Hi - We're going to get passionate about the environment; so, grab a beverage, take your shoes off, sit down and get comfy. If global warming is an interest of yours - add your comments, subscribe to the feed and/or become a follower. Don't forget to check out the ads to the right side of the column. There is some very interesting material to be had there. Read, comment, enjoy!!!
Whether you are vegan or just care about what you put on your skin, you have discovered that cosmetics and beauty products without animal products or animal testing are as hard to find as hens' teeth.
Fortunately, there is a solution and the store is only as far away as your keyboard.
There's a new beauty shop on the virtual block: Called Vegan Beauty Market. It's a one-stop shop for cosmetics, personal skin care and body products. From Pangea Organics to Aubrey Organics, they've got great green beauty finds and offer free shipping on orders over $49 -- in the United States only. Plus, you'll receive free samples with every order.
Founded on the belief that animal testing and using animal products in cosmetics is an unnecessary practice, Vegan Beauty Market stocks only cruelty-free and vegan products. "I envision the store to be a one-stop shop for vegans and eco-conscious consumers alike," says owner Kelly Merkel in a press release.
"Choosing beauty products that are completely cruelty-free should be fun and convenient. Now vegans have a central place to find amazing products for enhancing their everyday beauty," she continues.
The site is easy to navigate, items are searchable by product, and there are options for children as well as adults. Product listings include ingredients. When it comes to shipping, they strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible and reuse packaging peanuts from suppliers and past shipments.
Our world is becoming more and more plastic each year. From toys to packaging to gadgets and bags, it's not just that we produce more than 250 million tons each year around the world, but it's the fact that little of what we produce is ever recycled, so much of it ends up littering our planet. Specifically, the oceans have ended up becoming a giant dump for our plastic waste; some seven million tons end up in our oceans. A new study, according to The New York Times, seeks to calculate just how much of that plastic ends up in fish.
In the north Pacific ocean alone between 12,000 and 24,000 tons of plastic end up in fish. This is 9 percent of fish found in the north Pacific, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. Keep in mind that this does not include fish that die from ingesting plastic and it doesn't include fish that pass the plastic through their systems. So in reality, the numbers are likely even higher than study calculations.
The study, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, came to this conclusion by traveling hundreds of miles throughout the north Pacific Ocean testing fish along the way.
The research team, including the authors of the study, Peter Davison and Rebecca Asch, traveled across hundreds of miles of the North Pacific ocean gyre, collecting fish specimens, water samples and marine debris at depths ranging from the surface to thousands of feet under. Just over 9 percent of the fish caught during the expedition had small pieces of plastic in their stomachs.
These findings are undoubtedly disturbing but they only include a small piece of the plastic pie. These huge numbers only tell the story of the north Pacific though other oceans likely have similar pollution problems.
The main challenge, said Mr. Woodring of Project Kaisei, is that the infrastructure for proper waste management and recycling "simply cannot keep pace with the exponential growth of plastic in our daily lives."
Therefore, it ends up covering our planet and being ingested by a huge number of marine species, many of which die as a result.
Some amphibians freeze up for the winter and thaw out in the spring. The wood frog, for instance, boosts its blood sugar by nearly 400% before the frost hits the ground. This glucose solution rounds out the frog's cells and when it begins to freeze, they stretch out seamlessly, keeping the frog alive.
Here's an interesting 3 minute video that shows how they do it.
It is never to early to plan ahead; and, once again, I am blogging about our feathered friends.
Most people know that putting out a nest box will attract nesting birds in summer. But did you know that small birds often use these same boxes for shelter at night, particularly in winter? Sometimes more than a dozen birds will pile into a single box to conserve heat. But nest boxes are far from ideal for overnight roosting. They are usually too small for a group. Plus most birds need to perch or cling while roosting, but nest boxes have no perching surfaces inside.
You can help your backyard birds keep warm overnight with a specially designed roost box. Any backyard favorites that typically nest in boxes — bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and small woodpeckers — may seek refuge in it.
