Looking for a Web Host?

Well, I have been looking to move my blogs from blogspot and there are just so many hosting packages available that I do not know how to winnow them down. I found a website called web hosting choice and it is helping me to find the one I need. They have 41 web hosts on their site, each with at least one, usually much more, hosting plan.



You may search by plan details, features or payment options. If you have a budgeted amount, you may search on monthly rate maximum or no setup fees. If you feel that you need streaming video or SQL databases, you may include that in your search. Ratings, uptime, shopping carts and subdomains may be selected to narrow your search. This is a very handy website for comparing programs.

iChapters : An Environmental Choice

iChapters announces their "I Planted a Tree" drive running until February 15, 2008. iChapters will plant a tree for every digital eBook and eChapter purchase. Visit iChapters market to see how you may save money and natural resources by purchasing ebooks and echapters, versus printed class materials.

People look for simple ways to make a difference. At iChapters.com, they partnered with Paso Pacifico to launch a month long green campaign aimed at emphasizing conservation, supporting reforestation efforts and reducing their environmental impact. View the slideshow here.

If you are in school and have a use for textbooks, please check out iChapters first. iChapters would like to plant a tree in your honor and award you the "I planted a tree badge."

Tags: ichapters, ebook, echapters, plant a tree

Clean Air Limo, Austin, Texas

Earth-friendly companies are innovating in new markets daily. I just saw that Clean Air Limo's Fleet is composed only of hybrids, biodiesel-fueled, and ethanol-fueled vehicles.

Mercedes E300D Stretch Limousine is the only limousine of its kind in Texas. You won't have to compromise your conscience while riding in this vehicle because it combines luxury with ecological responsibility. The engine runs on biodiesel.

So if you feel the need for ostentatious display, do it with austintatious style. For more information, please call (512) 262-1212

Tags: clean air limo, austin limo, alternate fuel vehicles

American Rivers Update 1/24/08

View complete American Rivers Update by Clicking Here to View as Webpage.


1) Senate Expected to Vote on Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Designation

Prior to breaking for the Christmas and New Years break, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced S. 2483, the National Forests, Parks, Public Land, and Reclamation Projects Authorization Act of 2007. This legislation combines almost 60 bills for the Forest Service, Department of Interior, and the Department of Energy into one package that the Senate is expected to take up in the next couple weeks.

Included in this package are a number of water projects for the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Geological Survey as well as the designation of the Eightmile River in Connecticut as a National Wild and Scenic River. The House passed H.R. 986, the Eightmile River Wild and Scenic River Act, sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) last July after overcoming opposition from members outside the state of Connecticut. The Eightmile River is a Connecticut treasure that local communities have been trying to protect for almost a decade.

2) House Hearing on Great Lakes Restoration

This Wednesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will hold a hearing to examine threats to water quality in the Great Lakes and discuss potential solutions to sewage overflow problems.

Shoreline communities along the Great Lakes dump some 24 billion gallons of raw sewage into the Great Lakes every year. Many towns have aging wastewater infrastructure that is deteriorating and can dump untreated sewage directly into local waterways when overwhelmed during rain events.

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) has introduced H.R. 1350, the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, to implement a comprehensive strategy for restoring the Great Lakes that was formed by a collaboration of federal, state, local and tribal government officials and private sector stakeholders.

During Wednesday’s hearing the Committee will hear from members of Congress from Great Lakes states, representatives from the International Joint Commission of the U.S. and Canada, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Resources Conservation Service.

Hearing: The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a hearing on Wednesday, January 23rd at 10:00 AM in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

3) Senate Hearing on 1872 Hardrock Mining Law Reform

This Thursday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the 1872 Hardrock Mining Law.

The law in question is a relic from the days of pioneers and allows the sale of mineral rights on federal land for as little as $2.50 an acre and does not require mining companies to implement environmental protections nor pay federal royalties on the extraction of metals like gold and copper.

While there has been a temporary moratorium on these land purchases since 1994, hardrock mining companies still do not pay federal royalties, compared to oil, gas and coal industries that pay royalties of 8 to 16 percent. The federal government has not collected royalties on more than $245 billion worth of hardrock minerals extracted from public lands since the 1872 law was passed.

Hardrock mining companies have escaped accountability after their mines are closed resulting in approximately 38,500 abandoned mine sites on National Forest System lands and 65,000 on Bureau of Land Management lands; 10 percent of which may be releasing toxic heavy metals, acidity, and radioactivity into waterways across the West.

