Image: glennfay49, flickr
The Nissan Leaf is coming out of the shadows, and revealing more about itself. This short video hits some of the high points, including performance (up to 90 miles an hour!), charging times (16 hours on a home electrical socket or 30 minutes on a charging station), and other goodies. Cooling and heating can be programmed from your smart phone! Sound intriguing? Find out more here.
Video: networkworld, youtube
From 2008 to 2009, illegal ivory seizures doubled, poaching death rate of elephants grew to nearly 10% and the price of ivory has ballooned to record levels. It is time to act. Please help fight the ivory trade by making a donation and signing up today.
In the fall of 2010, a team of National Geographic explorers will join forces with Sam Wasser and the Conservation Biology lab at the University of Washington to identify ivory poaching hotspots. It is crucial to figure out which populations are being targeted by poachers before these endangered herds are pushed to the brink.
The team will go deep into the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a notoriously unstable country thought to be a large source of illegal ivory, to collect DNA from samples of elephant scat. Dr. Wasser will then analyze the DNA and match it with DNA from illegal ivory seizures, enabling him to identify where the poached elephants lived.
Wasser works with the international policing organization INTERPOL, using his pioneering methods of wildlife forensics and DNA analysis to help curb the quickly growing ivory trade. The Elephant Ivory Project crew will then produce video, television and print media from the expedition to educate the US and beyond on the current situation of African elephants and what can be done to stop elephant poaching.
In 1989, there was a global uproar at the elephant death rate of 7.1% due to poaching. That year the international ivory trade was banned and elephant poaching was nearly stopped overnight. By identifying poaching hotspots before it’s too late and effectively using media to tell these beautiful animals’ story, we can do this again as a planet, but we must act now.
This article was submitted by Andy Maser, @amaser on Twitter, an adventure filmmaker and National Geographic Young Explorers Grantee based in Portland, Oregon. He creates films and television content that blends adventure with science and conservation for National Geographic, PBS, UNTV, the International League of Conservation Photographers, and top adventure and environmental film festivals. His latest project, Rivers In Demand, is a series of expeditions to threatened ecosystems around the world designed to raise awareness to the value of conservation. This project has taken Andy to Papua New Guinea, China, Congo, Brazil and Bolivia--upcoming expeditions include the Mekong River in Laos and back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. See video and more at ElephantIvoryProject.org
I am proud to say that Burlington, Vermont is my home town. Why? For a lot of reasons. First of all I grew up here and it is a small city with a cosmopolitan feel, being close to Montreal, Boston, and even New York City. It has a deep, rich history that stretches back to the American revolution. It is a sister city and safe harbor for refugees from dozens of countries all over the world. It has amazing and varied architecture and talented and wonderful people who are politically active and concerned for the well-being of all. It is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., sitting next to a beautiful lake, and minutes to the mountains, ski areas and great hiking. There are more reasons I love Burlington but I don't want to make it sound TOO appealing! It will just be our little secret!
Church Street, presumably named for the Unitarian Church that guards the north end of the street, includes several blocks of shops and eateries and blocked off to vehicle traffic. Today the downtown was decked out in preparation for the annual Mardi Gras, sponsored by Magic Hat Brewery, a Burlington institution.
Living out west for a couple of years gave me an appreciation for the stunning architecture in Burlington. Seen here is the Abernathys building, which was a local department store back in the day when I was a boy. In my mind at least, it compares with some of the most beautiful old landmarks in the country.
A visitor quickly notices the aesthetic of the artistic community in Burlington. This is everywhere from the outstanding local and ethnic food to the rampant artist enclaves, displays and artwork. This bronze leap frog statue was amended by some adornments for Mardi Gras, and custom-made leg warmers, as part of a knit-bombing peace awareness activity.
Burlington became a shipping hub before the railroads were built in the early 1800's. Today the water front is largely accessible to the public for fishing, boating, and enjoying with restaurants, museums and some small business establishments. It is a delightful place to be.
And that's the truth!
Happy Friday. LoveEarthAlways is on the verge of some redesign that is very exciting and a lot of work. As we transition and open up our community we want you to know that better things are coming soon. Whether it is storming outside, norming or forming inside, you will love the next 5 minutes. Sit back and enjoy and crank it up!
Video from mzone1974youtube
Image: glennfay36, flickr
The aging Nuke Plant Vermont Yankee needs to close before it implodes the Vermont economy and poses a real public health risk. We have written several blog posts about the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, which has been in the news because of its maintenance record, issues with lying to the legislature, plus unsafe and expensive radioactive waste storage as well as other topics. The Vermont Legislature is now debating whether to extend the plants license past the 2012 expiration date and will likely vote on Wednesday, in a non-binding referendum on that fate. The local CBS WCAX News reported tonight that legislators are hearing from Vermonters with a 10 to 1 margin asking them to shut down the plant. We believe that the majority of Vermonters have the right idea, despite the fact that 30% of Vermont's power comes from Vermont Yankee. Here's why.
1. Vermont Yankee has lived out it's lifespan. Yankee has endured accidents such a s a ruptured cooling pipe, unreported tritium leaks in 2005, unaccountable tritium leaks now into the groundwater and Connecticut River, and other abnormal events. The bottom line is that these events indicate an aging plant that is now a liability to Vermont. At this moment, tritium is flowing down the river thorough Massachusetts and into Long Island Sound. Yes it is a concern for other states as well as Vermont. It is time to let the license expire and close Vermont Yankee.
2. Decommissioning costs continue to soar, the longer the plant stays open, and Entergy, the plant's owner, is not picking up the tab. In a small state with little tax base, even in economic boom times, decommissioning the plant will coast enormous capital. Some experts estimate that if it stays open another ten years the costs could reach a billion dollars. If Entergy or future owner defaults as we have seen in the financial markets recently, relatively poor Vermonters would be stuck with the bill. It is time to let the license expire and close Vermont Yankee.
3. This is an ideal time to build an alternative energy infrastructure that doesn't include Vermont Yankee. There is enormous spending by the federal government on alternative energy, notably solar and wind and now is the time to replace the aging infrastructure of nuclear, coal, oil, wood chips and hydro with renewables. It is time to let the license expire and close Vermont Yankee before it bankrupts Vermont and poses a severe health risk to Americans.
What do you think? Should the Vermont Legislature close Vermont Yankee when its license expires in 2012?
