Environment Central

Environment Central
Environment Central: Your One Stop Shop to Everything Environmental This zone is about all things environmental and will feature highly relevant and well-crafted articles by Helium writers. It will provide links to important environmental websites such as government sites, NGOs, non-profit organizations, and environmental information. Articles written to this zone are about the environment everywhere cities farms worldwide Articles will be about environmental issues and the best environmental practices for a sustainable future worldwide. Items discussed are community gardens, organic farms, sustainable agriculture, food cooperatives, global warming, family farms, community economic development, cities and the environment, and the rainforests. Also included in this zone is environmental news and links to related environmental zones on Helium.
Cities and the Environment There is always concern about the environment in cities. Cities have many issues they face related to the environment such as air and water pollution, crowded cities, the planting of trees. With natural disasters comes more environmental issues. Here writers will discuss some of the issues and solutions faced by cities. Overview: The Institute for Sustainable Cities by Megan Risley As technology-dependent 1st-worlders, we have become alienated from the land. We do not know all we do to the earth in our pursuit of comfort and luxury. We have not learned the lessons of interconnec...More> 1 articles Write Community Gardens Here are a few excellent articles on organizing a community garden. How to organize a community garden Community gardens help communities and environments. They teach people how to have fresh, local, organic produce without going to the supermarket. They teach both children and adults in communities about sustainable gardening practices and at the same time help to build communities. Read these excellent articles about how to organize a community garden. Global Warming Global warming has become a huge issue worldwide with all countries trying to find ways to reduce global warming. Here are some great articles on global warming; and also an article on airport pollution - a big cause of global warming and a health hazard. Best trees to plant to fight global warming by Colette Georgii The Best Trees to Fight Global Warming There is a bit of controversy over what trees are best to fight global warming. There is also a lot of research being done by various science organizations t...More> Write Thoughts on global warming by Colette Georgii Thoughts on Global Warming: We are in Denial People have come up with all sorts of reasons to deny the existence of global warming, to refute scientist's global warming hypotheses, and to generally...More> Write How does airport pollution affect the environment? by Colette Georgii Airport Pollution Poses Cancer Risk If you live within a 6-mile radius to an airport, you are at a higher risk for dying of cancer, according to Ruth Skolvick in her article, Exposing Airports' Poi...More> Write Links to Important Environmental Websites Environmental Protection Agency U. S. Department of Energy Building renewable energy technologies - solar, vehicle, industrial, and more... Check out energy tax incentives. Water for People The Nature Conservancy Protecting, preserving, saving, and caring for rainforests. Includes rainforest facts, threats, photos, and more... Adopt a rainforest. Wetlands International Environmental Defense Fund Rodale organic farm Southern New Hampshire University The School of Community Economic Development(CED) at Southern New Hampshire University offers a Master's and PhD program in CED - open to National and International students. This program teaches how to develop your own community programs that are sustainable, help the environment and the economy, and foster volunterism and community activism. Environmental News No Recent News Available Google Rainforests Rainforests are very important for the health of the planet. The condition of the rainforest has a very important bearing on the climate and weather patterns of the earth. Read about rainforests here - issues and solutions.. Advantages of cedar mulch by Colette Georgii THE BENEFITS OF CEDAR MULCH As gardeners and caretakers of our home's landscaping we often wonder which mulch to use and what are the best mulches. Or we may wonder why the mulch should be a necessar...More> Write Poetry: Handle with care by Jane Allyson Millions of animals travel a lie, Off to new pastures But most are to die They travel in ways too horrific to bear, We take it for granted That they are in good care. Thirsty, unhappy, and disease rid...More> Write Humane treatment of farm animals by Colette Georgii Factory farming: The most inhumane treatment of farm animals Although, there are humane societies around the world, the inhumane treatment of farm animals is evident in our global culture, with the m...More> Write	Farms and the Environment There are currently two kinds of farms operating everywhere. There are Traditional Farms Organic Farms Traditional farms are controlled, owned, and managed by large conglomerate corporations. They use pesticides, herbicides, and other dangerous chemicals to control pests and fertilize their farms. Their type of livestock and dairy farming is called factory farming. Factory farming is dangerous and unhealthful. Organic Farms do not use pesticides or any dangerous chemicals in organic farming, handling, and production. The emphasis is on health for consumers and health for the planet. Read here some excellent articles related to organic farming. Organic Farms Organic farms are sustainable and ecological; and they are good for the economy. Crop rotation and ecological farming by D. Vogt Crop rotation is one of the oldest, simplest, and most effective non-chemical methods of preventing soil exhaustion or pest or chemical buildup due to agriculture. For this reason it is a popular tool...More> 2 articles Write Understanding sustainable coffee farming by Patrick Byrne To understand sustainable coffee farming, one must first understand the idea of sustainable farming. Luckily, it