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Archive for September 19th, 2013
United Kingdom: Up to two-fifths of fruit and veg crop is wasted because it is ‘ugly’, report finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2013
Press Association: Up to two-fifths of a crop of fruit or vegetables can be wasted because it is "ugly", a report on food waste has shown.
Produce grown in the UK that does not meet retailer standards on size or shape or is blemished is often used for animal feed or simply ploughed back into the ground even though it is edible, with as much as 40% of a crop rejected.
The report, commissioned by the UK's global food security programme, also showed that the average household throws away more than 5kg (11lbs) of...
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Mexico landslide leaves dozens missing as hurricane threat grows
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2013
Associated Press: The toll from devastating twin storms climbed to 80 on Wednesday as isolated areas of Mexico reported deaths and damage to the outside world. Mexican officials said another 58 people were missing in a massive landslide in the mountains north of Acapulco.
The storm that devastated the Pacific resort over the weekend regained strength on Wednesday and became hurricane Manuel, taking a route that could see it make landfall on Mexico's north-western coast. It would be a third blow to a country still...
Colorado floods: Costly and often uninsured
Posted by CNN: Chris Isidore on September 19th, 2013
CNN: The recent severe floods in Colorado could end up costing homeowners, businesses and local governments nearly $2 billion, according to Eqecat, a firm that conducts loss estimates for the insurance industry.
But unlike many other natural disasters, the firm and an insurance trade group agree that a high percentage of the losses will not be covered by insurance.
Eqecat estimates that the storm cost homeowners about $900 million in both damage and expenses associated with evacuations. Businesses...
After the storms, a different opinion on climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2013
EurekAlert: Extreme weather may lead people to think more seriously about climate change, according to new research. In the wake of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, New Jersey residents were more likely to show support for a politician running on a "green" platform, and expressed a greater belief that climate change is caused by human activity.
This research, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that traumatic weather events may have the power to...
Guideline or Law? Confusion over Frac Sand Mining Standards
Posted by Minnesota Public Radio: Stephanie Hemphill on September 19th, 2013
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota officials are set to approve a new set of standards that local governments can use to regulate frac sand mining.
Wednesday the state Environmental Quality Board, a broad oversight agency, will consider draft standards outlined by the agency's staff. They recommend setbacks from homes, water quality protections, rules on noise, blasting, and dust control.
Over the next few months, state officials will ask for public input to refine the voluntary guidelines, which can be adapted by...
Lac Megantic: Environmental Report Details Extent of Contamination
Posted by Toronto Star: None Given on September 19th, 2013
Toronto Star: There was never doubt that the deadly train derailment in Lac-Mégantic caused an environmental disaster, but a report made public this week by Quebec’s ministry of the environment details the extent of the devastation to the soil, river and lake near the disaster zone.
An estimated 5.6 million litres of crude oil spilled out of the 72-car train that barrelled into the Quebec town July 6. A significant percentage burned off in the explosion and blaze, but several hundred thousand litres of oil...
Property losses from Colorado flood will be about $2 billion
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 19th, 2013
Reuters: Property losses from deadly flooding in Colorado will total nearly $2 billion, about half from housing and half from the commercial and government sectors, catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat said on Wednesday in the first comprehensive estimate of the disaster's economic toll.
State and county emergency management officials have hardly begun to prepare actual damage assessments from flooding that has ravaged thousands of homes and killed at least eight people in a disaster zone in and around Colorado's...