Termites Inspire New Cellulosic Ethanol Process

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:23:02 +0000

Fishermen Embrace Change in the Sinaloa, Mexico Shrimp Fishery: Part II
The fishermans story of frustration with compliance issues under the Sinaloa Shrimp fishery catch share was what I and two of my colleagues continuously heard during our outreach trip in Mexico in July. After spending a month in fishing camps along the Sinaloa coast giving presentations on catch shares and facilitating other exercises to communicate and dissect the issues of fishery management, we believe the fishermen we reached now understand that achieving success through catch share management will take efforts from all the stakeholders: NGOs, government, and most importantly the fishermen themselves.Read the full post �

Environmental Consequences: Asbestos and Human Health
When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge themselves in the lining of lungs. This lays the groundwork for the deadly asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. Perhaps it should come as no coincidence then that rates of pleural cancer (mesothelioma) in oil refinery workers are among the highest of any occupation.

The Deadliest Catch? Less Dangerous Under Catch Shares
Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in 2009 commercial fishing once again had the highest fatality rate per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. The rate was approximately 60 times the average fatality rate for all workers, and was higher than for loggers, police and sheriffs patrol officers, as well as aircraft pilots and flight engineers. Why is it so dangerous? To a certain degree, fishing is inherently dangerous EUR going out on a boat in the middle of the ocean, hauling heavy swinging pots or nets onto a deck covered in gear while waves crash around you carries a certain amount of risk. But the job can be made more dangerous due to restrictive fishery management policies that try to limit fishermens catch by severely limiting fishing seasons and/or days-at-sea.Read the full post �

Affirming a thing of beauty: Comments filed today support new EPA CBI policy
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. Today EDF joined with Earthjustice and 24 other health, labor and environmental organizations in filing comments with EPA that support its recently announced policy change restoring the public's right to know the identities of all chemicals for which health and safety data have been submitted to the agency. [.]

Hybrid Gas Cars
Hybrid gas cars combine two sources of power- electric motors and gasoline combustion engines.

Termites Inspire New Cellulosic Ethanol Process
Termite + Cellulose = Biofuels! Biofuel startup ZeaChem has begun building a biofuel pilot plant that will turn cellulosic feedstocks such as switch grass and wood chips into ethanol via a novel biomimetic process that uses microbes found in the guts of termites. It makes perfect sense to use the termite model to turn hard [.]

Bidding Farewell to eBay and Four Takeaways on Computer Power Management
By

Transport Tuesday EUR Existing Technology for Efficiency

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:56:02 +0000

That’s a Wrap! EDF Climate Corps fellow finishes up at NewsCorp with big results
By

Fishermen Embrace Change in the Sinaloa, Mexico Shrimp Fishery: Part I

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:41:02 +0000

Fishermen Embrace Change in the Sinaloa, Mexico Shrimp Fishery: Part I
Over the past two months EDFs outreach team traveled over 200 miles up and down the coastal state of Sinaloa, Mexico visiting five major lagoons that participated in the artisanal shrimp fishery catch share program. We were all eager to listen to fishermens concerns and see first-hand how this new catch share management program was progressing. The artisanal shrimp fleet opened under a catch share management system in September 2009, an initiative of the federal fisheries management authorities EUR Conapesca and Inapesca, with the support of EDF, WWF, and Noroeste Sustentable EUR a local Mexican NGO.Read the full post �

In the Gulf of Mexico, Ensuring a Future for Sharks
Try to imagine a world without sharks. They have existed for more than 400 million years, but that ancient lineage does not guarantee a future. Today, people kill an estimated 73 million sharks a year—most for their fins, worth hundreds of dollars a pound in Asian markets. We are killing sharks far faster than they can breed.

“Many well-known shark species are in danger of extinction,” says Dr. Douglas Rader, EDF's chief oceans scientist. “In U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters, large shark populations, including tigers and hammerheads, have fallen by as much as 99%.”

In response, EDF is working with the Mote Marine Laboratory of Sarasota, FL, a leader in shark research, to link the United States, Mexico and Cuba in a cooperative program to rebuild shark populations in the Gulf of Mexico. It will be the first such program anywhere in the world.

