The Amherst Citizen: News | Rising tide
Even though Mr. Casey is ambivelant about Global Warming and Climate Change being the cause of the waters rising. He still heralds a warning of what we can expect in the future if we do not adapt and fix the dykes.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Sustainable Olympics
When the Games were held in Beijing, China made a pledge to the International Olympic Committee to achieve the World Health Organization standards for urban air quality in time for their 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
This year, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics committee is also under enormous pressure to present a “green face” to the world. Along with sport and culture, the environment was one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement this year; and part of its campaign was to encourage the Vancouver Olympic organizers (VANOC) to make the 2010 games carbon neutral.
Vancouver is hosting the world's biggest winter event with many types of winter venues, from skiing to skating to hockey and several sports which look death defying. Let us not forget the “green zamboni” which keeps breaking down and putting a hold on the indoor ice sports. In retrospect, the Vancouver Olympic Committee has tried to make things as sustainable as possible with the unpredictable weather and equipment failures.
In 2011, Nova Scotia will be hosting the Jeux Canada Winter Games. Most of the events will be held in Halifax; however, the skiing will be at Wentworth and Martock. I wonder if the organizers of this event will put effort into a more sustainable carbon neutral Games.
This year, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics committee is also under enormous pressure to present a “green face” to the world. Along with sport and culture, the environment was one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement this year; and part of its campaign was to encourage the Vancouver Olympic organizers (VANOC) to make the 2010 games carbon neutral.
Vancouver is hosting the world's biggest winter event with many types of winter venues, from skiing to skating to hockey and several sports which look death defying. Let us not forget the “green zamboni” which keeps breaking down and putting a hold on the indoor ice sports. In retrospect, the Vancouver Olympic Committee has tried to make things as sustainable as possible with the unpredictable weather and equipment failures.
In 2011, Nova Scotia will be hosting the Jeux Canada Winter Games. Most of the events will be held in Halifax; however, the skiing will be at Wentworth and Martock. I wonder if the organizers of this event will put effort into a more sustainable carbon neutral Games.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Non Toxic Cleaning Supplies for Food Bank
Members of the Poverty Action Committee will be at the Food Bank in Amherst on February 10th and the 17th to begin a new program regarding more affordable and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.
Many of the products used to clean homes include ingredients that are harmful to people and the environment. Choosing less toxic cleaners does not have to be expensive. Using ingredients that are in most people’s homes already can be a safe, inexpensive and effective way to clean all areas of the home; and they can be easily made.
Safe Cleaning Ingredients
• Baking soda – Is an odor absorber and a mild abrasive. Can also be sprinkled on carpets just before vacuuming to remove odors.
• Lemons or lemon juice found in most kitchens, the strong citrus scent is great at removing odors.
• Vinegar – Will remove grease, soap scum and mineral deposits and also acts as a deodorizer. Can be used effectively on windows and mirrors. Be sure to use white, distilled vinegar.
An All Purpose Cleaner
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle to clean counter tops, floors, walls or carpet.
• ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup to 1 quart of warm water. A Litre of vinegar only costs $1.99.
• Dissolve 4 Tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water.
Laundry
Instead of fabric softener, use ½ cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle. Or one to two cups of vinegar in the rinse cycle will also soften and deodorize fabrics. You can use a piece of aluminum foil in the dryer to help remove static cling. Equal Parts vinegar and water can be used to remove tough stains such as grass, perspiration, rust, coffee, wine, beer or pet stains among others.
Anyone wishing to donate these safer cleaning products can deliver them to Maggie’s Place.
Many of the products used to clean homes include ingredients that are harmful to people and the environment. Choosing less toxic cleaners does not have to be expensive. Using ingredients that are in most people’s homes already can be a safe, inexpensive and effective way to clean all areas of the home; and they can be easily made.
Safe Cleaning Ingredients
• Baking soda – Is an odor absorber and a mild abrasive. Can also be sprinkled on carpets just before vacuuming to remove odors.
• Lemons or lemon juice found in most kitchens, the strong citrus scent is great at removing odors.
• Vinegar – Will remove grease, soap scum and mineral deposits and also acts as a deodorizer. Can be used effectively on windows and mirrors. Be sure to use white, distilled vinegar.
An All Purpose Cleaner
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle to clean counter tops, floors, walls or carpet.
• ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup to 1 quart of warm water. A Litre of vinegar only costs $1.99.
• Dissolve 4 Tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water.
