June 25th, 2008 Frank
Well this is excellent news!
Chile is hosting the International Whaling Commission’s annual convention (I’m tryin not to think of that scene in Futurama season one: ‘We’re whalers on the moon!’) and they started proceedings big-time by declaring they were making whaling illegal.
And although Norway and Iceland have resumed whale hunting, they say it’s primarily to sell the meat to Japan, because demand has dropped in those countries and you can get whale meat in some Japanese grocery stores, where it’s considered a delicacy.
I think it might still be a while before it’s no longer the ‘in’ thing in Japan, but they do like their funky foods - like blowfish dishes that can kill you (if prepared badly) and $200-a-plate Kobe beef (beer-fedveal calves). With a younger generation growing up aware of how unpopular this practice of whale hunting is, eventually the demand for whale meet will make it unprofitable. Here’s hoping, anyway…
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June 24th, 2008 Frank
I don’t fly very often, but when I do I have to admit to wondering how much waste is being generated by 200-300 people every flight. There’s plastic utensils, plates, cups, napkins, etc., not to mention the fuel (can’t forget the fuel! not in this day and age) and all the energy and whatnot to get luggage and passenger where it needs to be to keep the earth spinning ’round.
Anyway, in the past several months an artist by the name of Chris Jordan has been getting people’s attention by detailing the cycle of consumption common in the modern world.
For instance, check out one of his pieces demonstrating how many ‘disposable’ cups are used every six hours by the world’s airlines:
If you think one million cups every six hours is something, just be aware that TWO million plastic bottles are used in the US every two MINUTES!
Check out the scans of Jordan’s work and the troubling close-ups on his ‘Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait‘ page.
PS - According to a comment left on the Science Blogs website, Alaskan Airlines actually ask that passengers keep their cups during the whole flight, and the staff sort recycling at the end of every flight. How about that? Inspiration for the airline industry!
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June 10th, 2008 Frank
Spring is here!
Unfortunately, for many people that means that ants are also in season. When I lived in Texas, ants were the bane of my existence - getting into the cupboards, cereals and more and generally making life full of misery for a time.
To kill off an ant colony without nasty chemicals, sprays or pesticides, all you need are some grits and boric acid, easily found at grocery stores and drug stores.
Read all about it here on the Associated Content site.
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June 6th, 2008 Frank
…but the United States wasn’t there.
In fact, none of the major countries that use or manufacture cluster bombs were in attendance, but representatives from 111 countries pledged to help countries and people that will be affected by cluster bombs in the future.
Cluster bombs are small mini-bombs that are spread by larger bombs dropped from planes, they’re used to damage airport runways and harm infantry units. But when picked up by a child who thinks it’s a toy or accidentally nudged by a civilian, they cause quite a lot of damage. This is kind of like the landmine issue (the Bush Administration pledged to require Presidenital authorization to use ‘persistent’ landmines after 2010), and there’s been huge international pressure from people like the late Princess Di and Human Rights Watch to stop using landmines.
So, when will the US get with the program to stop stockpiling and manufacturing cluster bombs? I don’t know, but write to your congressman/woman and senator (see the top right of the home page) to ask them what they’ll do to get the US to sign the agreement.
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June 5th, 2008 Frank
The Freakonomics blog on the New York Times site posits that increasing gas prices are great for the environment.
Who can argue with that? People are driving less as they think about the cost of just going to the shops, that leads to less congestion on the streets, a lower risk of traffic accidents when you do drive, and of course it’s better for the environment. Oh, and you have cheaper insurance because you’d end up driving fewer miles per year. You’re also spending less money on gas, car maintenance and wear-and-tear items on the car. For a more in-depth look at the benefits of high gas/petrol prices, check out this older Freakonomics post.
Sometimes it takes a hit in the wallet to really think about changing your habits, and it’s true for me, my housemate and several people I know, which is great. What about you? What are you changing in the face of higher prices at the pump?
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June 5th, 2008 Frank
This bit of news from CNET:
Best Buy, one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) electronics store chains in the US, is starting to take in old electronics like phones, printers and computer parts. It’s starting out at just a few stores for now but it sounds like it might expand to all Best Buy stores across the country. Unfortunately they’re not taking back big things like large TVs and refrigerators but it’s certainly great that a corporate giant is taking this kind of step!
This is pretty encouraging, hopefully the other chains and big retail stores will follow suit or at least provide information for people to recycle their old electronics.
The follow-up question, of course, is: where will all these electronics will go?
Recycling old electronics is big business, and even with the ‘credit crunch’ there are loads of people buying all they want, so there’s plenty of old stuff getting thrown out or (hopefully) recycled. The National Geographic has a interesting/sad series of photos that show where some of the recycled hardware gets to - from businesses in Texas and Florida to shipping containers in China and smelting cottage industries in Africa and Asia. The pictures are definitely worth a look, and helped make me reconsider a computer upgrade when I first saw them.
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