Aceh Forest

EU Airline Emissions Restrictions

2012-01-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

Last August, the European Union (EU) voted to impose a law restricting carbon dioxide emissions from commercial airlines flying within, to and from Europe. The law went into effect on January 1 of this year and now, the United States government is trying to counteract the EU Airline Emission Restrictions, saying that the new laws are too costly for American air carriers to keep up with. The new EU law requires all air carriers on flights into and out of Europe to pay to offset their carbon emissions caused from transcontinental flights, adopting a carbon credit system that allows airlines to trade emissions produced for carbon credits to fund environmental action projects.

The law, titled the EU Emissions Trading Scheme Directive (ETS), was adopted in 2008 and establishes a cap on carbon emissions on European flights. Airlines whose flights exceed this cap are now required to buy more carbon credits – a market-based approach that the airline industry says it is not financially prepared to undertake, as the industry as a whole has declined in profits since the global economic recession began in 2008.

U.S. airlines, including the Air Transport Association of America and American Airlines, filed a lawsuit claiming that the regulations violate the Open Skies Agreement, decided in 2007 by the United States and the European Union. This agreement allows air carriers from both regions to operate flights between Europe and the U.S. and to set reasonable prices on transcontinental flights. The plaintiffs also argued that the laws are inconsistent with the Chicago Convention, an agreement decided in 1944 that grants countries sovereignty over their domestic airspace.

According to NASA, the global airline industry produces around 4 percent of the world’s carbon emissions total each year. Some experts say that carbon emissions produced at a higher altitude may have a higher negative impact on the atmosphere than emissions produced at sea level.

Some airlines have begun experimenting with alternative jet fuels, but others have not taken these steps toward environmentally friendly air travel. Some airlines also offer carbon offsetting programs, in which passengers can pay an additional fee to fund environmental projects to mitigate carbon emissions.

The global aviation industry has attempted to restrict emissions from flights since 1997, without much success. The EU law is the first major step toward setting consequences for carbon emissions, and under the new law, airlines will have to comply or face restrictions or a ban from flying to Europe. The EU’s environmental actions, including its strong participation at the COP17 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa this past December, have proved that it has firm intentions to instate policies against climate change – so it is unlikely that the EU will retract the ETS and allow other bodies, such as the U.S., an exemption.

Since the required payment for carbon credits would translate to an increase in airfare, the EU aims to hold all airlines to the same standard. Allowing some airlines to not participate in the carbon credit scheme would enable those airlines to offer lower ticket prices, creating an unfair market. In the meantime, while the U.S. attempts to negotiate with the EU, flights to Europe could be reduced or suspended. The new regulations have gathered international opposition from countries besides the U.S. as well.

The U.S. government is trying to fight the EU restrictions, arguing that the carbon offset fees are unfair and too expensive. However, these regulations are necessary in order for the airline industry to take responsibility for their emissions and eventually switch to cleaner fuels. Sign this petition on ForceChange.com to show your support for greener skies.

Garuda seeks to dodge EU carbon tax scheme

2012-01-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

[The Jakarta Post]. Garuda seeks to dodge EU carbon tax scheme. National airline Garuda Indonesia said that they were not willing to pay the European Union’s emission trading scheme (ETS), which charges airlines for greenhouse gases produced by their jets flying to and from the EU, a senior official said.

“We actually do not want to pay the ETS because the consequences would be that we would raise our ticket prices,” Garuda Indonesia finance director Elisa Lumbantoruan told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

It would be financially viable for Garuda, however, to pay such a tax next year, Elisa said.

In addition, the airline’s vice president for corporate communication Pujobroto said that Garuda had reported their emission budget for this year’s Jakarta–Amsterdam route, which connects in Dubai, to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment.

Pujobroto said the airline would receive the final evaluation from the Dutch ministry in December.

“If we emit more carbon than the level allowed, we would pay the tax,” he told the Post.

However, Elisa said that they were optimistic that Garuda would not exceed the carbon cap because their aircraft were environmentally friendly.

Besides, he continued, the EU would only count the carbon emitted on the Dubai to Amsterdam leg of the route, he added.

The EU’s new aircraft emissions scheme came into force on Jan. 1 and the EU said that it would not back down from the new tax despite mounting international pressure to do so.

Several nations, such as China, India and the United States have criticized the new tax.

The ETS is an extension of a 2003 EU carbon trading scheme that covers factories, power plants and other installations. The scheme, which sets a limit on the level of emissions allowed, is a key part of EU’s climate change policy aimed at reducing global warming emissions.

Under the scheme, the facilities that emit more carbon than their prescribed limit will have to buy permits to cover their emissions.

But, if their emissions are less than the allowed limit, they would be allowed to sell spare permits from their emission allowances.

In a separate interview, Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said the Indonesian government was against the carbon emission scheme.

Bambang said that Indonesia was not alone as Transportation Ministries in the Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) were on the same page about the new tax system.

“Our decision in the last ASEAN working group last year is that we are against the ETS,” he added.

According to Garuda Indonesia’s official website, the flight to Amsterdam takes off from Jakarta everyday at 8:40 p.m., arriving in Dubai at 2 a.m. The aircraft then departs again at 3:15 a.m., arriving at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at 8 a.m.

Elisa said that the ETS did not discourage the airline’s intention to add to its fast growing network over the next four years with new routes to Frankfurt, London, Paris and Rome.

“If the routes are profitable, we will open them,” Elisa said. (nfo)

Climate change skepticism seeps into science classrooms

2012-01-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

By Neela Banerjee, Washington Bureau

Los Angeles Times. Reporting from Washington—Climate change skepticism seeps into science classrooms. A flash point has emerged in American science education that echoes the battle over evolution, as scientists and educators report mounting resistance to the study of man-made climate change in middle and high schools.

Although scientific evidence increasingly shows that fossil fuel consumption has caused the climate to change rapidly, the issue has grown so politicized that skepticism of the broad scientific consensus has seeped into classrooms.

Texas and Louisiana have introduced education standards that require educators to teach climate change denial as a valid scientific position. South Dakota and Utah passed resolutions denying climate change. Tennessee and Oklahoma also have introduced legislation to give climate change skeptics a place in the classroom.

In May, a school board in Los Alamitos, Calif., passed a measure, later rescinded, identifying climate science as a controversial topic that required special instructional oversight.

"Any time we have a meeting of 100 teachers, if you ask whether they're running into pushback on teaching climate change, 50 will raise their hands," said Frank Niepold, climate education coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who meets with hundreds of teachers annually. "We ask questions about how sizable it is, and they tell us it is [sizable] and pretty persistent, from many places: your administration, parents, students, even your own family."

Against this backdrop, the National Center for Science Education, an Oakland-based watchdog group that supports the teaching of evolution through advocacy and educational materials, plans to announce on Monday that it will begin an initiative to monitor the teaching of climate science and evaluate the sources of resistance to it.

NCSE, a small, nonpartisan group of scientists, teachers, clergy and concerned individuals, rose to prominence in the last decade defending evolution in the curriculum.

