Gritty wharf at Port of L.A. will become marine research center

Daniel Pondella, director of the Southern California Marine Institute, walks along 100-year-old City Dock 1 at the Port of Los Angeles, which will be transformed into a research center containing laboratories and classrooms, fish hatcheries and berths for research vessels. His institute will be the new center's first tenant. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marine-research-20130610,0,4884192.story

 

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun

Turning cow dung into electricity

Dairy farmer Ron Koetsier's 1,200 cows produce roughly 90 tons of manure daily, and for the last three decades, he has tried unsuccessfully to turn the stinky dung into energy to power his 450-acre farm in Visalia.

He installed a nearly $1-million renewable energy system in 1985 that used the methane from manure to create electricity for his farm. In 2002, he replaced that system with newer technology, but he hit a snag when air-quality standards called for expensive retrofits to reduce air pollution; he eventually shut down the system in 2009. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dairy-digester-20130609,0,878419.story

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Ricardo Lopez

 

 

 

Flooding in Europe

The Danube River reached its highest level in 500 years. The Elbe, Rhine, and other rivers and tributaries are cresting high as well as swathes of central Europe lie inundated by floodwaters that have killed 12 and displaced tens of thousands. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have been severely affected, as Hungary prepares for the swell of water. Gathered here are images of the flooding and people affected in the last several days.

 

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/06/flooding_in_europe.html

Article courtesy of Boston.com-The Big Picture posted by Lane Turner 

 

Scientists hope lab program saves Fla. butterfly

MIAMI (AP) — The fate of an endangered butterfly species in the Florida Keys may rest on the fragile wings of a single female Schaus swallowtail and a handful of caterpillars captured in Biscayne National Park, according to University of Florida researchers hoping they have a second chance to save it from extinction.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Scientists-hope-lab-program-saves-Fla-butterfly-4571742.php#ixzz2VAvCE2YB

Article courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle by Jennifer Kay /Associated Press

Scientists warn Atlantic puffins in peril in US

PORTLAND, Maine — The Atlantic puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world.

In the Gulf of Maine, the comical-looking seabirds have been dying of starvation and losing body weight, possibly because of shifting fish populations as ocean temperatures rise, according to scientists.  http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/northeast/2013/06/scientists_warn_atlantic_puffins_in_peril_in_us

Article courtesy of The Boston Herald by The Associated Press

New Mexico county first in nation to ban fracking to safeguard water

Wells are only source of water for everyone  in Mora County, which is why last month this poor, conservative ranching region of energy-rich New Mexico became the first county in the nation to pass an ordinance banning hydraulic fracturing, the controversial oil and gas extraction technique known as "fracking" that has compromised water quantity and quality in communities around the country.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fracking-ban-20130529,0,4631146.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Julie Cart

Pedicabs are finding a place in the Southland transportation mix

Now the next big thing in bikes is slowly riding in on three wheels.

Pedicabs will hit the streets of Santa Monica this summer, and city officials hope the service will offer people on bustling Main Street a way to get around without their cars. Santa Monica will join San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach and Long Beach, where the human-powered taxis already roam the streets.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pedicabs-20130527,0,5710671.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Matt Stevens and Marisa Gerber