Cold, sunny.
Bill McKibben lets his hair down in Mexico (does not appear to be influenced by a Margarita) and finally says it like it is "There's no happy ending to where we prevent climate change anymore. Now the question is, is it going to a miserable century or an impossible one, and what comes after that."
Well someone has to (had to?) say it. In stark contrast to his usual upbeat monologues, Bill gets real here in this video. Perhaps his way of saying, we're past the tipping point. The train has left the station. Now it's a question of just how fast that train is going to go and if we have time to get out of the way and hold onto our hats.
Bill's Climate Change Reality Check:
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, March 30, 2009
Caring for Your Wooden Clothes Drying Rack
A drizzly day - doing what spring should.
Hang drying clothes on wooden clothes drying racks is making a big comeback. Racks are typically (should be) unfinished wood and with that, comes some "how to care" tips. Apparently caring for your wooden clothes drying rack isn't second nature to some people and before your know it, the rungs turn black with mold and they start to warp.
So here are 8 tips and some advice on how to care for your drying rack:
1 - Keep your unfinished wood...unfinished. Do not paint or seal - it won't last.
2 - Carry your rack from the sides, not from the rungs.
3 - Allow rungs to dry in between loads. This avoids mold growing. Mold needs moisture - no moisture - no mold.
4 - As soon as heavy laundry (usually jeans) is dry, remove to avoid warping.
5 - Keep dry. Avoid outdoor exposure. Wooden drying racks are not designed for typical outdoor use. (especially rain!)
6 - In the event of black speckles (mold spores) place the rack in the direct hot sun to kill the spores. You may rub a little white vinegar on the rungs. NEVER use bleach. (unless you want white stripes across your laundry)
7 - Sanding the rungs lightly keeps them soft and snag free. Rub clean after sanding. The dowels are unfinished wood, usually kiln dried wood, and will swell with moisture resulting in the grain of the wood to rise a little, feeling a little fuzzy. That's normal, wood will absorb moisture and dry as the seasons change.
8 - Store your clothes drying rack is a dry location (not the wet basement). Store upright to avoid stress on the joints which may loosen the joints over time.
Wooden drying racks have been around for a long time. Following this advice will keep your drying rack almost good as new. (we're talking unfinished wood, will never look good as new)
Oh, and did I say you'll save lots of money and help climate change too?
Hang drying clothes on wooden clothes drying racks is making a big comeback. Racks are typically (should be) unfinished wood and with that, comes some "how to care" tips. Apparently caring for your wooden clothes drying rack isn't second nature to some people and before your know it, the rungs turn black with mold and they start to warp.
So here are 8 tips and some advice on how to care for your drying rack:
1 - Keep your unfinished wood...unfinished. Do not paint or seal - it won't last.
2 - Carry your rack from the sides, not from the rungs.
3 - Allow rungs to dry in between loads. This avoids mold growing. Mold needs moisture - no moisture - no mold.
4 - As soon as heavy laundry (usually jeans) is dry, remove to avoid warping.
5 - Keep dry. Avoid outdoor exposure. Wooden drying racks are not designed for typical outdoor use. (especially rain!)
6 - In the event of black speckles (mold spores) place the rack in the direct hot sun to kill the spores. You may rub a little white vinegar on the rungs. NEVER use bleach. (unless you want white stripes across your laundry)
7 - Sanding the rungs lightly keeps them soft and snag free. Rub clean after sanding. The dowels are unfinished wood, usually kiln dried wood, and will swell with moisture resulting in the grain of the wood to rise a little, feeling a little fuzzy. That's normal, wood will absorb moisture and dry as the seasons change.
8 - Store your clothes drying rack is a dry location (not the wet basement). Store upright to avoid stress on the joints which may loosen the joints over time.
Wooden drying racks have been around for a long time. Following this advice will keep your drying rack almost good as new. (we're talking unfinished wood, will never look good as new)
Oh, and did I say you'll save lots of money and help climate change too?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Good News! Seas Won't Rise Over 6 Feet This Century
Clear, still sunny morning, a few scattered clouds.
