Saving Water Makes Sense

Drought Conditions

Research scientists claim that, by mid-century, the average global temperature could be 1.4°C to 3°C warmer than the global average temperature measured between 1961 and 1990. Even moderate estimates place the temperature increase by 1°C (Nature Geoscience).

Rivers drying up

While it may be raining and flooding up north, portions of the USA are in a severe drought that is second only to the drought in the 1950s. National Geographic reports eight (8) large rivers worldwide are drying up. Two of these mighty rivers are in the United States.

Colorado River

The Colorado River is dry because of demands of a growing population of 30+ million: diverted and dammed along its 1450 miles; and heavily used by farmers, industry and municipalities. Today, only about one-tenth of the river flows to the delta on the Gulf of Mexico.

Rio Grande River

The Rio Grande (Big River) is another river in trouble. In 1992, Santa Elena Canyon was “For dedicated river runners, Santa Elena features the famous Rock Slide, a swirling series of Class IV rapids that sling boats . . . (Texas Handbook).” Today, The Rio Grande often fails to flow to its delta on the Gulf of Mexico.

What can you do to survive in this time of severe water shortage?

 

Mechanical changes

Change showerheads and toilets to low-flow. Fix all leaks immediately. A running toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute. A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons of water per month. To determine if you have a leak, turn off all sources of water.  Go outside and see if your water meter is still turning.

Grey water

Use natural, phosphate-free laundry soap and filter your grey water from the washing machine, one of the home appliances that uses the most water. Use this water for those tasks that require water, but not drinking water. This water may be used, as is, to fight fires that threaten your home. If the drought worsens, you may want to add a filter so that you may drink it. You may find filters for this at www.watertanks.com. 

Rainwater

Recycle rainwater. You can find from 62-gallon Rainwater Harvesting Wall to 500-gallon water storage tank at WaterTanks.com. With a minimum of filtration, rainwater may become drinking water. How much water may you recycle? One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof can produce 6,000 gallons of rainwater.

Go native

Plant native grasses, trees, shrubs and flowers. Do not restrict airflow around your home, but shade it during the heat of the day. Use drip irrigation, a very water efficient process. Find the perfect water container for your gravity fed system at WaterTanks.com. They have a Huge Selection of Tanks.

Change your habits

Turn the water off while you brush your teeth or wash your face, then turn on again to rinse. In the shower, wet your body and turn water off. Apply soap and shampoo, turn water on and rinse. If your dog needs a bath, take him in the shower with you.

Do not use water pressure to clean outside, use a broom or leaf blower. Never run a partially full dishwasher or washing machine.  Use the least amount of water to complete your task.

More Sick and Deformed Sea Creatures

Many of the chemicals used in dispersants after the BP blowout contain petroleum distillates and especially 2-butoxyethanol, which are are medically known to be teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic, and exposure to them can lead to a long list of serious health effects, including death.  We are reaping what BP sowed--without thought, without restraint and without concern for the inhabitants of the Gulf of Mexico or their descendents.

Over 40 percent of all seafood sold in the USA is caught in the Gulf.  This number will diminish as more deformed creatures are found and birth rates of survivors drop.  The Gulf of Mexico is a rich mixture of fish, crabs, sharks, porpoises, dolphins, sailfish and huge game fish. I believe BP has destroyed this rich mix and the livelihoods of those who depend on healthy fish to sell. The oil is still present, the dispersants left byproducts and the cleanup is NOT OVER.

 

Source: Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists. Eyeless shrimp and fish with lesions are becoming common, with BP oil pollution believed to be the likely cause. (aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/04/201241682318260912.html)

 Two Years Later, the Oil Remains in the Wetlands of Louisiana

...wetlands are areas where the frequent and prolonged presence of water at or near the soil surface drives the natural system meaning the kind of soils that form, the plants that grow, and the fish and/or wildlife communities that use the habitat. Swamps, marshes, and bogs are well-recognized types of wetlands... Sec. 404 Clean Air Act (epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fact11.html).

Everyone is on the oil train again with tar sands and pipelines and drilling in the Arctic. I say STOP and think about the price of oil exploration. Is it worth it?

Eyes Without a Face

Billy Idol sung Eyes Without a Face years ago. His son was in part inspired by Les Yeux Sans Visage, a chillingly horrific 1959 film from acclaimed French director Georges Franju.

