Better use of antibiotics will help reduce spread of drug-resistant 'superbugs,' state health official says

After reports that a dangerous drug-resistant bacterium, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, or CRKP, had spread to at least 356 patients in Southern California last year, Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske spoke with Dr. Kavita Trivedi, medical epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Initiative, about what can be done to reduce the spread of such drug-resistant "superbugs."

Read more:  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-infection-20110329,0,2329300.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Greenspace by Molly Hennessy-Fiske

 

Gas prices spur move to open offshore drilling in California, Alaska, East Coast

With high gas prices once again becoming a high-octane political issue, House Republicans on Tuesday launched a drive to open up more coastal areas to oil drilling, including a stretch off Southern California.

The pro-production legislation comes a day before President Obama is due to speak on energy security and amid heightened political anxiety among both parties over rising fuel prices.

One of three bills would require the Interior Department to offer leases, within the next five years, for drilling in areas off Southern California, the Eastern seaboard and Alaska containing ``the greatest known oil and natural gas reserves

Read more:   http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/03/high-gas-prices-spur-move-to-open-offshore-drilling-in-california-alaska-east-coast.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times- Greenspace by Richard Simon

 

Want to reduce BPA exposure? Cut canned foods from your diet, report says

Exposure to the chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, through canned foods and other food packaging can be significantly reduced with simple dietary changes, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonprofit Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute, a breast cancer research group.

Read more   http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/03/bpa-canned-food.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times –Greenspace by Susan Carpenter

 

Central, Western Massachusetts could get 14 inches in April Fool's storm

If there is anything funny about the impending April Fool's Day storm, the joke appears to be on Central and Western Massachusetts.

A winter storm watch is in effect for those areas from late Thursday night through late Friday night. The National Weather Service forecasts 6 to 12 inches outside of Route 128, while Boston is expected to see mostly rain and very little snow accumulation.

Read more    http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/western_massach.html?p1=News_links

 

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Martin Finucane, Globe Staff, and Katherine Landergan, Globe Correspondent

 

Bicycle sharing program explored

Following Boston’s lead, officials in Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville are kicking the tires on a regional bicycle-sharing program that, if approved, could launch within each of the communities in the next year and eventually expand to Arlington. Read more:  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/03/24/brookline_cambridge_somerville_consider_joining_bostons_planned_bike_sharing_program/ArtiA

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Brock Parker

 

 

Boom Slowdown Gives Sunbelt Cities Opportunity to Plan Growth

The current pause in the Sunbelt’s boom could be a seminal moment for cities across California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida to plan for future growth, rather than unplanned sprawl. During this construction pause, cities have a chance to better plan for growth by designing for dense development and reducing parking requirements to encourage walking, public transportation and more green space, says Justin Hollander, urban planning professor at Tufts University and author of the recently published book titled Sunburnt Cities

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online

 

 

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day and we urge you to take action to help the over 1.2 billion people who don't have access to enough clean water to meet their most basic needs. Every year, over 5 million people (many of them women and children) die of water-related diseases which are the world's leading cause of illness. It has been estimated that clean, safe water can be brought to the 1.2 billion people in need around the world for as little as $50 per person.

Like so many environmental programs, including our own parent organization, Green Cross International, World Water Day owes its origin to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water. Many of us recognize the potential for increased conflict over water resources, but we do not always realize how the mutual dependence and shared nature of a water resource can also be the basis for increased cooperation between peoples.

Article courtesy of Global Green USA

 

 

Virginia || Sustainable Mixed-Use Community Under Development

A new mixed use community is in development in Loudoun County, Virginia. The community, called “One Loudoun,” embodies the principles of New Urbanism and Smart Growth. The community seeks to attract residents seeking convenient location and connectivity both in technology and the natural social aspects of a harmonious, walkable community. In addition to upscale residential units, retail and office space, the community will feature an elementary school, a four-star hotel, a multi-screen movie theater, a central park, a gourmet grocer, a sportsplex, an amphitheater, a town green and community recreation.

