Everyone is throwing away too much food—and it’s costing us the Earth’s water supply.
letslook4treasure:motherjones:
Remember the BP oil spill? The Corexit that BP used to “disperse” the oil can make it tougher for microbes to digest the oil. And, added bonus, it can get sucked up by human skin.
COREXIT was used even though EPA-approved alternatives showed to be far less toxic and, in some cases, nearly twice as effective. COREXIT 9527 was replaced by COREXIT 9500 after the former was deemed unacceptably toxic but only after extensive use. According to BP 1,800,000 gallons of COREXIT went into the Gulf of Mexico but the validity of those numbers is in question.
Propylene glycol, one of its ingredients, increases the body’s chemical absorption through the skin. Which is probably the cause of the effect that you see in the pictures.
The safety data sheets for Corexit also warn of possible kidney, nervous system, and intestinal problems. Here you can find the Medical Safety Data Sheets for both versions.
This dirty mess is far from being over.
(via discoverynews)
Source: Mother Jones
NASA recently released imagery showing the deforestation of America …in just 34 years.
This is so viscerally upsetting to me, I can’t actually put words to it.
And it’s also so stupid, I mean - we wonder why weather is affecting us so much more badly. Trees help aid against erosion, flooding, act as wind breaks…they’re ESSENTIAL. I don’t care if you “believe” in global warming — the fact is, humans are destroying the balanced ecosystem of every place that they live and we are going to kill ourselves through overpopulation and stupidity.
(via full-of-video-tape)
Source: travelerschecks
I’ve lived in Australia and the U.S and I know from personal experience that the substantially lower standard of living in the U.S is something few Australians can truly understand. Things are not perfect in Australia economically – not with the astronomical housing prices – but we can’t say that the middle class has collapsed in the same way as in the U.S.
We do ourselves no favours when we uncritically mimic American models without changing them to suit local conditions. The cultural cringe is no more useful in activism than it is in other areas. The 99/1% slogan is powerful stuff indeed but doesn’t adequately address the income distribution of Australia as accurately in the United States. Activism must respond to local needs to be successful.
So it’s that bad news in the middle of that quote that I want to focus on. Climate change. Because that’s not incidental to the problem that Occupy addresses as a whole, a state of crisis that affects every sphere of human life, and Australia’s good fortune to have a crapload of natural resources disguises the fact that there is still a slowly exploding crisis in the heart of Australia.
Tiger Beatdown › Why do we need an Occupy Australia?
Just pulling a quote, but this is powerful stuff. Reblogging for my AUS friends, but I also think that it’s a very good summary of some of the things going on with the Occupy movement in general and some of the connections and causations of protest.
Source: tigerbeatdown.com
A BEAUTIFUL LIE: Orange Peels Could Be Made Into Biodegradable Plastic
Plastic waste makes for one of the worst forms of trash because it takes so long to degrade, thus overflowing our landfills and polluting our oceans and waterways. But what if we could make plastic from a recycled, natural, biodegradable source?
That’s the idea behind a novel new…
Take Action to Help Save Sea Otters: Sea Otter Awareness Week(Sept. 25th - Oct. 1st)
URGENT ACTION NEEDED:
Speak Up for Sea Otter Recovery Now!
In 1986, a “no-otter-management zone” was created off the California coast that has seriously jeopardized the recovery of California, or southern, sea otters. On August 26, 2011, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) published a proposed decision to finally end this disastrous program, but we need your help to make it happen!
There will be three public hearings: one on September 27th at Channel Islands National Park Auditorium, one on October 4th in Santa Barbara, and one on October 6th in Santa Cruz. Visit the FWS website for hearing dates, times, and locations.
Until October 24th, you can also send in written comments or post them online to support this decision. Refer to the proposed rule (PDF, page 2) for instructions on how to participate in the comment process. You can also download our sample letter template and list of relevant facts to help you write your message.
This is a tremendous opportunity for you to speak up for sea otters and bring this terrible program to an end once and for all! Please take a moment to send in your comments now.
Take Action for California Sea Otters
With fewer than 3,000 southern sea otters left in California’s coastal waters, these playful animals are some of the most imperiled marine mammals in the world. Major threats facing the southern sea otter (some of which have impacts on other sea otter populations worldwide) include:
- Disease: About 40 percent of sea otter deaths are disease related. Although some of the exact causes remain unknown, scientists are examining the effects of several things, including toxic pollutants, on sea otter deaths.