However, the horrors found in the gulf are real. These poor critters that live in the Gulf of Mexico, like Blue crabs without claws, shrimp without eyes, fish with lesions and jellyfish with low heartbeats as well as unidentifiable creatures that have oil for body parts.

Almost two years after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are finding deformities among seafood and a great decline in the numbers of marine life.

Reported by Dahr Jamail for Al Jazeera.  This story is not being reported by US news sources.  Ask why. Perhaps the American press have faces without mouths when it comes to real news?

Clean up the Gulf of Mexico!

Keep the Drills Out of the Arctic! 

Oil Companies Do Not Have the Technology to Clean Up the Disasters They Cause.

Keep Unrefined Oil Sands From Spirit Bears

Only 400 Spirit Bears Left

The Kermode Bear--also called Spirit, Sacred and Ghost Bear--is a special white bear that is found in the mid-coastal regions of British Columbia. It is actually a rare subspecies of the Canadian Black Bear. Both parent bears are usually black, but if both carry the recessive gene, there offspring is white. The bear is thought to have supernatural powers, hence the name Spirit Bear. This gentle creature is thought to have roamed the temperate rain forest of Princess Royal Island for 10,000 years. Due to the isolation of this island, one of ten of the black bears is white.  ~ Judi Wild, Artist, Guardians of the Spirit Bear  ~

 Photo by Spirit Bear Youth Coalition founder Simon Jackson.

Enbridge has a disastrous environmental record, responsible for over 800 oil spills since 1999, including a major 2010 spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River . . . Since the oil in the Northern Gateway pipeline would be crude, unrefined oil sands bitumen from Alberta, many environmentalists fear that an oil spill would have disastrous and long-term consequences for the environment.

An online petition to stop the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, started by Kelowna resident James McGregor, is rapidly gaining momentum in its bid to collect 10,000 signatures to deliver to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. You must be a Canadian for your signature to count. Please pass the word to our friends to the north.

Below are other Canadian petitions opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil sands pipeline:

• End Plans to Construct the Northern Gateway Pipeline  
• Dogwood Initiative “No Tankers” Petition 
• Canadians Against the Oil Sands

Source: http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/earthmatters/2012/04/08/online-petitions-call-stop-enbridge-northern-gateway-pipeline-project

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Americans! Take action here: https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2597

He is risen!

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Let not your heart be troubled
Let not your soul be sad
Easter is a time of joy
When all hearts should be glad.

Glad to know that Jesus Christ
Made it possible for men
To have their sins forgiven
And, like Him, to live again.

So at this joyous season
May the wondrous Easter Story
Renew our Faith so we may be
Partakers of His Glory!~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

Updated Fracking Fluid Ingredients

Fracking Fluid

Below is a list of commonly used ingredients of fracking fluid. To avoid confusion of multiple names for same ingredient, the Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) number is used.

Are you interested in what is being used in your neighborhood or watershed? Visit FracFocus and search for wells by county, state or other identifiers. Find the laws for your state that regulate fracking.

