Controlled burning of grasslands and forests has been used for thousands of years to stimulate plant germination, replenish the ground with valuable nutrients, thin out trees and burn dry pine needles and tree limbs on the ground. When humans were not intentionally setting fires, lightning strikes completed the job. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/burning-a-forest-to-save-it/?ref=earth
Article courtesy of The New York Times Green Blog posted by Glenn Swain
BOSTON — The Commerce Department on Thursday issued a formal disaster declaration for the Northeastern commercial groundfish fishery, paving the way for financial relief for the battered industry and the communities that depend on it. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/us/commerce-dept-declares-northeast-fishery-a-disaster.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Article courtesy of The New York Times by Jess Bidgood and Kirk Johnson
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sharks are among the most mysterious and elusive creatures on earth. No one really knows how great white sharks mate, where they give birth or even why they sometimes attack humans.
But two Southern California scientists and their young students are making breakthroughs in their respective fields, and their research is revealing new insight into the behavior of sharks. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8823629
Article courtesy of KABC-TV Los Angeles by Marc Brown
New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas will invest $883 million in Hackensack to transform a former hazardous-waste storage site into a solar energy farm. The project is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield and Land Revitalization Program. Over 225 megawatts of solar capacity will be installed, and 300 direct jobs per year will be created over the next five years.
To learn more: http://www.areadevelopment.com/newsItems/8-2-2012/pseg-solar-project-hackensack-nj-12613418.shtml#.UEFyxe5_ocQ.gmail
Article courtesy of Smart Growth online
Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa recently announced the city’s Fifty Parks Initiative. The city is acquiring land for fifty new parks, predominantly in park-poor, population-dense neighborhoods. The new city parks will feature a number of sustainability features, including less turf, more mulch, and more permeable pavers in place of concrete.
For more information: http://la.streetsblog.org/2012/08/24/villaraigosa-announces-ambitious-initiative-for-50-new-parks/#.UDzevf0Hocw.gmail
Article courtesy of Smart Growth online
Planners in Phoenix are working to reduce the impacts of increasingly frequent summer heat waves. City officials hope to make Phoenix a laboratory for testing strategies to mitigate increased urban temperatures. Ideas being considered including covering 25 percent of Phoenix with shade trees, and zoning for higher and more-dense buildings.
To learn more: http://www.planetizen.com/node/58070
article courtesy of Smart Growth online
The benefits of eating organic food go straight to the farm, where no pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used to grow the organic produce shipped to grocers. That means workers and farm neighbors aren't exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, it means less fossil fuel converted into fertilizers and it means healthier soil that should sustain crops for generations to come.
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#ixzz26qFykSjB
Article courtesy of The Daily Green
A Boston startup today will unveil what it calls the world’s first humanoid robots that can apply “common sense” behavior in manufacturing situations.
Rethink Robotics’ $22,000, ready-to-use “Baxter” is four years in the making and the company’s first product. http://bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1061161130&position=0
Drought has reduced the Mississippi to a relative trickle, and even the dozens of inches of rainfall from Hurricane Isaac will change little on the river. The best crops of corn and soybeans in a generation are awaiting shipment by Mississippi barges — and won't wait forever before spoiling. The window is about 10 days, and once it closes, consumers across the country will feel the bite of higher prices. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mississippi-river-20120902,0,6051251.story Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Julie Cart
Scientists in Norway have more good news for coffee drinkers. Researchers have already found evidence that the drink -- or the beans it’s brewed from -- can help with weight loss, reduce one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, boost muscle growth, protect against certain types of cancers, and can even reduce one’s risk of premature death, among many other benefits. http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-coffee-reduces-pain-20120905,0,49544.story
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Karen Kaplan
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