Last November, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV) guided H.R. 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, through the House where it passed by a vote of 244 to 166. This legislation would impose an 8 percent royalty on the gross returns of minerals from new claims and a 4 percent royalty on existing claims filed under the law.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the legislation would generate a total of $310 million over the 2009-2017 period. Two-thirds of these funds will go towards cleaning up abandoned mines. In addition the bill would end the sale of land at the 1872 prices and will give the federal government more control over where hardrock mining can take place.

Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee respectively, have said they will craft their own version of the bill.

Hearing: The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on Thursday, January 24 at 9:30 AM in 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

4) Congressional Calendar

Wednesday January 23, 2008

Hearing on the details of a cap and trade system
House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
9:30 AM, 2128 Rayburn House Office Building

Hearing on Great Lakes water quality
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
9:30 AM, 2128 Rayburn House Office Building

Hearing on nuclear non-proliferation
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
10:00 AM, 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

Thursday January 24, 2008

Hearing on 1872 Hardrock Mining Law reform
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
9:30 AM, 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Hearing on EPA’s California waiver decision
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
10:00 AM, 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Tags: american rivers update, wild and scenic rivers, hardrock mining, waster quaility, great lakes,

Take a Stand for State's Rights

Thirteen states have already adopted clean car standards to reduce global warming pollution from vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected--the advice of his staff, directives of two federal judges, and the Supreme Court--and denied the waiver that states needed to implement these standards.

On January 2, California filed a lawsuit to compel the EPA to grant the waiver. Sixteen other states have already joined this lawsuit, including three states that have yet to commit to the clean car standards.

Please tell your Attorney General to join the California lawsuit and stand up to this dangerous attack on our states’ legal rights. A copy of your letter will also be sent to your governor. States only have until February 1 to join this lawsuit, so please send your message today!

Take action here today.

Tags: epa, states rights, take action

American Rivers Update 14-Jan-08

Congressional Calendar

Thursday, January 17th, 2008
Hearing on the future of the Polar Bear
House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
9:30 AM, 2175 Rayburn House Office Building

Hearing on Administration Perspectives on United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali
House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
10:00 AM, 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

Hearing on the “National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission Report”
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
11:00 AM, 2167 Rayburn House Office Building

Tags: american rivers update, polar bear, climate change

Adopt a Polar Bear or Polar Bear Mom & Cubs

Polar bears are the canary in the coal mine of global warming. As happens to them, will happen to all in time.


For a great gift, adopt a polar bear or a mother bear and her cubs. You will receive a certificate of adoption, a plush toy and a sense of having done something good.

Save the Polar Bears

Think about it for Valentine's Day or any day when you want to give a gift. Give more, give life.

Tags: adopt a polar bear, adopt polar bear cubs

Here's Your Sign : BuildASign.com

Do you need a customized sign, placard, banner, notice, license plate or bumper sticker printed? I stumbled across a good site where you can have custom signs made; BuildASign.com can print anything.

Do you want a custom street sign for your ranch road or driveway? How about a magnetic sign for your car? Banners are handy when you are part of a conference or to define your space at a crafts fair. No matter what your project, it only takes three steps to make it. Pick a template, customize it with your artwork or logo, pick your material or other options. Proof it and have it printed. Easy.

I want to have a custom bumper sticker made for Michael which says Save the Fire Ants. He had one a few years ago that we purchased from a couple at the swimming pool. He loved the looks he got when people read it. I think it was too tame, I want one that states: Some Days Its Just Not Worth Gnawing Through the Straps.

Tags: signs, bumper stickers, yard signs, economy banners

Tell Shell to Clean Up Its Act in DeerPark

If you live in Texas, like I do and my family does, then you should take action against Shell Oil for what it has done to air quality in Deer Park and the surrounding Houston Ship Channel area.

Sierra Club and Environment Texas filed a lawsuit today in federal district court against Shell Oil Company and several affiliates. The lawsuit is the first case in Texas in which citizen groups are suing to stop illegal air emissions.

Read about the issue here:

Environmental Groups Sue Shell Oil for Clean Air Act Violations at Deer Park Refinery and Chemical Plant - Environment Texas

. . . claims that Shell has repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act at its Deer Park, Texas, oil refinery and chemical plant, resulting in the release of millions of pounds of excess air pollutants over the past five years, including toxic chemicals such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene.