Chemical Name	CAS	Chemical Purpose	Product Function
Hydrochloric Acid	007647-01-0	Helps dissolve minerals and initiate cracks in the rock	Acid
Glutaraldehyde	000111-30-8	Eliminates bacteria in the water that produces corrosive by-products	Biocide
Quaternary Ammonium Chloride	012125-02-9	Eliminates bacteria in the water that produces corrosive by-products	Biocide
Quaternary Ammonium Chloride	061789-71-1	Eliminates bacteria in the water that produces corrosive by-products	Biocide
Tetrakis Hydroxymethyl-Phosphonium Sulfate	055566-30-8	Eliminates bacteria in the water that produces corrosive by-products	Biocide
Ammonium Persulfate	007727-54-0	Allows a delayed break down of the gel	Breaker
Sodium Chloride	007647-14-5	Product Stabilizer	Breaker
Magnesium Peroxide	014452-57-4	Allows a delayed break down the gel	Breaker
Magnesium Oxide	001309-48-4	Allows a delayed break down the gel	Breaker
Calcium Chloride	010043-52-4	Product Stabilizer	Breaker
Choline Chloride	000067-48-1	Prevents clays from swelling or shifting	Clay Stabilizer
Tetramethyl ammonium chloride	000075-57-0	Prevents clays from swelling or shifting	Clay Stabilizer
Sodium Chloride	007647-14-5	Prevents clays from swelling or shifting	Clay Stabilizer
Isopropanol	000067-63-0	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent	Corrosion Inhibitor
Methanol	000067-56-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent	Corrosion Inhibitor
Formic Acid	000064-18-6	Prevents the corrosion of the pipe	Corrosion Inhibitor
Acetaldehyde	000075-07-0	Prevents the corrosion of the pipe	Corrosion Inhibitor
Petroleum Distillate	064741-85-1	Carrier fluid for borate or zirconate crosslinker	Crosslinker
Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillate	064742-47-8	Carrier fluid for borate or zirconate crosslinker	Crosslinker
Potassium Metaborate	013709-94-9	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Triethanolamine Zirconate	101033-44-7	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Sodium Tetraborate	001303-96-4	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Boric Acid	001333-73-9	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Zirconium Complex	113184-20-6	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Borate Salts	N/A	Maintains fluid viscosity as temperature increases	Crosslinker
Ethylene Glycol	000107-21-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Crosslinker
Methanol	000067-56-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Crosslinker
Polyacrylamide	009003-05-8	“Slicks” the water to minimize friction	Friction Reducer
Petroleum Distillate	064741-85-1	Carrier fluid for polyacrylamide friction reducer	Friction Reducer
Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillate	064742-47-8	Carrier fluid for polyacrylamide friction reducer	Friction Reducer
Methanol	000067-56-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Friction Reducer
Ethylene Glycol	000107-21-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Friction Reducer
Guar Gum	009000-30-0	Thickens the water in order to suspend the sand	Gelling Agent
Petroleum Distillate	064741-85-1	Carrier fluid for guar gum in liquid gels	Gelling Agent
Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillate	064742-47-8	Carrier fluid for guar gum in liquid gels	Gelling Agent
Methanol	000067-56-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Gelling Agent
Polysaccharide Blend	068130-15-4	Thickens the water in order to suspend the sand	Gelling Agent
Ethylene Glycol	000107-21-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Gelling Agent
Citric Acid	000077-92-9	Prevents precipitation of metal oxides	Iron Control
Acetic Acid	000064-19-7	Prevents precipitation of metal oxides	Iron Control
Thioglycolic Acid	000068-11-1	Prevents precipitation of metal oxides	Iron Control
Sodium Erythorbate	006381-77-7	Prevents precipitation of metal oxides	Iron Control
Lauryl Sulfate	000151-21-3	Used to prevent the formation of emulsions in the fracture fluid	Non-Emulsifier
Isopropanol	000067-63-0	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Non-Emulsifier
Ethylene Glycol	000107-21-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Non-Emulsifier
Sodium Hydroxide	001310-73-2	Adjusts the pH of fluid to maintains the effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers	pH Adjusting Agent
Potassium Hydroxide	001310-58-3	Adjusts the pH of fluid to maintains the effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers	pH Adjusting Agent
Acetic Acid	000064-19-7	Adjusts the pH of fluid to maintains the effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers	pH Adjusting Agent
Sodium Carbonate	000497-19-8	Adjusts the pH of fluid to maintains the effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers	pH Adjusting Agent
Potassium Carbonate	000584-08-7	Adjusts the pH of fluid to maintains the effectiveness of other components, such as crosslinkers	pH Adjusting Agent
Copolymer of Acrylamide and Sodium Acrylate	025987-30-8	Prevents scale deposits in the pipe	Scale Inhibitor
Sodium Polycarboxylate	N/A	Prevents scale deposits in the pipe	Scale Inhibitor
Phosphonic Acid Salt	N/A	Prevents scale deposits in the pipe	Scale Inhibitor
Lauryl Sulfate	000151-21-3	Used to increase the viscosity of the fracture fluid	Surfactant
Ethanol	000064-17-5	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Surfactant
Naphthalene	000091-20-3	Carrier fluid for the active surfactant ingredients	Surfactant
Methanol	000067-56-1	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Surfactant
Isopropyl Alcohol	000067-63-0	Product stabilizer and / or winterizing agent.	Surfactant
2-Butoxyethanol	000111-76-2	Product stabilizer	Surfactant

Just glance at the list of ingredients. Choose a few chemicals and Google them. You will be amazed at the chemicals that oil companies are putting into the ground. The same ground from which we draw water for drinking, washing, manufacturing, boating, fishing, swimming.

You may also want to Google the term "fracking disaster list" (without quote marks). My search for incidents in the past year returned 82,400 search results. Read a few. Now you understand the scope of the problem. Yes, we want oil, but we need water to live.

