Tornado in Kansas lead to Green Rebuilding

This is a picture of Greensburg, Kansas after a deadly tornado tore through the city May 4, 2007.  It caused massive destruction and much of the community needed to be rebuilt.  In making the plans for reconstruction, the local government decided to recycle what they could and rebuild the community to be as sustainable as possible.  The city has since been reconstructed and the people of Greensburg consider the city to be "Stronger, Better, Greener!" It is very interesting to see the progress that this city has made, and it provides hope for the areas that have been devastated by yesterday's tornado.  Hopefully the cities impacted by yesterday's tornado will also be able to successfully rebuild in a sustainable way. If you are interested you should check out the website for Greensburg: Greensburg, Kansas

Tornado Reeks Havoc in Southern U.S.

A large tornado tore across six Southern states yesterday, with devastating effects.  The current death toll is at least 247, with the highest death toll in Alabama.  Additionally, the tornado has left nothing but devastation in its path. There are plenty of articles and videos online, but if you are interested, check out this article: Southern Storms

Also, there is a live video of the tornado: Witness to a Dangerous Tornado

An Ailing Gulf

This is a picture of the dissappearing wetlands in the New Orleans area.  I found a New York Times  article that discusses the overall degradation that has occurred in the Gulf of Mexico a little over a year after the record breaking Deep Horizon Oil Spill. The article examines the declining health of the area and the growth of the large dead zone in the gulf. If you are interested you should check out the article at: Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf

Tigers are coming back....

To Central Asia!
According to an article on the World Wildlife Fund's website, tigers may be reintroduced into Central Asia, in the area of Kazahstan. Tigers have been extinct in this area, but the governement there is trying to reintroduce a population. It is very interesting. To read more, check out the article at: Tigers could roam once more in Central Asia

Poor Polluted Sea Turtles

So today I read an article about increased amounts of pollution being found in the blood of male sea turtles. The article discusses a study that found at least 67 chemicals in the blood of these turtles, that can be traced back to pesticides and other industrial products. The study speculates that these turtles consume these chemicals through consuming smaller fish etc. that have been contaminated. It's a sad story, but if you want to check it out, here is the article: Migrating Sea Turtles Pick Up More Pollution

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Many of you may have noticed the Google logo of today. It is a logo of animals and nature in the spirit of Earth Day. If you have not seen it yet, check it out it is pretty cute: Google

Anyways, I hope everyone has a happy Earth Day and takes some time to appreciate this beautiful world!

Species Discovery

Fun nature fact of the day: between 1999-2009 over 1,200 new species were discovered in the Amazon! (Which is equal to discovering one every three days). The biodiversity of the Amazon is one of the many reasons that its protection and preservation is necessary. To learn more you can check out this website: WWF Amazon Projects

Solar on Water

So there was an interesting article in the New York Times today about a new avenue in renewable energy.  Solar panels have been added to rooftops and car tops and now there is a movement to utilize floating panels. These solar panels can be floated on water of agricultural mining ponds, etc.  If you are interested you should check out the article: Solar on the Water

Gulf Oil Spill

It has been almost a year since the biggest oil spill in American history occurred.  Over the past year, scientists have been exploring the devastated regions affected by this spill.  They are trying to assess the damage of the spill and the ways in which nature is responding to this spill. They have been finding that it is difficult to calculate the damage, such as death toll of creatures and habitat. Furthermore, it is difficult to calculate the long term impacts on the environment.  However, there is an extensive article pertaining to what the scientists have found.  If you are interested you should check it out, it also has a couple of video links: Gulf’s Complexity and Resilience Seen in Studies of Oil Spill

The Zero Waste Home

So today I found about about this blog about a family who have outlined the goal of having a Zero Waste Home.  It is a fascinating blog!  After reading through a couple posts, I noticed how much I waste, particularly in regard to wrappers and packaging, which is what most trash is composed of.  The picture above is from the blog, in the post about their six month tally.  This is the trash that they had accumulated in six months. That's it, a handful of wrappers! If you are interested in this unique experiment, I encourage you to check it out at The Zero Waste Home