For the past two weeks, a group of eleven environmental websites has been collecting dollars to benefit two of these fine charities:

• Sustainable Harvest: Helping farmers and communities in tropical regions
• Kiva: The revolutionary microloan agency
• Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating safer, greener homes for kids
• Environmental Working Group: The environmental watchdog
• Water for People: Supporting clean, safe water for everyone

In addition to asking for your money, we asked you to vote for your favorite organization. The two getting the most support split the pot.

Hundreds of you donated, one dollar at a time. All told, contributions were $653.00 — a great total! And the winning charities, by your vote, are Sustainable Harvest (with 27%) and Water for People (with 24%).

This was a real learning experience for us. It’s likely we’ll team up and do something like this again with the lessons we’ve picked up along the way. We’ve shown how micro donations can really pile up when people get behind an idea.

Thanks again to all the participating websites: The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Green Upgrader, Grass Stain Guru, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish, Allie’s Answers, and Natural Papa.

But the biggest thanks go to you.

 — Verlyn Klinkenborg, Our Vanishing Night

If   — like most people — you live in a city, it’s unlikely you can see the gossamer expanse of the Milky Way. It’s possible you’ve never spotted it at all. For most urbanites, the nighttime sky is a pink glow broken only by the moon, the brightest stars, and passing airplanes.

This is the form of pollution most people have forgotten: light pollution. And while undark skies may not rank in importance alongside the chemical trash we routinely dump into the atmosphere, the continuous, unblinking glare of modern life is not without its impact on wildlife, dwindling energy resources, and human health.

What’s the big deal about light pollution?

Light pollution is so widespread, so universal, so common to urban life that we hardly give it a thought. Set poetry aside for the moment — the great severing of our ancient connection to the constellations as they wheel gently through night and season. We are still confronted with four specific areas of concern regarding light pollution:

• Light pollution interferes with wildlife migratory and breeding patterns
• Unnecessary outdoor lighting wastes energy and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions
• Glare from bad lighting leads to unsafe driving conditions, particularly for older motorists
• Constant exposure to artificial lighting may interfere with human metabolism and sleep

These problems are sufficiently severe that last month, the American Medical Association voted unanimously to support efforts to control light pollution. The U.S. Congress is expected to take up the issue of light pollution in hearings scheduled for July 13th and 14th, 2009.

Here’s how you can help curb light pollution

Start with the light switch. The cheapest, most obvious, and most effective way to reduce light pollution is to start turning things off. While there’s a time and place for outdoor lighting — illuminating after dark activities, for instance — many of us burn porch and spot lighting because it gives us a sense of security. In fact, there’s very little data to support the idea that outdoor lighting reduces crime. Turn on lights when you need them, or use portable lighting. Go dark when you don’t.

Check with your power company to see if you’re paying for outdoor lighting. It’s possible you’re being billed for that nasty sodium vapor lamp down at the street. Many utilities charge $5 to $10 a month for this service. A quick check of your bill or a call to Customer Service will tell the story. If this turns out to be the case, terminate the charge and ask that the light be removed. Most power companies are happy to oblige.

Consider replacing outdoor lights with intelligently designed, low-glare fixtures. Did you know there is a certification body for sky-friendly outdoor lighting?  The International Dark-Sky Association evaluates fixtures for low glare and efficiency. Look for the IDA seal of approval on locally sourced fixtures, or seek out a company such as Starry Night Lights, which specializes in low pollution lighting. They also maintain a blog on light pollution and related issues.

Place motion sensors on essential outdoor lamps. Lighting on demand trumps a manual switch or timer. Motion sensitive switches will light up porches and walkways when you need to move around after dark. They’ll pay for themselves in fairly short order.

Replace conventional high-energy bulbs with efficient outdoor CFLs and LED floodlights. While efficiency lighting won’t directly keep all those stray lumens from bouncing around, it will take some of the sting out of your monthly bill and reduce power company carbon emissions. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that CFLs and LEDs are a green light to be sloppy about switching things off. While you’re at it, see whether low-wattage, solar powered walkway lamps might replace area lighting. They’re inexpensive and practically free to operate.

Now — enjoy the darkness!

You’ll be surprised how much squelching a few bulbs around your home improves the view. Why not take this opportunity to get reacquainted with the nighttime sky? You don’t need a telescope to see the major constellations, bright nebulas, open clusters, many of the planets, comets, meteors, and dozens of man-made satellites and spacecraft.

