Saving Sea-Life.

   In the blog that I have just read, Juliette Jowit explains how back in August of this year, the UK created 15 new areas for the protection of marine life stretching from Norfolk to Cornwall and Northern Ireland. Doing this helped the birds and especially the sea life that all lived on the sandbanks, reefs and sea caves. In order to protect sea life animals such as sponges, sea squirts, corals, shellfish, and more exotic creatures, they will not allow fishing, dredging, and even the use of turbines. People who were involved with this conservation project wanted the government to support them but were not aware yet if they would or not due to financial issues.

   Lately in class we have been talking about different wetlands, reefs, toxic runoff into the ocean, etc. Because of that, this blog popped out to me. I could relate it to almost everything I’ve been learning about this past week in environmental and it gave me a greater appreciation to realize how much we could help the animals in the ocean that are effected by what we do.

 Obviously this is a great way to save sea life and their habitats. I wouldn’t be against this idea for a second and don’t see why anybody wouldn’t want to go through with this other than financial reasons. But wouldn’t you think that even with mild financial difficulties people would find it important to save ecosystems where the species living in them can’t defend themselves?

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/2/23/1266916131454/Coral-reefs-in-the-Red-Se-002.jpg (first picture)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/20/bird-sea-life-protection-sites (blog)
http://twitter.com/MissionBlue (where I found the blog)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/10/26/gallery/coral-reef-540x380.jpg (second picture)

Oh No Way!! A Liger?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykFaTA2Zy8g (Video!!!)
As I was searching for a blog to write about, the one about a rare species called a liger caught my eye. Basically, this blog explains how the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S,) created the liger project. The institute’s director, Dr. Bhagavan Antle, points out that a male lion breeding with a female tigress has only happened three times, & that lions and tigers don't generally reproduce in the first place. This animal can grow up to 183 cm. and can weigh more than 406 kg. The liger is a very interesting new animal because it gets specific traits from both his mother and father. They apparently have great social skills and love to interact and play. They get this from their lion father. From the tiger mother, they receive traits such as their love for water.
In my opinion, the institute came up with a wonderful project & it's very amusing to learn about.
In class lately we've been talking about how one animal effect another, and this blog is a great example of how animals can reproduce with other animals causing adaptation. Because of the enormous size of this animal I definitely wouldn't second guess myself as to where it would land on the food chain. 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/meet-the-liger-half-lion-half-tiger/story-e6frfq80-1225949932953 (blog)
http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2010/11/09/1225950/001430-liger.jpg (picture)

Student Discovers Biodegrable Styrofoam on Accident!!

The blog that I have read written by, Megan Treacy, was about the accidental discovery of biodegradable styrofoam made up of milk and clay.  This new material was discovered by a student who freeze-dried clay and ended up with an unusual result in which scientist had to work with.  Eventually they came across a peculiar combination that produced a "fluffy, foam-like material." This combination was made up by milk protein casein and clay.  The final recipe consisted of "clay, water, casein powder and a tiny bit of a glycerol-based material." This recipe differed from styrofoam's original one by having a third of it break down within 45 days. 

In my opinion, this was an huge help to our environment.  Not only did it help our environment but it has led to a new company called, Aeroclay, Inc. I Also think this was a very useful discovery because now the new company will have their first step down in trying to figure out a way that oil based products can become biodegradable aswell. 

This relates to class because a little while ago we had discussions about the long-term/short-term pro's and con's on making a ban on styrofoam.  We don't need to worry about banning the growing problem now that the solution was simply to make it biodegradable. 

 http://www.ecogeek.org/alternative-materials/3334-biodegradable-styrofoam-made-from-milk-and-clay?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EcoGeek+%28EcoGeek%29&utm_content=Twitter

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/images/2007-12/polypeanuts.jpg

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/green-wave-tw-poo-001-6-biodegradable-plate-125-pk/green-wave-tw-poo-001-6-biodegradable-plate-125-pk.jpg

Has the Honeybee Killer Case been Solved?!

The blog that I have read written by, Dan Nosowitz, talks about how honeybee colonies in the U.S. have dropped tremendously within the past four years.  Twenty to Forty percent of them have collapsed without anybody knowing why.  Until now that is.  Apparently, A team of entomologists & military scientists from the Department of Homeland Security have suspected that a virus and fungus are the reason for why this is happening.  The virus and fungus acting together is what's causing the bees to die, because if they were working seperately, they wouldn't have that affect. It wasn't easy analyzing the illness that caused the honeybee to die because of the fact that it's kind of a strange ordeal.  Not to mention that when a bee is about to die it flies away from the hive in any direction. (This made it difficult to collect information from a large amount of bees.)  It's good that the reason for why the honeybee's are dying have been discovered, but that's only the first step in trying help them.  Entomologists now need to discover a way in order to stop the virus and fungus from killing the bees.  According to the blog that I have read, the entomologists will focus on trying to find a way to get rid of the fungus which is easier  to destroy than the virus.  Getting rid of the fugus alone should deffinately help the honeybee colonies have the number of bees they once had.

