RSS Feed
Archive for November 5th, 2010
Blue Lagoon at Belmont: 150-year old reservoir under threat
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
Guardian: Blue Lagoon at Belmont: 150-year old reservoir under threat
Campaign to stop scenic reservoir in Bolton from disappearing
Save the Blue Lagoon at Belmont
Describe the site currently, including details of protected or threatened habitat or species
A local site of special interest, the reservoir is 80ft deep and a local beauty spot.
What development is proposed?
The development of the site is yet unclear although the 80ft-deep reservoir is being currently drained by its owners Belmont...
Posted in 
Helping the environment is in the jeans
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: International denim brand Levi's becomes the latest in a number of clothing companies helping consumers reduce their environmental footprint one outfit at a time.
According to a 2006 report by Levi's, in environmental terms the manufacture of one pair of jeans is equivalent to running a garden hose for 106 minutes, powering an average computer for 556 hours or driving a car 125.5 km (78 miles). One of the most wasteful parts of this process is "finishing"; during manufacture a typical pair of...
Higher Levels of Lead Seen in City Tap Water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
New York Times: New York City health and environmental officials on Thursday advised residents to run their tap water for at least 30 seconds before drinking or cooking with it after testing showed a rise in the percentage of homes with elevated levels of lead.
The city is required to test for lead in tap water each year under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. In tests conducted from June to September in homes in older buildings known to have lead in their plumbing, 30 of 222 samples — or about 14 percent...
Climate change hurting China’s grain crop: report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: Climate change could trigger a 10 percent drop in China's grain harvest over the next 20 years, threatening the country's food security, a leading agriculture expert warned in comments published Friday.
Tang Huajun, deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, warned crop production could fall by five to 10 percent by 2030 if climate change continues unchecked, in an interview with the official China Daily.
"The output of the country's three main foods -- rice, wheat and corn...
Volcanic blasts can boost SE Asia rains -study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
Reuters: Scientists studying tree rings to reconstruct the past have found that major volcanic eruptions can boost rains in Southeast Asia, challenging a common perception of volcanoes as purely destructive forces.
Studies in the past have shown massive eruptions such as the 1815 Tambora blast, and Krakatau in 1883, both in Indonesia, dimmed temperatures globally and wiped out crops.
Researchers at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in the United States wanted to study the impacts...
Wholesale food prices soar as commodity costs rise
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
Guardian: Soaring wheat and other commodity costs on world markets have pushed up UK wholesale food prices at the fastest rate in two years, official figures showed this morning.
Prices of food produced in the UK were 9.8% higher last month than a year ago, the biggest annual increase since October 2008, the Office for National Statistics reported. Imported food prices climbed 4.5% on the year, the fastest rate since October 2009.
Food prices are likely to be pushed even higher in coming months, with...
Mapping Ecosystems, the Better to Conserve Them
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 5th, 2010
New York Times: Environmentalists have a special affinity for maps. Whether terrestrial or marine, the environment and its ills are tied to a geography that can be expressed in a rectilinear scale.
As science progresses, so do the maps. Witness the latest effort from the state of Massachusetts.
To ensure that the largely private efforts to set aside land do the most public good, the state Department of Fish and Game has just unveiled the latest and most elaborate version of its online BioMap, complete with...