The controversy around "climate change education is where evolution was 20 years ago," said Eugenie Scott, executive director of NCSE.

At that time, evolution — the long-tested scientific theory that varieties of life forms emerged through biological processes like natural selection and mutation — was patchily taught. Teaching standards have been developed since then, but it's unclear how widely evolution is taught, given teachers' fear of controversy.

Studies show that teachers often set aside evolution for fear of a backlash. Scott worries this could happen with climate science too.

"The question is self-censorship and intimidation. What you have to watch for is the 'hecklers' veto,' " she said. "If a teacher ignores a particular topic, it will likely go unnoticed."

Climate change skeptics like James Taylor, environmental policy fellow at the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, said the pushback in schools and legislatures reflected public frustration at being told "only one side of the global warming debate — the scientifically controversial theory that humans are creating a global warming crisis."

"It is therefore not surprising that state legislatures are stepping in to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not spent in a manner that turns an important and ongoing scientific debate into a propaganda assault on impressionable students," Taylor said.

Climatologists say man-made climate change is not scientifically controversial.

Instruction on climate change is typically introduced in middle school earth science classes and in recently popular high school environmental science courses, often electives.

In 2007, science teachers said their greatest challenge was making climate change fit in with their curriculum, according to a survey by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, a joint project of NOAA and the University of Colorado at Boulder. By 2011, the biggest concern wasn't the curriculum but the controversy, said Susan Buhr, director of the education outreach arm for the institute.

Resistance to the scientific consensus breaks down mostly along regional lines, Buhr said, with greater pushback in the South and in regions where "livelihoods have been built on extractive industries" of fossil fuels.

Attacks on evolution come largely from conservative Christians who believe in a literal reading of the biblical creation story. Climate change denial is mostly rooted in political ideology, with foes decrying it as liberal dogma, teachers say. The NCSE's Scott said that made it much harder to use the courts to protect climate science education.

New national science standards for grades K-12 are due in December. The standards — based on a framework by the National Academy of Sciences and developed by a partnership of private industry and state governments — are expected to include climate change. But some science educators predict that could heat up local and state resistance in some areas.

"You could see more states or localities challenging the topic," said Niepold, who is familiar with the NCSE initiative. "Given the polarized nature of how people take this issue, having a community organization that looks at the issue could be valuable."

Mount Rainier: Missing snowshoer found alive

2012-01-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A 66-year-old snowshoer missing for two nights in harsh conditions on Mount Rainier in Washington was found alive on Monday by members of a search party, a National Park Service official said.

Yong Chun Kim was leading a hiking club from Tacoma on a snowshoe outing near the 5,400-foot-high Paradise region of the mountain on Saturday afternoon when he slipped and fell down a steep incline, park spokeswoman Lee Taylor said.

Kim radioed his group to continue the hike, saying he would traverse the area where he fell, but rangers began the search about an hour after he failed to show up, Taylor said.

Kim, who has 10 years of experience as a snowshoer, was found alive by a team of three searchers midafternoon in a steep river valley called the Stevens Creek drainage.

He had no obvious injuries but was extremely cold, Taylor said, adding that he could have hypothermia.

"We have not yet gotten a detailed statement about how he stayed alive. Searchers right now are focused on keeping him warm and safe until he can be evacuated from the remote area where they found him," she said.

Kim was well-equipped for a day hike but not for overnight blizzard conditions, with icy winds whipping up to 50 miles per hour, temperatures at 10 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 30 inches of fresh snow falling in parts of the park on Saturday night.

The weather eased somewhat on Sunday, with calmer winds, "but we did get several inches of snow the second night," Taylor said.

Park rangers planned to haul Kim out overland, carrying him part of the way on a stretcher and transferring him to a motorized snow vehicle for the remainder of the trip.

Some 50 volunteer mountaineers and park rangers had joined the search, using snowshoes, skis and dogs.

Mount Rainier, which rises to a summit of 14,410 feet southeast of Seattle, is the tallest mountain in the Cascade range. The National Park Service describes Rainier's Paradise region as "the snowiest place on Earth," averaging more than 53 feet of snow per year.

The search for Kim was the second in Mount Rainier National Park in less than two weeks. A massive manhunt found the body of Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, drowned in a creek and frozen a day after he shot and killed park ranger Margaret Anderson on New Year's Day.

Another snowshoer went missing before the holidays in the same vicinity where Kim got lost and turned up dead, Taylor said.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

Select Edible Oils

2012-01-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

Edible oils turned weak with prices falling by Rs 20 per quintal on the wholesale oils and oilseeds market today, owing to slackness in demand at prevailing levels amid weakening global trend.

However, non-edible oils moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled around previous levels.

Marketmen said sluggish demand at prevailing higher levels and reports of a weakening global trend, mainly led to decline in edible oil prices.

Meanwhile, palm oil for the March-delivery contract declined 0.7 per cent to USD 1,015 a tonne on the Malaysia Derivatives Exchange.

In the national capital, soyabean refined mill delivery (Indore) and soyabean degum (Kandla) oils declined by Rs 20 each to Rs 7,230 and Rs 6,780, while crude palm oil (ex-kandla) traded lower by the same margin to Rs 6,730 per quintal, respectively.

Palmolein (rbd) and palmolein (kandla) oils traded lower by Rs 20 each to Rs 7,030 and Rs 6,680 per quintal.

The following were today's quotations per quintal: Oilseeds: Mustard Seed 2,550-2,680 and Groundnut Seed 2,125-2,875.

Vanaspati Ghee (15-litre tin) 1,030-1,090.

Edible oils: Groundnut Mill Delivery (Gujarat) 9,800, Groundnut Solvent Refined (per tin) 1,620-1,630, Mustard Expeller (Dadri) 7,800, Mustard Pakki Ghani (per tin) 1000-1,155, Mustard Kachi Ghani (per tin) 1,155-1,255, Sunflower 6,300, Sesame Mill Delivery 7,500, Soybean Refined Mill Delivery (Indore) 7,230, Soyabean Degum (Kandla) 6,780, Crude Palm Oil (Ex-Kandla) 6,730, Cottonseed Mill Delivery (Haryana) 6,650, Palmolein (RBD) Rs 7,030, Palmolein (Kandla) 6,680, Rice Bran (phy) 3,800 and Coconut(per tin) 1,560-1,600.

Non-edible oils: Linseed 4,700, Mahuwa 4,000, Castor 8,350-8,450, Neem 4,150-4,250, Rice Bran 3,280-3,380 and Palm Fatty 3,225-3,300.

Malaysia’s Palm Oil Stockpiles

2012-01-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

Palm oil production declines in Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest grower, outpaced the drop in exports in December, indicating inventories may have fallen for the third month in a row, Oil World said.

Exports of palm, the world’s most-used cooking oil, from Malaysia fell by about 3 percent while production dropped as much as 10 percent, the Hamburg-based researcher said today in a report. Palm oil futures gained 9.3 percent in the last quarter of 2011 on speculation that inventories would decline and unusually high volumes of rain may hurt yields in Malaysia.

