An Ocean Vacuum!!!

"Garbage Patches" in our oceans are a major dilemma!  What's to be done about these giant gyres of plastic trash?  Well, a cool young fellow named Boyan Slat may have an answer for us!

Mr. Slat is developing a device that will sift out small plastic particles from our oceans.  These manta-ray shaped devices are powered by the wind and sun.  Although this floating Manta Ray Vacuum won't pick up say, an old water bottle, out of the ocean, it will be capable of removing those tiny plastic bits that float on the surface and are unable to biodegrade.  Some researchers estimate that there are over 7 million tons of these tiny plastic pieces in our ocean gyres.

These teeny plastic bits are broken down from larger plastic garbage, but are unable to break down further.  These bits can be mistaken for food by sea life and often contain harmful chemicals that can eventually be consumed by humans.

This cool new innovation is designed to pluck out the plastic and leave zooplankton alone!

Recycled Beach Toys!

I hope everybody is having a great summer!  If you're planning a trip to the beach with your friends, here's a cool idea for making your own sand shovels.  Reduce, reuse, recycle!

The Brink of Extinction

Extinction is when a particular species of animal is dead and gone from our planet forever (like the dinosaurs or the dodo bird).  The case of the Asian Crested Ibis is a hopeful story about an animal saved from complete extinction!

The Crested Ibis makes its home in the wetlands of Asia.

Due to habitat destruction, the Crested Ibis was on the brink of extinction.  In 1981, there were only 7 of these birds known to be alive in the wild!

Conservation programs were put in place to protect nesting areas, prohibit logging and stop the use of agrochemicals for rice farming.  In addition, Japan and China both began Ibis breeding programs to  help increase the number of birds in the safety of captivity.

Human activity was the direct cause of the Ibis's brush with extinction, but thanks to conservation, the Crested Ibis is making a comeback!  By 2002, there were approximately 140 birds living in the wild.  Today, there are more than 500!

Ten Crested Ibis are released into the wild in 2008.

Can you name some other animals that are currently in danger of extinction?  What is being done to help those animals survive in the wild?

Learn About Biofuels!

A biofuel is any fuel derived from biological matter.  Here are some examples:

GASOLINE & PETROLEUM
The most commonly used biofuel today - made from biomass that died millions of years ago (think dinosaurs and ancient jungle growth!)  Also, the leading cause of global warming.  Hmmm...  What are some other options?

CORN
Yup, fuel made from corn!  Emissions are lower, but not by much.  Growing all that corn may also require more energy than it actually produces.

SUGAR CANE
A totally sweet fuel!  Fuels made from sugar cane crops can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 56%!  A big success so far in Brazil.

SWITCHGRASS
This amazing plant turned biofuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%!  Some kinds of switchgrass can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the ground.

USED COOKING GREASE
The cooking oil used to deep fry things like french fries and chicken wings can be recycled into fuel!  Fuel made from used cooking grease releases fewer gases and is a great way to REUSE something that would have been thrown away.

KELP
Scientists have recently found that seaweed can be used for fuel as well.  Breaking down the sugars in kelp can create five times as much ethanol as corn.

Maggie McGee Goes Green!

Well, my first year on the green bandwagon is coming to an end.

What have you done to go green this year?

- Maggie

Maggie McGee Goes Green!

Well, my first year on the green bandwagon is coming to an end.

What have you done to go green this year?

- Maggie

Pollution in the Amazon

The Amazon is an area of South America best known for its diverse rainforest, lush jungles and one of the largest rivers in the world.  (See picture above.)

Chevron is one of the world's six "supermajor" oil companies and it operates in more than 180 countries.

For the last 17 years, the South American country of Ecuador has been trying to get Chevron to clean up environmental damage in the Amazon caused by .  This damage is said to be the world's second largest environmental disaster other than the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

What kind of damage?

* Pollution to large areas of the Ecuadoran jungle
* Up to 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater dumped into waterways
* Up to 17 million gallons of crude oil contained in unlined pits

What were the results of this damage?

* Death of food crops and livestock (farm animals)
* Increased health problems like skin disease and cancer
* An estimated $27 billion in damages

A legal battle as been going on for almost two decades and recently a judge ordered the company to pay at least $8.6 billion in damages.

Chevron has stated that it has no plans to provide any money at all for cleanup.  Ecuador does not have the same laws as the United States about protecting the environment and so it will be very difficult to force Chevron to pay any money at all!

If you or I made a big mess, we'd have to clean it up!  Why does a giant oil company get away with it?