Alex in the Gulf

Tropical Storm Alex, the first storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, continues to pick up steam as it crosses the western Gulf of Mexico. It has now reached hurricane proportions. It is fairly centered right now in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes are always a major weather related event especially for those who live in the affected area. In addition, this year we have the BP oil spill to contend with in the same area. What impact Alex and the oil spill will have on each other is far from clear yet.

Review of Beautiful Islands

This Japanese documentary looks at three unique islands that may have been impacted by global warming: Tuvala in the South Pacific, Venice in Italy, and Shishmaref in Alaska. This documentary has very little dialogue and limited subtitles so the story relies almost entirely on the graphic visual presentation. The scenes in Tuvala mainly involve shots of lovely children leading a peaceful life in a lush tropical setting. There are many pretty shots of the islanders enjoying the Pacific Ocean, although it was a little disconcerting to see them slaughtering pigs and cleaning them in these waters. The island seems to be largely self sustaining. This may be the first independent country to slip into the sea. However, the island appears to be very narrow in many parts and is only on average 3 feet above sea level. You would not want to be around during a cyclone. These islanders have probably been living with the dangers of the sea for a very long time.

Human Bite Stronger Than Thought

Humans have a much more powerful bite than previously thought, thanks to the mechanics of their skull, say Australian researchers. New analysis shows our bite is much more powerful than scientists thought. The design of the human jaw actually makes it 40 percent to 50 percent more efficient than for all great apes.

Hospital Food Gets a Check-Up

I find it ironic that some of the most unhealthy food can be found in a place where people are receiving medical treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. After all, isn’t healthy food an integral part of the healing process? Given the bad reputation that ‘hospital food’ has, there are substantial opportunities for improvement in quality..

Hurricane Alex could make land late Wednesday

Hurricane Alex strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico early on Wednesday and was expected to make landfall later in the day but skirt Mexican oil rigs and U.S. oil fields, alleviating concerns in crude markets. The first named storm of the Atlantic season became a Category 1 hurricane late Tuesday night as it slowly moved west toward northern Mexico where it was expected to drop as much as a foot of rain. While the storm was forecast to miss major oil drilling sites, rough seas and rain were already hampering efforts to control damage left by an ongoing spill from the major leak at a BP Plc facility south of Louisiana.

California Green Chemistry

The California Department of Toxic Substances has released a draft of new green chemistry regulations this week, which creates a new statewide process for evaluating the toxicity of chemicals used in consumer products and requires manufacturers to find safe alternatives to those chemicals used in their products. This is similar to other rules California has put out over the years to mandate toxicity evaluations and induce chemical substitution in California products.

Southern California PlanetFest: The 2nd Annual Vegan Earth Day Event

"PlanetFest", the 2nd Annual Southern California Vegan Earth Day celebration, occurred last weekend. It was emceed by Bob Linden and sponsored by Go Vegan Radio (www.goveganradio.com) along with The International Fund for Africa (www.ifundafrica.org). The event included a consortium of live musical performances, pro Athletes, Physicians, Health Professionals, Environmentalists, Activists, Chefs, Animal Rescue Groups, Animal Law experts, a diverse mix of local vegan restaurants and eco-oriented product vendors. The event was endorsed by Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and attracted a wide range of concerned citizens, sports fans, health enthusiasts and families seeking family-oriented education and entertainment. PlanetFest relies exclusively on grassroots support to advance eco-conscious, compassionate lifestyles and business practices.

More Fraud Within the Clean Development Mechanism

A consortium of North American and European activists have demanded sweeping changes to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) after charging that up to one-third of all CERs ever sold may have been illegitimate. The groups are demanding an investigation to determine whether a number of coolant firms have manipulated the marketplace since 2005 by deliberately increasing their greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain offsets by reducing them to normal levels.

The Fifth Imperative: How Sustainability Makes Companies More Agile

Sustainability is the fifth imperative companies have faced since World War II. But, unlike the four preceding imperatives, sustainability requires companies change both how they create value and for whom they create value. The good news for companies? Embracing sustainability can lead to an unexpected and long-lasting benefit: enhanced agility. Here's how and why.

Tropical storm Alex strengthens, likely to delay oil spill recovery efforts

Tropical Storm Alex was set to strengthen into a hurricane on Tuesday, delaying BP Plc's efforts to increase siphoning capacity at the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico where some companies evacuated workers. Alex was forecast to move slowly away from the Yucatan Peninsula over southern Gulf waters and curl northwest away from major oil-extraction facilities to make a second landfall in northern Mexico mid-week.