Roosting boxes differ from nest boxes in several important ways. A good roost box is designed to prevent the birds' body heat from escaping, so, unlike a nest box, it lacks ventilation holes. Also, its entrance hole is near the bottom of the box so the rising warmth doesn't escape.
Inside a roost box there are several perches made from small wooden dowels, staggered at different levels. In addition, the inside front and rear walls are roughened, scored, or covered with hardware cloth so that woodpeckers can cling to them. A hinged top allows easy access so you can clean the box.
An entrance hole about 5.1 cm (2 in) in diameter will admit most small birds, but to exclude aggressive starlings reduce the opening to about 3.8 cm (1.5 in). Larger woodland birds, such as flickers and screech-owls, need a 7.6 cm (3 in) entrance hole.
If you don't wish to purchase a roost box; and, would prefer to make one - here's the plans.
- Using 2 cm (0.8 in) board, cut one floor panel, one roof panel, two side panels, one back panel and one front panel. Assemble the pieces. The roosting box compartment is usually about 35 - 45 cm (13.8 - 17.7 in) wide, 40 - 50 cm (15.7 - 19.7 in) tall and 30 cm (11.8 in) deep, though the overall size is not important.
- Use screws instead of nails to make it easier to correct mistakes. 4 cm (1.6 in) coated flathead screws are best as they will allow you to open the hinged front panel. The pieces should also be held together with bond-fast glue.
- Make several perches out of dowel 0.7 cm (0.3 in) or 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, mounting the perches at varying heights in the box. Don't forget to stagger them in the roost or the birds will be eliminating on each other.
- Locate the entrance hole near the bottom of the front panel to stop heat from escaping as it rises. A box for each species is not necessary; one for smaller birds and another for somewhat larger ones will do. As with nesting boxes, different sized entrance holes will attract different species.
- make the box as airtight as possible with no drainage or ventilation holes.
- put hinges on the front rather than the top, so that the box can be cleaned easily and thoroughly when winter is over.
- a latch can be installed to keep the door shut.
- place the roosting box in a well-sheltered spot on the south side of building or large tree.
When summer arrives, close the box up or put it away to prevent sparrows and mice from moving in.
- If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year.
- On the average, the 140 million cars in America are estimated to travel almost 4 billion miles in a day, and according to the Department of Transportation, they use over 200 million gallons of gasoline doing it.
- Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.
- Over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected to cause birth defects, cancer, and gene mutations.
- Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
- About 1% of U.S. landfill space is full of disposable diapers, which take 500 years to decompose.
- Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to half a can of gasoline.
- Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.
Part of the herd grazing at Chillingham Castle. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia
Climate change is affecting when Chillingham cattle breed and the survival of their calves in the UK (United Kingdom) according to a new study in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Ecologists looked at data from the past 60 years on Chillingham cattle (Bos taurus), a small population of cows found only in Northumberland, England.
Chillingham Castle shown within Northumberland. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia
Records of these animals have been collected since 1860 - information that can help scientists better understand how climate change affects phenology or the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events.
"The Chillingham cattle data unique and, as far as we know, the longest mammal phenology dataset in the world. It's an amazing dataset," said lead author Sarah Burthe, researcher at the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, in a press release.
Chillingham cattle breed throughout the year, but the data shows that more and more calves are being born in the winter. "Winter-born calves don't do very well and are more likely to die before they reach the age of one," said Burthe. "This suggests that the cattle are responding to climate change but this is having a negative impact on them."
The researchers postulate that warmer springs are shifting the breeding schedules.
"Cattle have a nine-month gestation period. Warm springs allow vegetation to start growing earlier, providing the cattle with more nutritious plant growth, and more cows conceive earlier as a result," explains Burthe in the release.
The findings highlight the importance of studying the effects of ecological changes on species expected to be able to adapt well.
"Understanding the consequences of phenology change and how widespread these responses are, even in relatively flexible species such as cattle that are able to breed year-round, helps us to predict the potential magnitude of changes caused by a warming climate," said Burthe.
