Revolution
is Back!
50
Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth,
the revolutionary 1990 bestseller, is back
in a completely revised, updated
edition...and it's just as innovative and
groundbreaking as the original.
This time, the authors
have teamed up with 50 of America's top
environmental groups, from The Natural
Resources Defense Council to the Rainforest
Action Network. Each group has chosen one
issue and provides "Steps for Success" that
will empower you and your family in the
fight to save the Earth.
It's easy to get
started. Just pick one! Here's just a
few:
Fight global
warming "one city at a time" with the
Sierra Club's Cool Cities Campaign.
go
Roll up your
sleeves and save endangered species with
Defenders of Wildlife.
go
Protect coral
reefs and create a marine reserve with
Seacology.
go
Get your
congregation excited about saving the
planet with Interfaith Power and Light.
go
Invite endangered
songbirds into your neighborhood with
the National Audubon Society.
go
Global warming
may generate weeds
A major
characteristic of
global warming is an increase in the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Rising carbon dioxide
levels have been shown to help vegetable and grain crops
grow more quickly, become more drought-resistant and
produce potentially higher yields. Rising carbon dioxide
is also having an impact on the growth of weeds. A
study by USDA's ARS plant physiologist Lewis Ziska
showed that weeds grown under warmer urban conditions
and more carbon dioxide grew 4 times taller than those
in a rural plot 40 miles outside city conditions. Common
ragweed plants exposed to higher levels of carbon
dioxide dramatically increased the amount of pollen
produced. Additional work by Ziska suggests that
increases in carbon dioxide may have led to bigger
poison ivy plants with a more virulent form of the oil
that causes people to break out.
Carbon dioxide makes plants grow? How much did the USDA
spend to figure that out? DOH!
Way before trees
appeared on Earth, animals and other land
plants were scattered among the land masses.
And way before land plants appeared, land
animals had evolved. How did it all happen,
and where did they all come from? They
evolved quietly millions of years after the
first plants emerged from their aquatic
origins. Encounter The Quiet Evolution of
Trees -
click here!
Furthermore, said Brother Joris, referencing the Bible,
"(I)f you can't have it, possibly you do not really need
it." [Wall Street Journal, 11-29-07]
MANGROVE FORESTS DYING
The FloridaGardener not
only enjoys puttering around the yard, but also fishing
on occasion, especially in the saltwater flats of
Florida's Treasure Coast. As a fisherman I know that
entire ecosystems thrive on and around the knotted roots
of mangrove trees. It is here where many Florida marine
species not only begin their lives but go for protection
and sustenance.
Mangroves are forested wetlands which are in decline
around the world. 20 percent or 3.6 million hectares
have disappeared between 1980 and 2005 according to the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mangroves
play an important role in protecting coral reefs against
siltation and shorelines from hurricanes and storm
damage, are a source of food and wood, and provide
habitat for animals.
According to a report by Wulf Killmann, director of
FAO's Forest Products and Industry Division, the rate of
mangrove loss is higher than the loss of any other types
of forests. Causes for mangrove forest destruction
include high population pressure, large-scale conversion
of mangrove areas for shrimp and fish farming,
agriculture, infrastructure and tourism, as well as
pollution and natural disasters.
Kudzu, the infamous
Georgia tree killer has now also been
found to cause
pollution by emitting volatile organic
compounds.
"As
kudzu grows, it pours out nitrogen
compounds, some of which can combine with
other chemicals to form ozone.
The nitrogen compounds
could be contributing to water pollution,
atmospheric warming — and Georgia’s high
ozone levels, [said
researchers from the University of
Virginia and the State University of New
York at Stony Brook who are studying the
invasive vine]."
Red
Palm Mite Raoiella indica Hirst
(Acari: Tenuipalpidae) found on Palm in Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida
A tiny Caribbean
pest
which infests, weakens and eventually kills
palm trees, banana
and plantain species, heliconias, gingers,
bird of paradise and screw pine has been
discovered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Most of Florida’s
wetlands have been drained and converted into croplands
in the past 100 years. According to computer
simulations, this large-scale transformation modified
the regional climate in unexpected ways. In the
present-day landscape, Florida days are warmer in
summer, nights are colder in winter, and inland rainfall
has decreased. --
NASA Earth Observatory
MYFLORIDACLIMATE.COM -- A commitment
to protecting Florida's air, water and natural resources
against the damages of greenhouse gas emissions
"I am persuaded
that global climate change is one of the most important
issues that we will face this century. With almost 1,200
miles of coastline and the majority of our citizens
living near that coastline, Florida is more vulnerable
to rising ocean levels and violent weather patterns than
any other state…I will bring together the brightest
minds to begin working on a plan for Florida to explore
groundbreaking technologies and strategies that will
place our state at the forefront of a growing world-wide
movement to reduce greenhouse gases. Florida will
provide not only the policy and technological advances,
but the moral leadership, to allow us to overcome this
monumental challenge."
