EPA Toxicity Information On Line

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find chemical information online. EPA is releasing a database, called ToxRefDB, which allows scientists and the interested public to search and download thousands of toxicity testing results on hundreds of chemicals. ToxRefDB captures 30 years and $2 billion of federal required testing results. In this day and age this is a handy regulatory and technical tool and simplifies at leash some of the required toxicity investigation research.

Why It’s So Tough To Stop The Gulf Oil Leak

More than a week after an explosion destroyed an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of gallons of oil continue to flow into the Gulf. The blast killed eleven workers, and created one of the largest oil spills in U.S. waters. As investigators search for the cause of the explosion, crews work around the clock to stop the flow of oil and contain the slick. Some of the oil may be set on fire to prevent a larger catastrophe and damage to the U.S. coastline. David Biello, associate editor of energy and environment at Scientific American, explains the origins of the of the oil leak, why it's so difficult to stop, and the tools used to clean it up.

Warmer Arctic needs new rules to limit environmental damage

A new, warmer Arctic cannot continue to operate under rules that assume it is ice-covered and essentially closed to fishing, resource exploration and development and shipping, WWF said as it launched a group of reports on protecting a newly accessible, highly vulnerable environment with profound significance for global climate, the global economy and global security. The International Governance and Regulation of the Marine Arctic reports were launched as Russian president Medvedev visits Norwegian capital Oslo for talks which include arctic issues and just before the Arctic Council meets in Greenland.

Massive oil spill in Gulf of Mexico nears landfall

A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico neared wildlife refuges and seafood grounds along the Louisiana coast on Friday, as efforts redoubled to avert what could become one of the worst U.S. ecological disasters. President Barack Obama pledged on Thursday to "use every single available resource" to contain the oil slick and the U.S. military ratcheted up operations. The leak from a ruptured oil well on the ocean floor off the coast of the southern state is pouring out crude oil at a rate of up to 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons or 955,000 liters) a day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- five times more oil than previously thought.

Ice and Carbon on Asteroids

Scientists using a NASA funded telescope have detected water ice and carbon based organic compounds on the surface of an asteroid. The cold facts of the discovery of the frosty mixture on one of the asteroid belt's larger occupants, suggests that some asteroids, along with their celestial brethren, comets, were the water carriers for a primordial Earth. The research is published in today's issue of the journal Nature. These findings may give clues as to how the primordial oceans and life on Earth once formed.

US Government Mobilized to Contain Gulf Spill

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been spreading steadily and at a much greater rate than earlier determined. Like the Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska, it is devastating to the affected marine ecosystems and has the potential to get much worse. For clean ocean and anti-drilling advocates, it represents the worst-case scenario they have been warning about. Now that the damage has been done, all that's left is to contain it from affecting the shoreline and estuary systems of the gulf coast. In that effort, the federal government is deploying its resources in concert with BP (British Petroleum), owners of the Deepwater Horizon rig which exploded and sank.

The Home Depot Foundation Releases 2009 Annual Report

The Home Depot® Foundation has just announced the release of its 2009 annual report. Demonstrating its commitment to building sustainable homes and communities and preserving resources, the Foundation has issued its report in an online version only, saving 200 trees, 44,640 gallons of water, 100 million BTUs of energy, 9,760 pounds of solid waste and more than 16,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.* The annual report highlights the Foundation’s 2009 successes and contains an update on The Home Depot Foundation's 10-year pledge to provide $400 million in grants to build or refurbish 100,000 affordable, healthy homes and plant or restore 3 million community trees. Packed with interactive features, including videos and the ability to share information by email or social media outlets, this annual report is informative and entertaining.

A day to celebrate (and save) the world’s amphibians: the 2nd Annual Save the Frogs Day

Friday, April 30th is for the frogs: educational programs, conservation walks with experts, frog leaping races, and the world's first protest to save frogs are all planned for the world's 2nd Annual Save the Frogs Day. Organized by the non-profit SAVE THE FROGS!, events are so far planned in 15 countries on every continent besides Antarctica—fittingly the only continent that lacks amphibians.

The Home Depot Foundation Releases 2009 Annual Report

The Home Depot® Foundation announced the release of its 2009 annual report. Because of its commitment to building sustainable homes and communities and preserving resources, the Foundation has issued its report in an online version only, saving 200 trees, 44,640 gallons of water, 100 million BTUs of energy, 9,760 pounds of solid waste and more than 16,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.* The annual report contains an update on The Home Depot Foundation's 10-year pledge to provide $400 million in grants to build or refurbish 100,000 affordable, healthy homes and plant or restore 3 million community trees. The report contains interactive features, including videos and the ability to share information by email or social media outlets, as well as a downloadable PDF version.

Gulf of Mexico leak grows, oil slick nears shore

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday five times as much oil as previously estimated was leaking from a well beneath the site of a deadly drilling rig explosion as the slick threatened wide-scale coastal damage for four U.S. Gulf Coast states. The Coast Guard said that London-based BP Plc -- the owner of the well who is financially responsible for the cleanup -- found a third leak in a well 5,000 feet under the sea off Louisiana's coast. "BP has just briefed me of a new location of an additional breach in the riser of the deep underwater well," Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry, who is heading the federal cleanup effort, told reporters at a briefing. Eleven workers are missing and presumed dead after the worst oil rig disaster in almost a decade.