It’s not difficult to learn the ropes. If you’re feeling old school, buy a simple star wheel. For easy pointers on nightly backyard observation highlights, try Sky and Telescope’s The Week’s Sky at a Glance. To spot orbital objects, such as the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and a galaxy of satellites and discarded rocket boosters, create an account at Heavens Above (be sure to customize it for your location). And you can use your computer as a virtual planetarium with Stellarium, a free and full-featured 3D program that runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

A set of inexpensive binoculars will expand your star-spotting capability. But all you really need is the desire to look up into the wonder of the night — and the blessings of a dark sky.

Selected light pollution resources:

The International Dark-Sky Association
Starry Night Lights’ Dark Sky blog
Wikipedia: Light Pollution

Streetlamp photo by Flickr user specialkrb / CC BY-ND 2.0

But July’s report (PDF download) is of broader interest for two reasons: It confirms the start of El Niño conditions and reveals that levels of sea ice in the Arctic are again approaching historic lows. Neither piece of news bodes well for world climate.

El Niño is underway

El Niño is the term applied for a period of above-normal surface ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific ocean. Since the ocean and atmosphere are connected, El Niño has a major effect on weather. Generally speaking, El Niño means more rain for southern portions of the United States and northern Latin America — and much less for the West Pacific.

The last El Niño started in 2006, resulting in a much quieter Atlantic hurricane season. That’s good news for vulnerable coastal communities. But the flip side is sharply reduced rainfall across large portions of Australia and Southeast Asia. Australia is already suffering from a multi-year drought. A protracted dry period is certain to encourage both natural wildfires and the intentional burn-off of native forest for agricultural development, particularly in Indonesia.

This means the release of millions of tons of carbon emissions. During the severe El Niño of 1997/98, between 3 and 9 billion tons of carbon dioxide was dumped into the atmosphere, accounting for up to 40 percent of global greenhouse emissions. That’s a big number. While the current El Niño is likely to milder and shorter, a sudden uptick in carbon emissions will speed global warming.

Arctic sea ice near record low levels

The July NOAA report also finds that sea ice levels in the Arctic declined rapidly in May, and in June were approaching 2007’s record lows. These findings are consistent with NASA data released today which indicates that the thickness of Arctic winter sea ice is also in rapid retreat.

This means that thin seasonal ice is beginning to replace the Arctic’s thick permanent cap. Overall ice coverage of the Arctic has been reduced by the equivalent of Alaska’s land mass — and this has happened in just five years.

So what does this all mean?

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the scientifically verified effects of a warming planet. El Niño events are becoming more frequent and severe. Persistent El Niño droughts are thought to have been the cause of millions of death from starvation in 19th century India and Southeast Asia. And while there are still no firm causal links between climate change and the onset of El Niño, the massive release of carbon dioxide from drought- caused fires will certainly contribute to continued warming.

The retreat of permanent Arctic sea ice is even more troubling, and its impact really lies outside modern human experience. In addition to the obvious changes it will bring to wildlife and weather patterns, Arctic warming raises concern for the billions of tons of methane locked beneath northern permafrost. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and the prospect of its widespread release dwarfs whatever human efforts are being made to reduce CO2 emissions.

So we’ll continue to keep an eye on the oceans. They’re the origin of all life on this planet — and perhaps our best indicator of its future.

Oceans image created by Alexandre Van de Sande / CC BY-SA 2.0

Thanks to everyone who has reached into their pocket and kicked-in a buck for charity. Hundreds of you have responded (many with more than a dollar) as eleven environmental websites team up to make the world a better place. Together, we’re supporting some great charities. And you get to help choose the two from this list which will receive 100 percent of the collected donations:

• Sustainable Harvest: Helping farmers and communities in tropical regions
• Kiva: The revolutionary microloan agency
• Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating safer, greener homes for kids
• Environmental Working Group: The environmental watchdog
• Water for People: Supporting clean, safe water for everyone

Please take a moment to look these organizations over. Pick your favorite, then go to our Buck for Charity Page and vote with your dollar. [Since this drive has now concluded, we have removed the polling and donation links. Thanks for your participation!]

Summer is a lean time for charities

The summer months are always tough for charitable organizations: People are busy, discretionary funds get diverted to well-deserved vacations, and economic times are hard. To be honest, donations have slowed since our initial call, and we’re playing catch-up to meet our goals.

We’d love to present the winning charities with meaningful checks. So would you please consider donating right now? Deadline is Wednesday, July 8th. Each of these charities matter, and every dollar counts.

Share this message with others

You can multiply your donation by passing this along to others. Twitter about it; email the article to friends; post it on StumbleUpon or your favorite social media service. There’s still time to make a difference.