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online

 

Washington Will Have Nation's First Electric Highway

The Washington State Department of Commerce and WSDOT are teaming up to implement the nation’s first “electric highway,” a basic network of public access electric vehicle (EV) recharging locations along Interstate 5. Once implemented, Washington will have the first border to border highway to offer fast charge technology. The project supports the West Coast Green Highway ,  an initiative to promote the use of cleaner fuels along I-5 from British Columbia to Baja California.

In addition, Washington is creating the nation’s first electric vehicle-friendly scenic byway along U.S. 2, a 120-mile route from Seattle to Wenatchee.  Eco-tourism opportunities will be promoted at several tourist destinations including Stevens Pass Ski Area ; Leavenworth’s Sleeping Lady Resort and Icicle Ridge Winery where drivers will be able to “fuel up” while enjoying the location’s activities

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online by Anna Nelson , AICP

 

 

 

Tsunami's effects in California offer clues about future, more powerful seismic events

 

Researchers are gathering data from the tsunami damage in Northern California to gain a more detailed understanding of how a powerful earthquake or undersea landslide could trigger a tsunami and what those waves could do.

 

Although the effect of the tsunami was minuscule in California compared with Japan, the scattered damage is providing a rare opportunity to study how the waves work and to help officials better prepare for what could be a far more destructive seismic event along the state's coast.

 

Read More….. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-california-tsunami-20110321,0,1491352.story

 

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Abby Sewell

Judge places California's global warming program on hold

 

A San Francisco superior court judge has put California's sweeping plan to curb greenhouse gas pollution on hold, saying the state did not adequately evaluate alternatives to its cap-and-trade program.

In a 35-page decision, Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith said the Air Resources Board had failed to consider public comments on the proposed measures before adopting the plan, which affects a broad swath of the state's economy.

In particular, the judge noted, officials gave short shrift to analyzing a carbon fee, or carbon tax, devoting a “scant two paragraphs to this important alternative” to a market-based trading system in their December 2008 plan.

The air board said it would appeal the judge's decision, which was filed late Friday and released Monday

 

Read more:     http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/03/california-global-warming-program-put-on-hold.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

 

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Greenspace

 

Green Your Water Use: Have Some Sense

March 22 is World Water Day, so this week's tips are about how to help protect our world's water supply.

The next time you need to replace a water-using appliance — whether a toilet, a faucet, or a showerhead — remember to look for the WaterSense label. Fixtures with that seal of approval have been tested and certified to save at least 20% more water than a non-certified counterpart; here's a complete list of WaterSense products

 

 

Green Your Water Use: Fix a Leak

The EPA's WaterSense program has declared this "Fix a Leak
Week" and is advising people to check their plumbing and
irrigation systems and fix them if needed.

According to the agency, water leaks in U.S. homes account for
more than 1 trillion wasted gallons per year. To find out
whether your home has a leak, check your water meter. Then wait two
hours without using any water. Then check the meter again. If the
reading changes, you've got a leak. American Water's
leak-detection kit provides other useful ideas for
detecting sources of wasted water

Article courtesy of The Green Life (thegreenlife@sierraclub.org)

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Good News for America's Rainforest

Last week, the Sierra Club and its allies won a big victory when a federal judge overturned the Forest Service's exclusion of Alaska's Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule. That's great news for the old-growth trees and abundant wildlife of this magnificent region.

But what does it have to do with stabilizing our climate? As it turns out, the Tongass is also one of the world's largest rainforests and, as Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune explains in his "Coming Clean" blog, "The health of our forests and that of our climate are deeply intertwined."

 

Article courtesy of Sierra Club Insider

 

Digging a Hole for China

Demand for coal in the United States is dropping, thanks in large part to the Sierra Club's successful fight against coal-fired power plants. But China's economic boom demands more coal than that country can furnish.

Plans are now under way to ramp up coal production in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, put it on trains, and ship it down the Columbia River and overseas. But first they have to go through Longview, Washington, where locals are working to block this climate-altering trade route. Sierra magazine writer Peter Frick-Wright reports from the front lines in the ongoing battle over coal.