Or, just take action by adding your name to a letter to John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil.

Shell’s Deer Park facility is a 1,500-acre complex located on the Houston Ship Channel in Harris County, about 20 miles east of downtown Houston. It is the nation’s eighth-largest oil refinery and one of the world’s largest producers of petrochemicals. The facility is also the second largest source of air pollution in Harris County, which ranks among the worst in the nation in several measures of air quality.

I had a good friend who lived in Deer Park and LaPorte. I would go down there to visit her and could not believe she could live there with her kids. There is an oily chemical smell and taste to the air around the refineries that cannot be healthy.

While oil companies are reporting records profits, they should use some of that money to clean up the soil, water and air around their refineries. When there is no more oil to be refined, the sites will be abandoned by the oil companies and will become Brownfields or Superfund sites that will take tax dollars to clean up.

Tags: shell oil, deer park refinery, sierra club, environment texas, lawsuit

Ten Ways to a Greener Lifestyle

If you have been thinking of being kinder to the Earth this year, you really should read this article on Austin360.com. Full of common sense ideas (run dishwasher when full and use air dry cycle), frightening eco-facts (Americans toss 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash each year), and ideas to make being greener more fun (find the time and space to find your inner farmer).

click to read: Ten ways to a greener kitchen

The original article:
Ten ways to a greener kitchen
Small personal changes can be seeds for global change.
By Jeanne Besser
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Tags: tips, green living, recycle, reuse, free cycle

Planet Green Network : Earth reporting in

I just visited another green blogger and read about how Planet Green Hooks Up With Enviro Groups For Inspiring Content. The blog post talks of Discovery Channel’s new network Planet Green and how they have teamed up with 10 leading non-profit environmental organizations and advocacy groups to ensure the network has quality content airing 24 hours a day. Visit ecorazzi.com for the entire scoop and a write up on each of the 10 organizations.

Maybe some day we will go to school to learn readin', writin' and ecology. Hold that thought.

Tags: planet green, discovery channel, ecorazzi

Greenwashing the sins of the world

Everyone has heard the term, whitewashing; usually in a political context. Greenwashing is the same process, but with an environmental twist.

Greenwashing: When a company spends more time, money and resources running marketing campaigns to convince the public that the company is clean and green than they spend implementing environmentally friendly practices.

EnviroMedia has put together the Greenwashing Index and set up a site where you may find more information on greenwashing. What is truly awesome is that you may also submit and vote on the advertisements that have made you steaming mad in the past. Exxon, Chevy and Chevron are a few that just come to my mind. Oh, yes, and those #@!$ clean coal commercials!

Consumers must educate themselves on what makes environmental claims are truthful and which are BS. Usually my BS buzzer sounds about 10 seconds into a green commercial by an oil company, but that may just be my cynical nature!

It is fun to vote on the bad ads at greenwashingindex.com. Join me. Let me know what you think and if you submit any advertisements.

Tags: greenwashing, enviromedia, authenticity in environmental ads

Action Thursday : Water and Global Warming

The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S Army Corps of Engineers are currently taking public comments on a policy that decides whether or not all of the nation's streams, wetlands and other bodies of water critical to people and wildlife will remain protected from pollution and destruction by the Clean Water Act.

If you are concerned about clean water for drinking, swimming, fish and wildlife habitat and other uses, now is the time to ACT!

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have created confusion about whether certain waters remain protected by the Clean Water Act--the nation's most important law limiting water pollution.

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Throughout America, global warming is changing the makeup of habitats and ecosystems and creating dangerous challenges for the animals that live in them.

Your senators will be voting soon on an important global warming bill called the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191), and THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU.

The Climate Security Act would not only be the biggest step ever taken to reduce global warming pollution, it also sets aside billions for wildlife conservation.

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Tags: take action, lieberman-warner climate security act, clean water act, global warming

Keep Your Environment Secure

Did you know that 9 out of 10 companies suffered an attack on their company's computer system last year? Was your company one of them? What can you do you do when you detect a security breach on your network?

Network Forensic Search Engine (Net/FSE), the top product of Packet Analytics, is a focused NetFlow indexing and search appliance that will search and analyze terabytes of net flow data. This type of advanced search capability is imperative for security analysts responsible for diagnosing, patching and preventing security breaches.