What you Can Do Now to Stop Fracking
By Hydraulic Fracturing in Enchanted Mountains

https://www.facebook.com/notes/hydraulic-fracturing-in-enchanted-mountains/what-you-can-do-now-to-stop-fracking/128973200512569

Hives Decaying, Bees Dying, Pesticide Blues

The Problem of Bees

Neonicotinoid insecticides are commonly used since the 1990s. These pesticides may also be a primary cause of the dying off of two bee populations. Two new studies in Science found that even small doses of these pesticides, which effect the insect's central nervous system, impact bee behavior and, ultimately, their survival.

Research and Theories

. . . exposed colonies of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris in the lab to field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, then allowed them to develop naturally under field conditions. Treated colonies had a significantly reduced growth rate and suffered an 85% reduction in production of new queen.

The second study published in Science found similar effects on wild bumblebees. Their hives grew more slowly and produced far fewer queens when exposed to a neonicotinoid. 

 Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact on wild bumble bee populations across the developed world.

Source:  http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6076/1555

In one study, researchers glued tiny microchips to the backs of honeybees. Then, they fed the bees sugar water with a low dose of a neonicotinoid. Lead author Mickaël Henry from the French national agriculture research institute, INRA, says the bees "basically get drunk and cannot find heir way back home.”

If colony collapse syndrome continues at the current rate, managed honey bees will disappear by 2035.  Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in these studies. Declines at trace levels in the nectar and pollen of crop plants also demonstrate the problem caused by neonicotinoida.  Seeds are now covered with insecticide before sowing. There is no way to separate or wash out the poison.

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/environment/Studies-Link-Bee-Decline-to-Insecticide-145190025.html

Why Should You Care?

Below are a list of foods fertilized by bees:  Okra, kiwifruit, bucket orchid, onion, cashew, custard apple, celery, strawberry tree, American pawpaw, star fruit, brazil nut, beet, mustard, rapeseed (canola), broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, Chinese cabbage, Canola turnip, pigion peas, chile pepper, red pepper, bell pepper, green pepper, papaya, safflower, caraway, chestnut, star apple, watermelon, tangerine, tangelo, coconut, coffee arabica, coffee canephora, colar nut, coriander, crownvetch, hazelnut, azarole, cantoloupe, melon, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, goard, marrow, zuchini, guar bean, goa bean, quince, lemon, lime, carrot, syacnith bean, longan, persimmon, durian, oil palm, cardamom, loquat, buckwheat, Feijoa, fig, fennel, strawberry, soybeans, stanhopea, cotton, siunflower, walnut, flax, lychee, lupines, macadamia, acerola, apple, mammee, mango, sapodilla, alfalfa, rambuitan, prickly pear cactus, sainfoin, passion fruit, avocado, lima bean, kidney bean, haricot bean, adzuki bean, mungo bean, stringbean, scarlet runner bean, allspice, apricot, sweet cherry, sour cherry, plum, almond, peach, nectarine, guava, pomegranate, pear, black currant, red currant, rose hips, boysenberry, raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, sesame, eggplant, naranjillo, rowanberry, service tree, hog plum, tamarind, cocoa, clover (not all), blueberry, cranberry, vanilla, tung tree, broad bean, vetch, cowpea, blackeyed pea, karite, tomato, grape, jujube

What is Your Zone? Weather Hardiness Zones Moved.

The United States Department of Agriculture developed "hardiness zones" during the 1920s and 1930s to help farmers select plants that would grow in their region, A new map was developed in 1990, but covered limited yeasr and did not cover all data collected.

1990 Weather Hardiness Zone Map

Th3 2012 map is based on average minimum temperatures collected over a 30-year period. The map is used by both backyard gardeners and large operating growers so they can determine which plants will grow and thrive in their area

 

2012 Plant Hardiness Zone Maps

Comparing the new 2012 map to the last map USDA published in 1990, shows significant shifts, especially across the Great Plains.  Though the USDA cautions that not all the changes to the map can be attributed to climate change, it is clear that the major shifts are related to warmer temperatures.

Most of the zones have moved northward 50 miles.  That is an awesome shift for 10-12 years. While this means a longer growing season in some areas, it also means that pests, like kudzu and fire ants, are moving northward, too.  So, if you see a new plant or pest you do not recognize, take it to the county extension agent or a specialist at a local university. This will help stop the spread of invasive species.

Below, you may input your zip code to find out in seconds in which Hardiness Zone you live. No data is collected by Endangered Spaces or the Arborday Organization.