Article courtesy of Sierra Club Insider

 

Small fish are ingesting plastic in Pacific garbage gyre

Southern California researchers have found evidence of widespread ingestion of plastic among small fish in the northern Pacific Ocean in a study they say shows the widespread impact of floating litter on the food chain.

 

Read more….. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/03/plastic-abundant-in-small-fish-in-pacific-garbage-gyre-study-finds.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

 

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times-Green Space by Tony Barbosa

 

 

Group is cloning, replanting ancient trees

 

COPEMISH, Mich. — Redwoods and sequoias towering majestically over California’s northern coast. Oaks up to 1,000 years old nestled in a secluded corner of Ireland. The legendary cedars of Lebanon.

They are all remnants of once-vast populations decimated by logging, development, pollution, and disease. A nonprofit organization called Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is rushing to collect their genetic material and replant clones to help restore the world’s ancient forests and put them to work cleansing the environment and absorbing carbon dioxide, which is largely responsible for global warming.

More…..http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/03/14/group_is_cloning_replanting_ancient_trees/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog-by

 

 

FW: Rural Access to Intercity Transportation Has Declined, Reports US Dept. of Transportation

As many as 3.5 million rural residents lost access to scheduled intercity transportation between 2005 and 2010, dropping the percent of rural residents with access to intercity air, bus, ferry, or rail transportation to 89 percent, according to a new re…  more

http://www.smartgrowth.org/engine/index.php/news/2011/rural-access-to-intercity-transportation

 

FW: EPA Report Finds Smart Growth Boosts Home Values, Sales Prices

According to Market Acceptance of Smart Growth, a recent EPA report, smart growth communities achieve higher residential sale prices and value per square foot than conventional suburban developments. The study evaluated 18 smart growth developments and…

More…..http://www.smartgrowth.org/engine/index.php/news/2011/epa-report-finds-smart-growth-1

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online

 

 

FW: 50th Anniversary Special: We've Made History

Fifty years ago, a small but dedicated group of concerned scientists, naturalists and other leaders joined together to found World Wildlife Fund and our mission to save our Earth's wildlife from extinction.

In its first year, WWF focused on five projects that included work with the bald eagle, the Hawaiian sea bird, the giant grebe of Guatemala, the Tule goose in Canada and the red wolf in the southern United States. Today, five decades later, WWF's work has expanded to more than 11,000 projects in 130 countries

Courtesy of World Wildlife Fund (ecomments@wwfus.org)

Renew Can" may replace single-use aluminum

We consume 106,000 Iron/Aluminum cans every 30 seconds in the United States. Aluminum is undervalued and production of such cans is auctioned out to the lowest global bidder as the process is quite energy intensive -- a laborious, wasteful and unethical supply chain.  haoshi Design, in cooperation with PLA Studio, has developed and is now producing the “Renew Can” which, if broadly adapted by beverage manufacturer’s, could enormously reduce the environmental impact of our “grab-and-go” beverage habits. The Renew Can is made from Poly-Lactic Acid ...

 

Article courtesy of Los Angeles Green Living by Chris Bay

Buy a fish in Boston, save a tree in the Amazon

In the age of green conundrums, add aquarium fish to the list.

 

Courtesy of The National Aquarium in Baltimore by Aaron Orlowski

 

Should lovers of an Amazonian inch-long red fish known as a cardinal tetra buy it from suppliers in Florida who raise them in tanks or from local fishermen in South America? In other words, should a fish be removed from its natural environment but give locals a source of income, or should it be artificially grown to remove environmental stresses?

As it turns out, harvesting the cardinal tetra—known for a distinctive blue streak on its upper body—has a positive impact on the local environment, a message that Scott Dowd, senior aquarist at the New England Aquarium, wants to spread.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2011/03/by_aaron_orlowski_in_the.html

Courtesy of The National Aquarium in Baltimore by Aaron Orlowski

from  The Boston Globe - Green Blog by Aaron Orlowski