Environment -  good news articles from around the world - environmental protection, sustainability, what is being done to slow global warming and other current environmental issues.

 

 All things are bound together. All things connect.

Chief Seattle

NZ govt pumps another $3.9 million into electric vehicle projects.

The government is pumping another $3.9 million of co-funding into 

19 projects that range from improving the range of electric camper 

vans to building a series of charging stations as part of its goal to get 

64,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2021.

The funding is provided by the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable 

Fund, a fund introduced by the previous administration in 2016 as a

 wider plan to lift the uptake of electric vehicles. The balance comes 

from its commercial and not-for-profit partners, who have to match 

or beat the grants. READ FULL ARTICLE

Vermont city employs goats to get rid of poison ivy

Vermont’s capital city is trying a natural way to get rid of poison ivy — grazing goats. The city had tried to eradicate the poison ivy but has been unable to do it using organic treatments, said assistant city manager Susan Allen. “I love that we’ve gone back to an old fashioned solution — a shepherd and her goats — to our modern-day problem,” Allen said. READ FULL ARTICLE

 WEIRD & WILD ANIMAL QUESTION: DO BUGS SLEEP?

Answered HERE BY nATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Short answer some do.

 Reducing Waste Plastic & Poverty Around the World 

Change the world in just 5 minutes at a time: Can a bunch of school kids really change the world in five minutes a day?

Keeping plastic out of the ocean: do you know which US State has banned throwaway plastic bags?

Young people are carers of our land

solar power

Four Corporations That Use Solar Power  The solar power industry is booming in the United States, though you might not know it simply by looking at the statistics.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration and Ecoworld did a survey on solar power usage throughout the world by country, and found that Germany ranked number one, followed closely by Spain and Japan. The United States is...read full article

The Solar Powered Air Plane

We are constantly looking for new sources of energy. It is evident that fossil fuels are a limited supply and that we are going to need to have an alternative source of energy to turn to in the future. There are many alternative energy sources, such as nuclear power, wind power, and hydro-power plants that all provide us with energy. However, there is one type of energy that seems to be on rise... solar energy. Solar energy is gathered from the sun and converted to electricity. The Solar Impulse, a completely solar powered plane is testament to the value of this energy. Read article 

Solar Powered Air Plane

Pathfinder, NASA's solar-powered, remotely-piloted aircraft
conducting a flight to highlight the aircraft's capabilities.

Read article 

By learning more about what we have and why we need to preserve and protect it, we can all work to make sure our country and our planet maintain and restore the natural balance that all life needs to survive. David Suzuki Foundation

Get the World Heritage map: it features the World Heritage sites and brief explanations of the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage conservation programmes, as well as superb photos of World Heritages sites with explanatory captions. 

 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

Pongo pygmaeus

 Pongo pygmaeus orangutan

Population of the rarest sub-species of orangutans recently found by research team from Sarawak Forest Department, assisted by Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Borneo Adventure. This increases the world population of the Pongo pygmaeus   Read full story at Wildlife Conservation Society.

CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
Rainforest Carbon Offset Program and Carbon Calculator
This calculator gives an estimate of your total carbon emissions based closely on the data and calculation methods of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

jaguar conservation strategy
Helping the jaguars: jaguar conservation strategy

The mystical jaguar (Panthera onca) is being helped in a variety of ways:

In August 2012, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed 838,232 acres in southern Arizona and New Mexico as critical jaguar habitat. Read more...

In July 2012, conservation organization Panthera and the government of Costa Rica sign to establish an official jaguar conservation strategy in Costa Rica and recognizes a jaguar wildlife corridor as a conservation priority 


 Read indepth at Mongabay

Good news for conservation of world forests
turtle get protected area

Leatherback sea turtle with head above water (Dermochelys coriacea)

 PHOTO by Scott R. Benson, NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center

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

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.

Chief Seattle (1780 - 1866)

46 new species found in little-explored Amazonian nation. 

See the amazing photos at Mongabay.com

Photo of Amazon rainforest

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

The Beauty of Bhutan                         
Bhutan is a Himalayan Kingdom that has many ecosystems and a richness of plant and animal life. The Reader's Digest call it a living Eden. The Living Edens: Bhutan. Check out the exotic animals -bharal, migo, takin, snow leopard and serow to name but a few. Travel Postcards Bhutan

 The Tiger's nest in Bhutan photo by wang

Friends of the Earth Australia believe that what we do does matter and

that it is not too late to stop runaway climate change.