is not a complicated definition. Sustainable simply means taking steps to e...More> 3 articles Write Community Economic Development Community Economic Development is concerned with communities the world over. Communities are the life-blood of the towns, cities, and rural areas that make up the world. Communities are made up of people, animals, birds, plants, ecosystems, farms, cooperatives, businesses, and everything else that involves groups of people working and living together in places, in cities, in rural areas, and in communities. What is community economic development? When communities are developed well, they thrive and economy's thrive. Community economic development is about building communities from the ground up. It is about grassroots community development. Grassroots community development is concerned with people and the environment they live in. Without clear, clean unpolluted water and air people will not thrive. So the environment and how we take care of earth is concerned with building sustainable communities with sustainable farms and gardens. A sustainable farm or garden is organic. It resists the farming and gardening practices of the generations since World War II that relied on pesticides, herbicides, and fumigants in farming practices. Instead of these destructive farming practices, the sustainable farm relies on the old-time farming ways that helped replenish the soil. Community economic development is about a system from earth to the store to the economy. From organic and sustainable farming to the farmer's market or the food cooperative. Communities buy into their own community and soon the worldwide community thrives. The top-down approach doesn't work. It starts with the conglomerate corporate farm that uses World War II farming practices and sends food worldwide - importing and exporting - causing free trade to bankrupt poor countries, causing devastation in rainforests, desertification; and coupled with natural disasters such as flooding, a whole myriad of worldwide maladies such as disease, poverty, and violence. Worldwide Environment The health of your local community depends on the health of communities around the world. Water depletion in one place affects people everywhere. Destruction of the rainforests affects the climate and weather patterns around the world. Our planet earth is the world environment. The articles here are about environment conditions worldwide. Organic farming and world hunger by Colette Georgii How organic sustainable farming can stop world hunger Our grandfathers before World War II were natural farmers. Natural farming is organic farming. Organic farming is sustainable. Pesticide farming...More> Write The history of World Water Day by Colette Georgii History of World Water Day International World Water Day grew out of the Earth Summit that was held in Rio de Janeiro June 3-14, 1992 and sponsored by the United Nations Conference on Environment and...More> Write Family Farms Family farms are shrinking with corporate farms taking over. Family farms are usually local farms. Local produce helps save the environment by reducing transportation costs and reducing emissions. More often than not local produce is organic. Read these articles on the family farm and how to preserve it. The loss of family farms explained by Patricia Stewart Family farms have been a part of America since the first colonists came to this country 400 years ago. The tradition of raising one's own food was considered "normal" for Americans until after World W...More> Write Succession planning and the family farm by K.D. Saffron Family owned and operated farms are on the decline. It is vitally important if they are to survive into the next generation and beyond, that families make the necessary educational and legal preparati...More> Write Food Cooperatives Food cooperatives are one way that organic farmers and consumers of organic produce and other other organic products come together. Organic farmers bring their produce and other organic products such as meat and dairy to natural food cooperatives. There people can find there best organic products. Food cooperatives also sell in bulk thus reducing packaging which helps the environment by reducing waste. Read these articles about cooperatives and buying in bulk. The role of cooperatives in the United States by Michael Bettencourt CO-OPS PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE James Loewen, in his critique of American history textbooks, "Lies My Teacher Told Me," accuses publishers and textbook acceptance boards of promoting a kind of nation...More> Write Tips on buying in bulk by Colette Georgii How to Buy in Bulk: Some Great Tips In order to save money it is a good idea to buy in bulk. Larger quantities are usually cheaper than smaller quantities. Often when buying in bulk we are buying at ...More> Write
Comments (1 to 7 of 7) M E Skeel Apr 11, 10 at 12:48 AM I see you are up to date on the issues here - that blinkin' chinese ship leaking oil on our Reef! Its been a badly kept secret for years that ships take shortcuts through this incredibly sensitive ecosystem. I hope they throw the book at the company and the captain and make greater efforts to control the scourge of rogue ships out to make an extra profit. Amanda Dcosta Aug 22, 09 at 04:46 PM Thumbs up Colette. I like the upgrades each time. Shaheen Darr Aug 15, 09 at 07:01 PM Very useful zone Collette! Ethel Smith Jul 08, 09 at 09:51 PM Nice one Colette. Plenty of useful info here. James Johnson Jun 26, 09 at 11:38 AM Looks great! Would add community farms under the types of farming as they are found in poorer countries around the world, not large corporations and not organic, more like family farms. Is all we have on Nevis. Shaheen Darr Jun 20, 09 at 05:02 PM Very informative zone Colette, will definitely revisit to absorb it all. :) Amanda Dcosta May 31, 09 at 02:40 PM Wow.. very impressive, Colette! I like this page. Its has a wide range of eco topics. You have to tel me how you got all this put together. Enter your comment below: If you are a registered Helium member, you may login and then leave your own comment. Flag Inappropriate Content

