Archive for the 'Environmental Issues' Category

Nation’s First Marine Debris Action Plan Implemented in Hawaii

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

January 12, 2010

Derelict fishing gear snagged on a coral.
Derelict fishing gear snagged on a coral reef at Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. (Credit: NOAA PIFSC CRED.)

Today, NOAA and several partners in Hawaii announced a comprehensive long-term plan to actively assess and remove plastics, derelict fishing gear, and other human sources of marine debris from coastal waters and coral reefs along the island chain. The plan, a first of its kind for the nation, will be instrumental in protecting the state’s coastal communities and marine life from the thousands of pounds of marine debris that wash ashore each year.

“For too long marine debris has marred the natural beauty of our ocean and threatened our marine ecosystem,” said Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii. “I have long championed a coordinated effort to mitigate the many tons of debris that suffocate our coral, kill our fish and aquatic mammals and blanket our coastlines. This is a critical issue for our state and I am proud that Hawaii is taking the lead in finding a solution to this global problem.”

To read the entire article, please visit the NOAA website: www.noaanews.gov

Help Stop Ocean Acidification

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

An excerpt from an open letter from Sally-Christine Rodgers, Oceana Board Member:

What would you do if you knew that  many species of fish and other marine life in the ocean will be gone within 30  years if levels of C02 continue increasing at their present rate?  We believe you would take action to stop this from happening, because informed  people make informed choices. This letter is about what we can and must do  together now to help solve a very serious but little-known problem, Ocean Acidification.

Ocean Acidification is primarily  caused by the burning of fossil fuels.  When carbon dioxide in the  atmosphere ends up in the ocean it changes the pH, making the sea acidic and  less hospitable to life. Over time, CO2 reduces calcium carbonate,  which prevents creatures from forming shells and building reefs. In fact,  existing shells will start to dissolve. Oysters and mussels will not be able  to build shells.  Crabs and lobsters?  Your great-grandchildren may  wonder what they tasted like.

Carbon dioxide concentrated in the  oceans is making seawater acidic.  Many of the zooplankton, small animals  at the base of the food web, have skeletons that won’t form in these  conditions, and sea-life further up the food chain – fish, mammals and  seabirds that rely on zooplankton for food will also perish. No food – no  life.  One billion people rely on seafood for their primary source of  protein.  Many scientific reports document that worldwide, humans are  already consuming more food than is being produced.  The implications are  obvious.

The issue of Ocean Acidification  is causing irreversible loss to species and habitats, and acidification trends are happening up to ten times  faster than projected.  We want you to know what this means,  how it affects all of us, and what we can do about it.

Today, the atmospheric  concentration of CO2 is about 387 parts per million (ppm) and  increasing at 2 ppm per year.  If left unaddressed, by 2040 it is  projected to be over 450 parts per million, and marine scientists believe the  collapse of many ocean ecosystems will be irreversible. Acidification has  other physiological effects on marine life as well, including changes in  reproduction, growth rates, and even respiration in fish.

Tropical and coldwater corals are  among the oldest and largest living structures on earth; the richest in terms  of biodiversity, they provide spawning areas, nursery habitat and feeding  grounds for a quarter of all species in the sea. Coral reefs are at risk!   As C02 concentrations increase, corals, shellfish and other  species that make shells will not be able to build their skeletons and will  likely become extinct.

The good news is we can fix this  problem. But, as you guessed, it will be difficult.  Ocean Acidification  and global warming are caused by increased CO2 in the  atmosphere.  Solving one will solve the other.  Passage of HR 2454,  the Waxman-Markey “American Clean Energy and Security Act” is a first step in  reducing CO2 emissions, and deserves our support, but the bill  needs to be  strengthened.

“The intergovernmental panel  on climate change concluded that in order to stabilize C02 in the  atmosphere at 350 ppm by 2050, global carbon emissions need to be cut 85%  below 2000 levels.” That’s a very tall order!  And the way our political  system works (or doesn’t) makes it tougher.  It will take all of us to  step up and take responsibility to make this happen.

Here is what you can do: Contact your Representative now:

Click on this link to send an email, which will go  directly to your representative based on your address.  http://www.oceana.org/acid

You may use the letter provided,  but it is more effective to  edit it, and in your own words  urge them to strengthen the  Waxman-Markey “American Clean Energy and Security Act” H.R.  2454.

Ocean Acidification is an issue we  can do something about.  We need a groundswell of informed citizens to  get Congress to have the backbone to stand up to the entrenched interests of  coal, oil, and gas and not compromise on the reduction of CO2.   We also need real leadership to aggressively create jobs using  sustainable technologies. The choice is ours.  We can solve this or not.   What we do know is that the future facing our children, grandchildren  and indeed all of humankind depends on our decision.

It’s the Bay vs. the Bag – only one side can win!

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Today Save The Bay launched a major campaign – The Bay vs. The Bag – to dramatically reduce plastic bag litter in San Francisco Bay and California’s waterways. To showcase this effort, we created an amazing movie and a new, multi-media website.

An estimated 3.8 billion plastic bags are used in the Bay Area every year. Millions end up in the Bay, polluting our water, smothering wetlands and killing animals. That’s why Save The Bay is helping cities in the Bay Area take a stand against plastic bag pollution.

Millions of plastic bags end up in our Bay, polluting water, smothering wetlands and harming wildlife. But the multi-billion dollar plastics industry is suing to stop local efforts to reduce bag use.

