Category: News

  • Holiday D”eco”rations

    Each year holiday decorations provide opportunities to foster family traditions and foundations for normalcy within our generation. But our decorating traditions should not negatively impact future generations. While lights, trees, ornaments, wrapping paper and candles are mainstays in the holiday decorating tradition many of them eventually end up in the landfill or in our air…

  • With Eye on Asia Market, LEGO Plans Huge Carbon Emissions Reduction

    LEGO Group is gazing into a future of strong sales growth worldwide, especially in Asia, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a consequent growth in its greenhouse gas emissions. The iconic toy company has just announced a new partnership with the World Wildlife Foundation Climate Savers initiative for businesses.

  • France opposes shale gas development

    French Environment Minister Philippe Martin reiterated his government’s strong opposition to the exploitation of shale gas, despite a parliamentary report advocating more flexibility towards unconventional gas. The French government says it will not issue the permits for shale gas exploitation requested by the US company Hess Oil, Martin, the energy and ecology minister, announced on…

  • Not all mangroves are created equal: new map reveals carbon storage hot-spots

    Mangrove forests are one of the most important weapons in the fight against climate change. Not only do they directly store huge amounts of carbon, but they actively capture additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in their soils. When mangroves are destroyed, huge quantities of carbon are released into the atmosphere, significantly…

  • Clean water filtration: basic necessity

    Clean water is a vital concern as many parts of the world struggle with its availability. Kenya is a prime example of a country on the edge. Kenya’s people have long struggled with lack of availability of fresh water creating hazardous health conditions. According to the World Bank, the country’s population is well over 43…

  • Water industry warns it may not match demands of public supply and fracking

    A report by Water UK, which represents the water industry, warns that in dry spells there may not be enough resource to supply both the public and fracking operations. The research was released as it was announced the organization had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Onshore Operators Group, which ensures the groups’…

  • Iroko trees, the new warrior for climate change

    Iroko trees are native to the west coast of Africa. Sometimes called Nigerian teak, their wood is tough, dense, and very durable. Their hardwood is so sought after that the trees are often poached and are now endangered in many regions of Africa. But a new scientific discovery may aid in reforestation efforts.

  • Google Earth Improves Estimates of Fish Catches

    The basic idea of a fish trap is that when a fish swims inside through it’s opening, it cannot get out, therefore trapping the fish and making it easier for populations to collect a decent catch. People around the world use different kinds of fish traps depending on the local conditions and behavior of the…

  • Ammonia threatens national parks

    Ammonia emissions have become a serious concern for scientists at Harvard University. Of particular note, thirty eight U.S. national parks are experiencing “accidental” fertilization” at or above a critical threshold for ecological damage according the study recently published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

  • Will electric vehicles tax the power grid?

    The adoption of plug-in vehicles, both gasoline-electric hybrids as well as full battery electric vehicles, continues to gain pace. At the end of August this year, 59,000 such vehicles had been sold in the USA, surpassing sales of plug-in vehicles for the whole of 2012. This trend will likely continue as manufacturers increasingly roll out…