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Colette Georgii

Helium member since Feb 08, 07

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Southern New Hampshire... MBA

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Ecosystems

Jellyfish explosion may be natural cycle
Evidence that jellyfish are taking over the oceans is currently lacking, according to a new study published in Bioscience. Complied by a number of marine experts, the study found that while jellyfish have been on the rise in some regions it is likely due to a natural cycle of jellyfish populations and not a global boom. Researchers, including a number of marine biologists, have warned for years that jellyfish numbers may be exploding due to human activities, such as overfishing, warmer oceans due to global climate change, and the rise of oxygen-depleted, so-called "dead zones."
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:09:00 EST
A Shining Star of Bipartisan Cleantech Support
Amid all the negative publicity that Solyndra's failure has brought to the Administration's cleantech efforts, one cleantech program has received broad bipartisan support: DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e). In 2012, ARPA-e will receive $275 million, a 53% increase from the prior year with both the House and the Senate supporting significant funding for the agency's third year of operations. ARPA-e is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which for over 50 years has funded early-stage research projects that show the potential to develop technologies that could yield disruptive advances for the military. DARPA's projects have resulted in major leaps including, but definitely not limited to, the Internet, stealth technology and the Global Positioning System. Both agencies operate by soliciting proposals from companies, universities, and labs within broad thematic areas and select the most promising proposals for grant awards. Readers of my blog know that I am not a big fan of some of the Administration's cleantech efforts. ARPA-e is at least one exception. Authorized in the last year of the Bush Administration and initially funded through the Obama Administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the ARPA-e program may be one government program that can help seed the disruptive advances needed in our energy economy.
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:12:00 EST
Once, men abused slaves. Now we abuse fossil fuels
Pointing out the similarities (and differences) between slavery and the use of fossil fuels can help us engage with climate change in a new way, says Jean-François Mouhot, visiting researcher at Georgetown University, USA. In 2005, while teaching history at a French university, I was struck by the general disbelief among students that rational and sensitive human beings could ever hold others in bondage. Slavery was so obviously evil that slave-holders could only have been barbarians. My students could not entertain the idea that some slave-owners could have been genuinely blind to the harm they were doing. At the same time, I was reading a book on climate change which noted how today's machinery – almost exclusively powered by fossil fuels like coal and oil – does the same work that used to be done by slaves and servants. "Energy slaves" now do our laundry, cook our food, transport us, entertain us, and do most of the hard work needed for our survival.
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:51:00 EST
Heat is Power Association Launches
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama called upon an America built to last, "an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values." Today, the Heat is Power Association is ready to answer this call in this country and beyond. A coalition focused on the wide-scale development of a robust Waste Heat to Power (WH2P) market re-launched today as the Heat is Power Association to bring together everyone with a stake in clean energy and industry to capture an opportunity we're wasting every day—waste heat. And we're not alone. From the White House to the campaign trail to state houses across the country, almost everyone can agree on two things: that the way to spur the global economy is through manufacturing, and we must shore up clean energy supplies to power and protect cities and towns everywhere. Alongside President Obama's call for a renewed manufacturing sector, he touted the thousands of jobs that have been created at the hands of clean energy investments. By expanding our focus on the output of energy resources – emission-free electricity – we can grow those numbers exponentially.