That's right, scientists have declared that it is impossible for the waters to rise beyond 6 feet (2 meters) by the year 2100. That's the maximum predicted at least for this century. So there Al Gore, you were wrong. Sea levels are rising about 3 millimeters per year now which is about an inch every 8 years but the rate of sea level rise is predicted to sharply increase as time marches on. Great news, eh?
So a 6 foot rise would be the worst case scenario (whew) if all the right glaciers melted in Greenland and certain parts of the Antarctic have a melt down. If we are lucky, it will be less.
So imagine the ocean rising even half that amount, say only 3 feet, or even less. The sea coast I am familiar with already has problems during storms that hit at high tide. Certain streets flood, and erosion is barely repairable with many properties waiting to be swallowed. It is unimaginable to think what 6 more inches,12 more inches or even 2 more feet would do to the sea coast. A Google map allows you to check out your coast line of interest and see the affect of rising sea levels.
Places like New Orleans (already below sea level), Delaware, Maryland or major cities like New York or Boston which are currently at sea level are going to be devastated by just a few inches, never mind 2 to 3 feet. Maybe people don't have good imaginations. Maybe we need more computer models to really show us what this kind of sea level means and what it will actually look like. Maybe people don't want to know. Maybe people don't care.
I am totally mystified by the lack of interest or alarm of the news of seas rising, fascinated really. What on earth is it going to take to get people's attention to what is predicted for our earth? Are we so unengaged to the point that we think that a sea level rise of only 6 feet is a good thing and because this is way below previous predictions that 6 feet is now no big deal? And this is good news? Not in my book.
That's right, scientists have declared that it is impossible for the waters to rise beyond 6 feet (2 meters) by the year 2100. That's the maximum predicted at least for this century. So there Al Gore, you were wrong. Sea levels are rising about 3 millimeters per year now which is about an inch every 8 years but the rate of sea level rise is predicted to sharply increase as time marches on. Great news, eh?
So a 6 foot rise would be the worst case scenario (whew) if all the right glaciers melted in Greenland and certain parts of the Antarctic have a melt down. If we are lucky, it will be less.
So imagine the ocean rising even half that amount, say only 3 feet, or even less. The sea coast I am familiar with already has problems during storms that hit at high tide. Certain streets flood, and erosion is barely repairable with many properties waiting to be swallowed. It is unimaginable to think what 6 more inches,12 more inches or even 2 more feet would do to the sea coast. A Google map allows you to check out your coast line of interest and see the affect of rising sea levels.
Places like New Orleans (already below sea level), Delaware, Maryland or major cities like New York or Boston which are currently at sea level are going to be devastated by just a few inches, never mind 2 to 3 feet. Maybe people don't have good imaginations. Maybe we need more computer models to really show us what this kind of sea level means and what it will actually look like. Maybe people don't want to know. Maybe people don't care.
I am totally mystified by the lack of interest or alarm of the news of seas rising, fascinated really. What on earth is it going to take to get people's attention to what is predicted for our earth? Are we so unengaged to the point that we think that a sea level rise of only 6 feet is a good thing and because this is way below previous predictions that 6 feet is now no big deal? And this is good news? Not in my book.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Arctic Island - First Time in History
Early morning fog deep in the valley woods-beautiful.
For the first time in human history the Arctic is surrounded by water- an island by definition. The HITS (heads in the sand) grumble that there's been water in the arctic before and this is just overreacting warming gobley gook. That is true - every summer a little ice melts only to refreeze in the winter. But the ice has been melting more than is refreezing so the net loss has resulted in 2 passages opening that have not been free from ice at the same time for 150,000. That's why the headlines all over the world say "First Time in History".
The major articles are amazing, scary and definitely worth the read, so be sure to click through to the original articles in this sentence. They include how shipping companies are now able to re-route their ships some 4,000 miles to save money (less energy). This melting IS a big deal. Why?