-- Florida Governor
Charlie Crist
TREEHUGGER
-- TreeHugger
is a fast-growing web magazine, dedicated to
everything that has a modern aesthetic yet is
environmentally responsible. Our goal is to make
sustainability mainstream and to be the one-stop
for the environment. If you want doom &
gloom, this is not the place.
Swedish Snus - 10% Discount
-- more effective than gum or patches to quick smoking.
Try them, very flavorful Snus brands.
Why is this
man so happy?
RPB retiree
George Kinney hasn't spent a dime on gas in six
months
By
Mark
Schwed, Palm
Beach Post Staff Writer, Monday, February 19,
2007
President George
Bush says Americans are addicted to oil.
George Kinney has
a cure.
For the last six
months, the 65-year-old Royal Palm Beach retiree
hasn't spent a nickel for fuel. He drives right
by gas stations, with a big fat smirk on his
face.
Best of all, he's
getting 32 miles per gallon.
How does he do
it?
By transforming
his $1,900 1984 Mercedes 300D into a
greasemobile. Instead of diesel, Kinney's Benz
runs on used vegetable oil, which he gets free
of charge from a pizza joint and a diner.
"I'm proud
as the devil of it," says Kinney. "Why
more people aren't doing this, I don't
know."
French fry nation
The idea of
running diesel engines on vegetable oil is
hardly a revelation. The first known use was at
the 1900 World's Fair when pure peanut oil
powered an engine built by the Otto company. But
with petroleum so cheap and plentiful, who
needed peanut oil?
Even after the
energy crisis of the 1970s, when cars lined up
for miles to get a few dollars' worth of gas,
the development of alternative sources of fuel
moved along at a drip.
But now, with oil
prices roller-coastering to record highs,
oil-rich regimes fueling terrorism and
threatening national security, and worries about
global warming, alternative sources of energy
are in vogue. Singer Willie
Nelson has converted his tour bus to run on
soy-based diesel.
But French fries?
Why not, says
Charles Anderson. On September 10, 2001, he
opened Golden
Fuel Systems in Springfield, Mo. Since then,
he's sold 4,500 conversion kits — including
one to Kinney — that transform diesel engines
into vegetable oil-burning machines.
When you think
about it, vegetable oil is an untapped natural
resource, especially when you consider how many
French fries and other fried foods Americans
consume.
The result of all
that frying is waste oil. Many restaurants must
pay a fee to have it hauled away, and
frequently, it winds up in landfills.
But what if it
could be saved and used to run cars?
The process of
converting dirty waste oil to clean oil is
simple. Kinney picks up used oil from the pizza
joint and diner and stores it in a 55-gallon
plastic barrel in his garage. He uses a regular
kitchen colander to remove the big bits of food,
then sticks an electric heater prong into the
barrel to make it more viscous. He pours the
heated oil through a small sock filter and a
5-micron filter into another 55-gallon barrel.
He transfers the clean oil to standard plastic
gasoline containers, which he uses to fill his
tank.
"It takes me
15 minutes on a Saturday to filter it," he
says. "It's cleaner than diesel fuel."
WORLD
SCIENTISTS CONFIRM HUMANS CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING
The Eiffel Tower switched off its 20,000
flashing light bulbs in a five-minute blackout
to call attention to the release of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report. This
historic report presented unequivocal
conclusions by more than 2,000 scientists in 150
countries who spent 6 years culling the latest
research.
As Dr. Dan Lashof,
at NRDC's Climate Center, stated: "This new
IPCC report makes it clear that global warming
is here now, and we must take swift and
effective action to stave off the most severe
consequences."
GLOBALWARMING101.COM:
NO MORE ARCTIC?
There's no better place to witness the
disruption of ecosystems and cultures by global
warming than the Arctic. This February 14th, Will
Steger and his team of Inuit hunters,
explorers and educators, will embark on a
1200-mile, four-month-long expedition across the
Canadian Arctic's Baffin Island to get a
first-hand look at how global warming is
impacting the landscape, wildlife, and human
communities.
You can follow
Will Steger's Global Warming 101 Expedition at http://www.globalwarming101.com/
to learn what is happening to the region.
BRITISH
TO SHOW 'AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH' IN SCHOOLS
As part of a year-long environmental education
campaign to combat global warming, Al Gore's
documentary will be sent to every secondary
school in England, over 3,385 schools.
As Education
Secretary Alan Johnson explained, "Children
are the key to changing society's long-term
attitudes to the environment. Not only are they
passionate about saving the planet, but children
also have a big influence over their own
families' lifestyles and behavior."
