Daylight (Energy) Savings

Posted on March 12, 2008 by Eco Rock

Still trying into the hour spring forward? So are environmental researchers! Traditionally, daylight saving has been seen as a positive switch for the environment because of the decreased need for artificial lighting, which, with small appliances, accounts for 25% of United States’. In fact, the installation of daylight savings has always been for energy saving reasons (although not always environmental). According to the California Energy Commission, 1% of California is saved by each day daylight savings. New research that took place in Indiana indicates, however, that energy use increases just after daylight savings. Lara Grant and Matthew Kotchen, researchers at the University of California in Santa Barbara, conclude that electricity consumption increase 1 to 4 percent as a result of Daylight Savings Time.

According to the dates of DST practice prior to 2007, we estimate a cost to Indiana households of $8.6 million per year in increased electricity bills. Estimates of the social costs due to increased pollution emissions range from $1.6 to $5.3 million per year. (Does Daylight Savings Time Save Energy?)

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Citizen Science: Backyard Bird Count

Posted on February 15, 2008 by Health Patio

Kentucky cardinal

February 15-18, 2008 marks the Great Backyard Bird Count – an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

And if you want help learning how to count… check out Wildlife Counts, a training program for estimating flocking bird population sizes. They say, “Gone are the days when biologists dropped handfuls of rice or beans on a table to simulate animal groups.” Interested? They have a free trial for use by professional or amateur bird watchers.

Also from the site, “Superior computer graphics resulting in screen images that are often difficult to distinguish from pictures”….. l was looking for a graphic for this post and came up with an image from Wildlife Counts that l thought was REALLY a photo of geese.

On a similar note: Since Christmas Day, 1900 (which is technically still the 19th century BCE), the idea for a Christmas Bird Count was introduced thanks to the inspiration of Frank M. Chapman, a innovative conservator and an early officer in the then budding Audubon Society. With the enthusiasm of twenty-seven dedicated birders, twenty-five Christmas Bird Counts were held that day.
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Green Options Turns One!

Posted on February 5, 2008 by Health Patio

Green Options

Happy Birthday, Green Options!

Green Options, that community of superheroes dedicated to environmental resources, education, and discussion, doesn’t have to fly around the Earth at an incredible speed, reversing our rotation and sending us back in time to make our reality better, cleaner and, most importantly, more sustainable. No, what the team at Green Options has been doing for us, while our beautiful planet revolves normally in the vastness of the universe for the past year, is combine together the expertise of a diverse group of talented individuals who are committed to ecology in the broadest sense.

There are many people to appreciate in the one-year-old GO project- from Publisher David Anderson and Senior Editor Jeff McIntire-Strasburg to the many blog writers and podcasters who activate their growing readership in amazing (and interesting) ways. The robust, link-layered posts bring us from our home garden to science class to Wall Street to the White House, with an eye toward internationalgreen trends, too. Don’t forget the kids on this trip!

Stress…it isn't mandatory

Posted on January 3, 2008 by Rose Garden

There is no such thing as stress. Was that a stressful statement? No; because stress does not exist. But millions of people suffer from it. How can so many people suffer over something that isn’t real?

To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea. But, I don’t suffer from stress. Why? Because I really don’t believe in it. Its neither healthy nor helpful nor does it get things done.

Think about it. When you’re stressed, what happens? Let me answer that for you…nothing. Nothing happens. And that’s why the whole world is stressed out. Its a never ending circle of hate. You’re stressed because nothings getting done and nothings getting done because you’re stressed. That is how our economy works. Doesn’t that just suck?

Well, it doesn’t have to. Because this whole circle could be stopped by one person. You. All you have to do is relax. Sit down, take a deep breath, step out from the stress and welcome in a new sense perspective. Hey, if I did it, then you probably can too.

Eggselence: A New Study about Free Range Chickens

Posted on December 11, 2007 by Eco Rock

Even if stories of featherless, beakless, sick chickens doesn’t make you want to spend an extra $1.50 on a dozen organic and/or free range eggs, you might want to consider more than the financial costs of your purchase. According to a new study done by Mother Earth News, chickens that live on a pasture create significantly healthier eggs than your average factory-kept chicken. Organic, pasture kept chickens reportedly created eggs that had:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

While these eggs might be more expensive, consider that you would have to eat twice as many to gain the same amount nutrients, which would cause a drastic increase in cholesterol.

Read the whole article.

The most green thing I could do today is…

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Health Patio

…simply turn off my computer.”
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Horse therapy

Posted on November 25, 2007 by Health Patio

I never met a horse I didn’t like. My father grew up on a farm with horses – I’ll get him to share a fond memory. I love a good horse story, too. I’ve been told that horse is a strong “power animal” according to shamanic tradition.

For all native peoples the arrival and domestication of Horse shortened the distance of journeys making travel easier. This made it more possible to visit with distant clans and communities, which increased the ability to communicate and to strengthen relationships. It also enabled people to experience the world beyond their immediate environment.

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Two worlds pedagogy

Posted on November 16, 2007 by Health Patio

In Ontario (Canada), Ways of Knowing is bridging Aboriginal and Western qualifications as of last month. Brock University joined together with the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council in Sioux Lookout to make it happen.

The new program aims to deliver teacher education to 24 Native communities throughout Sioux Lookout District. The Bachelor of Education Program, which includes Indigenous knowledge and a land-based curriculum, embraces a “Two Worlds” pedagogy that reflects both Anishnawbek and mainstream ways of knowing.

The really cool thing was that the land mass area is so large that the teachers enrolled in this accreditation program will have to fly in to meet together to meet the requirements of the program!
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Micro-loans, macro-benefit

Posted on November 14, 2007 by Health Patio

Skara Brae
I run a small free loan charity. The idea is to loan small (and very small) sums of money and allow repayment to be made over time without any interest. The charity derives it name from our first son who unfortunately died after only one day of life in 2002.

This micro-loan concept isn’t original to me, obviously. Today, The Tyee (like the tyee salmon for which the online magazine is named) reported the Big Power of Small Loans.

Microloans are based on character, not collateral, and the principal is to allow people, often women, with few assets or a poor credit history to access small loans for self-employment projects.