Declining stockpiles “supported palm oil prices in recent weeks, coinciding with fears that excessive rainfall may magnify the seasonal decline of palm oil production in Malaysia in the near term,” Oil World said.

Malaysia exported 1.49 million metric tons of palm oil in December versus 1.66 million tons in November and 1.29 million tons in December 2010, Oil World said, citing cargo surveyor SGS. China was the leading destination last month, importing 337,000 tons, Oil World data show. The European Union imported 296,000 tons and Pakistan took in 167,000 tons, the researcher said.

Rainfall in November was about 15 percent above normal for the country, Oil World said. Perak, the fourth-biggest palm oil growing region in the country, received about 134 percent of normal precipitation in November, the researcher said.

mistakes in fishkeeping

2012-01-11T02:35:00.000-08:00

We take a look at some of the biggest mistakes made by fishkeepers – and not just newcomers to the hobby!

1. Lighting on for too long
In these days of ultra bright lighting you can actually have too much light, and have it on for too long. Your tank only needs light if you grow plants, or corals, and given the choice, your fish would much rather be in the shade.

For plants or corals 10 hours per day is fine, or with very bright lighting you can have an even shorter photo period. Anything over that, or if you just have fish, you will get algae. For a fish only tank just light the tank for viewing - ie when you are at home, sitting in front of it. Ambient room light is fine at all other times, or how about some small LED spotllghts strategically placed, instead of a blanket of light across the whole tank? Algae is the main cause of people leaving the hobby, so stay keen and don't give it an excuse to grow.

2. Washing your filter media under the tap
This is very common with brand new fishkeepers and is a classic schoolboy error. The filter media harbours beneficial bacteria (beneficial because they convert harmful fish waste into less toxic forms,) yet chlorine and chloramine are put into tapwater by water authorities to kill bacteria. So clean your filter media, but clean it in old tank water, and that mucky water makes great feed for your house and garden plants.

3. Underfeeding
You probably thought we'd say overfeeding didn't you – but we see many more underfed, rather than overfed fish on our travels. After speaking to many fish nutrition experts we reckon it is pretty difficult for a goldfish to overfeed itself to death for example, and that the resultant water quality issues from overfeeding and uneaten food are a much more likely cause.

So, feed your fish regularly on a good quality diet and it will be more healthy, better at fighting off disease, and much more likely to breed.

4. Lack of water changes
If there is one bit of advice that we feel more important than anything else in fishkeeping, it's to change the water. All owners of the best fish, and best aquariums and ponds in the world all change water very often, even when you or I would think there would be no need to.

Water changes dilute pollutants, but they also wash away hormones and pheromones emitted by our fish in their captive environments. Water changes buffer pH, contribute vital trace elements that deplete over time and help to fight algae. Whether you keep plants, corals, cichlids, Discus, goldfish or even trout, change the water.

5. Overstocking
When compared with nature, our aquariums and ponds aren't as big as they may seem. Small bodies of water only hold small populations of fish, and only with artificial filtration and aeration can we break the rules of nature and place more fish into a given space than it would naturally allow. The result is a much more colourful, busier, more enjoyable spectacle in our living rooms, but that can also lead to stunted growth, heightened aggression and disease.

Keep smaller fish in a given space, and fewer of them, species requirements allowing, and you will have fewer problems. Want more fish? You're not going to like this, but you'll need to get another tank.

6. Not quarantining

We practice what we preach here at PFK and it is amazing the good that quarantining newly purchased fish can do. Many ailments cannot be spotted with the naked eye, and even then few people are skilled with a microscope to identify and then treat disease. So in many respects we are all buying our fish blind, and placing a newly purchased fish into a tank with many other fish from many other sources.

Move over some mature filter media (place a Biofoam 45 sponge inside your external filter,) and when you purchase fish, fill the tank with mature tank water, move the sponge over and you have a mature tank. Place a newly purchased fish into the tank (only one species from one batch, from one source at a time,) leave for several weeks and monitor their health. If you lose the fish, they won't take down the fish in your main tank and getting compensation by way of a replacement fish will be a lot more straightforward as that shop's fish will not have mixed with others and hence, cross contaminated.

7. Not testing water before purchasing new fish
Whenever you want to buy a fish, you should first test the water of your tank to make sure that water quality is at its optimum. If you have a new tank, you should even test every day for a week before adding fish, just to make sure that there are no spikes. If you place a fish into a tank with failing water quality, you instantly have problems and it will mean stress for you and your new fish. Test water, if it is OK, add fish. If not, don't.

8. Impulse purchasing
We've all been guilty of this at one point or another. Fish shops are like sweet shops for us addicts, so every now again we spot a tasty looking stripy thing that we just must have.

The problem is that the stripy fish may grow huge, or eat everything, or have requirements that you just can't cater for. Ask an assistant about the fish, tell them what you already have in the tank, and better still take a book or google it on your smart phone.

9. Incorrect use of treatments
We're not fish vets, and neither are 99.99% of the people who keep fish. As mentioned above we cannot spot many ailments and diagnosis can be shaky at best, so if you're not sure, don't just reach for the medication as a matter of course. The more you use a medication, the less effective it will be, and every time you do use one it may knock out some filter bacteria, or weaken a fish.

Find someone who knows about disease, listen to their professional recommendations and dose accordingly. PFK has fish health experts on its panel, some companies have customer advice lines and onboard experts, so use them, and get it right first time. Arm yourself with water quality data, tank stats and a photo of the fish and they will be able to help much more thoroughly.

10. Lack of patience
Fishkeeping is a patient hobby. Plants take time to grow, fish take time to mature and develop adult coloration and finnage, and corals take even longer to grow. These things can't be rushed, and the worse patience related problem is stocking a tank too soon - quicker than the bacteria population can multiply enough to be able to cope.

The weekends are the rush times. You're off work for two days and want to cram everything into that time, including fully stocking a new tank, or putting six months worth of fish additions into six hours. For the sake of your fish, and your sanity, don't do this and as frustrating as it is to just wait, you will save money in medications, test kits and fuel as you frequent the aquatic shop to try and remedy your mistakes.

If you just have to buy something, buy a book or a magazine – or a plant. Don't buy a fish.

Endangered species

2012-01-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

Concerns are rising in Australia for a number of endangered species after a bulk carrier ship ran aground on Christmas Island, releasing oil and phosphate into the surrounding waters.

A stretch of beach 60m long has been affected by the spill and environmentalists are worried about the welfare of a number of animals including whale sharks, coral, 17 species of endemic land crab and at least two varieties of birds.

The 78m Panamanian-flagged 'MV Tycoon' was being loaded with phosphate fertiliser in Flying Fish Cove when it broke from its mooring on Sunday. The crew were safely evacuated but weather conditions were so bad that it soon broke in half and began to sink.

The Australian Maritime Safety Association has estimated that about 102 tonnes of intermediate fuel oil, 11,000 l. of lubricant oil, 32 tonnes of diesel oil and approximately 260 tonnes of phosphate were on board the vessel and that the majority of this will have been released into the sea.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Toby Stone said: "The bad news is that there could be no containment operation because of the very severe swell and weather conditions.

