Environment Archives - Page 2 of 3

20 Universities That Encourage Green Living

1) Nanyang Technical University – School of Art, Design and Media - The architectural structure of this building maximizes interior daylight, makes smart use of lack of space and land in the local area, minimizes materials, and uses lower water and electricity uses. 2) Yale University – Kroon Hall - Kroon Hall at Yale University is made from 80% certified timber, 16% recycled content. Also, 34% of the purchased materials came from regional sources. As a result, there is an 81% reduction in annual potable water use, which saves an average 500k gallons of city water a year. They are also seeing a 61% reduction in energy use compared to a similar building and program. It features rooftop photovoltaic panel providing 25% of the building’s electricity. Half of the red oak paneling came from a forest in northern Connecticut that’s managed by the school itself. 3) Carnegie Mellon University – Gates and Hillman…

California Officially Joins the War on Plastic Bags

Great news for the environment occurred last night, when CA government voted to ban single-use plastic bags across the state. “The bill, SB 270, will phase out single-use plastic bags in grocery stores and pharmacies beginning July 2015, and in convenience stores one year later, and create a mandatory minimum ten-cent fee for recycled paper, reusable plastic and compostable bags” states Stephanie Spear, author at EcoWatch, who wrote California Bans Plastic Bags. If the already agreed upon bill is signed by the CA governor, California will be the first state to ban these environmentally un-friendly products.

“More than 120 California local governments have already banned single-use plastic bags with more than 1 in 3 Californians already living somewhere with a plastic bag ban in place, in an effort to drive consumers towards sustainable behavior change,” affirms Spear. With such a large amount of the population already embracing the plastic ban bag, this measure will …

Jellyfish: Menace to Medicine

Recently, jellyfish have found themselves in the news as causing quite a bit of havoc among the seas. Fishermen, tourists, and even some power station workers are finding themselves negatively affected by these slimy characters. The Environmental News Network, reported on such issues this week; yet, they went a little further and found a research group who has discovered, and is working on, helpful aspects drawn from the jellyfish’s biological properties.

The Trouble with Tentacles

“Jellyfish have overwhelmed the marine ecosystem as a result of the overfishing of more competitive species [and] consuming fish eggs and larvae of weaker specimens…” claims ENN. This is causing a damaging imbalance among the seas. By blocking up the systems of power stations using seawater, jellyfish are causing a bump in the road for productivity. Furthermore, “jellyfish have had a dramatic impact on the world fishing industry, snagging and blocking fishing nets …

Food Safety for the Fourth

With Independence Day coming up this weekend, a lot of US citizens will find themselves Barbecuing and cooking for friends and family. We certainly will. My personal favorite grilled hot dogs with a side of beans, fruit salad, and maybe some barbecued corn on the cob; and to wash it down, some refreshing lemonade. I don’t know about you, but there have been some gatherings that did not end so well, and have left me not wanting to enjoy shrimp or some other type of food for a long time. Here are some food safety tips to help your scrumptious ribs and potato salad not make any one go home sick. Temperatures It is important that when cooking meat, you keep a close eye on the temperature. Poultry should hit 165 °F at the minimum and be held there for at least three (3) minutes. Beef, pork, lamb, and veal should all hit 145 °F and be held there for at least three (3) minutes. It is important these meats are cooked so hot because most bacteria cannot survive these temperatures. Any…

Food Safety Alert: Salmonella Outbreak in Chia Seeds

I have received a food safety alert from NutritionAction.com. It seems there has been an outbreak of Salmonella in Chia powder that has sickened and hospitalized people in the U.S. and Canada, over the last few days. This outbreak has led to the recall of “Organic Sprouted Chia Powder products produced by Health Matters America, Inc., … and by Navitas Naturals.” If you have purchased one of these products, throw it away or return it to the store for a refund. The article, Food Safety Alert: International Outbreak of Salmonella in Sprouted Chia Powder by Caroline Smith DeWaal (June 18, 2014) describes the symptoms too look out for, the investigation of this outbreak, and more. If interested, read her words below: Twenty-one people in 12 states have been sickened and two hospitalized after eating sprouted chia powder contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. In Canada, 44 have become ill and five hospitalized. Sprouted chia powder is used as a gluten-free…

Tree-Power? Scientists Test Battery Made Of Wood

Beth Buczynski for Earthtechling Get ready to throw all of your assumptions about how to make a battery right out the window. Scientists at the University of Maryland are working on a powerful new battery that could help reduce hazardous waste usually associated with power storage. The main ingredient? Wood. A thousand times thinner than a piece of paper, the battery is made of a sliver of wood coated with tin. Researchers say the low cost of these relatively abundant materials would make the new battery ideal for storing huge amounts of energy at once – such as solar energy harvested at a power plant. Image via Nano Letters According to researchers Liangbing Hu, Teng Li and their team, the inspiration for the wood battery came from the trees themselves. “Wood fibers that make up a tree once held mineral-rich water, and so are ideal for storing liquid electrolytes, making them not only the base but an active part of the battery,” said Hu, an assistant professor of m…