Sharks play a key role in marine ecosystems. For example, as their populations have fallen on the U.S. Atlantic coast, the rays they prey on have flourished. The rays feed on bay scallops and have ravaged scallop beds, devastating a century-old fishery. Similarly, overfishing for sharks in the Caribbean has led to more grouper. Grouper feed on parrotfish, which hold in check algae that would otherwise overgrow living corals.
With parrotfish populations falling, algae is smothering corals. Ecosystems with healthy shark populations are also believed to be more resilient to climate change.

There is no easy answer to this crisis, in part because many sharks are highly migratory, like tuna and swordfish. They're also a source of food and cash in many poor nations, so fishing bans, where they exist, are often ignored.

“The tri-national approach we're taking with Mote may be the only way to control shark overfishing in the area,” says Pam Baker, EDF's senior ocean policy advisor for the Gulf.

Among the remedies being studied are catch shares, an approach EDF has successfully used in the United States and Mexico, where fishermen are assigned a percentage of the total allowable catch for a species, eliminating overfishing.

The need to take similar action for sharks has grown even more urgent with the BP oil disaster. “Pupping and nursery grounds in the relatively shallow waters of the eastern and southern Gulf are especially at risk,” notes Rader.

The challenges are significant. The United States, Cuba and Mexico each has its own economic and conservation priorities. But EDF has built long-standing, trusted relationships with officials and grassroots organizations in all three countries, and we are confident an agreement can be reached.

Soon, students from the University of Havana will begin compiling a census of Cuba's shark population. Later this year, we hope to secure formal support for the project from the three governments, followed by a first meeting of a tri-national shark work group.

These are the first steps toward ensuring a future for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Our goal is to have the full program up and running by 2014.

From the Fall 2010 issue of Solutions.

Solar Vaccine Refrigerator EUR Please Vote!
ATC + and Michigan State University Solar Vaccine Refrigerator The Appropriate Technology Collaborative has entered the NASA Tech Briefs Create The Future Contest with our Solar Vaccine Refrigerator.

EDF Climate Corps 2010: How One Environmental Fellow Spent His Summer

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:15:01 +0000

Tell Me Something GOOD: Magazine for Social Entrepreneurs Chronicles Post-Katrina Rebuilding of New Orleans
GOOD, the self-styled quarterly for EUR

How much water can your lawn save? Ask El Paso

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:22:02 +0000

Transport Tuesday EUR Existing Technology for Efficiency
Avion X-Prize Car While we all wait for the X-Prize car to be announced we should remember that a couple of students at Western Washington University managed to create a high efficiency car with off-the-shelf parts more than two decades ago.

Energy Day and Night from Solar/Fuel Cell Combination

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:53:03 +0000

Could TWDB Resolution of an Interregional Conflict Lead to a Waste of Taxpayer Money?
Post was written by Jennifer Walker who works on water issues at the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The future of Texas groundwater is currently being determined by the regional water planning process.

The Superb Grid vs. the SuperGrid

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:37:01 +0000

The Superb Grid vs. the SuperGrid
Please see the article by Sam Carana on how a larger and simultaneously more local grid can be implemented, to capture as much of the electricity being generated as possible. Read about how many parts of Europe already have surplus electricity and countries are linking their grids together toimprove efficiency.

Where the Wildlife Specialists Arent: Spill Recovery Reveals Need for Local Capacity Building in Coastal Louisiana
Despite upbeat news about signs of regrowth in the oil-soaked wetlands of Louisiana, the truth is that scientists and government officials will likely be documenting the effects of the BP spill for decades. As

More Views on FREIGHT and Freight

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:13:02 +0000

Asbestos Use Today: information from a reader
Asbestos is still imported and used in the U.S. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007; see this PDF file from the USGS, please click only if you want to download the PDF. Also, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill [.]

Calling All ATC Design Users
The Appropriate Technology Collaborative has provided construction drawings of our sustainable, affordable and low cost technologies to 1,200 nonprofits (NGOs), individuals and Governments in the last 15 months.

Gray is the new Green

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:24:01 +0000

Termites Inspire New Cellulosic Ethanol Process
Termite + Cellulose = Biofuels!Biofuel startup ZeaChem has begun building a biofuel pilot plant that will turn cellulosic feedstocks such as switch grass and wood chips into ethanol via a novel biomimetic process that uses microbes found in the guts of termites. It makes perfect sense to use the termite model to turn hard to [.]

Electric Cost Monitoring