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Earth Saving News > September 15, 2009
Needed: TLC for our nation’s forests and public lands.
Southern California’s most recent wildfire is one of the largest in the state’s history. The fire has consumed more than 250 square-miles or about 160,000 acres, destroyed dozens of homes and buildings, and, sadly, taken the lives of two firemen. The destruction also means the loss of habitat and food sources for many species of wildlife. Once the fires are out and the area has cooled, the U.S. Forest Service’s soil scientists, foresters and other experts will assess the damage and announce a planting strategy.
You can support re-planting efforts in California and across the country through Arbor Day Foundation’s Trees for America program. For as little as $1 you can plant a tree in a damaged forest that will eventually provide habitat and food for wildlife, help clean rivers and streams, and restore the beautiful, natural places we visit for outdoor adventure. Learn more about the causes and impacts of wildfires, and get involved in helping our nation’s forests recover by supporting tree-planting efforts.
Want another way to help? Visit the National Environmental Education Foundation for info about National Public Lands Day. Taking place on Saturday, September 26, this is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort aimed at improving and enhancing the public lands we all enjoy. In 2008, 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, and planted more than 1.6 million trees. Live in California? Click here for volunteer sites near you . There are sites across the country and you can even suggest your own, so get your hands dirty and make a difference!
Roll up your sleeves for the International Coastal Cleanup!
Where does that plastic bottle go after you throw it away? Non-recycled plastics have a long and unhealthy life cycle, traveling from your trash to a landfill where they break down into small plastic particles and wind up in our streams, our rivers, and, eventually, our oceans.
What happens when these plastic particles accumulate in the ocean has been a hot topic lately. Last month, Project Kaisei traveled out to the North Pacific Trash Gyre to study a garbage vortex that’s grown to nearly twice the size of Texas. They found a large, swirling sea of particles that contains more than 3.5 million tons of debris, and estimated that about 80% of it comes from land sources.
Why should you care? Simply put, this trash vortex can not only kill marine life, but it may be entering our food chain and it can have a negative effect on our health and safety. And it’s just getting bigger, thanks to poor waste management practices on land and at sea.
You can make a difference in the health of our oceans by getting involved in the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 19. Ocean Conservancy will help you sign up for an existing location or organize your own cleanup. Need more good reasons to commit a little time to ocean health? Read this . And check out Ocean Conservancy’s stunning underwater video on the EarthShare YouTube Channel for even more inspiration!
Fanged frogs, rat-eating plants, and fish tongue-eating parasites.
William Blake once said, “Nature is imagination itself.” Check out these recent strange new species discoveries and see if you agree.
In early September, scientists found a "lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats” in Papua New Guinea. In fact, m ore than 40 new species were discovered in a volcanic crater and the country’s rainforests, including a giant woolly rat never before seen by scientists. It’s hoped that the discovery of these new species will raise awareness of the destruction of Papua New Guinea’s rainforest, which is currently being lost at a rate of 3.5% each year. Learn more about this mysterious and relatively unexplored region, and why EarthShare member organizations like Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund are working to preserve and protect it.
Another recent odd find: a giant carnivorous plant in the Philippines – among the largest flesh-eating plants known to man. Scientists claim it can consume organisms as small as insects and as large as rats. And that’s just one amazing life form to be found in the Philippines; Conservation International recognizes the island nation as one the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth . About half of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on the planet!
Finally, for those with strong stomachs, we present the ocean-dwelling, fish tongue-eating parasite – not a new discovery, but a rare live specimen was recently found off the coast of Normandy, France. Isn’t Nature fascinating?
How safe are your school supplies?
Last month, we challenged you with this Green Quiz question: True or false: PVC is a safe, healthy plastic used in all kinds of back-to-school supplies including backpacks, binders, and lunchboxes.
The answer is False. While PVC plastics are used in a variety of school and office supplies, but they are not safe for you or the environment. Learn more and find out if you were one of the lucky correct responders who’ll be getting cool (and safe!) recycled school supplies from our friends at Sasquatch!
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EARTH SAVING NEWS
I'm not sure enough people understand the secret life of waste, it's nice to see an article addressing this very issue.
Posted by: Ana Paulina | September 15, 2009 at 02:58 PM