Laundry
Instead of fabric softener, use ½ cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle. Or one to two cups of vinegar in the rinse cycle will also soften and deodorize fabrics. You can use a piece of aluminum foil in the dryer to help remove static cling. Equal Parts vinegar and water can be used to remove tough stains such as grass, perspiration, rust, coffee, wine, beer or pet stains among others.
Anyone wishing to donate these safer cleaning products can deliver them to Maggie’s Place.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Great Backyard Bird Count
Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on any one of the four days, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the website, www.birdcount.org.
Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus during an interview regarding Birdcount 2010. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
Scientists can learn from the patterns of migration of birds as well as developing trends that can be used to study the birds that may be affected by factors such as global climate change and disease.
“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years. GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”
For more information about the GBBC, visit the website at www.birdcount.org. Or contact Bird Studies Canada at 1- (888)- 448-2473 ext. 134 or gbbc@birdscanada.org. If you do not have a computer to record your statistics please call Lisa Emery at 667-1424 and I will send in your statistics for you.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on any one of the four days, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the website, www.birdcount.org.
Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus during an interview regarding Birdcount 2010. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
Scientists can learn from the patterns of migration of birds as well as developing trends that can be used to study the birds that may be affected by factors such as global climate change and disease.
“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years. GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”
For more information about the GBBC, visit the website at www.birdcount.org. Or contact Bird Studies Canada at 1- (888)- 448-2473 ext. 134 or gbbc@birdscanada.org. If you do not have a computer to record your statistics please call Lisa Emery at 667-1424 and I will send in your statistics for you.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
What Does Going Green Really Mean?
The phrase "going green" has grown to mean adapting your lifestyle so as to do less damage to the environment and our earth. It can also refer to many different approaches on how to make this earth a better place. The larger goal, of course, is to be less of a burden on the environment and our local communities. And with energy costs on a steep curve upward, it helps to reduce costs too.
The movement is really quite quiet, with little steps here and there - on the people’s side items such as fewer lights on, mugs not paper cups, car-pooling, double sided printing, less printing, making notes on scrap paper (of which there is lots), shutting monitors and desk lighting off at the office. These are all small steps. They are also steps in the right direction. Nothing to drastic, or to costly, but steps that can be sustainable. This is not like a diet, but merely a lifestyle change.
The truth is that everything single thing we do every day has an impact on the planet -- good or bad. The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices and, therefore, the impact you create: from where you live to what you buy, eat, and use to light your home to where and how you vacation, to how you shop or vote, you can have global impact.
Are you green? This is an innocent yet powerful question to ask yourself. In the marketing of products for the global economy (which is bad to begin with), you may have discovered that the desire to “go green” far outweighs the need or commitment to do so. With regard to premiums and giveaways, most marketing professionals jump at a new eco-friendly item only to sit down when the price tag comes out. On the other side of the coin, the companies making these products are only doing so for the eco selling point. This means that the percent of the product that is “green” is only what the law says it needs to be…usually just 51% of the material. The question then remains: Are these really eco products and do they even offer any benefit besides the “green” branding they come with? This is one problem that enticed a reader of the Globe and Mail to send a letter to the editor stating, “ if one more corporation declares itself green or going green I am going to start burning tires in my backyard”. I understand his anger and confusion.
Going green needs to be cheaper or at least more cost effective. There are simple tips to help each of us be a little greener without spending a lot of money to “go green”. You can do simple things around the house such as turning off appliances while not in use and turning of lights when you leave a room.
You can also avoid buying unnecessary or overly packaged goods. Some of the things we bought at Christmas would have been in plastic packaging. Did you find yourself hunting through the house looking for a machete to open it? Then what – you throw out the packaging which is extremely harmful to the environment. You can also refuse to take any extra pieces of paper when you are shopping or the things that fast food places put in your take away bag. These are all simple things to help make your life a little greener.
The movement is really quite quiet, with little steps here and there - on the people’s side items such as fewer lights on, mugs not paper cups, car-pooling, double sided printing, less printing, making notes on scrap paper (of which there is lots), shutting monitors and desk lighting off at the office. These are all small steps. They are also steps in the right direction. Nothing to drastic, or to costly, but steps that can be sustainable. This is not like a diet, but merely a lifestyle change.
The truth is that everything single thing we do every day has an impact on the planet -- good or bad. The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices and, therefore, the impact you create: from where you live to what you buy, eat, and use to light your home to where and how you vacation, to how you shop or vote, you can have global impact.