In my opinion, the blog is very right to the point and discusses a very important issue that every person should be aware of.  If the cycle of the honeybees were to end, it would have a drastic affect on the flower cycle.  Finding a logical solution to save the honeybees would not only help them but the environment aswell.

This relates to what we were talking about in class because it has to do with statistics and having one fact lead to another. 

In conclusion, the blog informed me about the unbelievable drop in the honeybee population.  With teaching me this, I have realized the importance of honeybees and the huge role that they have always played in keeping our environment stable. 

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/case-mass-honeybee-killer-has-been-solved

http://thehoneybee.files.wordpress.com/

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/

Lowering Your Carbon Footprint...

In my last blog you may have noticed that I wrote about climate change and how it affects the arctic ice and then leads to affecting ocean life.  Well, a lot of the climate change has to do with our carbon footprint.  Obviously we are all going to buy things, but maybe if you knew a little bit more about your own carbon footprint then there would be more understanding on how to decrease it.  After all, we all want to have the littlest carbon footprint possible, right?! Let me share with you a few ways how to lower that footprint of yours. 

 1. Buy in season food that is grown locally. (It will hopefully help reduce how far you have to travel in your car and maybe even help to avoid food that has traveled a long way to reach you.)

 2. If possible, buy organic. (Artificial fertilizers and pesticides wouldn't be a part of making this kind of food grow.)   

 

 3. Buy Furniture that's made from natural timber. (Look for FSC symbol.)

 4. Buy appliances for your household that are the most energy-efficient.

 5. Plan your shopping out so you can get the most in just one trip.

 6. Try to use your bike or bus for when you want to go on shopping trips whenever possible.

 7. Car-pool with a friend if both of you want to go shopping at the same time.

 8. Buying second hand is useful.

 9. Make sure to always get goods that will be sure to last.

 10. Simply, Buy Less!

I think the article that I've gotten this information from definitely taught me that I should be more aware of how much I harm the environment with just a little shopping trip.  It showed that you could be increasing your carbon footprint without even knowing it. All of what I read in the article reminded me of how we learned about our ecological footprint the other week.  If we can make a difference to make our ecological footprint better for the earth then why not try to make our carbon footprint better aswell?

In conclusion, the next time you want to go shopping, try to remember atleast one of the tips that could lower your carbon footprint.  The more you use them, the less fossil fuels there will be going into our environment causing harm to many things.  Not to mention all the CO2 you'll be saving the earth from.   

Less Ice = Less Ocean Life.

What I have read in this blog informs me of how important saving ocean life is.  During the summer, the Arctic’s ice has always melted and then grew once winter time came around.  Over the past few years however, the ice doesn’t regain all of what has melted.  This is causing certain ocean life to lose their habitat and struggle to survive.

            Even the slightest temperature drop can have huge effects.  The warming of the ocean water could cause the Arctic’s summer ice to completely disappear as early as 2013.  Why is this happening you may ask?  Well, mainly carbon dioxide and other gases that come from burning fossil fuels such as coal for energy.  The gasses trap heat near the surface of the earth and are causing warmer waters.  

            Not only are the polar bears and walruses suffering, but the coral reefs as well. They’re becoming white and dying.  Yes, they can come back but it happens very slowly because they need time to adapt. 

What can we do to help? Simple things such as car-pulling, riding your bike, and picking up your trash can make a big impact.  In my opinion, doing these things are not only beneficial for ocean life, but the life on land as well.  Also, we would be leaving behind a healthy earth for our future generations.  By making little changes on our own we are making huge changes together and it will definitely show in our environment.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_flamingos/science.aspx

Environmental Class; eassar10's about me.

Hello, My name is Sarah & I'm a junior at Hanover High School.  I have been going to Hanover since I was in kindergarten.  Softball is my sport of choice and I really love to play for the highschool team.  I've also been playing the clarinet (in concert band) for almost eight years now.  My dislikes include chemistry (with a passion), worms, and doing the pacer in gym class twice a year.  In environmental class, I am really looking forward to learning about what I can do to help our earth and how to make it better for future generations.