These two passages being open at the same time isn't since just a few years ago, a 100 years ago , 2,000 years or 10,000 years ago. This hasn't happened since way before man/woman as we know him/her. This is since 150,000 years ago. Our current genetics is from around 60,000. Humans didn't venture from Africa until about 54,000 years ago (unless of course you believe the earth was created 7,000 years ago). This really drives the point home about the magnitude of this earthly event. So yes, we can say the passages have been opened before, but hello, we have to go back before the beginning of the last ice age.
So both passages open at the same time and scientists reporting (remember they report evidence, they don't make it up) that the entire Arctic could be water within just a few years should be a wake up call to action. Action needed to reduce our green house gases. (see previous blog) How much of a bang on the head do we need anyway?
For the first time in human history the Arctic is surrounded by water- an island by definition. The HITS (heads in the sand) grumble that there's been water in the arctic before and this is just overreacting warming gobley gook. That is true - every summer a little ice melts only to refreeze in the winter. But the ice has been melting more than is refreezing so the net loss has resulted in 2 passages opening that have not been free from ice at the same time for 150,000. That's why the headlines all over the world say "First Time in History".
The major articles are amazing, scary and definitely worth the read, so be sure to click through to the original articles in this sentence. They include how shipping companies are now able to re-route their ships some 4,000 miles to save money (less energy). This melting IS a big deal. Why?
These two passages being open at the same time isn't since just a few years ago, a 100 years ago , 2,000 years or 10,000 years ago. This hasn't happened since way before man/woman as we know him/her. This is since 150,000 years ago. Our current genetics is from around 60,000. Humans didn't venture from Africa until about 54,000 years ago (unless of course you believe the earth was created 7,000 years ago). This really drives the point home about the magnitude of this earthly event. So yes, we can say the passages have been opened before, but hello, we have to go back before the beginning of the last ice age.
So both passages open at the same time and scientists reporting (remember they report evidence, they don't make it up) that the entire Arctic could be water within just a few years should be a wake up call to action. Action needed to reduce our green house gases. (see previous blog) How much of a bang on the head do we need anyway?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Palin - 5 Reasons Why She's No Friend to the Environment
No clouds, nice and sunny but that nagging brown haze on the horizon - It's about the environment stupid.
To say the nation is in shock about the latest VP pick is an understatement. From an environmental standpoint, Palin is no friend to the environment. Yes she uses the environment and is proud to hunt and fish but that doesn't make you a good steward of the earth.
Here is a list of the top 5 reasons why Palin is UN-Environmental:
1- Palin wants to open up Bristol Bay to create the largest mining pit in the world, going against clean water initiatives and local salmon protection. See more.
2- Pushed (and still is pushing) to open drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) despite McCain being opposed to it. See more.
3- Sued (yes sued) the Department of the Interior for making polar bears an endangered species, despite all the science behind the decision. See more.
4- Pushed through to build a gas pipe line across Alaska, big friend to big business. See more.
5- Palin isn't sure about climate change (in Alaska where climate is changing faster than anywhere else?!$*!) so formed her own committee to comb over the science. See more.
Alaska makes a lot of money from big oil and gas, running in a budget surplus. Palin sees dollar signs in them thar fields and is convinced Alaska can help the US's energy problems. I suppose when one looks out on a State the size of Alaska (3 Texas's) which has a population almost half of the entire Sate of New Hampshire, then it might seem there is plenty of room for oil production, gas lines and the like.
Palin: "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made. " WOW.
But oil and gas still burn fossil fuel, releasing CO2, pollutants, and other green house gases resulting in an increase in climate change. Oops, I almost forgot. If you haven't put 2 and 2 together yet, based on massive amounts of world wide science, that humans, CO2 and climate change are connected, then no wonder Palin is left pushing Alaska's fossil natural resources despite its direct conflict with Alaska's other natural resource - nature.
So in conclusion, simply put, Palin is no friend to the environment.
To say the nation is in shock about the latest VP pick is an understatement. From an environmental standpoint, Palin is no friend to the environment. Yes she uses the environment and is proud to hunt and fish but that doesn't make you a good steward of the earth.