Remember: The winning charities will receive 100 percent of the donated funds. We’re not holding anything back. Together, we can work for the good — a buck at a time. Thank you for your support.

Participating websites: The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Lighter Footstep, Green Upgrader, Grass Stain Guru, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish, Allie’s Answers, and Natural Papa.

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite rice
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 package Knorr Spring Vegetable recipe mix
• 4 ounces frozen cocktail shrimp (See vegetarian option below)

Preparation:

We’ll be using a rice cooker to make this a true one-pot meal. Rice cookers are amazingly efficient, and don’t dump a lot of heat into your kitchen. Lightly grease the cooking pan with peanut or canola oil.

Combine all the ingredients, stirring gently to ensure that the Spring Vegetable mixture doesn’t clump. Cover and turn on the cooker. Depending on its size and wattage, the cooking cycle should be complete in about 20 minutes.

Stir through one teaspoon of peanut oil, garnish with a pinch of sea salt and sesame, and serve immediately. This recipe serves two.

Vegetarian option:

Cube 4 ounces of tempeh (whichever variety you prefer). Optionally, add a clove of chopped garlic and a pinch of grated ginger. Stir fry with about a tablespoon of peanut oil in a hot wok or skillet. Once browned, remove from wok and proceed with the recipe above, omitting the shrimp.

This recipe also makes a tasty side dish for up to four people.

As environmental publishers, we know that part of good stewardship is sharing information, but even the most intelligent among us can not make change without doing something.

So Lighter Footstep, along with The Good Human, Twilight Earth, Grass Stain Guru, My Green Side, The Smart Mama, A Little Greener Every Day, Fake Plastic Fish Allie’s Answers, and Natural Papa have teamed up to carry our message with one strong and united voice.

The message is that there are great organizations out there which are suffering in this economic downturn through decreased donations … and they need our help!  So we have decided to give you, our readers, a voice and a choice. We have decided to take on a very simple fundraising mission, and we are asking you to donate just $1.00.

 A single dollar — that’s all.

 Who cannot afford a buck even in these times? We know you can spare a dollar to help out our fellow humans!

 But how do we all decide which charities to give 100% of all monies raised to? We’re going to put it to a vote and let you make that choice. The participating websites have picked five charities for all donors to vote for, and we are asking you to choose which two of them will receive the all monies donated.

 Our purpose in doing this is three-fold:

• It gives YOU a voice. As loyal readers and stewards of our environment, we want to offer you the opportunity to make a difference without breaking the bank.
• It gives the two charities with the most votes some much appreciated funds to continue their mission
• It allows all of us an opportunity to connect as a community of like-minded people working for the common good of ourselves, our families and our planet.

If the community of folks who care about our planet cannot come together to rise up to a challenge, who will?  That is why we are asking you for a $1 donation.  While $1 may seem insignificant all by itself, by pooling our resources together we really can make a difference in these tough economic times.  $1 is less than the price of a candy bar and can usually be found under the seat cushions of your couch.  Won’t you help 2 of these charities with your $1 donation? (Now, if you want to give more, please feel free. We won’t stop you! And by all means, send this to everyone you know so we can raise even more!)



Below you will find a poll and a Paypal donation link asking you to choose from the five suggested charities. We ask that you please donate a dollar to the donation pool if you are going to vote, and know that even if your absolute favorite does not finish first or second, all the money donated will be going to worthwhile causes. If everyone we know who reads our sites, our Twitter feeds, our Facebook sites, etc. donates just $1, imagine the impact we can have as a group. And please, spread the word!

[Since this drive has now concluded, we’ve removed the donation and voting links. Thanks for your participation!]

Please take a moment to vote for your favorite and to donate just a single dollar to these charities. Times are tough, but our collective might can really help them out. The results will be tallied two weeks from today, and we will write another article detailing the amounts and the two charities who garnered the most votes and will be receiving the money collected. It’s only $1, so please donate!

Florida game and conservation groups are offering a $15,200 reward for the conviction of whoever shot and killed one of the state’s endangered panthers.

The young female panther — one of perhaps a hundred still remaining in the wild — was killed on private property in rural Hendry County, between Ft. Myers and Lake Okeechobee. Investigators believe the breeding-age cat was shot sometime in late April. The carcass was found about a week later.

Florida panthers were once plentiful in the state. Early Florida settlers considered the panther a danger, and runaway development in the mid-20th century severely limited the panther’s range. By 1966, the Florida panther’s population was so tenuous that it was placed on the endangered species list. Despite strict management of their remaining numbers, conservationists believe there may be only a few dozen breeding-age female panthers in an area which used to support thousands.

