The population of these amphibians declined so much in 1990’s that by 2003, the frog population crumbled to about 200. Once they were lavishly seen along waterways in San Gabriel, San Bernardino and the San Jacinto mountains.

The San Diego Institute for Conservation Research reports that approximately 33 percent of the world’s amphibians are threatened by possible extinction. Frank Santana, a research coordinator of the Institute says, this is the first time that these frogs are re-released into its natural habitat.

He attributed the declining population to human-driven development habitat loss, logging, increasing wild fires, drought, non native predators and emerging disease along with the delicate nature of amphibians.

The Institute has been co-working with multiple Federal agencies since 2006 to develop and maintain a recovery program for the mountain yellow legged frog in Southern California.

The captive breeding recovery program they have initiated hopes to develop standard operating procedures for the reintroduction of frogs across the stages of its lifecycle.

The Institute had a year ago stumbled upon four female mountain yellow-legged frogs that laid a large clutch of eggs, giving birth to 500 tadpoles. These tadpoles after having grown into adult frogs were released into the wild.

You're reading Efforts On to Save Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs from Extinction originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

When the ice shelves shed weight, it results in speeding up of the flow of land glaciers that feed them, moving the ice from continent to the ocean. This, in turn, results in global sea level rise. So it is important to be aware of what is the root cause of ice-shelf melt.

One of the studies released on June 13 in the journal Science, reveals that, on an average, ice shelves of Antarctica are thinning by about 1.6 feet or 50 cm per year.

Some shelves are melting so quickly, as much as 328 feet (100 meters) annually, as viewed by Eric Rignot, a study co-author and researcher at the University of California, Irvine. He adds these variations are faster and larger than the people’s anticipation.

Rignot further says that melting is not primarily due to global warming of ocean, but rather by a change in ocean circulation which brings warmer water from offshore.

He also pointed out that, stronger “zonal” winds that breeze in the clockwise direction around Antarctica have pushed the cold surface waters away from the continent, thereby bringing in warmer water which melts the ice shelves.

You're reading Antarctica Ice Melting Faster Down Below the Ice Shelves originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

A tweet from John Krafcik, HMA Chief Executive says that the zero emissions vehicle is indeed in the offing. This could be why the Korean automaker is building one such vehicle. The company has already shown hydrogen powered fuel-cell vehicles like the modified ix35/Tuscon models. But consumers seemed like not showing much enthusiasm, as they see such vehicles more as a handicap when it comes to the refueling infrastructure.

The battery powered EVs are not 100% satisfactory. They could charm only customers who take short commutes and those who find battery charging at their homes convenient.

That could mean that Hyundai will have to now concentrate more on improving the performance or find a solution that goes neck-and-neck with rivals.

We will have to wait to know from official sources as to how Hyundai lines up its zero emission strategy for the US.

You're reading Hyundai Zero Emissions Vehicle Lined Up for US originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

An answer seems to have come up, of late. Here is a new lamp, which is a chemical-free mosquito-killing machine which also functions as a solar-powered outdoor accent lamp.

Named Mosquito Genie, this little beauty is the world’s first table-lamp that replaces candle lamps and kills mosquitoes.

The Mosquito Genie is trap that would require no cleaning up of insect corpses. It works thus: When a mosquito flies near the lamp and comes in contact with the lethal vapor emitted from the Mosquito Mix filled jar placed inside the lamp, it flies away and dies somewhere else.

The LED lamp charges itself with solar energy and automatically switches on at dusk. It also automatically switches off at dawn and returns to solar charging mode after engaging in a series of mosquito killing.

Mosquito Genie is currently available on the Mosquito Genie website for a price of $39.95 apiece. The refill jars can be bought for $9.95. The company is also offering the device for a discount when ordered in bulk. Don’t you want one of these?

You're reading Mosquito Genie is a Mosquito Killer and Solar Lamp Rolled into One originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

Conducted by scientists at Southampton Solent University, the survey was supported by World Wildlife Fund. And, according to the result, the South China Seas and East Indies, the North Sea and British Isles and the East Mediterranean and Black Sea had the most ship accidents during the period of 1999-2011.