- Habitat Degradation: As with other wild species, the sea otter habitat is affected by a variety of contaminants. Researchers are also beginning to look at how climate change affects sea otter habitat, both in terms of the food abundance and the conditions of the habitat.
- Fishing Gear: In the past, sea otters have become entangled in certain types of fishing gear, such as set gill nets. There is still concern that sea otters may get trapped and drown in certain types of fish traps and crab or lobster pots.
- Food Scarcity: The same threats facing sea otters, such as disease, habitat degradation and potentially climate change, could be harming the marine species they depend on for survival.
- Offshore Oil Drilling: Because sea otters live so close to oil tanker traffic and potential oil drilling sites, they are highly vulnerable to potential oil spills. Oil causes sea otter fur to clump, leaving the animals exposed to frigid waters, hypothermia and even death.
Make Simple Lifestyle Changes
Small actions can make a big difference! Here are a few things you can do in your daily life to help protect sea otters.
- Buy sustainably harvested seafood: By supporting the sustainable fishing industry, the risk of sea otter food becoming overfished or “bycatch”—trapped in nets intended for other species—is significantly decreased.
- Be on the alert for potential contaminants: What we do on land is connected to the ocean, as harmful products are carried through waterways, poisoning the sea otter’s home. Here are some ways to avoid polluting their habitat.
- Support local, organic farms that use fewer pesticides
- Fertilize your own garden with nontoxic, biodegradable products
- Don’t pour harmful chemicals down sinks
- Promptly fix oil leaks in your car and dispose of the old oil
- Reduce your carbon footprint: Using compact fluorescent light bulbs and unplugging appliances when not in use can help slow down climate change. Get more helpful tips. »
Adopt a Sea Otter
Your adoption donation will help Defenders:
- Educate the public about the importance of sea otters to a healthy marine ecosystem
- Work with state agencies, local communities, conservationists, the fishing industry and other stakeholders to develop solutions that work for everyone
- Fight on the ground, in the courts and in Washington, D.C. to promote clean energy policies that reduce the potential for more deadly oil spills
Thank you to Echelon memeber mermaidmelo for the submission.
Daryl Hannah arrested for protesting proposed Canadian oilsands pipeline
Actress Daryl Hannah, famous for her movie roles in Splash and Wall Street, was among dozens of anti-oilsands activists arrested Tuesday at the White House in ongoing “sit in” protests against TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
“Stop the Keystone pipeline,” Hannah shouted as she was being handcuffed by SWAT team officers. “No to the Keystone pipeline.” (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)Way to go, Elle Driver!
BTW, if you want to know more about this whole mess, from A to Z, check out Kate Sheppard’s explainer:
Source: nationalpost
snorting julian's hair cocaine: rittycity11: ryangenitals: i don’t get why people hate kindles they...
i don’t get why people hate kindles
- they help the environment
- it’s the same damn thing as reading a book
- saves you a ton of money in the long run
- you can carry them with you everywhere easily
i just don’t get it
hating kindles is like hating texting…
Every time I play an MP3 I don’t get nostalgic for cassettes.
I’m going to get a e-book reader! I can’t wait for it, actually. Also, I’m going to continue to buy books. E-book reader is just another way for me to get my text fix. It’s like how I’ve got an mp3 player, and I’ll still buy CDs.
I fucking love books, but the creepy pretentious hipster bullshit that comes when people talk about e-books vs paper books makes me a little ill. IT’S ALL DELICIOUS WORDS WORDS FOR MY BRAINS AND IF YOU DON’T GET THAT, THEN I DOUBT A) YOU ACTUALLY LOVE READING AND B) YOUR COMMITMENT TO SPARKLE MOTION
I LOVE books, I love turning pages, I love things like House of Leaves and Choose Your Own Adventure books that could never really be recreated (at least not accurately) on an e-reader - that physical flipping of pages and turning things around and seeking out footnotes -
BUT, this is true. Well… in ways. Clearly, we aren’t cutting down trees as much with an e-book. However, it shouldn’t be ignored that it’s not damage-free. One hopes that the manufacture of thousands of these products is also not destroying the environment, but, well - I’m cynical about the fact that these come from factories that need water and oil and supplies and workers to exploit. They themselves also don’t last forever: you may find books from hundreds of years ago to be treasured; you can recycle them into new things, you can upcycle them into paper and turn them into zines — but you will not find a functioning touchscreen a decade old, and moreover they become obsolete before a year is gone. They are plastic and metal and tiny little lightbulbs and batteries, they are made somewhere and they will be discarded - and we haven’t really investigated THAT effect in short or long term, except in terms of existing electronics (which aren’t the best sign, really). They are not a SOLUTION to environmental problems: they simply happen to be better in some ways.