Authorities have conducted a forensic examination of the dead panther, and are circulating flyers in the hope that someone will come forward with information about the shooter. It’s a third degree felony to kill or wound an endangered species in the state of Florida. Responsible parties could face three years in jail and fines up to $5,000. But the U.S. Humane Society says that prosecution in such cases is rare. Less than five percent of all poachers are brought to justice. The last successful prosecution of someone who shot a Florida panther occurred in 1984.

Anyone with information about the case may contact the The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office of Law Enforcement in Fort Myers, Fla. at (239) 561-8144. Anonymous tipsters should call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Line at (888) 404-3922.

We rolled out a major revision to our layout over the weekend. After a few days of tuning, most of the elements are in place. Welcome to the new Lighter Footstep: simpler, cleaner, and easier to read. It’s the first phase of some exciting changes we have planned for the summer.

Please browse around and tell us what you think. If you’re reading this through our RSS feed, please pop over to the site and have a look. We’re particularly interested in bug reports, so if you notice something that seems broken or out of place, please drop us a note or leave a comment. Our team will get right on it.

To help you get started, we thought we’d offer a quick tour of what’s new. We’ll begin our walkthrough at the top of the home page.

Reader favorites

It’s sometimes a little difficult to find the best of a website the first time you visit. That’s because many of a site’s most popular articles are buried far from the from page.

Our new Reader Favorites section is designed to put these articles where you can see them. You’ll find them in the yellow highlight section topping each page:

We’ll be keeping these selections fresh, based on whatever readers deem popular. It’s also where you’ll find the Search box; RSS subscription tab; a contact link; and seasonal articles, as they become appropriate.

Feature section

Lighter Footstep’s freshest feature articles are showcased in the large area directly below the main navigation bar:

If you’re just hitting the home page to see what’s happening at Lighter Footstep, the feature section is probably a good place to check first. The blue tabbed box will let you quickly see which articles people are discussing. Speaking of discussion: You’ll also find our latest from Twitter right next to the blue tweetie bird. If you’re not already following us on Twitter, please give this a click and join the conversation.

Scroll through more articles

Below the features, we have a new animated which allows you to scroll through recent articles:

Use the arrows at the far right to move forward or backward through about a dozen stories. These update as new articles move down from the features section.

What we’re reading

We read a lot of websites. Here’s a small new feature we’ve added to share some of the better articles we find:

This list may cycle several times a day. If you see something worth adding to this shared section, use the Contact link at the top of each page and pass it along.

And that’s the home page. You’re reading this article on what our designers call a content page, where there are also some changes — particularly with the commenting system and the way Lighter Footstep connects to services such as Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon, FriendFeed, and Reddit.

Share and save what you find valuable

Below each article, you’ll find a new toolbar to make it easier to archive or share Lighter Footstep on your favorite web services:

Just mouse over an icon and click. In most cases, the toolbar will fill in most of the blanks for you, though it’s possible you may have to correct punctuation on some services. File away an article on Delicious. Give us a Buzz at Yahoo. Send an article to your page at Facebook or MySpace. Share an interesting story on Twitter or via email. Spreading the green via social media helps Lighter Footstep grow, so thanks for taking the time.

Below the toolbar is a summary of the number of times an article has appeared on other services. You can click through for more detail.

Improved Comments

We love reader comments. Some of the best tips on Lighter Footstep have been offered by readers, and your input — and occasional criticism — improves our site.

Some readers found our old commenting system cramped and a bit confusing. We’ve dropped it in favor of simpler, easy-to-read comments. While we are considering the option of site registration (which will add features for Lighter Footstep members), our Comments section is open to everyone.

You’ll notice that some readers have custom avatars. These are from Gravatar. Sign up there — it’s free — and you avatar will appear when you comment  Lighter Footstep or thousands of other websites. Just supply the same email address you used to register with Gravatar.

Commenting gets more social

We’ve also begun importing relevant comments made on other services about Lighter Footstep articles. Share an article on Twitter, and your tweet will eventually find its way home. We currently support about a half dozen services, including FriendFeed, Reddit, and comments made on other websites. Here’s how it looks:

Here, a couple Friends of Lighter Footstep have mentioned a cycling article on two external sites. Jill, who goes by the name @barefootbadger has linked us on Twitter. Charlie Anzman has commented over at FriendFeed. These mentions have been applied to the appropriate article (which you can view here).

Next to most of the comments, you’ll see a new button marked “More from Author.” This is a great way to get to know more about other Lighter Footstep readers. It clicks through to the author’s public profile at Backtype, a comment aggregation service. Here’s an example:

In this case, the comment was connected to the Lighter Footstep Twitter account. It links other tweets about the article. The information displayed depends on the originating service, and whether or not the author has chosen to register with Backtype.