"But, there's a positive side to that; the bad weather has helped to break up and disperse a lot of the oil naturally."

However, Conservation Council of WA environmental science and policy coordinator Nic Dunlop who used to live on the island is concerned that January is a critical time in the biological cycles of many of the species there. Any land crabs returning to shore after spawning will face a coastline contaminated by oils and phosphate. Today has seen some red crabs start to come ashore which is a good sign but he is also worried that the whale sharks may suffer too:

"The whale sharks come to Christmas Island specifically to feed on the land crab larvae and they could be ingesting contaminates in the process of foraging. They are particularly at risk from this event."

A marine casualty coordinator and pollution expert has been brought in to assess the damage but currently everything is on hold until the weather improves. Meanwhile, islanders remain concerned that food supplies may not be able to reach the island and that their tourism may be affected. A number have already offered their help when the clean-up finally gets under way.

Carbon Trading Grows 19 per Cent

2012-01-11T01:14:00.000-08:00

The volume of carbon allowances traded globally grew by almost 20 per cent last year, according to new figures that also show that falling prices meant the value of the market grew by just four per cent.

Researchers Thomson Reuters Point Carbon reported yesterday that allowances covering eight gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (Gt CO2e) were traded on the global carbon markets in 2011, compared with 7Gt in 2010, an increase of 19 per cent.

However, the value of the market edged up just four per cent year-on-year to €96bn, primarily as a result of sluggish prices for carbon allowances.

Although the European market received a temporary boost on the back of Germany's decision to abandon nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, an "over-allocation" of credits saw a "meltdown of prices", the company said in an emailed statement.

Prices plunged to an all-time low of €6.30 in the EU's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) at the end of last year, prompting business leaders to call for action from legislators to help bolster the price of carbon.

The poor performance towards the end of the year meant that average prices for the world's largest carbon market during 2011 fell to €11.45/t in 2011, down from €13.09/t in 2010.

The pattern of carbon credit oversupply and low prices was echoed in the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) carbon offsetting schemes.

According to Thomson Reuters Point Carbon, a total of 320 million Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) and 91 million Emissions Reductions Units (ERUs) were issued last year, representing 39 per cent and 74 per cent of total issuance to date and leading to further over supply in the market.

On a more positive note, the analyst firm noted that the agreement brokered at the Durban climate change summit has ensured carbon markets will continue after the Kyoto Protocol expires this year.

Meanwhile, legislation was also passed last year to create new trading mechanisms in California and Australia, which should commence in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

Carina Heimdal, an editor at Point Carbon, said both schemes plan to use a significant amount of market intervention, through price floors and ceilings, in an attempt to avoid the over-allocations that have afflicted the European market.

"Last year was certainly patchy for carbon markets... [but] given the global downturn it could have been worse," she added. "Durban, widely predicted to be a failure, was a surprising success that injected some much-needed positive news into global carbon markets, even if the short-term impact on markets is limited."

Oregon’s Small Farmers Want Subsidies

2012-01-11T00:42:00.000-08:00

Four years ago, Florence Jessup spent a small fortune to start her Hillsboro farm, Artisan Organics: more than $70,000 from an inheritance and her retirement accounts.

Since then, Jessup, farming on rented land, has joined the Portland area’s burgeoning local food movement—selling at three farmers markets and through community-supported agriculture, the subscription-based buying system where consumers purchase shares of local crops.

If she hadn’t had the cash, Jessup says, she could never have got her 6-acre operation up and running.

“What does this mean for the future of food in the United States when the only people who can afford to grow it [on small farms] are already retired or trustafarians?” Jessup asks. “That’s a very limited population.”

In the Portland area, the popularity of farmers markets and local agriculture continues to grow, fueled by small-scale farms that emphasize sustainability.

But taxpayers may soon be asked to step up and help out this local food base.

Federal support for agriculture nationwide is nothing new, with multibillion-dollar annual subsidies for large growers of corn, soybeans, wheat, rice and cotton. The largest farms get the lion’s share of government payments.

The area’s small farming operations now say they want in as well.

Small farms are vital to the sustainable local food system that urban Oregonians celebrate every week by crowding into highly priced farmers markets.

The Oregon Farmers’ Markets Association estimates the number of farmers markets in the state has grown from 12 to 158 since 1987. For the first time, the Portland and Hollywood farmers markets will have winter markets. (The former is open Saturdays through February, the latter on the first and third Sundays of each month through April.)

But advocates say this trend is not financially sustainable without state help.

John Eveland says his family maxed out its credit cards and needed cash it received from an insurance settlement following an auto accident to keep Gathering Together Farm in Philomath 23 years ago. It took more than two decades—and hitting $750,000 in annual sales—before the family could qualify for credit from banks.

“There have to be better ways to help farmers access the capital they need,” says Jared Gardner of Oregon Banks Local.

The push for assistance to small-scale farming comes as state lawmakers draft legislation for next month’s session to create the Oregon Growth Board, an entity with the power to invest in businesses and projects without having to wait for the Legislature.

The plan is aimed at helping businesses in general, but advocates of small, family farmers want it to contain strong language supportive of that group.

Steve Hughes, state director of the Oregon Working Families Party, says his organization is eager to avoid legislation aimed at luring that “one big company” promising jobs with millions in tax giveaways.

There doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm at the state’s Department of Agriculture. Brent Searle, special assistant to the department’s director, says federal programs are already available.

The state has 38,500 farms—of those, about 7 percent produce 85 percent of Oregon’s agricultural output. The majority of the remaining farms are often those that sell produce at farmers markets, and most of them—often organic operations—have sales of less than $10,000 a year.

Other states do far more to help small-scale farming.

Two years ago, Massachusetts responded to the growing popularity of farmers markets and community-supported agriculture by providing up to $10,000 in matching grants for new farmers even if they don’t own the land.

Massachusetts also provides grants up to $100,000 for farmers who keep their land in production. Program director Craig Richov says the state assists 20 to 24 farms annually, and only a handful have failed since the program started 15 years ago.

“If you had banks working with businesses and providing loans, and 99.5 percent were successful, you would be a pretty good banker,” Richov says.

Chances of gaining any new subsidies this year for Oregon small-scale farming are slim, says Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem), who co-chairs the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

But Clem says that could change if small-scale farming advocates can mobilize. Last year, he sponsored House Bill 2336, which exempts small-scale farmers from food-inspection laws when selling their fruits, vegetables and other produce. So many constituents wrote in support, he says, that many lawmakers told him, “I’m not voting against that.” The bill passed.

The bottom line, advocates say, is that the state should subsidize small farms as the feds subsidize large ones.

“We have a long history of supporting agriculture because it’s our food,” Hughes says. If we simply leave agriculture to the whims of the free market, we’d probably be “eating rations of genetically modified corn chips from Monsanto” every day.

Conservation Grade Oats

2012-01-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

Committing 10 per cent of your land to environmental stewardship may appear a field margin too far. But a Suffolk farmer growing winter oats under the Conservation Grade protocol reckons wildlife and crop production have both benefited his farm.