Are you green? This is an innocent yet powerful question to ask yourself. In the marketing of products for the global economy (which is bad to begin with), you may have discovered that the desire to “go green” far outweighs the need or commitment to do so. With regard to premiums and giveaways, most marketing professionals jump at a new eco-friendly item only to sit down when the price tag comes out. On the other side of the coin, the companies making these products are only doing so for the eco selling point. This means that the percent of the product that is “green” is only what the law says it needs to be…usually just 51% of the material. The question then remains: Are these really eco products and do they even offer any benefit besides the “green” branding they come with? This is one problem that enticed a reader of the Globe and Mail to send a letter to the editor stating, “ if one more corporation declares itself green or going green I am going to start burning tires in my backyard”. I understand his anger and confusion.
Going green needs to be cheaper or at least more cost effective. There are simple tips to help each of us be a little greener without spending a lot of money to “go green”. You can do simple things around the house such as turning off appliances while not in use and turning of lights when you leave a room.
You can also avoid buying unnecessary or overly packaged goods. Some of the things we bought at Christmas would have been in plastic packaging. Did you find yourself hunting through the house looking for a machete to open it? Then what – you throw out the packaging which is extremely harmful to the environment. You can also refuse to take any extra pieces of paper when you are shopping or the things that fast food places put in your take away bag. These are all simple things to help make your life a little greener.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Pull of the Moon during Perigee and Syzygy on January 30, 2010
The coastal flooding during the first week of January along the Northumberland shore was unusually severe because it coincided with an astronomical event called the perigean syzygy. A tidal effect will get stronger when syzygy and perigee occur close together. Maximal tide raising forces occur only when the Sun and Moon are in direct mutual alignment. This occurs at syzygy (either full Moon or new Moon). This usually occurs when the moon is at the closest approach to the Earth or at perigee.
During the full and new Moon, the greatest difference between high and low tide water levels occurs. If the Moon is at perigee, the closest it approaches Earth in its orbit, the tides are especially high and low.
The changing distance of the Moon from the Earth also affects tide heights. When the Moon is at perigee the range is increased, and when it is at apogee the range is reduced. Perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean tides with the largest tidal range. If a storm happens to be moving onshore at this time, the consequences (in the form of property damage, etc.) can be especially severe.
Remember the Saxby Gale occurred during a perigean Spring Tide: Named not for the season of Spring, but from the German springen (to leap up). This tide that is of increased range occurs at the two times of syzygy each month during the full or new Moon.
According to letter to the editor written by Ivan Smith from Canning, Nova Scotia which appeared in the Chronicle Herald,
The near future is interesting. A more powerful perigean syzygy will occur during the wee hours on Jan. 30, 2010, when syzygy and perigee will be less than three hours apart. If an intense (low barometric pressure) storm should happen to form during the last weekend of this month, coastal communities can expect serious flooding to occur at the time of high tide.
The Farmer’s Almanac says that we are in for snow and stormy weather for the last weekend in January. The moon, which has a strange but real pull on the Earth, its oceans and the human psyche, will possibly show its real force on the ocean’s tides at the end of the month of January when its tug will be a tad stronger than usual. Can we expect another severe storm and tidal surge? That is the question.
During the full and new Moon, the greatest difference between high and low tide water levels occurs. If the Moon is at perigee, the closest it approaches Earth in its orbit, the tides are especially high and low.
The changing distance of the Moon from the Earth also affects tide heights. When the Moon is at perigee the range is increased, and when it is at apogee the range is reduced. Perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean tides with the largest tidal range. If a storm happens to be moving onshore at this time, the consequences (in the form of property damage, etc.) can be especially severe.
Remember the Saxby Gale occurred during a perigean Spring Tide: Named not for the season of Spring, but from the German springen (to leap up). This tide that is of increased range occurs at the two times of syzygy each month during the full or new Moon.
According to letter to the editor written by Ivan Smith from Canning, Nova Scotia which appeared in the Chronicle Herald,
The near future is interesting. A more powerful perigean syzygy will occur during the wee hours on Jan. 30, 2010, when syzygy and perigee will be less than three hours apart. If an intense (low barometric pressure) storm should happen to form during the last weekend of this month, coastal communities can expect serious flooding to occur at the time of high tide.
