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| oceanrev | All plastic in the ocean is WRONG | 0 | Oct 3 2008, 6:30 PM EDT by oceanrev | ||
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Thread started: Oct 3 2008, 6:30 PM EDT
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Are 'microplastics' marine pollutants?
Experts start to ask if tiny particles might be clogging ocean food chain By Jessica Marshall Discovery Channel We've all heard about sea turtles, dolphins or seabirds dying from entanglement in six-pack rings, plastic bags or other detritus - or from bellies full of mistakenly swallowed plastic. But some marine researchers are concerned about the effect that much smaller bits of plastic may be having on the seas. So-called "microplastics" may concentrate pollutants, be ingestible by the ocean's tiny denizens - from zooplankton to filter feeders like clams and mussels - and move up the food chain. A group of scientists gathered this month to identify what's known about this problem and where more research is needed. "We know that stuff breaks down, and as it breaks down, it forms smaller and smaller pieces of plastic," said workshop organizer Joel Baker of the University of Washington, Tacoma. "But there's another story, and that is that there are some processes that either purposefully or inadvertently create microplastic particles in their own right." One of the outcomes of the workshop was to identify areas where the greatest effects are likely to be seen. These are good starting points for additional research, because if microplastics are causing problems, such locations should show the effects most directly, he added. In the meantime, taking steps to reduce plastic debris - large and small - is a good idea, Helton said. "I don't think there's any right amount of plastic to dump in the ocean." Read more: URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26994478/ |
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| oceanrev | Rise Above Plastic for Leatherbacks! | 0 | Sep 29 2008, 3:02 PM EDT by oceanrev | ||
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Thread started: Sep 29 2008, 3:02 PM EDT
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The rare and little-known leatherbacks have been around during 100 million years of evolution, and their migration patterns are amazing: They nest and lay their eggs in the sandy beaches of Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, then swim 7,000 miles across the Pacific to their feeding grounds along the California coast. But in the past 25 years, more than 90 percent of the leatherback population has vanished, Benson said. The abrupt decrease is largely because of egg-hunters raiding their nests, commercial long-line fisheries whose hooks can ensnare the turtles as "bycatch," and most recently the erosion of many nesting beaches because of small rises in the sea level caused by global warming, said Michael Milne of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, an environmental group based in Marin County. Read More: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/29/BAI31353SK.DTL |
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| oceanrev | Grist.org: Bottled water, anyone | 0 | Sep 23 2008, 1:04 AM EDT by oceanrev | ||
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Thread started: Sep 23 2008, 1:04 AM EDT
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Bottled water, everywhere
Natural Hydration Council: drink more bottled water ... please? Posted by Tom Philpott at 3:54 PM on 18 Sep 2008 Bottled water sales growth may be "drying up," but the bottled-water industry is veritably gushing on the PR front. Here it is investing in a high-dollar sponsorship of the upcoming presidential campaigns, joining Anheuser-Busch, EDS (which specializes in "information technology outsourcing), BBH, a big U.K. advertising firm, and others. And over here, you've got water giants Nestle Waters, Danone, and Highland Spring rolling out the Natural Hydration Council. Right, because the only way to stay "naturally hydrated" is to package water into tiny plastic bottles and haul it around the globe. The NHC will "research and promote the environmental, health and other sustainable benefits of natural bottled water." (Hat tip to Anna Lappé.) You know, this reminds me a bit of the Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy -- a confederation of Archer Daniels Midland Co., DuPont Co., John Deere, Monsanto, and the Renewable Fuels Association. They want to make sure we know that if we don't a) grow lots of genetically modified crops, and b) convert a huge portion of them into fuel for our cars, then the human race will have to give up not only eating, but also, gulp, driving. Maybe the Natural Hydration folks should consider joining forces with the Abundant Food and Energy set. You see, farmers go through lots of water. Why shouldn't they be using bottled? Hey, bottled water industry -- do the words market opportunity mean anything to you? Maybe in the next farm bill, the two lobbying groups can push through a subsidy for bottled water as irrigation. Natural Irrigation Council, anyone? <a href="http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/18/102424/092">Grist.org</a> |
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| oceanrev | OpEd: Community Organizers Among Us | 0 | Sep 9 2008, 11:26 AM EDT by oceanrev | ||
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Thread started: Sep 9 2008, 11:26 AM EDT
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Peaceful marches, sit-ins, walk-outs, boycotts, get-out-the vote drives, public hearings, whistle-blowing and strikes are responsible for many of the rights and freedoms we hold near and dear here in the United States of America.
Our air and water are cleaner, our food safer and our society more just thanks to countless, nameless community organizers. Chances are that one of your neighbors is directly responsible for some attribute of your community that makes it more livable, whether it’s the lack of oil wells in your backyard, a new stoplight at a dangerous intersection, a cleaner lake, safer streets, a church youth program, or hot meals for the hungriest people. Yet disparaging community organizers seemed to be the thing to do last week at the Republican National Convention. Not because community organizers have done something wrong, but simply because Barack Obama was a community organizer for three years as a young man back in South Chicago, helping unemployed people find jobs. Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin said, "A small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities". Rudy Giuliani used “community organizer” as the punch line in his attack-dog speech to the RNC delegates. I guess the point they were trying to make was that organizing a community and solving local problems just doesn’t compare to being a 9-11 mayor, a POW or a small town hockey mom. I’ll grant them that. They are very different activities. The reasons Palin and Giuliani’s attacks slipped by people as being acceptable, even funny, are probably because the noble American tradition of community organizing is one the mass media largely ignores. But that’s about to change. Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/678oe6 |
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