During this period, there were around 293 accidents in the South China Seas and East Indies, a region well known for its marine bio diversity.

The survey also found that most of these accidents were caused due to sinking instead of collisions. Climate changes and extreme weather changes are other major reasons for shipwrecks.

The prominent ship accidents that caused huge pollution include the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker that spilled more than 11 million gallons of crude oil to the sea, and the Sea Empress tanker that spilled 72,000 tons of crude near Wales in 1996.

The last major ship accident happened in this year, when a Chinese fishing vessel ploughed into the Philippines coral reef and damaged 3,902 square meters of this 500 year old reef.

The research also suggests that the shipping industry has improved a lot since 1980 with the result of implementing strict laws, which improved the quality of vessels.

You're reading World’s Most Dangerous Oceans Identified originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

The car, of course, is considered the most fuel-efficient sedan in America. But when it comes to the price, it turned tough for most customers to spend on it. Only limited details of the new model were launched.

The new upcoming variant will come bearing a two-motor hybrid system, which would pack a 137 bhp (102kW) 2.0-liter four-cylinder Aktinson-cycle engine and a 141 bhp(105 kW) electric motor.

This should enable the sedan to return a combined ultimate output of 196 bhp (146 kW). The fuel consumption rating is 49 mpg city/ 45 mpg highway.

The new American model is expected to sport some awesome styling and the price might start from the $20,000 level.

Honda expects to bring back the smiles on customers’ faces with the new model.

You're reading 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid to come on June 20 originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

The shock emanated at a depth of approximately 25 miles. Though there was a scare of a possible tsunami strike, officials have ruled out such an incidence.

The quake rattled even places as far away as Maui and Oahu, though weak. Meanwhile, a report says that the Oahu Department of Emergency Management believes that a few areas may have experienced stronger shocks .

According to a report, Wes Thele, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Seismic Network manager, has been quoted as saying that the earth being sound down there, cracks aren’t  many. That in fact has made shock waves travel very efficiently.

Not much major damage has been reported as yet.

You're reading Hawaii Earthquake Magnitude Downgraded to 5.3; No Tsunami Scare originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

It was almost confirmed by the Detroit Electric executives, when the SP:01 debuted in early April, that a facility in the metro Detroit area would be used to produce the SP:01.

But now, the Detroit News reports that the company is at present holding talks for a partially occupied space in Plymouth Township and it hopes that a green signal will be seen soon.

The production unit is expected to start running from September with an annual production capacity of 2,500 units. More than 100 new employees will be appointed.

Detroit, lumpsum funded by private investors, also plans to launch a sedan and a hatchback model in the years to come in partnership with China’s Geely.  Let’s wait for an official announcement on the launch.

You're reading Detroit Electric SP:01 Production Delayed; to Start Only in September originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

On completion, the Jasper project would acquire fame as one of the largest solar installations in the African continent. The project could provide enough electricity to power 30,000 homes in South Africa.

For South Africa, this is an ambitious project. In 2008, South Africa experienced severe energy scarcity. This slowed down economic growth and resulted in blackouts throughout the country.

The government was thus forced to consistently support the growth of new sources of electricity. South Africa depends highly on fossil fuel and is gifted with enormous wind and solar resources.

Considering that, the government has set an ambitious goal of generating 18 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030.

You're reading Google Jasper Project to be Among Largest Solar Installations in South Africa originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.

The luxury car maker has thrown caution to the wind and is on the way to develop a fuel-cell version of the Audi A7.

Words that sneaked out of Audi Technical Chief Wolfgang Durheimer lips suggest that Audi is in the works with such a fuel cell A7. It is expected that the car will hit the testing tarmac by August.

If everything progresses as per plan, the hydrogen fuel cell Audi 7 would come sporting the company’s own Tron nomenclature, akin to the electric E-Tron and natural-gas-powered G-Tron models.

We guess we need to wait impatiently to drive one f those vehicles, right?

You're reading Audi A7 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Likely to Hit Testing Mode this August originally posted on GreenPacks. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow GreenPacks on Twitter.