Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Earth Day 2009 : I Am Only One

Wind and Sun are all We Need
I am only one, but I am one.

I cannot do everything,
but I can do something.

And I will not let what
I cannot do interfere
with what I can do.

~Edward Everett Hale~


If you wish to combine your energies with others to make a difference to the Earth and its inhabitants, please visit The Green Generation Campaign community.

The Green Generation Core Principles
  • A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.

  • An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.

  • Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.

This post made in support of Bloggers Unite and their mission of outreach and education.


Monday, April 20, 2009

Plug 'n Play Wind Power

Clarian Technologies is developing a windmill that generates energy. The Jellyfish wind appliance will plug into your electrical grid via a normal house socket, providing 40 killowatt-hours monthly, which is enough to power a 3500 sf home! No special wiring needed, just plug 'n play!



The Jellyfish wind appliance will launch next year. It is estimated that is will cost the consumer $400 for each unit.

From the website of Clarian Technologies:
The Jellyfish Wind Appliance is a small 36-inch tall vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) with a solid-state controller and a variable-speed induction generator that plugs directly into an existing wall socket and automatically generates power whenever the wind blows. The Jellyfish can be mounted on rooftops, wind towers or even existing street light poles - which are already pre-wired to the grid and have the tower already in place!
The Jellyfish Wind Appliance has been submitted to the Project 10 to the 100th contest. If you wish to vote, please sign up to be notified when voting opens.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Time is Running Out for the Polar Bears


PLEASE Give the Polar Bears a Chance!

Global warming is melting the sea ice on which polar bears hunt and live. Therefore, polar bears are swimming farther and farther distances to reach solid ice. They are also drowning and dying of starvation in record numbers. Other polar bears, trapped on land hundreds of miles from solid ice, are being shot or dying of starvation.

The last Administration enacted regulations under Section 4(d) and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act that reduced protection to polar bears and created an exemption for greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks to an Act of Congress, the current Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, may revoke these illegal regulations .

The deadline for revocation is May 9, 2009. Approximately 5,000 signatures are needed on the petition at PolarBear.org to help convince Interior Secretary Salazar to revoke the illegal regulations before the deadline.

Take 5 minutes and take action. Sign the petition at PolarBear.org. Pass the word to your friends. The polar bear you save may be a mother.


Saturday, April 11, 2009

BloggersUnite : Earth Day 2009

Earth Day is April 22, 2009

A single voice can only yell so loud but an entire blogoshpere can make a difference like never before. Let's change the world together. (BloggersUnite).



On Earth Day, BloggersUnite is putting the power of the blogosphere behind The Green Generation Campaign.

The core principles of The Green Generation:
  • A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.
  • An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.
  • Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.
Click to join BloggersUnite | Visit The Green Generation

On Earth Day, post your blog post about The Green Generation or other green topic of your choice, then visit BloggersUnite to share it with the world.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

The Beginning of the End

Two days ago, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced draft legislation that could unleash America's green energy future and address global warming.

This is the first step toward passing landmark climate legislation this year. If we succeed, we will make a critical investment in our children's ecological and economic futures.

If we fail? Well, we cannot fail.

Please make an emergency donation to the Environmental Defense Fund campaign to stop global warming action and transform the American economy.

In case there's any doubt about what's at stake, here is what 2500 scientists said just weeks ago at a global climate science conference:
Recent observations confirm that, given high rates of observed emissions, the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realized. For many key parameters, the climate system is already moving beyond the patterns of natural variability within which our society and economy have developed and thrived. These parameters include global mean surface temperature, sea-level rise, ocean and ice sheet dynamics, ocean acidification, and extreme climatic events. There is a significant risk that many of the trends will accelerate, leading to an increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climatic shifts.
Please: Give $5 toward the future of your children. $10 if you have grandchildren. If you are flush, then give what you can afford. This is the beginning of the last battle for the future of the Earth.

Will it end well because we take timely action or end badly as the ocean encroaches on the land and extremes in weather have made climate refugees out of most of the citizens of the world? The end has not been written. We will write it with our actions.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Good News for Great Bear Rain Forest

Back in November, I wrote a post about the Great Bear Rain Forest and how it was the largest tract of intact coastal temperate rain forest left on Earth.


The Earth Won One This Month

On 4/1/2009, the government of British Columbia announced that it would, indeed, keep its promises regarding the region. The major milestones achieved are:
  • 5 million acres, an area half the size of Switzerland, have been legally protected from logging.

  • $120 million is available to First Nation communities to help kick-start a new conservation economy as an alternative to logging throughout the rainforest.

  • A new system of 'lighter touch' logging, based on Ecosystem-based Management (EBM), has been legislated. This system maintains 50 percent of the natural level of old growth forest in the region. This translates to an additional 1.7 million acres of forest set aside from logging.
View a media release with more details: Promise to Protect Great Bear Rainforest Becomes Reality - Five-Year Plan in Place


Thursday, April 02, 2009

Oceana Reports : Oceans in Trouble

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran into Bligh Reef. The 10.8 million gallons of oil that flowed into Prince William Sound remains one of the most catastrophic ecological disasters in history. To this day, oil remains. Some species recovered, some never will.


Toxic Legacy examines the consequences of offshore drilling on marine life and habitats.
Renewed interest in oil drilling in the ocean, spurred by a period of high gasoline prices, threatens marine life and ocean ecosystems. The chances of oiling and poisoning wildlife, the risks of contamination and economic loss to local communities, and the contribution to climate change will all be greater if we expand offshore drilling.
Click to read Toxic Legacy


Hungry Oceans finds that 7 of the top 10 fisheries in the world target prey fish, as populations of bigger fish have become overexploited.

Scientists are reporting ocean predators emaciated from lack of food, vulnerable to disease and without enough energy to reproduce. Scrawny predators have turned up along coastlines around the world. Fishing communities are losing their livelihoods. Unless the current trends are reversed, we can look forward to a future with increasingly hungry oceans.

Click to read Hungry Oceans