Suffolk farmer Stephen Honeywood is in no doubt there has to be a balance between intensive crop production and wildlife-friendly habitats on UK farms.

He also believes while his farm lends itself to creating a patchwork of habitat that has seen bird and butterfly numbers soar, there are other farms where wildlife conservation is not so straightforward to achieve.

“Our farm layout and field boundaries have changed very little since the first detailed Ordnance Survey mapping took place in 1841, but if I were farming a 100 hectare block of land with large fields and was asked to take 10 per cent of land out of production, it would prove to be a greater challenge,” he says.

After Storm Destroys in Vermont Dairy Farms

2012-01-11T00:23:00.000-08:00

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene swept away some bales of hay Doug Turner grew to feed his dairy cows and ripped open others, contaminating them with muddy water. When the water receded, he had to mow down a third of his corn, which had turned brown and moldy.

In most years, Turner grows all the hay and corn his 45 cows need, but like a number of Vermont farmers, he's struggling to find feed this winter after the August storm damaged a third of his crops. The timing of the destruction couldn't be worse. Feed prices have risen nationwide amid a hay shortage caused by drought in the Southwest.

Turner, 56, got 63 bales of hay from Maine for $40 each, including delivery. But he needs 75 to 100 bales more, and he expects it to cost more. If he can get the hay, he'll likely pay about $6,000 for feed this year — an expense he doesn't usually have.

"I've located some more (bales), but I also have to locate more money," Turner said.

Vermont has a long dairy farming history, although it has been losing small family farms in recent years because of low milk prices and high feed and fuel costs.

While the Aug. 28 storm flooded only 6,000 of the state's 92,000 acres of feed corn, the water was concentrated in certain areas, hitting farmers there hard. In some cases, the water flattened their plants. In others, silt left by the flood contaminated corn and the dampness fostered mold.

Many farmers are now scrambling to find feed, buying from friends who were luckier or looking to neighbor states. In a different year, they might get feed from New York or Pennsylvania, but those states also were hit by Irene and then by Tropical Storm Lee. There's grain in the Midwest, by the farther it's shipped, the more it costs.

Vermont Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross said the feed shortage is adding to hardship already suffered in the storm that killed six and damaged more than 500 miles of roads, damaged or destroyed dozens of bridges and inundated several communities. Ross estimated in September that crop losses and damage to farms exceed $10 million. A final tally is still being determined.

"It's going to put them under strain," Ross said, referring to the farmers who need to find replacement feed. "I mean they're already under strain."

Most farmers will need feed until May or June, when cows can graze again. If they keep their cows in barns year-round, they'll need feed until next fall.

Even if farmers get all the feed they need, they aren't in the clear. The state has encouraged all of its 1,000 or so dairy farmers to test stored corn for micotoxins, which thrive in damp conditions. Micotoxins are molds that can make cows sick and one found in warmer climates is considered a carcinogen.

The University of Vermont Extension recently opened a testing lab to provide quick and free screening of feed.

"It's just that mold issue it's out there for many farms. Even if they didn't get inundated with Tropical Storm Irene it was wet," Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld said.

Vermont farmers say they have been receiving help. Those who have hay and corn are sharing with those who don't. Offers of feed have come in from Canada, Maine and New Hampshire.

David Ainsworth, 57, of South Royalton, typically grows all the corn and hay for his 50 cows, but this year, he lost most of his corn. He bought eight acres worth of corn at a cost of $50 to $55 per ton, but then he got hay free from a neighbor.

"I'm hoping we're all set," he said. "We'll see, having never been through it before and hope to never have to again in my life."

The Perley Farm in Royalton lost about 30 of its 35 cows in the storm, along with 200 hay bales that were washed down the river. It has spent $12,000 replacing the hay, getting a reasonable price from nearby farmers who didn't need it. In turn, the farm shared some of its corn, planted on a hill, with a nearby farmer who lost his corn and was willing to cut Perley's.

Penny Severance, 48, who manages the dairy farm with her husband and son, worries about planting next year because fields are still covered in silt.

"We've got muck that we're having hard time trying to strip off, we're having a hard time moving it," she said, adding that next year, "I think that's when you're going to find there's big concerns for a shortage of feed."

Earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra

2012-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Tectonic Summary (sources: USGS)

The January 10, 2012 earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, occurred as a result of strike-slip faulting within the oceanic lithosphere of the Indo-Australia plate, approximately 100 km to the southwest of the major subduction zone that defines the plate boundary between the Indo-Australia and Sunda plates offshore Sumatra. At the location of this earthquake, the Indo-Australia plate moves north-northeast with respect to the Sunda plate at a velocity of approximately 52 mm/yr.

While they are rare, large strike-slip earthquakes are not unprecedented in this region of the Indo-Australian plate. Since the massive M 9.1 earthquake that ruptured a 1300 km long segment of the Sumatran megathrust plate boundary in December of 2004, two Mw 6.2 strike-slip events have occurred within 50 km of the January 10 2012 event, on April 19 2006, and October 4 2007. These events seem to align with fabric of the sea floor in the diffuse boundary zone between the Indian and Australian plates.

Summary

Magnitude	7.3
Date-Time	Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 18:37:01 UTC Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:37:01 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	2.396°N, 93.175°E
Depth	29.1 km (18.1 miles)
Region	OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
Distances	423 km (262 miles) SW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia 537 km (333 miles) SW of Lhokseumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia 951 km (590 miles) W of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia 1789 km (1111 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 16.3 km (10.1 miles); depth +/- 8.1 km (5.0 miles)
Parameters	NST= 75, Nph= 75, Dmin=504.3 km, Rmss=1.49 sec, Gp= 68°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usc0007ir5

Powerful earthquake hits off coast of Indonesia

2012-01-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) – A powerful earthquake hit waters off western Indonesia early Wednesday, prompting officials to briefly issue a tsunami warning. Panicked residents poured into the streets, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.3-magnitude quake struck 260 miles (420 kilometers) off the coast of Aceh province just after midnight. It was centered 18 miles (30 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor.

People in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh— still deeply traumatized by the 2004 monster quake and tsunami — were rattled from their sleep. They fled their homes and waited outside as sirens blared from local mosques, some hopping in cars and motorcycles and heading for high ground.

"I'm afraid," said Fera, a resident, who skidded off on her motorbike with her two children and her mom.

In the town of Seumele, patients were evacuated from a a hospital.

Officials contacted by The Associated Press in several coastal cities, however, had not received any reports about serious injures or damage.

Nearly two hours after the quake struck, the local geological agency lifted it's tsunami warning.

Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A giant quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, half of them in Aceh.

Ligneous flora diversity of a submountain forest

2012-01-10T00:41:00.000-08:00

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Ligneous flora diversity of a submountain forest of West Cameroon: The Kouoghap sacral forest of the village Batoufam

Emmanuel NOUMI

Laboratory of plant Biology, Higher Teachers’ Training College of the University of Yaoundé I, P. O. Box 47 Yaoundé, Cameroun. E-mail: noumikap@yahoo.fr .