Wildflowers typically decorate the meadows in the Rocky Mountains through the entire summer; but, scientists have found that recently wildflowers have declined mid-season. The team of researchers suggests that warmer temperatures in midsummer are responsible.
"These meadows are heavily affected by snowmelt and temperature," said David Inouye of the University of Maryland in a press release. "Wildflowers use information from these natural cues to "know" when it's time to unfurl their petals." Dwarf bluebells are one of the earliest plants to bloom in the spring.
According to the experts, the warmer climate has changed the moisture levels in the community, thereby shifting the timing of blooming patterns. The scientists are concerned that the decline in midsummer wildflowers might affect insects and birds whose livelihoods depend on them.
"Some pollinators with short periods of activity may require only a single flower species; but, pollinators active all season must have flowers available in sufficient numbers through the season," the researchers wrote in their paper, published in the Journal of Ecology.
In the long run, this could end up affecting other plants that depend on these same pollinators.
MSG (monosodium glutamate). We've all eaten it, but now you can say you've seen it: Here's what MSG looks like close-up. Photo courtesy: SixWise.com
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer used liberally in processed foods and Asian cuisine. While MSG is a permitted ingredient in the food supply, questions have been asked about its potential role in weight gain and obesity.
Several studies have been done linking MSG with obesity. The results of these studies showed that higher MSG levels were associated with a higher BMI (Body Mass Index). The association remained even after factors such as food intake and activity levels were taken into consideration.
If you believe that weight is only determined by caloric balance, then these results will not make sense. The authors of the study discuss the potential mechanisms behind their findings. They focus on the impact glutamate can have on a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Although small in size, the hypothalamus has a regulatory role in key processes including metabolism and hunger.
It is also worth noting the role that the hormone leptin has in body wight regulation through its impact on the hypothalamus. Leptin suppresses appetite and stimulates the metabolism. However, if the hypothalamus is not sensitive to leptin (leptin resistance), this does not bode well for maintenance of a healthy body weight.
As the authors of the MSG paper point out, glutamate has the ability to damage the hypothalamus and cause leptin resistance. This mechanism and its potential impact on metabolism could explain how MSG might predispose to obesity, even when food intake and activity levels are taken into account.
If you want to avoid MSG ensure your diet is made from natural, unprocessed foods; and, avoid soy sauce and other condiments likely to be laced with MSG, including gravy mixes and concentrates.
We have a common expression in North America: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." The fruit is certainly a healthy snack; but, now there's new evidence that a chemical concentrated in apple skin may prevent muscle weakening.
Researcher Dr. Chris Adams of the University of Iowa and his colleagues added the chemical, called ursolic acid, to food given to laboratory mice. He says, "And what we found was they got bigger muscles."
"They got muscle growth and they got stronger. But what was even maybe more interesting was that, even though the muscles were getting bigger, the mice weren't gaining weight." What Adams really wanted to know was what effect ursolic acid would have in cases of muscle wasting.
Muscle atrophy, as it's also known, is a common result of starvation and a number of very serious diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and AIDS. "But even though muscle atrophy is a very, very common and very serious, we don't have a medicine for it. And so that was our goal with these studies...to try and address that problem," Adams says.
In another part of the experiment, mice were put on reduced rations, which causes some muscle atrophy. The mice that had ursolic acid added to their diet regained more muscle mass than a control group that didn't get the supplement. "And it did this by helping two hormones that our bodies use to build muscle. And so by helping those hormones, ursolic acid reduced muscle wasting."
Adams said his team hasn't yet investigated whether ursolic acid would prevent muscle wasting; and, he stresses that his research on mice may not apply to humans at all.
But there's reason to believe it might. Ursolic acid, which is found in the skin of pears, some berries, and apples, is also found in herbs used by some traditional healers in Asia and South America to treat diabetes. In their experiments, the researchers injected mice with ursolic acid, which significantly reduced their blood sugar, a basic marker for diabetes.