2006
is 3rd warmest year on record
The average
annual temperature in the contiguous U.S. during 2006
was the 3rd warmest on record, according to the NOAA
Nat'l Climatic Data Center. Only 1998 and 1934 were
warmer. January, April and July were either the warmest
or second warmest on record. September and October were
cooler than average. For the contiguous U.S., 5 of the
first 7 months of the year were drier than average.
Widespread severe drought remains over much of the
southern Plains, northern High Plains and northern
Rockies, as well as parts of Arizona and Minnesota.
Worldwide, the global annual temperature for combined
land and ocean surfaces was the 6th warmest on record.
Canada experienced its warmest winter and warmest spring
since recordkeeping began in 1948.
Study:
Broad live oaks are dying off
Univ. of Fla.
researchers say live oaks (Quercus virginiana) in
both suburban and rural areas are losing the battle for
survival. This is due in part to the encroachment of
taller trees. "Broad-crowned live oaks thrive in
open savannas but are dying off as they are crowded and
overshadowed by the encroachment of taller trees,"
said Francis Putz, Univ. of Fla. botanist. "If we
allow other trees to grow up too close to the live oak,
the live oak will die. Our research clearly establishes
this fate in both rural and suburban landscapes."
The worst offenders: Laurel oak, sweet gum, black cherry
and magnolia. More than half of the live oaks in
Gainesville are in danger of being destroyed by
encroaching trees, a process that can take 10-30 years
and is most rapid in the suburbs where lawns are
fertilized, Putz said.
Prairie
Plants & Biofuels
Corn and soybeans, which
have long been in the spotlight as the main source of
cellulose or plant material in the production of
biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, may one day be
bumped to second tier status. A research team,
consisting of ecologists and economists at the
University of Minnesota has completed a 10-year study on
the use of prairie plants as a viable source for
biofuels. The results were published in the December 8,
2006 issue of Science.
Apparently the highly diverse prairie grass ecosystem
consisting of native species including goldenrod, Indian
grass, big blue stem and switchgrass provides nearly
250% more bioenergy than planting a single species does.
When compared to an acre of corn, the acre planted with
perennial prairie grasses yields just over 50% more
energy per acre according to David Tilman, a professor
of ecology at the University of Minnesota.
An added benefit is that prairie grasses act as carbon
sinks, effectively sequestering carbon dioxide in their
root systems, two-thirds of which are below ground.
Native prairie grasses also use less energy and
resources, e.g. no fertilizer or irrigation to grow
because they are a self-maintaining ecosystem unlike
corn or soybeans.
While most experts agree that the use of prairie grasses
will someday become a viable option for production of
ethanol, the technology has a ways to go. Some also feel
it's not fair to compare corn to prairie grasses because
due to technological constraints, only the ear of corn
is used in ethanol production. As technology improves
the corn stover or stalks and other parts of the corn
plant will also be able to be used to produce the
biofuels.
Heleigh Bostwick, Making
Gardens Greener @ Daily
Dirt
"Trees
and other plants have an effect on the microclimate
cooling the air, providing shade and increasing humidity
levels. They help stabilize the soil and have a positive
effect on people's mental health as well. So don't stop
planting trees, just plant them for the right
reasons."
Heleigh Bostwick, Making
Gardens Greener
Ag.
fuel could help energy problem
Penn State
opened its Biomass Energy Center this fall to study
"one of the most promising alternatives to fossil
fuels." Congress is considering a goal to derive
25% of total energy from biomass by 2025, said center
leader Tom Richard. The federal departments of energy
and agriculture estimate there are a billion tons of
biomass available in this country on a sustainable basis
to make energy, he said. "Penn State has strong
research programs on using thermal, chemical and
biological mechanisms to convert biomass to electricity,
transportation fuels, chemicals, stationary power and
heat," he said.
The National Ethanol Vehicle
Coalition has the most complete and up-to-date listing
of E85 refueling locations. You can find the listing at www.e85refueling.com.
El
Niño return to impact U.S. climate
Nat'l. Oceanic and Atmospheric
Admin. scientists reported that El
Niño conditions have developed in the Pacific and
are likely to continue into early 2007. El Niño refers
to the large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate phenomenon
linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures
across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.
Typical El Niño effects are likely to develop over N.
America this winter, including warmer temperatures over
western and central Canada and over the western and
northern U.S. Wetter conditions are likely over the U.S.
Gulf Coast and Florida, while drier conditions can be
expected in the Ohio Valley and the Pacific Northwest.