Accepted 21 September, 2011

Abstract

Batoufam is a village of the high lands of the West of Cameroon, situated about 20 km to the South of Bafoussam (5°14' to 5°18' N latitude and 10°20' to 10°31' E longitude), inside the Batoufam-Bayangam caldeira of the volcanic massif of Bangou. The sacred forest Kouoghap (SF) is located on the south-eastern side of this caldeira at 1,450 to 1,550 m elevation. It is estimated today at 47 ha. The 2.5 ha sampling (10 plots of 25 x 100 m) includes all the trees of a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10 cm or more. 3,173 trees and lianas belonging to 95 species and 31 families, with a total basal area of 90.37 m²/ha, were recorded. Most of the trees were between 10 to 20 m high, with a diameter of 10 to 20 cm. Some of them reach 25 to 30 m in height and 120 cm in diameter. The 6 most important families in terms of diversity, density and dominance are Meliaceae, Leguminosae, Moraceae, Sapotaceae, Rubiaceae and Bignoniaceae. Together they account for 57.31% of the total family importance values (FIV). In this forest, a few of the common species dominate: 11.57% of all species account for 52.34% of the total importance value index (IVI). Only 9.4% of species are represented by one individual. The species with higher IVI are: Syncepalum cerasiferum, Tricalysia macrophylla, Trilepisium madagascariense, Markhamia tomentosa, Funtumia africana, Vitex grandifolia, Lovoa trichilioides, Polyscias fulva, Dracaena arborea, Trichilia rubescens and Carapa grandiflora. The forest appears typical of Guinean lowland rainforest in general on one hand, and the altitude forests on the other hand. In this last option, it is worth noting that 4.2% of species are orophytes that occur widely in the austral and pantropical area, and 1.05% in the austral and subantartic area. These results permit SF Kouoghap to be placed in the archipelago Afro-Cameroonian highlander, according to the phytogeographic classification of White. The specific richness of the studied forest is lower than those of the equatorial rainforests.

Key words: Plant diversity, submountain forest, Batoufam, Highlands, West Cameroon.

Development tasks supporting scale for fathers

2012-01-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

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Development tasks supporting scale for fathers

Perihan Ünüvar¹* and Hülya Şahin²

¹Department of Preschool Education, Faculty of Education, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey.

²Department of Counseling and Guidance, Faculty of Education, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: perihanunuvar@mehmetakif.edu.tr , perihanunuvar@mynet.com Tel: +9.0505.832.30.87.

Accepted 2 July, 2011

Abstract

In present study, “development tasks supporting scale” (DTSS) for fathers has been developed. Study group consists of 205 fathers with children between ages 3-6 attending pre-school education institutions. Validity and reliability tests have been conducted on the 36-item trial form of the scale. For the validity test, expert views, explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, bottom and top 27% group discrimination and item total correlation coefficients have been calculated. At the end of explanatory factor analysis, a structure with 17 items and five dimensions has been obtained. Five dimensions explain 64.46% of the total variance. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), it has been determined that compatibility statistics of scale are [RMSEA (0.03), RMR (0.07) and SRMR (0.05), GFI (0.93), AGFI (0.89), NNFI (0.98), CFI (0.98)] near perfection. Cronbach alpha value of the reliability of scale has been calculated as 0.84 and re-tests reliability as 0.86.

Key words: Fatherhood, development task, children, scale, 3-6 ages.

The effect of waste polypropylene fibre inclusion

2012-01-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

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The effect of waste polypropylene fibre inclusion on the mechanical behaviour of sand generated from the aggregate industry

Choura .M ^1,2*, Khelif .N ², Mnif .T ² and Menaa .L³

¹National School of Engineers (ENIS), University of Sfax, Tunisia.

²Research Unit, Environmental Geotechniques and Civil Materials, ENIS, Sfax, Tunisia.

³University of Medea, Algeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: chouramed@gmail.com.

Accepted 8 November, 2011

Abstract

During the last decades, the rising demand for land reclamation and the utilization of soft or unstable soils led to a great advance in the ground amelioration techniques as a major part of civil engineering around the world. Within this framework, this paper presents the results of an experimental program based mainly on direct shear tests on sand generated from aggregate industry, with and without waste polypropylene (PP) fibre reinforcement, in order to assess the effect of randomly distributed PP fibre on the stress displacement behaviour and shearing strength of this type of sand. The effects of the variation of PP fibre content (limited to 1.5% of the weight of sand) and length (0.5, 1 and 1.5 cm) are investigated. The obtained test results indicate that PP fibre reinforcement increases the maximum shear constraint and changes the sands brittle mechanical behaviour into a more ductile one. These results pave the way to an effective valorisation of such a traditionally useless kind of sand.

Key words: Polypropylene fibres, fibre-reinforced sand, shearing strength, mechanical behaviour.

Mathematical modeling on tomato plants: A review

2012-01-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

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C. A. Medina-Ruíz, I. A. Mercado-Luna, G. M. Soto-Zarazúa and I. Torres-Pacheco and E. Rico-García*

Department of Biosystems, School of Engineering, Queretaro State University, C.U. Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro, México.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: ricog@uaq.mx or garciarico@yahoo.com.mx. Tel: (52) (442) 1921200 ext. 6016. Fax: (52) (442) 1921200. Ext: 6015.

Accepted 31October, 2011

Abstract

Mathematical models allow for predictions of behavior under specific handling and environmental conditions, and are particularly useful in expensive studies or in studies where long term effects may be difficult to monitor. In mathematical modeling there are two main types of models: descriptive models and mechanistic models; the first are relationships between response and predictor which are not ruled by biological processes; the latter takes into account the basic processes in plants by means of differential equations to account for the development of plants. This requires a deeper knowledge of the physiological development of plants. This work reviews mathematical modeling on tomato plant. The TOMGRO model is modular and has been widely studied and calibrated under several climatic conditions which demonstrates that it is a robust model. As a future research the TOMGRO model is proposed to be adapted to other crops.

Key words: Differential equations, descriptive models, mechanistic models.

Organic Philosophy

2012-01-09T03:07:00.000-08:00

In the 1990 Farm Bill, the Organic Foods Production Act invested the U.S. Department of Agriculture with the power to set up a National Organic Program that determines the standards that organic food producers must meet and enforces compliance with those regulations. Organic agriculture standards apply to plant- as well as animal-based farming.

Organic Philosophy

In 1995, the USDA's National Organic Standards Board defined organic agriculture as practices aimed at promoting the health of the whole ecosystem rather than a single crop or livestock animal within that system. Organic practices, according to the NOSB, should increase biodiversity, respect biological processes, improve soil quality and make minimal use of off-farm inputs, all with the ultimate goal of improving ecological health. These ideas guide organic agriculture regulations.

Fertilizers and Pesticides

With few exceptions, the National Organic Program forbids the use of synthetic products in fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, organic regulations require farmers to use soil fertility management practices that enhance soil health without harmful contaminants. Organic standards permit the use of plant- and animal-based fertilizers, including manures, ash and cover crops, as well as some minerals. The program encourages crop rotation. Sewage sludge and biosolids are not permitted. For pest control, regulations encourage prevention of problems through crop rotation and plant and soil health. To control pests, organic farmers may use beneficial insects and biological controls; non-synthetic lures, traps and repellents; mechanical removal; burning; and non-synthetic biological, botanical and mineral products.