This application runs on Linux and allows you to search terabytes of real time net flow data. Go to the website and read about netflow security, then try the demo of Net/FSE. If it is all good, then download Net/FSE version1.0 today free.

Why am I writing about this on an environmental blog? Guess what types of systems are more susceptible to breach? Is it big oil companies or small activisits groups? Now, let me think...

Tags: net flow security, net/fse, security breach, forensic search

Do you ever look to the future and try to imagine the world our children and grandchildren may grow up in? The National Wildlife Federation is working to pass a new global warming bill in Congress that we feel is the most important wildlife conservation legislation in America's history.

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act will not only reduce the global warming pollution that is impacting wildlife habitat across the country, the law puts billions of dollars toward helping wildlife survive a changing climate.

Act now to protect wildlife for future generations!
http://online.nwf.org/changetheforecast

Your voice is essential to make our campaign to pass the Climate Security Act a success. Make sure both of your senators sign on to this bill and vote for its passage. And please forward this message on to your friends and family. Take action today.

Tags: national wildlife federation, sign petition, lieberman-warner climate security act

Are the Polar Bears Doomed?

Polar bears are in trouble. The Arctic will be entirely ice-free by the summer, dooming polar bears to extinction. Our government is dragging their feet on the decision to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.

The Center for Biological Diversity and its allies are preparing to go to court to force the administration to finalize the Endangered Species Act listing. But we need your help as well. Polar bears need a massive groundswell of public support to show that people are watching and will not tolerate delays, denial, or political game-playing.

Please sign the petition:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=876

The petition will be sent to President Bush when it has 50,000 signatures. We are almost halfway there. Take action and then spread the word about the fate of the Polar Bears to yoru friends.

Tags: polar bears, endangered species act, polar ice melt

The Freecycle Network

The Freecycle motto is “changing the world one gift at a time.” The Freecycle nonprofit gifting movement enables people to gift items in their local communities rather than throw them away. This keeps over 400 tons out of landfills daily.

The Freecycle network began with a single email on May 1, 2003 in the city of Tucson, Arizona. Since inception, a total of 200 million pounds of usable materials have been recycled rather than added to landfills. According to the website, the amount of items gifted in the past year is the equivalent of four times the height of Mt. Everest.

TheFreecycle network has grown to over 4,000,000 members in 4,000 cities located in 75 countries worldwide.

Click here to find the Freecycle Yahoo! group near you.

If you have useful items that you do not need, you simply send a message to the Yahoo! group. When another member has use for your item, you gift it to them. If you need something, you may send a message to your Freecycle Yahoo! group. Hopefully, you will be gifted what you need.

Tags: Freecycle, recycle usable items, gift items, get gift items

2007 Top 10 Environmental Searches

I see everyone doing a retrospective of 2007. When I saw the top 10 environmental searches for 2007 (Yahoo!), I thought I might determine if I had covered a full range of environmental topics.

Below is the Yahoo! list and then a link to all related posts on this topic on Endangered Spaces blog.

1. Recycling - related posts on Endangered Spaces blog in the past year

2. Global Warming - related posts on this blog

3. Freecycle - *see below

4. Earth - all posts on Endangered Spaces blog are related to the Earth

5. Pollution - related posts

6. Al Gore - related posts

7. Environmental Protection Agency - related posts

8. Live Earth - related posts

9. Hybrid Cars - related post

10. Solar Energy - related posts

Note: I will find information about the topic freecycle and write a post on this topic within the week.

Tags: top 10 environmental searches, 2007 environmental search terms

TNC: Good News for Edward's Aquifer

Springs flow from Edward's Aquifer

The springs of the Nueces, Frio, and Sabinal rivers are the focus of a new Western Rivers Project of The Nature Conservancy. These springs and rivers support a number of unique and rare aquatic species, including a genetically pure population of the Guadalupe bass.

Visit the Three Canyon area on Texas RV Travel blog.

The conservation of these three rivers follow other Edwards Plateau projects on the Blanco and Pedernales rivers. Spring Lake Preserve opened in San Marcos last summer. This park was once known as Aquarena Springs, one of the first theme parks in Texas. This preserve protects the headwaters of the Sink Creek, the San Marcos River and the Edward's Aquifer.

The Nature Conservancy has released the report, Texas Year in Review 2007. This is a PDF, so you should right-click on the link above and save link as... to save to your computer. If you have FireFox, you may open the PDF in your browser.

Click here to see what The Nature Conservancy is up to in your part of the world!