Chris Adams and his colleagues at University of Iowa and the veteran's hospital in Iowa City published their findings in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Once again, researchers have spent vast sums of taxpayers' money on studies that didn't need to be conducted in the first place. We already had all the information, it was just a matter of arranging it into a coherent report. Two of my all-time favourite money wasters on studies are:
Is smoking addictive? (Duh! Just ask any smoker or me when I was quitting!) Are vans harder to see around on the road than passenger cars? (Duh x2! Just ask any driver or me!)
Now comes the study on whether old-growth forests protect critical habitats. Send me the money allocated for the study and I can answer that one with information already gathered by scientific communities.
The mind-blowing results of this study is "yes". Old-growth forests are necessary if some species are to survive. The "research" (and I use the term loosely) is as follows:
Large old trees - and particularly the cavities in them - are vital in providing habitat for many6 varieties of bird and animal species; yet, there is a worldwide shortage of such habitat, according to a new study. The study examined the tree holes that birds and mammals use for nesting in Canada around the world.
Most animals can't carve out their own tree holes and rely on those already formed by damage and decay - a process that can take several centuries.
Tree holes are created either quickly by woodpeckers and other such birds; or, more slowly as the trees age, decay and die, a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia found.
Birds like owls, songbirds, and parrots; and, mammals such as flying squirrels and opossums make homes in tree cavities because they offer a safe environment for sleeping, reproduction and raining young. Insects, snakes and amphibians will also make use of tree holes.
Researchers found that in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia more than 75% of the holes used by birds and mammals were created by damage and decay.
"When wildlife depends on decay-formed cavities, they are relying on large living trees," says lead researcher Kathy Martin, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC and also a senior research scientist with Environment Canada.
"Most trees have to be more than 100 years old before decay cavities begin to form and often several centuries old before large cavities or many cavities develop in one tree."
In North America however, the team found that woodpeckers and other excavating creatures are responsible for creating up to 99% of tree cavities used by birds and mammals for habitat. Therefore, in North America the tendency is that fewer mature trees are used as habitat, since they are less reliant on the process of decay. In Canada and North America the tree of choice for almost all excavators is Trembling Aspen according to the study.
"The best aspen trees tend to be larger trees that are still alive; but, with some decay in the heartwood, so that woodpeckers can excavate holes in these trees. Most woodpeckers prefer hard trees with soft spots of decay," says Martin.
The good news is that in much of Canada, forest operations tend to save the older Aspen trees for wildlife.
"So, the story is one where cavity-nesting wildlife species are doing pretty well in the managed landscape. A conservation and management success story," Martin says.
The research was carried out between 1995 and 2010, monitoring 2,085 tree holes in both mature and logged forests near William's Lake in British Columbia and two other temperate forests, one in Poland, the other in Argentina. The study highlights the need for the conservation of older growth forests, particularly in areas that are more dependent on the process of tree decay to provide habitat.
"In much of the world, forest policies focus on stipulating the lower diameter limits of trees that can be harvested," the study said. "Such policies help protect young trees but unfortunately promote harvest of large old trees, the very trees needed by cavity-nesting vertebrates."
The study calls for the requirement of forestry companies to conserve a sufficient amount of old trees" for wildlife and to ensure a long-term supply of such trees through careful forestry management. "The value of these large living trees needs to be recognized and we need to ensure that a supply of these trees is retained, especially in tropical forest systems where decay-formed tree holes last for many years and support a lot of wildlife," Martin says.
I'm fortunate to have several passions in my life. I am absolutely an eco-nut. I am always trying to find new ways to reduce, reuse, recycle. We, as a species, have done more harm to this planet in the short time we have been here, than any other catastrophe or happening ever has. It's up to us to fix it.
I care about the environment whether it is as small as a single cell or as large as the universe.
I adore creativity and think we can all do more with much less. This earth has enough resources for us all to live comfortably if we all learn to share. Wasn't that a lesson we were supposed to learn in kindergarten?
I also love the bizarre, unusual, the weird and the strange. Be prepared for the odd "different" blog.
Photo courtesy: Vegan Beauty Market
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