Organic Seeds

Organic farmers must use organic seeds or plants unless no organic alternative exists, in which case they may use conventionally grown seeds and plants. Perennial crops labeled as organic, such as fruit trees or asparagus, must have been maintained using organic methods for at least one year.

Livestock Feed and Care

The feed given to organically raised livestock must also meet certification standards. Organic livestock feed cannot contain growth hormones, antibiotics, manure, slaughter byproducts or plastics. Feed supplements and additives are permitted only if needed to maintain the animal's health at that point in its life cycle. Cattle must be grazed throughout the entire grazing season, totaling at least 120 days. Livestock must also have outdoor access, space to move around and the ability to carry out natural behaviors. Brief confinement is permitted for inclement weather, care and breeding, illness, milking or shearing, shows and sales. The farm must manage all animals' manure in such a way that it poses no risk to the ecosystem.

Sustainable Palm Oil

2012-01-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

Major China-based producers and users of palm oil have committed support for sustainable palm oil, “an important boost for efforts to halt tropical deforestation,” WWF reported today.

The public statement, made at the 2nd International Oil and Fats Summit in Beijing on July 9, committed the companies to “support the promotion, procurement and use of sustainable palm oil in China,’”as well as “support the production of sustainable palm oil through any investments in producing countries.”

China is the world’s largest importer of palm oil, accounting for one third of all global trade.

“Increasing demand for palm oil, which is used in everything from soap to chocolate bars, is causing considerable damage to fragile rainforest environments, threatening endangered species like tigers, and contributing to global climate change,” WWF said.

Palm oil is the most produced vegetable oil in the world, with about 37 million tonnes produced per year around the world, according to WWF.

Although palm oil is a more sustainable source of vegetable oil than other crops such as soy and rapeseed (canola oil), there are concerns that growing global demand for palm oil for food and biofuel could lead to rapid and poorly managed expansion of oil palm production that could have serious environmental and social consequences.

Palm oil producers and buyers signing the statement of support for sustainable palm oil included Wilmar International, IOI Group, KLK Berhad, Kulim Malaysia Berhad, Asian Agri., Premier Foods and Unilever. Oxfam International, TransAsia Lawyers, and Solidaridad China have also signed the statement.

“Given the massive of volumes of palm oil now being purchased, any move China makes towards using sustainable palm oil will have a big influence on protecting tropical forest resources in South East Asia and other areas,” said WWF-China Country Representative Dermot O’Gorman.

WWF and Unilever helped set up the international Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004, with the aim of establishing global standards for sustainable palm oil production and promoting the use of products containing sustainable palm oil.

A credible standard that defines sustainable palm oil production has been developed and a system for certification and trade mechanisms in certified sustainable palm oil are in place. However, there have been concerns that consumers worldwide have been slow to support products that use certified palm oil.

WWF-China first introduced sustainable palm oil to Chinese companies in 2004, and continues to encourage the country’s buyers, producers, and traders to participate in RSPO, the Switzerland-based environmental organization said.

“Sustainable palm oil received a massive boost in November 2008 when Dr. Huo Jiangguo, President of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs and Native Produce, attended the RSPO annual conference in Indonesia and announced that China supported the drive for more sustainable palm oil products.”

“Industry in China acknowledges that sustainability is one of the key criteria of ensuring competence in the global market,” said Bian Zhenghu, vice president of the China Chamber of Commerce during his opening address to the forum. “The Roundtable encourages the entire industry chain to make a move towards sustainability, and also gives Chinese stakeholders a big opportunity to play a significant role achieving the aims of RSPO.”

Statement of Support: Promotion of Sustainable Palm Oil in China

This Statement of Support is a non-legally binding expression of support by the signatories on the promotion of sustainable palm oil in China.

Recognizing that

• China is the largest consumer of palm oil which is an important and versatile raw material for both food and non-food products, including biofuel

• It is important that palm oil is produced in a sustainable manner as defined by the Principles and Criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

• Certified sustainable palm oil is now available in commercial quantities The signatories of this Statement of Support commit themselves to

• Support the promotion, procurement and use of sustainable palm oil in China.

• Support the production of sustainable palm oil through any investments in producing countries that are consistent with the principles for sustainable palm oil production, national laws and China’s guidelines for sustainable agriculture.

Recycling Energy

2012-01-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

A primary aim of the recycling movement is to reduce the amount of household waste headed for landfills. Recycling also helps reuse and conserve valuable resources, reducing the need for fresh materials in creating consumer products. Using recycled materials can also lower energy costs for manufacturers, in some cases by a substantial amount compared to using raw materials.

Aluminum

One of the most efficient forms of recycling is aluminum recycling. Aluminum can be reused repeatedly and requires very little processing to make it available for reuse. Manufacturers simply melt down crushed aluminum stock and add it to freshly extracted aluminum without any degradation of quality in the finished product. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling an aluminum can requires less than 5 percent of the energy that would be expended in creating a similar can out of fresh bauxite ore. The Aluminum Association estimates that the energy saved in recycling a single aluminum can could power a television for 3 hours.

Plastic

Seven major types of plastic are found in consumer products, and recycling can extend the use of most of them. Recycling plastic requires only a tenth of the energy needed to create new plastic from raw materials, according to Mike Biddle, president of MBA Polymers.

Paper

Recycling paper not only saves energy but also saves trees, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. The EPA estimates that producing a recycled paper product requires only 60 percent of the energy required to create one from fresh wood pulp, and the Energy Administration Information reports that recycling a ton of paper can save 17 trees. Recycling paper also requires about half the water normally used in processing paper from virgin wood.

Glass

Glass recycling is less efficient than many other forms of recycling, due to the processing required to return glass to a usable, raw state. According to the EPA, recycling glass only saves about 30 percent of the energy cost of producing new glass, and the raw materials required are in abundant supply. Reusing glass bottles and jars, however, requires no energy whatsoever, so you can reduce energy costs by finding new uses for these containers instead of simply throwing them out. Once you throw glass out, 1 million years will pass before that glass breaks down at the landfill.

High Energy Use Appliances

2012-01-09T02:03:00.000-08:00

Purchase green energy appliances, also called energy-efficient appliances, to reduce your environmental impact and save money on utility costs. Whether you are replacing a broken appliance, upgrading to more efficient models or purchasing all new appliances for a recently built home, investing in green energy appliances is a responsible and practical choice. The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Star program simplifies the process of determining an appliance's energy efficiency.

High-Energy-Use Appliances

When possible, prioritize appliance upgrades based upon the appliances with the greatest impact. Heaters and air conditioners use more energy than any other home appliances, followed by water heaters, refrigerators and freezers, and washers and dryers. Though not technically an appliance, lights account for a significant portion of energy consumption. The categories of small electronic devices and home office and entertainment are also large consumers.