Also, there’s the fact that they are a created need: as someone who works in electronics, manufacturers and corporations and retail TELLS us that new technology is useful and convenient and then we want it.
But in some ways, they’re right. I do think that they are efficient, save resources that we desperately need (home to animals, ozone reducing, flood and erosion preventing, etc - trees are great!) and moreover give opportunities for self-publishing and mass publishing and even for LITERACY to more people than ever, since an e-reader can be shared, passed around, and digital books are extremely inexpensive to self-produce and to buy and infintismally small to store in comparison to real ones. For families for whom buying books might be a serious luxury, one big Christmas present (to be fair, e-readers are expensive, but the number of poorer families I’ve known and seen spending on PS3s makes me think this idea is legit) might save a family hundreds of dollars and feet of space over its lifespan. A school system hurting for supplies and space could let their students share text or even picture books.
A library might be able to afford to stay open by reducing room and lost book costs and lending digital copies or letting people sit in the building and use them. If we are really ripping down libraries for room, or because we view reading as less important than personal computers, then converting old and rare as well as popular texts to e-book status is IMPERATIVE.
Do I wish that an e-reader would spontaneously emit the smell of ink when I was reading an old book? Sure. Am I sad every time I pass the empty Borders building? Yes, though that is largely attributable to internet shopping, not to lack of reading.
But to say e-readers are degrading to books is like me saying I don’t appreciate film because I use a DSLR, or vinyl because I listen to mp3s. While one may be a technology that some people, even most people, are choosing to use over another, it doesn’t make an equation.
Whoa, I had no idea I was going to write an essay on this. :|
(via mercy-misrule)
Source: ihatefaris
Owachomo Bridge at Night, Utah
Photograph by Jim Richardson
A starry night gleams above Owachomo Bridge in Utah’s Natural Bridges National Monument- named the first Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). “Here you see something forgotten,” says ranger Scott Ryan, “and reconnect with the sky.”
Oh wow. I want to go do this.
There are so many places and animals and cultures I want to see before civilization (mono-Western civilization in most places) encroaches much more, or our planet gets destroyed too much for them to look the way they should, and ironically, not being able to drive makes that difficult.
Barbie has a nasty deforestation habit - she is trashing rainforests in Indonesia, including areas that are home to some of the last tiger, orang-utans and elephants, just so she can wrap herself in pretty packaging.
Read more about here and Write to Mattel’s CEO!
Okay I saw this on my dash and it kind of bugged me, so I just scrolled past it. But the F Word had a guest blogger who put into words the feeling I got when I saw this sign:
The campaign, which has bus shelter posters and online video featuring Ken “dumping” Barbie for her “trashy” ways, glosses over the fact that Ken is also, of course, made out of plastic by Mattel, a company largely controlled by male executives, whose business is to sell their products (Ken included) to young people.
Were Greenpeace to roll out a complementary campaign featuring Action Man or GI Joe being court-martialled for his rampages through the rainforest (a storyline actually represented in military action comics based on the characters, whether in WWII-era Burma or Vietnam), it would be an even-handed address - as well as offering a serious point about the socialization of young men through military toys that implicitly condone violent action with devastating ecological consequences.
No such campaign exists, which leads to the conclusion that Greenpeace is looking specifically to shame female consumers, both parents and children. The coercive ‘shame’ of being dumped by Ken uses a narrative of male moral authority disciplining women for consuming to ornament themselves. While an advertisement that encourages everyone who sees it to recognise and take action about the connections between our consumer habits and environmental degradation by multinationals is welcome, Greenpeace’s use of Barbie-blaming tells a tired story of cherchez la femme, in which it’s venal appearance-obsessed, fallible woman who get us cast out of Paradise. Break up with Mattel, by all means, but don’t blame barbie.
Bolded for emphasis. Read the whole post here
This is actually a really good and valid point. We associate Barbie with frivolity, materialism, looks-obsessedness, blonde air-headedness. People are amused by Ken because of the longstanding joke that he’s kinda gay (also exploited in the video) but he’s also a boy doll and there’s no real association he holds for guys, or even as a role model to girls.
But he IS the same as Barbie: same plastic, same packaging; there’s no difference that should be being made. It’s just a jokey awareness campaign sure, but it sends a message.
(via sexstainability)
Source: sothisisanotherblog
