current events: june 3, 2010

deep underwater oil threatens reefs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/us/02coral.html?ref=earth

with the recent oil spill in the gulf of mexico, oil is just covering the surface of the water for miles upon miles. deep underwater, some 1300 feet to the ocean floor, coral reefs are being affected by the spill. not so much the surface spill as much as the breaking down and dissolving of the oil that is inflitrating the sensitive coral reef ecosystems. what the oil is doing when it would get to the reef is that it would coat the reef which would basically suffocate it. I feel that people need to get their acts together as far as environmental awareness goes, because this spill has been going on for way too long and it doesnt look like its going to stop anytime soon. bp needs to keep track of its projects or they should lose rights to drill.

current events: april 22, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/americas/11brazil.html?ref=earth

its good to see that people who are established in hollywood are able to be realistic and environmentally conscious. james cameron, the director of avatar, is doing just that when he decided to visit the amazon river valley to conference with the leaders of the local tribes. he said that when he was in the amazon, it was basically identical to what the basis of the movie was about. it was something that needed to be changed. brazil is planning to have a huge dam installed, which is why the tribes are upset, adn which is why cameron is also upset. i agree with the actions of james cameron here because being the man he is, it is easy to not care about things like this. but the fact that he is caring says alot about who he is as a being of this earth. everyone should live like this.

current events: april 15, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/science/earth/15whale.html?ref=science

The U.S has decided to make it there job to keep the seas safe in a different way. The U.S wants to spearhead a movement that will try to completely end whale hunting, also known as whaling. Countries such as Japan, Norway, and Iceland love whaling, which is just wrong. The agreement with the U.S and the three countries listed would let the countries continue to hunt the whales at a more controlled rate for the next ten years. Whaling to me is not anything like regular hunting. Whales are incredible animals, and no one really needs whale fat anymore, so there really is no reason to be killing them. I respect what the U.S is doing here because whales are innocent creatures, and they have an aurora to them.

current events: march 12, 2010

San Francisco giving gardeners toxic sludge

by the Associated Press

Published March 5, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/05/business/AP-US-Food-and-Farm-Sludge-Compost.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=wastewater&st=cse

San Francisco is a environmentally friendly city it is safe to say. they give way to pedestrians and bikers on the road ways, and recycle their food scraps. but there is a problem that san francisco is doing...it seems that they have a major amount of sewage in their compost piles. compost piles that are being used in places like schools and homes. san francisco needs to get up to date on their problem here because this is just unacceptable to a high degree. the toxic waste should not be in the fertilizers that they are using there, it should be in wastewater plants. san francisco is the 'greenest large city in the country' but yet they have such a huge problem such as this on their hands, it doesn't even make sense for this to happen.

current events: march 4, 2010

from california, chinese solar maker looks east.
by todd woody, published: march 3, 2010

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/from-california-chinese-solar-maker-looks-east/

a chinese solar company, yingli, has finally expanded its solar empire to the east coast of america, when they made a deal with new jersey. This isnt too significant for yingli becuase they have had major influence on the california market, and it was only a matter of time that they found their way to the east coast. i am very happy with these efforts to expand solar power because it is the most effiecient source right now. the sun isnt going anywhere anytime soon, so using the sun as a power source is the smartest thing we can do.

current events: february 25, 2010

More Satellites Will Act as Eyes for Troops

By thom shanker and eric schmitt Published: February 23, 2010

in connection to nuclear energy power plants and terrorism, the u.s. is in the process of adding a few more satellites as guides for our soldiers. these satellites will serve as enhanced quality of gps service to not only soldiers, but to people world wide such as golfers, drivers, sailors, as well as hikers. this is a good thing to happen, because there can now be surveillance in the skies just in case a bomb does come in toward us, or if something happens in the battle zone in afghanistan. in a way, this is similar to the 'star wars' project too, minus the fact that no missles will be shot down.

current events: february 18, 2010

U.S. Offers Solar Project a Crucial Loan Guarantee

by: todd woody published: february 22, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/business/energy-environment/23solar.html?ref=earth

the u.s. department of energy is going to offer a loan that would help supply funds for a solar-energy power plant. there are two sides to the equation here though, due to its location in a desert, the desert tortoise, as well as other rare plants will have their environment taken over. in this respect, the project is a bad cause because it is destroying the environment that is only 45 miles from Las Vegas. on the flip side, the energy supply is renewable because it is the sun. with this being said, solar energy is being utilized in a power plant instead of say a nuclear power plant. this is a step in the right direction as far as generating power goes.

current events: February 4, 2010

Gasoline Rises After Unexpected Supply Drop.

by the Associated Press
February 4, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/03/business/AP-Oil-Prices.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=oil&st=cse

Last week, there was a sudden drop in the amount of oil for the U.S. naturally this would cause concern, but it was corrected, and oil totals went back up. If this isn't a warning to realize that oil is running low, then i don't know what it. For the u.s. to lose that much oil in one week-there was a drop of 1.3 million barrels- then we need to think of ways to combat this now. people are always trying to get new energy methods invented, but in reality, it seems there is a feeble attempt at really doing this. gas prices are all over the place, and its ridiculous for the world to stand back and continue to drill. it is astounding how this is happening.

Current Events: January 21, 2010

New Rule Would Bar Illegal Fishing Vessels From Ports

by Colin Miner

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/new-rule-would-bar-illegal-fishing-vessels-from-ports/

January 19, 2010

There has been a law passed internationally that would ask for the decline of illegal fishing. There have been many boats recorded that have taken part in illegal fishing, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to crack down on the industry. There are fish in high demand that are being captured as a result from this and that is not fair to the fish, especially if they are endangered the integrity and the environment. i really like this law to be passed, becasue the environment gets a lot of heat for not reason because humans have to have everything. we should learn to share with the other inhabitants of this earth.

Current Events: January 14, 2010

China Tries a New Tack to Go Solar

by Keith Bradsher

Januray 8, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/business/energy-environment/09solar.html?ref=earth

China is already on the way to being one of the world leaders for using wind energy, nuclear energy, and photovoltaic energy. But now since the energy crisis is more relevant more than ever, China has decided to look into the solar energy field. The way this works is for mirrors to capture the rays of sunlight and convert them into energy, it is an alternative way to use electricity. The only problem that China has is that the most sunny place in the country is the desert within the interior of the country. And not many people live in the desert, which makes it difficult for the rays to be captured and converted. I like the path in which China is going, but they need to think of a way to get a hold of this energy. They need it now more than ever.

Current Events: January 7, 2010

Large Oil Spill Reported in China

By David Barboza
Published: January 3, 2010

SHANGHAI — A large oil spill in northwest China has heavily polluted a tributary of the Yellow River, and threatens to reach one of the country’s longest and most important sources of water.

There was a leak of a pipeline in China that contaminated the Yellow River on a large scale. The cause of the leak is unknown, but there have been actions taken to remove the contaminated materials in the area. I like what China is doing about this whole situation, because the officials are at least getting rid of the material that would cause harm for the people further down the river. The problem i do have with this whole thing is where are they putting the material that's contaminated? They obviously aren't putting it somewhere were it will disappear so it needs to be somewhere in the country. This doesn't sit right with me because other land will be infected with this, and the environment will pay the price too. China is doing the right thing, but they can improve on what they are doing. Maybe they can convert the contaminated stuff into other things to put less stress on the environment.