We need your help. This Earth Day, choose the Bay over the Bag and join Save The Bay’s fight to eliminate plastic bags in California! Please help us stand up to the plastics industry and reduce bag pollution by doing three things:

Watch our clever and fascinating video to see what could happen if we fail to cut our dependence on bags.
Take action to reduce preventable and costly plastic bag pollution.
Help spread the word – share this campaign with your friends!
Learn more at www.saveSFbay.org/bayvsbag.

Thank you for your ongoing support to help us protect and restore San Francisco Bay – our region’s great natural treasure.

Pacific Ocean Trash Patch - Solutions in Sight?

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

From the Daily Sail web site: Click here to read the entire article

We scuffed through the deep trash on uninhabited Red Sea beaches and wept. We sailed garbage patches in the Indian Ocean, counting the left and right thongs to prevent ourselves from weeping. We didn’t even see the worst example of all - the North Pacific Gyre, but Ian Kiernan sailed through it, and researcher Charles Moore has been studying it for 10 years. Now a Canadian teenager has found a potential solution to the world’s monstrous plastic problem.

In every ocean there are gyres, ocean vortices caused by the rotation of the earth. The North Pacific Gyre contains the world’s worst example of pollution. Here there is a vast floating soup of plastic bags and other goods which has collected over many years because the circular current and lack of wind drives floating debris into its centre.

In addition to this swirling vortex of trash - twice the size of Texas - the UN Environment Program estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter in every square mile of ocean…

Click here to read the entire article

Plastic in the Oceans

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

From “Sailing Scuttlebutt” VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

In order to draw attention to the other masses of recyclables now floating in the pacific, Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal departed Sunday, June 1, 2008 from Long Beach, California on a raft made mostly of plastic bottles - 15,000 plastic bottles - topped by the fuselage of an old private airplane. Marcus and Joel hope to sail their raft all the way to Hawaii in order to help call attention to the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. The raft is 30 feet by 20 feet, consisting of thousands of plastic bottles bound together with fishing net into “pontoons,” and then set in a deck/framework of old aluminum spars. The “cockpit” of the raft, which will provide shelter for the two man crew, is an old airplane fuselage, which the team overhauled and “made waterproof.” They expect to make landfall in six weeks, but are carrying provisions for three months.

Click here for this week’s video:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/0602

Happy Earth Day!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

Some Ideas From the Save The Bay web site: www.savesfbay.org
Reduce Bay Pollution!

Up to 70 percent of Bay pollution comes from toxic runoff from our homes, cars, and neighborhoods. Fortunately, because we create this pollution, we have the power to reduce it.
Everyone can make simple lifestyle changes to improve the health of our Bay:

  • Switch to reusable shopping bags
  • Tune your car regularly to prevent oil leaks
  • Use a professional car wash - they send dirty water to the wastewater treatment plant
  • Dispose of e-waste and mercury-containing items at the Household Hazardous Waste facility
  • Responsibly dispose of old medicine
  • Don’t litter and pick up trash in your neighborhood

And don’t forget that Save The Bay offers numerous volunteer events where you can help clean up and restore the Bay.

Stop The Nuclear Bailout - NukeFree.org

Friday, October 12th, 2007

Please check out this video by Bonnie Raitt and her fellow artists drawing our attention to the energy bill that is currently in Congress.

YouTube - NukeFree.org

Thanks for “doing something”.

Change the Margins

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

I just listened to a story on NPR about a group that is starting a campaign to reduce paper use by urging people to change the margins on their Word documents from 1.25 inches to 0.75 inches. It’s a small change but it will reduce paper use by 4.75% which translates into a HUGE savings in resources - trees, water, energy, …

What do you say? Want to do your part?

http://www.changethemargins.com/

Friday, September 21st, 2007

Dear Friends,

As you know, one of my concerns is for the health of our oceans. I don’t get too involved with politics, but I think this is an issue we can all agree upon – We need to keep our oceans clean and healthy!

Through a link on the Environmental Activism Page on www.patagonia.com, I have just contacted Dr. William T. Hogarth of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NMFS is revising its procedures for reviewing the environmental impacts of fishing activities and for allowing the public to comment on its proposed fishery management actions. The existing procedures ensure that ocean wildlife and habitats are protected to promote healthy wildlife populations and continued fishing opportunities. Some are calling for theses procedures to be weakened, which would put ocean wildlife and habitats at risk. Weakening theses procedures would also close the public out of management of our publicly-owned oceans.

Please take a moment to learn more about the Marine Fish Conservation Network and thank your representative about this important issue. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. Please support this effort by taking action at the link below.

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=2962

(Link through Environmental Activism through Patagonia)

Once you have sent your letter, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to participate.

Thank you!

Cheers,

Liz

Composting!

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

One of Liz’s latest obsessions is maintaining her new backyard compost bin. Here’s a shot of the weekly maintenance: Turning the contents of the bin over and adding in new material and water, if necessary.

The contents were definitely in full crank mode today - check out the steam coming off of the pile! I must admit that it did smell a bit like passing the feed lot on Highway 5, but I got through the turning over process without gagging. Maybe there’s a little too much methane in the process, but the bin is hot and the contents look more like compost that simple yard debris and kitchen scraps. So, it must be working!
My friend, Karina, thinks that I’m the only one she knows who would turn this into a science project , but it’s not true! I only got into this after seeing what Jay and Pease were doing with their composting.