Environmental News Network - Spotlight

What is Really Pristine Wilderness Really?

Fred Pearce, Yale Environment360 — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:20:00 EST

New research shows that humans have been transforming the earth and its ecosystems for millenniums — far longer than previously believed. These findings call into question our notions about what is unspoiled nature and what should be preserved. Are there any pristine ecosystems out there? The evidence is growing that our ideas about virgin nature are often faulty. In fact, the lush rainforest or wind-blown moorland we think is natural may be a human creation, with alien creatures from distant lands living beside native species. Realizing this will change our ideas about how ecosystems work and how we should do conservation. We like to think that most nature was pristine and largely untouched until recent times. But two major studies in recent weeks say we are deluded. In one, Erle Ellis, a geographer at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and colleagues have calculated that at least a fifth of the land across most of the world had been transformed by humans as early as 5,000 years ago — a proportion that past studies of historical land use had assumed was only reached in the past 100 years or so.

The New Normal

Guest Contributor Nancy Schneider, Sustainability Consulting — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:47:00 EST

While Webster’s Dictionary has not yet caught up to the term the "new normal", it is more than a television program on NBC. The new normal may refer to the economy, health, or lifestyles, but for government, the new normal primarily refers to how our lives will routinely be affected by the impacts of climate change. The new normal was addressed throughout the day at the recent PlanSmart NJ 2013 Regional Planning Summit, "Investing in the New Normal" held in Trenton, New Jersey, forty miles west of the coastline destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. PlanSmart NJ is an independent, non-profit planning, education, and research organization committed to improving the quality of community life through the advancement of sound land use planning and regional cooperation.

Sag Hollow Golf Course

Mary Jo Harrod, Public Information Officer, Kentucky DEP — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:36:00 EST

Owsley County, Kentucky is a rural area with 4,000 residents and little industry. For that reason, community leaders in the town of Booneville thought economic development was needed to bring jobs to their town, giving the residents an opportunity to work in the town where they live. A group of citizens and business leaders united to plan the next steps, deciding that creating a golf course would be the wisest move. Despite some opposition to the project, the group formed a 501C nonprofit economic development corporation and began to search for a suitable property. In 2004, they chose a site that was a former strip mine and spent the next three years cleaning the land that would become Sag Hollow Golf Club. Two community-minded institutions in the county, Farmers State Bank and the Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative, subsidized the project.

Earth Day Spotlight: Working Dogs for Conservation

Tom Kuglin, Guest Author — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:07:00 EST

Wicket, an eight year-old black lab-cross wearing a red vest emblazoned with the words "Search Dog", came to a sudden stop at the base of a thick willow tree, turning and sitting in one swift motion, and awaited her reward of a tennis ball for a successful detection. "Instead of using dogs to find narcotics, lets use them to find poop," Alice Whitelaw of Working Dogs for Conservation, said. Only one in 1,000 dogs have what it takes to become a detection dog. The Three Forks Mont.-based research group uses dogs to search for everything from invasive species to noxious weeds to rare animal scat to illegal snares used by poachers in Africa. Five Montana wildlife biologists came together in 2000 with a new idea to respond to a growing demand for non-invasive ways to do research. Whitelaw, co-founder and director of programs for WDC, and her colleagues were not disappointed with the results, as testing showed the dogs were successful at finding scat 90 percent of the time.

Green 'Khutbah' Muslim Sermon Campaign

Arwa Aburawa, GreenProphet — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:59:00 EST

Muslims have been asked to encourage their spiritual leaders, imams, to devote this Friday Khutbah or sermon (19th April 2013) to celebrate the blessings, graces and beauty of all of Allah’s creation. Muaz Nasir from Khaleafa who is leading the effort is also hoping to raise awareness amongst Muslim of the environmental challenges facing humanity. "The 'Green Khutbah Campaign' is aiming to challenge Muslims to become stewards of the environment by making changes to their daily routines," explains Nasir. "Although the evidence of environmental damage is stronger than ever, the public is starting to tune out due to the recent economic crisis and a lack of political leadership. But Muslims cannot tune out from the environmental damage – tuning out would mean that we are disregarding our moral responsibility to Allah's creation."

Britain's love affair with bottled water

David Gray — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:49:00 EST

Leading academic brands industry a "scam" as campaigners condemn our growing thirst for bottled water. The UK bottled water industry releases 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. One of Britain's leading authorities on water supplies has branded the bottled water industry a scam, backing campaigners' claims of wasted millions and environmental pollution at a time when tap water standards have never been higher. Professor Paul Younger, Rankine Chair of Engineering at Glasgow University, has highlighted growing fears that our increasing consumption of bottled water is damaging the environment while raising huge profits for the big brands, despite Britain having one of the best mains water supplies in the world.

What You Need To Know About Green Mortgage

David Taylor, Contributing Author — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:19:00 EST

Making environmentally friendly choices is more than recycling or turning the lights off. Every decision can actually have a positive impact on the world. What many people don't know is that applying for home loans can lower greenhouse emissions. Thus, improving the energy efficiency of a home and looking for loans to fund such projects can save people on energy costs and lower their carbon footprint. Environmental Impact of Energy Efficiency at Home: Steve Baden, Executive Director for the Residential Energy Services Network, which regulates home energy ratings' standards, says that homes contribute up to 21% of the greenhouse emissions. Thus, the smallest home improvement projects can have a huge impact on a home's energy use. Cut Utility Costs: Green home improvement projects help homeowners cut utility bills in half. This saves hundreds of dollars every year, if not more. An investment today will have a large payoff later on down the line. This is why green home loans are a valuable investment. These funds give people the chance to lower their expenses and do something positive for the environment.