Environment - good news articles from around the world - environmental protection, sustainability, what is being done to slow global warming and other current environmental issues.
For over thirty years, UNESCO has been working with countries around the world to identify World Heritage sites and ensure their safekeeping for future generations. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage. Over 750 cultural, natural and mixed sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. Their splendour enriches our lives and illustrates the diversity of our planet and its inhabitants. See more at UNESCO
What is permaculture?
Permaculture is designed to "reduce the impact that human settlements have on non-renewable and renewable resources, while creating an abundant living environment, catering to the needs of all living creatures."
FAQ PERMACULTURE Tagari Home page
Solution to dwindling fish populations
Management of fisheries at the community level can help curb overfishing ...
“we have identified the conditions that allow people to make co-management successful, providing vital guidance for conservation groups, donors, and governments as to what arrangements are most likely to work.” Dr Josh Cinner from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University, Australia says.
read full story at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
NATURE NEWS: Weird and wonderful new species in pristine forest. BBC
Gardening the enviro friendly way
These ideas seem simple but they can be a powerful tool to help the environment.
Use water wisely - install a water tank, water at night, water early in the morning, find out about local water restrictions, plant trees and shrubs that need less water.
Grow plants that are native to your area.
Use companion planting to help limit disease in plants and need for pesticides.
Investigate non chemical solutions to plant problems. Investigate Permaculture.
Start a compost bin, a worm farm and a community garden.
Implement all these ideas in your community garden to spread the word.
Rechargeable battery that uses freshwater and seawater to create electricity aided by nanotechnology. Stanford University News
Recent conservation accomplishments of World Land Trust :
• 1,039,390 acres of Amazonian rainforest in Peru
• 16,715 acres of threatened cloud forest in Colombia
• 11,555 acres of unique savanna & rainforest in Bolivia
Rainforest Conservation through Land Purchase
Congratulations on dedicating 21 years to saving rainforests and endangered species, by buying real acres in real places and protecting them forever.
To date, WLT-US has saved over 1.6 million acres of rainforest and other critical habitats at imminent threat.
To join and save rainforests and make a real difference.
WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
At home and at work
- Help preserve endangered land at the rainforest site www.therainforestsite.com where your one click can help fund the preservation of 11.4 square feet of rainforest.
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Unplug appliances not being used and on standby such as - mobile phone charger, television and microwave.
Appliances on standby are up to 10% of your electricity bill.
- Use recycled photocopy paper.
- Turn off the lights as you leave a room.
- Change to compact fluorescent light bulbs to reduce emissions and save money
- Turn off the air conditioner as you leave the room and try it on a lower setting or better still don't use one at all.
- When purchasing new appliances ask which are energy saving.
- car share, walk, bike or use public transport where you can
- thinking of buying a new car, consider purchasing a hybrid - part electric, part petrol - or a car that uses diesel. Hybrids can reduce your emissions by around 40%. Honda, Lexus and Toyota are some brands that have Hybrids
Keep Our Engines Green - Neil Young's latest project is named LINCVOLT. He has retro fitted his 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible with an electric engine. But this is no personal endeavour - he hopes to put America back on the map in leading the automobile industry into the future. The car is already travelling across America using CNG - compressed natural gas - which according to Neil is "the cleanest fuel you can burn". This amazing project has goals to eliminate roadside refuelling and get the car up to 100 miles to the gallon. Already the residual power of the electric engine will charge your house or power tools. More info including live data from the car itself, how to transform your car, video updates from Neil Young, events at LINCVOLT
Green School for children or Helping the next generation of ecologically responsible world citizens. Bali
Respect for all people and all things is taught in an environmental wonderland. buildings are cooled and powered with renewable energy sources like micro-hydro power, solar power, and bio-diesel. Bamboo, lalang-alang grass (a local grass), and traditional mud walls form the structure of the buildings.