Energy Star

The Energy Star program is a government-backed ratings system that ensures certain efficiency standards. Created to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Energy Star appliances must contribute substantial nationwide energy savings. In addition, they must be comparable in overall features and performance to similar less-efficient models. If a product is more expensive than comparable models because of the added energy efficiency, consumers must be able to recoup their initial investment money within a reasonable time frame.

Rebates and Incentives

Many local, state and federal rebate and incentive programs exist to offset the initial cost of energy-efficient appliances. Check with your local water and energy utilities for programs available in your area. The most common appliances eligible for rebates include high-efficiency refrigerators, washing machines, lighting products and cooling systems.

Appliance Recycling

Proper disposal of old appliances is an important part of the process of energy-efficient upgrades. Many retailers take away old appliances when delivering new ones, with the cost being built into the purchase price. City municipalities offer 12,000 appliance recycling programs nationwide. Private companies collect and properly dispose of some home appliances. []

Marine Pollution

2012-01-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

The oceans are so vast and deep that until fairly recently, it was widely assumed that no matter how much trash and chemicals humans dumped into them, the effects would be negligible. Proponents of dumping in the oceans even had a catchphrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution."

Today, we need look no further than the New Jersey-size dead zone that forms each summer in the Mississippi River Delta, or the thousand-mile-wide swath of decomposing plastic in the northern Pacific Ocean to see that this "dilution" policy has helped place a once flourishing ocean ecosystem on the brink of collapse.

Pollution's Many Forms
There is evidence that the oceans have suffered at the hands of mankind for millennia, as far back as Roman times. But recent studies show that degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in the past three centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and coastal cities has increased.

Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a given ecosystem. Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean's depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the global food chain. Scientists are even discovering that pharmaceuticals ingested by humans but not fully processed by our bodies are eventually ending up in the fish we eat.

Many ocean pollutants are released into the environment far upstream from coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine life can exist. Scientists have counted some 400 such dead zones around the world.

Solid waste like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish and mammals. In certain regions, ocean currents corral trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic, swirling garbage patches. One in the North Pacific, known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is estimated to be the size of Texas. A new, massive patch was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean in early 2010.

Noise Pollution
Pollution is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles. The increased presence of loud or persistent sounds from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins.

End of the "Dilution" Era
Humans are beginning to see the shortsightedness of the "dilution" philosophy. Many national laws as well as international protocols now forbid dumping of harmful materials into the ocean, although enforcement can often be spotty. Marine sanctuaries are being created to maintain pristine ocean ecosystems. And isolated efforts to restore estuaries and bays have met with some success.

Forest, Incubators of Life

2012-01-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

In Brazil, which houses 30 percent of the remaining tropical rain forest on Earth, more than 50,000 square miles of rain forest were lost to deforestation between 2000 and 2005. Biologists worry about the long-term consequences. Drought may be one. Some rain forests, including the Amazon, began experiencing drought in the 1990s, possibly due to deforestation and global warming.

Efforts to discourage deforestation, mainly through sustainable-logging initiatives, are underway on a very limited basis but have had a negligible impact so far.

The rain forest is nearly self-watering. Plants release water into the atmosphere through a process called transpiration. In the tropics, each canopy tree can release about 200 gallons (760 liters) of water each year. The moisture helps create the thick cloud cover that hangs over most rain forests. Even when not raining, these clouds keep the rain forest humid and warm.

Plants in the rain forest grow very close together and contend with the constant threat of insect predators. They have adapted by making chemicals that researchers have found useful as medicines. Bioprospecting, or going into the rain forest in search of plants that can be used in foods, cosmetics, and medicines, has become big business during the past decade, and the amount that native communities are compensated for this varies from almost nothing to a share in later profits.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 70 percent of the anti-cancer plants identified so far are rain forest plants. A new drug under development by a private pharmaceutical company, possibly for treating HIV, is Calanolide A, which is derived from a tree discovered on Borneo, according to NCI.

Many trees and plants, like orchids, have been removed from the rain forest and cultivated. Brazil nut trees are one valuable tree that refuses to grow anywhere but in undisturbed sections of the Amazon rain forest. There, it is pollinated by bees that also visit orchids, and its seeds are spread by the agouti, a small tree mammal.

Arizona National Park

2012-01-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

Location: Arizona

Established: December 9, 1962

Size: 93,533 acres (37,851 hectares)

A sun-swept corner of the Painted Desert draws more than 600,000 visitors each year. While most come to see one of the world's largest concentrations of brilliantly colored petrified wood, many leave having glimpsed something more. The current 147 square miles (381 square kilometers) of Petrified Forest open a window on an environment more than 200 million years old, one radically different from today's grassland.

Where you now see ravens soaring over a stark landscape, leathery-winged pterosaurs once glided over rivers teeming with armor-scaled fish and giant, spatula-headed amphibians. Nearby ran herds of some of the earliest dinosaurs. Scientists have identified several hundred species of fossil plants and animals in Petrified Forest.

The park consists of two main sections, and recent legislation has authorized doubling the land area to 218,533 acres (88,437 hectares). Located in the south are the major concentrations of the famous colorful petrified wood; in the north rise the colorful banded badlands of the Painted Desert. Giant fossilized logs, many of them fractured into cord-wood-size segments, lie scattered throughout, like headstones bearing a deceased's likeness.

Much of the quartz that replaced the wood tissue 200 million years ago is tinted in rainbow hues. Many visitors cannot resist taking rocks, despite strict regulations and stiff fines against removing any material. To see if the petrified wood was actually disappearing at an alarming rate, resource managers established survey plots with a specific number of pieces of wood; some were nearly barren in less than a week.

The problem is not new. Military survey parties passing through the region in the 1850s filled their saddlebags with the petrified wood. As word of these remarkable deposits spread, fossil logs were hauled off by the wagonload for tabletops, lamps, and mantels. In the 1890s gem collectors began dynamiting logs searching for amethyst and quartz crystals. To prevent further destruction of its unique bounty, the area was designated a national monument in 1906 and a national park more than a half century later.

How to Get There

If you are traveling west on I-40, exit into park. When leaving the south end of park, the road joins US 180. Follow US 180 for 19 miles (31 kilometers) to Holbrook and back to I-40. If you are traveling east on I-40, take the US 180 exit in Holbrook. The south entrance is 19 miles (31 kilometers) farther. After driving through the park, leave via I-40. Airport: Flagstaff.

When to Go

Year-round. Summer's dramatic thunderstorms enhance the beauty of the landscape. Fall, with its milder weather, also attracts many visitors. Winter on the Colorado Plateau can be cold with brief snowstorms, but moderate afternoon temperatures are not uncommon. The area blooms colorfully in spring; winds can be high.

How to Visit

Many of the features at Petrified Forest are on a scale best appreciated by leaving the car. Plan enough time to walk among the fossil logs and Painted Desert badlands. For a half-day visit, follow the park road from the Rainbow Forest Museum toward Pintado Point. If you can stay longer, include a walk to Agate House, take the trail into the Blue Mesa badlands, and consider a hike in the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area.