The Farmer’s Almanac says that we are in for snow and stormy weather for the last weekend in January. The moon, which has a strange but real pull on the Earth, its oceans and the human psyche, will possibly show its real force on the ocean’s tides at the end of the month of January when its tug will be a tad stronger than usual. Can we expect another severe storm and tidal surge? That is the question.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Climate Change and the Earthquake in Haiti
Climate change is one of the most crucial global problems of our century and when we discuss about the climate, we're most likely to touch on wider implications such as natural disasters.
Two scientists from Purdue University took seismic readings in Haiti along the Enriquillo Fault and warned Haitian officials back in 2008 that the island was vulnerable to a major earthquake of 7.2 magnitude. Pressure was building along the fault line. The problem is the warning didn’t come with a timeline and even if it did, a country like Haiti was highly unlikely to be able to move and coordinate fast enough to shore up important buildings like government, hospitals, and schools. So… nothing was done.
Tuesday’s earthquake is actually the fifteenth natural disaster to hit the island nation since 2001. Other equally devastating events in Haiti include major floods due to the deforestation, and killer tropical storms and hurricanes. Although all of these events are due to natural causes the events that cause Haiti to be in a constant state of catastrophe are the poor building standards, poverty, unstable government and environmental degradation.
This latest devastating event is a wake-up call to us to pay attention to our environment from the smallest to the most significant of ways. It may not stop other natural disasters from occurring completely but it may lessen the rate and magnitude of disasters. Haiti is one of the many Islands that does not have adequate necessities needed to defend themselves during extreme weather events and disasters such as the earthquake that hit last Tuesday.
Actor, Danny Glover was quoted as saying, “I hope we seize this particular moment because the threat of what happened to Haiti is the threat that could happen anywhere in the Caribbean to these island nations, you know. They're all in peril because of global warming, they're all in peril because of climate change. An interesting viewpoint until he went on to say that the devestation was caused in Haiti because the world’s governments did not finish what they needed to in Copenhagen during the Climate Confernce in December. That is where he lost me.
There really has not been a link established between climate change and Tuesday’s earthquake. One thing that we do know is that the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, which in turn, increases the likelihood that more natural disasters will occur, and may lead to reconstruction or relocation of entire cities if the climate change predictions from scientists are to be believed.
Hopefully we will begin to listen to the majority of scientists worldwide that for climate change is real and we need to address it now. Haitian officials were concerned about the possibility of an earthquake but with so many other problems the warnings of even more disastrous events that may or may not happen soon were put on the back burner. Sound familiar?
Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com
Two scientists from Purdue University took seismic readings in Haiti along the Enriquillo Fault and warned Haitian officials back in 2008 that the island was vulnerable to a major earthquake of 7.2 magnitude. Pressure was building along the fault line. The problem is the warning didn’t come with a timeline and even if it did, a country like Haiti was highly unlikely to be able to move and coordinate fast enough to shore up important buildings like government, hospitals, and schools. So… nothing was done.
Tuesday’s earthquake is actually the fifteenth natural disaster to hit the island nation since 2001. Other equally devastating events in Haiti include major floods due to the deforestation, and killer tropical storms and hurricanes. Although all of these events are due to natural causes the events that cause Haiti to be in a constant state of catastrophe are the poor building standards, poverty, unstable government and environmental degradation.
This latest devastating event is a wake-up call to us to pay attention to our environment from the smallest to the most significant of ways. It may not stop other natural disasters from occurring completely but it may lessen the rate and magnitude of disasters. Haiti is one of the many Islands that does not have adequate necessities needed to defend themselves during extreme weather events and disasters such as the earthquake that hit last Tuesday.
Actor, Danny Glover was quoted as saying, “I hope we seize this particular moment because the threat of what happened to Haiti is the threat that could happen anywhere in the Caribbean to these island nations, you know. They're all in peril because of global warming, they're all in peril because of climate change. An interesting viewpoint until he went on to say that the devestation was caused in Haiti because the world’s governments did not finish what they needed to in Copenhagen during the Climate Confernce in December. That is where he lost me.
There really has not been a link established between climate change and Tuesday’s earthquake. One thing that we do know is that the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, which in turn, increases the likelihood that more natural disasters will occur, and may lead to reconstruction or relocation of entire cities if the climate change predictions from scientists are to be believed.
Hopefully we will begin to listen to the majority of scientists worldwide that for climate change is real and we need to address it now. Haitian officials were concerned about the possibility of an earthquake but with so many other problems the warnings of even more disastrous events that may or may not happen soon were put on the back burner. Sound familiar?
Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com
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