The school was carefully built on 20 acres of land and is on an organic permaculture system, designed to work in perfect cohesion with the natural ecology of the land. A thriving organic garden to be cultivated by the school's own students will grow fruits and vegetables, herbs, and other crops including chocolate.
Huge Environmental Victory
Parrot once thought extinct now numbers over 1,000
The Yellow-eared Parrot, once widely-considered extinct, now numbers over 1000 and has been downgraded from “Critically Endangered” to “Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Parrots’ remarkable recovery comes after years of efforts by World Land Trust-US partner Fundación ProAves to buy and protect the unique habitat of this colourful bird.
Read more at World trust US
Environmental campus in India
"The official ‘religion’ of pointReturn is Nature and its spirits." Worshipping the land includes recycling and respect for the five elements. Find out more about this environmental campus in India at pointReturn
The Parks Canada Agency protects it's country's natural heritage. They are committed to present the beauty and significance of Canada's natural world including historic sites and marine conservation areas. An example is Gillies Grove
In South Africa The Good News: 'The Cradle of Mankind is a World Heritage site with fossils dating back millions of years. Other World Heritage sites include Robben Island and Mpungubwe.'
'The Wilderness Society is a community-based environmental advocacy organisation whose mission is protecting, promoting and restoring wilderness and natural processes across Australia for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on Earth.' Their website has features on forests, outback Australia, wild rivers, climate change and campaigns.
Enviro friendly car that is built for speed. It runs on compressed natural gas and looks like a racing car.
The Mila, made in Austria by Magna Steyr, will be available and road ready in 2007 at a price of 55 thousand US dollars.
" Healthy mountain forests are crucial to the ecological health of the world. They protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half the world’s people." Providing homes to wildlife, food, timber and other products. Protecting forests and making sure they are carefully managed is an important step towards sustainable mountain development.
Protecting the world and it's resources.
The Convention on Biological Diversity happens annually but what does that mean for the environment? What does biological diversity actually mean? Check out perspective for more info
Confronting Climate Change continued from Home Page " ... reduce dangerous emissions, create economic opportunity, help to reduce global poverty, reduce degradation and carbon emissions from ecosystems, and contribute to sustainability. Humanity must act collectively and urgently to change course through leadership at all levels of society. There is no more time for delay." states the report from the Scientific Expert Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. More on the report... This report made by scientists from around the world was presented at the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
Micro generation* revolution. N.S.W. Australia. The town of Tathra in the Bega Valley in southern N.S.W. is making an impact on the environment. Many people and services are generating their own energy to use and to also sell back to the grid. "We've come up with a community target for tackling climate change and that's 5050 by 2020. What that means is a 50% reduction in the consumption of energy and a 50% production of energy by renewable sources by the year 2020." says Mathew Nott of Tathra. An example is the surf club which has a mini wind turbine and solar panels. Transcript
* Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power.
40 Countries adopt Micro generation
- Germany - government has a feed in tariff.
- Denmark
- Scotland
- Netherlands
- Who else?
Solar Energy Breakthroughs - Nanosolar Inc in California, USA has been working on making solar energy use cheaper and their breakthrough in fabrication technology made this possible. They are manufacturing roofing panels with already installed solar cells and sheets of flexible solar cells at their first large-scale factory in San Jose America and a German Factory. More at Nanosolar
Sustainable Alternative to the wild harvest of sponges has been found at Masig (Yorke) Island in the Torres Strait. Natural sponges, sought after by cosmetic and other industries world wide, would be farmed with minimal environmental impact. A 2 year study 'sought to determine the most economical and ecologically sustainable farming techniques for the region.' More detail at
New report highlights growing biodiversity awareness worldwide - UEBT launches 2013 Biodiversity Barometer: Paris/Montreal, 19 April 2013 – 75% of consumers surveyed worldwide are aware of biodiversity, while 48% can give a correct definition of the term biodiversity.
Picture of the Estinnes wind farm in Belgium.
