LCENVS

Although the article is mostly about the creation of new currency, the idea of the new currency is what I found most relevant--the currency is suppose to encourage "local" support.

This article from NPR looks at how the temporary suspension of Environmental regulations in an effort to speed up the post-Irene damages may cause even more environmental damage than Irene originally made.

This is a Web-site on India and the Environment. It is a highly useful website that provides, among other things, articles, information, and activism about environment issues in India. Start by looking at the key on the left hand side of the page and start exploring. Enjoy!

The Vietnamese army has been accused of illegally selling timber from Laos. This timber is then used to build furniture which is transported to Europe. While the EIA say that this trade is illegal, the company in question stated that they were following the laws of Laos.

This article addresses Vietnam's recent reforestation efforts. In the past twenty years, forestry policies have successfully increased net forest cover, however old-growth forests are still insufficiently protected. Although Vietnam has decreased logging in Vietnamese forests, these practices have been outsourced to Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.

This article, from WPRI.com (the website affiliated with the Rhode Island news channel), discusses the plans to build a wind turbine in the town of Narragansett. As someone familiar with the area--I grew up in Massachusetts--I am aware of the intense debate revolving around wind power on the New England coast. The case of the Narragansett turbine is notable due to the town's status as a tourist destination. The argument is centered around the fact that, although new forms of energy are universally considered to be important, the region's primary economic facet is tourism. Those opposed to the turbines argue that their presence negatively impacts the aesthetics of the coast, while proponents of the turbines take the position that sacrifices must be made to ensure a bright future. The building of the Narragansett turbine could perhaps be a step towards acceptance of the turbines' presence.

A couple of weeks ago, Obama asked that the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards be withdrawn until they are up for scientific review in 2013. This article by the Economist provides a view that weighs the jobs more heavily than the environmental impacts. I know that this article is more politics-minded, but I still wish they provided a projected environmental impact or pollution data. The author instead focuses on what this move means for Obama as we near the 2012 run for presidency.

This cool infographic shows how poverty in America, long considered an urban problem, has expanded out from cities and into the suburbs.

This LA Times article talks about a newly released study from the economics department at San Francisco State. The study discusses the effect of sea-level rise on tourism in California. While sea-level has been rising globally for the last few decades, the west coast has largely been spared, however, as the study shows, this grace period may not last much longer.

Farmers in India are being paid by BioCarbon Fund to plant trees in over 4000 hectares. These trees are being planted to offset the 839,582 tons of carbon dioxide. One of the conditions the landowners must meet is the tree density must be no less than 1100 plants per hectare. Article published on September, 13th 2011 on indiatogether.org

This is a post from a really great blog called Secret Republic about urban design and green building. The blogger is currently in Sweden and visited a school with some really innovative ideas about environmental education, and they're employing some cool eco-design strategies too!

A brief article about the project PlanetSolar, led by Raphael Domjan, and its efforts to prove that solar power is a viable and wise alternative energy approach, especially in the shipping industry. Domjan has overseen the construction of a solar-powered catamaran with 5,300 square feet of solar panels and hopes that its voyage across the world will encourage a re-examination of fuel efficiency and popularize solar technology.

This is an older article about an issue that has caused a lot of controversy in Alaska between interest groups. The giant open pit mine proposed at the headwaters of Bristol Bay's salmon runs is a threat to the fishing industry and the environment and many oppose it. Many also support the jobs it would bring to the area and Native Alaskans who are the primary inhabitants of villages in Bristol Bay are divided on the issue as well.

A (humorous - but maybe kind of serious) op/ed on testing political philosophies scientifically. Quote that helps sum it up: "What do politicians do when they think they have a great idea? They just go and implement it. It's like someone thinking he's got a cure for cancer and immediately injecting it into everyone he can. That's a madman, not a scientist. You always have to at least try out your idea on monkeys to make sure it doesn't kill them."

Michael Pawlyn, arguably the foremost contemporary expert on biomimicry, gives a TED talk on how the principles of this field can be applied to energy, food and agricultural systems to close the loop and build a sustainable future. Biomimicry, for those that don't know, is the a field of engineering and development that bases designs off structures and systems found in nature. This talk covers a lot of what we learned about systems and loops from 160 and I am sure a lot of information from our other classes. I am personally very compelled by biomimicry and I have always thought that it is the obvious way to innovate sustainable technologies. Enjoy.

This one rings close to home for me. The Great Lakes have been described as one of mankind's greatest experiments in ecology, and perhaps that true - if you discount any need for routine study and management, control groups, or any semblance of a procedure. This article is about a classic environmentalist concept - restoring ecosystems. But it is forced, as those working with the Great Lakes often are, to look at things a little differently. I was impressed that those quoted in the article actually acknowledge that some things are simply changed forever, and probably cannot be reverted to earlier forms. The focus becomes instead a forward looking one: "What good are these efforts? Scien­tists caution that restoration in any strict sense is probably impossible...Nonetheless, they argue that restoration efforts can make the lakes ecologically healthier, more resilient, and better able to absorb new shocks, including climate change and invasion by more nonnative species." From doing some research on this for papers last year, I'm starting to think that the Great Lakes (and I am absolutely and clearly biased) are on the front edge of intentional ecology and ecological engineering, and have forced people to come at restoration in ways a lot of smaller scale projects haven't. Its a neat place to study if you're into that sort of thing.

This article discusses the threat that climate change is posing on large mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas. Should endangered mountains be treated like endangered animals, now that they are changing?

Annual rains in Kenya have failed to come, as a result crops are failing and cattle are dying. 2.5 million people are receiving emergency food aid, many rural farmers are moving to the slums in towns and cities

Here is an article about the pending removal of two dams on the Elwha River in the Olympic Peninsula, WA. This would be the largest dam removal in U.S. history, and possibly a precedent for future dam removals. The dams do not have fish ladders, and have significantly reduced the salmon population in the Elwha river, so their removal could dramatically impact the ecosystem.