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:16:00 EST
Ancient Lake Vostok
After 20 years of drilling, a team of Russian researchers is close to breaching the prehistoric Lake Vostok, which has been trapped deep beneath thick ice layers (2 miles thick) in Antarctica for the last 14 million years. Lake Vostok is actually the third largest lake in the world, measured by the amount of water it holds. In the early 1990s, the Russians re-created a history of the Earth's atmosphere throughout the past 400,000 years — a record of our planet's air during the past four ice ages. The lakes are rich in oxygen (making them oligotrophic), with levels of the element some 50 times higher than what would be found in your typical freshwater lake. The high gas concentration is thought to be because of the enormous weight and pressure of the continental ice cap.
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:37:00 EST
Alaskan Yellow Cedar
Yellow-cedar, a culturally and economically valuable tree in southeastern Alaska and adjacent parts of British Columbia, has been dying off across large expanses of these areas for the past 100 years. But no one could say why. "The cause of tree death, called yellow-cedar decline, is now known to be a form of root freezing that occurs during cold weather in late winter and early spring, but only when snow is not present on the ground," explains Pacific Northwest Research Station scientist Paul Hennon, co-lead of a synthesis paper recently published in the February issue of the journal BioScience. "When present, snow protects the fine, shallow roots from extreme soil temperatures. The shallow rooting of yellow-cedar, early spring growth, and its unique vulnerability to freezing injury also contribute to this problem."
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:58:00 EST
Study Reveals Impacts of Environmental Changes on Southern Ocean Food Web
In January of this year, a comprehensive study of animals in the Southern Ocean was completed, showing that the region is under threat from climate change. The scientific journal Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography featured the findings of an international group of researchers who wrote over 20 papers about the effects on the Scotia Sea food web by above average water temperatures.
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:15:00 EST

Water and Energy

Two big concerns around the world today are water and energy. People use and abuse water by many unhealthful practices. Natural disasters also contribute to dwindling and polluted water supplies for both humans and animals. Where will safe drinking water come from when it is all used up?

Depleting oil supplies are also rampant. There are better ways to produce energy than spoiling and draining the lifeblood of the planet.

Look for timely articles and news here about water and energy.

How is the struggle for water, such as in Ethiopia and Kenya, shaping conflicts in this century?

by Colette Georgii

The earth is formed of 70% water but most of this is not freshwater, which is what people and animals drink and what countries, states, territories, ethnic groups, and neighbors struggle over. Of...More>
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Preserving wetlands: A natural security issue

by Colette Georgii

Why should we preserve our wetlands? There are many wetland areas around the world, which are the habitats for many species of animals and organisms. Wetlands are composed of natural waterways and wa...More>
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Can power be produced from pet feces?

by Colette Georgii

Power Generated by Pet Feces Power can not only be generated by pet feces, but also by human and livestock feces. The conversion of animal waste to power is being used minimally around the world f...More>
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Bio-fuels: Are they worth producing?

by Colette Georgii

Biofuels are worth producing Biofuels in the form of biogas can be produced from animal and human waste. The cost of production of biogas is less since it is often done right on the farm or at the fa...More>
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