Tags: the nature conservancy, year in review, Texas, edward's aquifer

Save Money with Replacement Inkjet Cartridges

Anyone who has a color printer knows how expensive replacing the ink cartridges can be. Last time I purchased inkjet cartridges for my Epson Stylus printer, it cost me almost $100! However, if you shop online for replacement inkjet cartridges, you may find a great deal.

I stumbled across a new website called InkJetDeals.info, a discount/coupon/code site loaded with information about saving ink, troubleshooting your printer and purchasing remanufactured cartridges. To find the inkjet cartridges for my Epson printer, I just clicked on the link for my printer, then I was taken to a page of information about Epson printers.

On this page I was given a choice of buying factory replacements or exploring deals on compatible replacement ink cartridges for Epson printers. I selected Carrot Ink as my vendor and clicked through to a page that told me about Carrot Ink and provided access links for three different coupons for Carrot Ink: $10 off with $40 purchase, free shipping with $25 purchase, and save up to 70% on ink cartridges and printer supplies. Clicking any of these links took me to appropriate landing page and it was very simple to complete the transaction.

Now, what to do with the used inkjet printer cartridges? I was at PetSmart just the other day and picked up free mailing envelopes to send in empty cartridges to a company that donates part of the proceeds to animal charities. Save money, recycle and benefit animals. Sweet!

Tags: replacement inkjet cartridges, recycle inkjet cartridges, inkjetdeals, info

Show Some Polar Bear Love on Valentine's Day

Tags: adopt polar bear, adopt moose, adopt lynx, adopt grizzly, adopt gray wolf, adolt desert tortoise

Good and Bad News for Whales

The good news is that a federal court in California imposed the strongest-ever protections for whales against an onslaught of military sonar.

The new controls are the result of an NRDC lawsuit that demanded the Navy rein in its deadly sonar before beginning two years of maneuvers near the Channel Islands of the coast of California. This area is home to five endangered species of whales.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said the Navy's existing plan for protecting marine mammals was "grossly inadequate" and she ordered the Navy to take precautionary measures to protect whales from needless injury and death.

• The Navy is not permitted to use mid-frequency sonar within 12 miles of the California coast.
  
  
• Sonar is banned in the Catalina Basin, an underwater canyon with a high density of whales.
  
  
• The Navy will have to monitor, from the sea and from the air, for marine mammals before and during its sonar exercises.
  
  
• The Navy will shut down sonar if marine mammals are spotted within 2200 yards of the ship.

The bad news is that the Navy wants to put a training range for mid-frequency sonar off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, which is next to a key migratory route for endangered right whales. Click here to take action.

Tags: navy sonar, right whales, north carolina

How Long Can You Tread Water?

Picture from Sierra Club blog, all rights reserved.

Global warming has imperiled polar bears almost to extinction. The Interior Department has to decide whether or not to place them on the "threatened" list under the Endangered Species Act by the end of January.

Meanwhile the Interior Department has opened The Chukchi Sea, home to one-tenth of the world's polar bears, to the dangers associated with oil drilling. Tell Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne that the polar bear should be listed as threatened now.

Click here to find out more and to take action, please.

Tags: polar bears, global warming, take action

Izearanks launches

Izearanks is a slick ranking system targeted towards blogs. It has a pretty decent interface and boasts being more accurate than Alexa, Google PR, etc.

read more | digg story

AFVI : Federal Incentives for Alternative Vehicles

The Funding Connection:
Federal Incentives for Alternative Fuels & Vehicles

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
1030 am Pacific Time (130 pm Eastern Time)

Mark your calendar and register today for this free 90-minute live webinar, sponsored by Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi).

The federal spotlight is finally shining on alternative fuels and advanced technologies. Several legislative actions have resulted in unprecedented incentive and funding opportunities for fleets. These incentives are available for private, as well as government fleets.

Speakers will present highlights of all the federal incentives for AFVs, alternative fueling stations and fuels purchases, as well as how to access them. Time will be set aside for a question and answer period towards the end of the webinar.

Who should attend: Fleet professionals, CEOs and board members of companies with fleets who are interested in learning more about available federal funding and incentives for alternative fuels and vehicles.

Registration is FREE! However, you must register to participate and registration is limited to the first 250 people. Click here to register now!

For more information on AFVi, go to our website at www.afvi.org.

Tags: afvi, federal incentives, webinar