They have campaigns including climate justice, Indigenous Land and Rights and Forests and Plantations.

 

 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.
  • 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 

Tuk Tuks Bangkok Thailand

 Tuk tuk in front of Pak Klong Market, Bangkok, Thailand,2005.

Photographer: Heinrich Damm

 Terrific New Tuk tuk.

The Tuk Tuk is a symbol of Thailand, even though many other countries use them, and now has a zero-emission solar powered prototype.   The designer, Morakot Charnsomruad, is currently selling an electric version of tuk-tuk through his Clean Fuel Energy Enterprise.

The new Tuk tuk has many great features:

  • Wider space for passengers than general Tuk Tuk.
  • Easy for maintenance, just charge the battery and check the battery acid level.
  • Easier steering control than the conventional Tuk Tuk.
  • More space for driver, without engine, heat and noise.
  • Push button control switch for moving Forward - Reverse
  • 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

     "It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important.  You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit.  But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing.  You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no result." Mahatma Ghandi

    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.

    International Day for World Indigenous People  - 9th August to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.

    International Mountain Day, December 11, creates awareness about the importance of mountains to life and hopes to bring positive change to the world’s mountains.

    " 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)

    Sweden plans to become almost oil free economy.

    Sweden, a country of  9 million people, is moving to using only renewable forms of energy. "A Sweden free of fossil fuels would give us enormous advantages, not least by reducing the  impact from fluctuations in oil prices," said Mona Sahlin, Minister of Sustainable Development. "Our dependency on oil  should be broken by 2020,"  she said. "There shall always be better  alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline." Currently almost all of Sweden’s electricity comes from nuclear and  hydro electric power. Fossil fuels are mainly being used for transport.    Almost all its heating schemes use steam or hot water generated by geothermal energy or waste heat.  

    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.


     

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    FACT
    "Water heating accounts for 30% of total household energy" from NSW Department of Conservation and Environment.

    Small changes can make an impact on energy

    Mongabay.com publishes news on environmental science, energy and green design, and features extensive information on tropical rainforests, including pictures and deforestation statistics for countries of the world. Founded in 1999 it's mission is "to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging local and global trends in technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development."

    Mongabay.com is independent and not affiliated with any other organization.

    environmental good news

    Resurgence of sockeye salmon in Canada's Fraser Island.

    After years of decline and concern this year's sockeye salmon run is amazingly good ...more at perspective

    teaching kids to love the environment

    More

    environment news

    on the blog 

     

    Kids care

    about

    the environment

    Photo of  Northern Queensland,

    Australia near Bowen by Elizabeth age 13

      22 April was EARTH DAY 

    What did you do?  Some created a Wish Tree for Earth Day and ask people to put their wishes for the planet on it?

     

    exploring nature

     52 days to explore

    outdoor  ideas for the

    natural explorer

    in all of us.

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    eco friendly children's toys

     

    Environmentally friendly gift ideas can be found at earth sky sea child


     

    Home To Amazing Animals Beautiful Boreal Forest              

      ' a belt of coniferous forest that encircles the Northern Hemisphere of North America, Europe and Asia. It is the largest natural ecosystem on Earth.' This forest of  'Christmas like' trees is home to many amazing animals and birds including caribou, black bear, moose and beaver.SOURCE: Taiga Rescue Network

    Many people are protecting & restoring the               Boreal Forest  Check out who.

     

    More Good News on the environment at
    All Things Good

    World Wildlife Foundation has a global network committed to helping animals and their environments. They ' build concrete conservation solutions through a combination of field-based projects, policy initiatives, capacity-building and education work.' How we work

    The moose is a conservation success story.   Why are they doing so well?

    RelightNY Reduces Energy Consumption. New York, U.S.A.

     A charity with a simple and good idea helps people save money on their energy bills. More at KNN. This is good news, let alone the fact that it has been started by a bunch of kids!

    Do you want to help the environment? You can help save the rainforests each and every day for free

    The Rainforest Site

    Just click here to help protect 11.4 square feet of rainforest with each click. (Only one per day)

    Animalia

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    Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.

    Arthur Schopenhauer,

    The Basis of Morality