Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.
Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.
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Tonight's editor: ellinorianne
Please remember to rec the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 76
All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.
Moscow deaths double in Russia’s ‘worst ever’ heat
We know, Climate denialism is in full gear as the summer continues to bring record high heat and devastation across the Globe.
MOSCOW, Russia -- The daily mortality rate in Moscow has doubled and morgues are overflowing amid an acrid smog caused by the worst heat wave in Russia's thousand-year history, officials said Monday.
The smog from the peat and forest fires burning in the countryside around 60 miles outside the city has choked Moscow for days, seeping into apartments, offices, and even the metro, causing thousands to flee.
"In usual times, 360 to 380 people are dying each day. Now it is around 700," the head of Moscow's health department, Andrei Seltsovsky, said in televised remarks, acknowledging that city morgues were filled almost to capacity.
The "Pyramid Of Conservation" Is A Terrific Tool For Figuring Out Where To Start
Treehugger spotlights a great pyramid for homeowners overwhelmed by the thought of "greening" their home. This gives an easy step by step guide for what should come first and how to work your way up while learning about the importance conservation and how our homes can be made more efficient.
It's very easy to want to go out and buy those great new solar panels but it won't really matter much will it if our home's not properly insulated, doesn't have the most energy efficient appliances, etc. Sure you may find yourself off the grid but you still may be using more energy than needed or what if you wind up buying more solar than you need if you don't first go through all the necessary steps to make your home as efficient as possible?
I may be off base, but those are things that just come off the top of my head, making your home most efficient and doing the cost effective changes up front make sense before making the more costly upgrades.
Minnesota Power writes:
The choice to be more energy efficient may be clear, but the starting point can be more difficult to determine. The Pyramid of Conservation is designed to help you prioritize steps and develop an action plan that's right for you. By establishing a foundation in energy efficiency and gaining a better understanding about how you use energy, you can more effectively work your way up the pyramid.
The New York Times had a great piece this weekend called, But Will It Make You Happy?.
Do you think you could live with just 100 items in your life? 100 belongings, including your clothing. That's it.
Inspired by books and blog entries about living simply, Ms. Strobel and her husband, Logan Smith, both 31, began donating some of their belongings to charity. As the months passed, out went stacks of sweaters, shoes, books, pots and pans, even the television after a trial separation during which it was relegated to a closet. Eventually, they got rid of their cars, too. Emboldened by a Web site that challenges consumers to live with just 100 personal items, Ms. Strobel winnowed down her wardrobe and toiletries to precisely that number.
Her mother called her crazy.
Today, three years after Ms. Strobel and Mr. Smith began downsizing, they live in Portland, Ore., in a spare, 400-square-foot studio with a nice-sized kitchen. Mr. Smith is completing a doctorate in physiology; Ms. Strobel happily works from home as a Web designer and freelance writer. She owns four plates, three pairs of shoes and two pots. With Mr. Smith in his final weeks of school, Ms. Strobel’s income of about $24,000 a year covers their bills. They are still car-free but have bikes. One other thing they no longer have: $30,000 of debt.
Imagine having more money to do things rather than buy things? This really is the future we are going to face as we hopefully realize that stuff is not what gives us a sense of self.
I hope you take the time to read the whole article. My husband and I have been going through a lot of our stuff over the past year and whittling down and are inspired to do more. We really doubt we will get down to 100 items but we do hope that we can focus more on the time spent with family and friends on not the time spent working to buy more THINGS.
African dust keeps Amazon blooming
Dust from one of the world's most desolate places is providing essential fertilizer for one of the most lush, scientists have discovered. Significant amounts of plant nutrients have been found in atmospheric mineral dust blowing from a vast central African basin to the Amazon, where it could compensate for poor rainforest soils.
The basin, known as the Bodélé depression, is the site of a once-massive lake in Chad. Bodélé is thought to be the dustiest place on Earth.
Scientists went to Bodélé in 2005 and took atmospheric measurements to learn how the dust travels1. They also took dust samples to learn about its composition (see 'Climate science: The dustiest place on Earth').
With chemical analyses now complete, the dust turns out to contain substantial amounts of the key plant nutrients iron and phosphorus. Although the abundances are not unusually high, prior estimates of the dust plume's nutrient content were very low, particularly for phosphorus. The team estimates the dust to be 38 times richer in this mineral than formerly thought.
Lines Across La.'s Chandeleur Sound
A National Wildlife Federation overflight on August 8, 2010 showed mysterious discolorations in Louisiana's Chandeleur Sound. Scientists have not yet positively identified the discolorations as oil, dispersant, red tide, a combination, or something else entirely.
Source
Gulf Coast Blogathon
Please be on the look out for the BP Blogathon to take place here at Daily Kos from Wednesday at noon to Friday evening.
The purpose of the blogathon will be to raise money for organizations helping those in the Gulf who are struggling to recover from the largest environmental disaster in our Nation's history.
Be sure to stop by to recommend the diaries, comment and support this community effort to keep awareness on the Gulf.
(All times Eastern!)
eKos diaries from Monday, August 09, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
Markey to Deniers: Go Live on the Greenland Iceberg | MeMeMeMeMe | 17:38:42 | Ed Markey, climate change denial, ekos |
Science Tidbits | possum | 15:35:25 | Learning, Teaching, Science, eKos |
Community gardens being destroyed for equality | Norm in Chicago | 12:17:40 | Community gardens, equality, ekos |
ECOVA MALI: Building Home Grown Knowledge | NourishingthePlanet | 11:07:42 | eKos, Cynthia Hellman, ECOVA MALI, Environment, Farmer |
Eco-PANIQuiz for week ending Aug 8: GMOs, Toads, CO2, and Dams | mwmwm | 11:00:30 | gmo, frogs, toads, quiz, ekos |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 76 | Gulf Watchers | 06:00:01 | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
Up#10-The Week in Editorial Cartoons, Part II - Climate Change Obstructionism... and Special Request | JekyllnHyde | 00:54:07 | Recommended, The Week in Editorial Cartoons, eKos, Climate Change, Republican Party |
eKos diaries from Sunday, August 08, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
Gulf seafood "sniff test" smells fishy | LaughingPlanet | 23:10:49 | Recommended, fish, BP, Oilpocalypse, Doug Suttles |
Sunday Train: Kasich says Outsource Ohio HSR jobs to California | BruceMcF | 19:05:09 | ekos, Living Energy Independence, Ohio Hub, passenger rail, transport |
Disappearing Oil and Gulf Seafood: Passing the Sniff Test | Bob Higgins | 17:57:04 | ekos, BP, British Petroleum, Deepwater Horizon, environmental disaster |
Russia is BURNING! Climate change deniers silent, US Media totally useless | MinistryOfTruth | 16:05:29 | Recommended, Russia, climate change, pollution, CO2 |
Gulf Dead Zone: Confused yet? Clarified Here | War on Error | 15:35:01 | Gulf dead zone, ekos, History of Gulf Oil Exploration, History of Gulf Oil Drilling, Rescued |
Don't Fall for Ethanol Boogerman Stories | TheTrucker | 14:47:04 | ethanol, boo, scare, boogerman, oil company lies |
Climate Change in Oklahoma | bob zimway | 13:30:06 | Oklahoma, global warming, James Inhofe, ekos |
The Summer of Pain Sermon | agnostic | 10:37:51 | Russian wildfires, Gulf oil spill, Corexit, church of ineffable stupidity, genetically modified canola |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 75 | Gulf Watchers | 06:00:30 | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (August auroras edition) | Neon Vincent | 00:15:52 | Recommended, Overnight News Digest, OND, science, space, environment |
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