And that’s just a start

We’ve a few more things for you to discover on your own, and there’s more on the way. Kick the tires, try some of the new features, and let us know what else you’d like to see on Lighter Footstep. We hope you like what we’ve laid out so far. Thanks for reading.

If you’ve not already heard about the Tata Nano, you will. At just $2,500 in its Indian trim, the Nano is arguably the world’s most frugal car. Actually, “frugal” really doesn’t do the Nano justice — spartan might be a better term. Or utilitarian. By anyone’s estimation, the Nano is perhaps the most bare-bones car to roll off a factory floor since the Model T.

While the Nano’s price may sound irresistible, it comes at a cost. Skilled, inexpensive Indian labor provides Tata with a huge production advantage over American, European, and Asian car companies, but some of the Nano’s cost-cutting isn’t likely to satisfy Western consumers or regulatory agencies.

Cutting corners

Air bags? Of course not. There’s no external access to the trunk — you’ll have to fold the seats down to cram anything into the Nano’s duffel-bag-sized rear storage area. Parts of the body are glued, rather than welded. Sun visors are optional. There’s only one windshield wiper, no power steering, and the stock two-cylinder engine won’t smoke any tires in your local Dairy Queen parking lot.

The payoff — other than sticker price — is incredible fuel economy. While it hasn’t been tested in the United States, it’s said that the Nano gets at least 54 miles per gallon. Some estimates are even higher.

While a recent USA Today article speculated wistfully that Tata might be able to hold the Nano to $3,000 once it goes on sale in the U.S., that figure doesn’t seem very likely. Tata’s upcoming European export model, the Nano Europa, probably hints at what at the shape of a U.S. Nano. Priced at around $6,000, the Europa features a bigger engine, improved construction, and a larger wheelbase. Add transatlantic shipping and more safety equipment, and that’s the American Nano.

The Nano’s real promise

There’s a ton of fresh thinking in the Nano, and more on the way. Tata has already indicated its interest in the development of an all-electric version, and is experimenting with a powerplant which literally runs on emissions-free compressed air. That’s radical green technology in a car priced for the masses.

But don’t expect a $2,500 Tata Nano once it’s rolled into U.S. showrooms. At that price, you wouldn’t want it, anyway.

While we’re not doctors here at Lighter Footstep, we’ll risk a diagnosis: You have Insufferable Cyclist Syndrome.

There’s no shame in this. We suffer from Insufferable Cyclist Syndrome, too. While there’s no known cure, there’s no reason ICF sufferers shouldn’t live normal, socially popular lives. We’ve put together a list of five things to help the commuter cyclist from becoming insufferable to those who care about you most.

The best bicycle evangelism is a healthy, productive you. There’s no need to insufferably hector a co-worker about what their SUV commute is doing to the environment. They know. Evangelize by example: folks around the office are going to notice your energy, great attitude — and shrinking midsection. You’ll be asked your secret soon enough.

No bike is pretty enough to block a hallway or access to office workspace. For cyclists, this is hard to accept. Beautiful as our rides might be, if you’re bringing them indoors, they need to be out of the way. Your co-workers won’t appreciate brushing against a greasy chain, and the fire marshall will probably take a dim view of  blocked exits and passageways.

Be punctual. One of the great things about riding your bike to work is that the commute time is actually more predicable than driving a car. You’re far less likely to be effected by traffic jams and slowdowns. But there are some things that take time, too: securing the bike, cooling down, and changing clothes for work. Leave early enough to accommodate all these things. Inconveniencing you co-workers by letting bike time cut into work time will quickly make you — and cycling — unpopular.

Lose the helmet indoors. Yeah, we think that slick new lid is wicked cool, too. Unfortunately, most people find cycle clothing to be a little weird. Slip into street clothes as soon as convenient once you get to the office, and save that bike geek chic for the weekend riding group. Unless you just like people staring at your lycra-clad butt.

Ride legally and predictably. There’s nothing that a motorist finds more insufferable than a cyclist running red lights, riding inconsistently, and generally thumbing their noses at them. It’s not just bad cycling PR — it’s dangerous. Don’t be responsible for a motorist taking out their frustration over your gonzo cycling on the next rider. Be fast, be smooth, and be legal.

In short, be a good ambassador for cycling. We all demonstrate the symptoms of Insufferable Cyclist Syndrome from time to time. But cycling is about balance — on two wheels, and in our relationships with others. Have fun! We’ll see you down the road.