"We
either fear that human culture is falling apart,
or we can hold the Vision that we are awakening. Either way, our
expectation is a prayer that goes out as a force that tends to bring about the end we
envision. Each of us must consciously choose between these two
futures."
James
Redfield
• NEVs aka
“neighborhood electric vehicles”
(as well as all electric vehicles) are marvelously
energy-efficient: More than 90 percent of the energy
imparted to the motor is turned into useful work; more
than 85 percent of the energy used to charge the
batteries is stored effectively. In contrast, the
maximum theoretical efficiency of the typical gas engine
is about 30 percent; in diesel engines it is 35 percent.
This means that only a tiny fraction of that energy in a
gallon of gas actually ends up doing useful work — the
rest is wasted as heat.
Former
vice president Al Gore shares his concerns on
the pressing issue of global warming in this
documentary. A long-time environmental activist,
Gore first became aware of evidence on global
warming in the 1970s, and since leaving public
office he has become a passionate advocate for
large- and small-scale changes in our laws and
lifestyles that could help alleviate this
crisis. An Inconvenient Truth records a
multi-media presentation hosted by Gore in which
he discusses the scientific facts behind global
warming, explains how it has already begun to
affect our environment, talks about the
disastrous consequences if the world's
governments and citizens do not act, and shares
what each individual can do to help protect the
Earth for this and future generations. An
Inconvenient Truth was directed by Davis
Guggenheim, a veteran documentary filmmaker who
also has an extensive background in episodic
television. Mark Deming
In
Tallahassee, the virtue of power
Kathleen Parker
"...It sounds silly, but it's not. In the
current issue of Fast Company magazine, Charles Fishman
(author of The Wal-Mart Effect) writes about a tiny,
energy-saving miracle called the compact fluorescent
light bulb (CFL) (www.fastcompany.com/magazine/108/open--lightbulbs.html).
Improved, but not new, the CFL uses 75 percent to 80
percent less electricity than the classic incandescent
bulb and lasts for about five years. Fishman predicts
the CFL is about to change the world. Here's how: If all
110 million households in America replaced just one
60-watt bulb with a CFL, the energy saved would power a
city of 1.5 million people.
Or save enough to shut down two power plants -- or skip
building the next two.
What if Tallahassee handed out one free CFL to its
approximately 80,000 households? I called Fishman to
find out. He suggested giving 10 CFLs to each household
at a cost of about $1 million. (CFLs cost slightly less
than $3 each, but would sell for about $1 in such bulk,
he figures.)
Given that one 60-watt bulb replaced saves 65.7
kilowatt-hours per year -- and a typical U.S. household
uses 10,700 kilowatt-hours a year -- then Tallahassee
would save enough power to light 4,881 homes. That's an
energy savings of about 5 percent.
While 5 percent is a small savings in the grand scheme,
it's a pretty good return on $1 million. Plus, that
leaves plenty of saved money -- oh, about $399 million
-- to direct toward other alternatives and innovations
that don't involve producing more greenhouse gases or
polluting someone else's backyard.
Surely there's virtue -- and common sense -- in that."
Complete article at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-parker3006aug30,0,310719.column
Kathleen Parker can be reached at kparker@kparker.com
I'm
Jeremiah, and I'm not talking about God being mad at us...
"... I'm
talking about us killing the planet as a life-support
system with gasoline. What's going to happen is, very
soon, we're going to run out of petroleum, and
everything depends on petroleum. And there go the school
buses. There go the fire engines. The food trucks will
come to a halt. This is the end of the world. We've
become far too dependent on hydrocarbons, and it's going
to suddenly dry up. You talk about the gluttonous
Roaring Twenties. That was nothing. We're crazy, going
crazy, about petroleum. It's a drug like crack cocaine..."
National
Ethanol Vehicle Coalition
-- "NEVC promotes the use of 85 percent ethanol
as a renewable form of alternative transportation fuel
while enhancing agricultural profitability, advancing
environmental stewardship and promoting national energy
independence."
Did You Know?
"It
isn't surprising that while the interest of Americans on
many other issues tends to fluctuate, public interest in
our environment remains constantly high. Today, over
three-quarters of all adult Americans pay attention to a
company's environmental reputation before they buy its
products and services. Two-thirds of us recycle the
waste from our homes, schools, or offices; and 70% say
they would be willing to pay higher taxes to make our
air and water cleaner." Learn more at Ecology.com
Earth
to America -- "Blue Man Group was
honored to participate in Earth to America!, a two hour
comedy special celebrating life on Earth by taking aim
at one of our planet's most serious problems, global
warming. You can watch and share the video Blue Man
Group created for the event."
Red
Palm Mite Raoiella indica Hirst
(Acari: Tenuipalpidae) found on Palm in Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida
National
Ethanol Vehicle Coalition