Here is a list of the top 5 reasons why Palin is UN-Environmental:
1- Palin wants to open up Bristol Bay to create the largest mining pit in the world, going against clean water initiatives and local salmon protection. See more.
2- Pushed (and still is pushing) to open drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) despite McCain being opposed to it. See more.
3- Sued (yes sued) the Department of the Interior for making polar bears an endangered species, despite all the science behind the decision. See more.
4- Pushed through to build a gas pipe line across Alaska, big friend to big business. See more.
5- Palin isn't sure about climate change (in Alaska where climate is changing faster than anywhere else?!$*!) so formed her own committee to comb over the science. See more.
Alaska makes a lot of money from big oil and gas, running in a budget surplus. Palin sees dollar signs in them thar fields and is convinced Alaska can help the US's energy problems. I suppose when one looks out on a State the size of Alaska (3 Texas's) which has a population almost half of the entire Sate of New Hampshire, then it might seem there is plenty of room for oil production, gas lines and the like.
Palin: "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made. " WOW.
But oil and gas still burn fossil fuel, releasing CO2, pollutants, and other green house gases resulting in an increase in climate change. Oops, I almost forgot. If you haven't put 2 and 2 together yet, based on massive amounts of world wide science, that humans, CO2 and climate change are connected, then no wonder Palin is left pushing Alaska's fossil natural resources despite its direct conflict with Alaska's other natural resource - nature.
So in conclusion, simply put, Palin is no friend to the environment.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
New Orleans Gets Ready - Haven't We Learned Anything?
Floating early morning river fog from cool nights, going, going...
Things are not looking good for dear old New Orleans, an American Icon City who has yet to come close to recovering from Katrina's destruction 3 years ago, this week. Although the big indicators like high water surface temperatures are not all there, the input from computer models and experts and still making Gustav big and heading for Louisiana. The price of oil has already risen (duh) as companies prepare for the worst. New Orleans...get ready.
It was three years ago this week that the worst American weather event took place. It also seemed at the time to be a wake up call about global warming and climate change. It seemed like a golden opportunity to take these warning signs to heart and begin to make the changes in our lives necessary to minimize the predictions of climate change. What happened?
Very little. Poor New Orleans was abandoned by the rest of our country and is only house by house recovering. At this rate it will never fully recover because it will keep getting devastated by future storms. What happened to New Orleans is beyond belief and only slightly believable by visiting the city yourself and seeing the destruction, even 3 years later.
The rest of the country has very slowly taken notice to the changes that are needed to fight climate change, but taking notice is very different from changing lifestyle. Despite the media jumping on the green band wagon, we continue to waste energy, drive too fast, don't recycle and... The list is long. Though many have taken great strides and done fantastic things, the total numbers just aren't there yet.
A tornado ripped through, of all places, New Hampshire this summer. Not the usual isolated touch down that only happens maybe every year. No, this was out of the Wizard of Oz. A continuous 50 mile swath, luckily mostly through forest, damaging over 150 homes and killing one person. Yes, in New Hampshire. Some call it a fluke, others call it the dramatic weather predicted as a result of climate change.
Some say Katrina was a fluke. After all, there are lots of flukes in history. But scientists around the world are not calling these weather events flukes. These are well established weather predictions based on science, thousand of scientists, hundreds of computer models.
So how many wake up calls do we need? How many times are we going to press snooze and go back to sleep and carry on our non sustainable lifestyle? Haven't we learned anything yet?
Meanwhile, New Orleans gets ready for Fluke Gustav.
Things are not looking good for dear old New Orleans, an American Icon City who has yet to come close to recovering from Katrina's destruction 3 years ago, this week. Although the big indicators like high water surface temperatures are not all there, the input from computer models and experts and still making Gustav big and heading for Louisiana. The price of oil has already risen (duh) as companies prepare for the worst. New Orleans...get ready.
It was three years ago this week that the worst American weather event took place. It also seemed at the time to be a wake up call about global warming and climate change. It seemed like a golden opportunity to take these warning signs to heart and begin to make the changes in our lives necessary to minimize the predictions of climate change. What happened?
Very little. Poor New Orleans was abandoned by the rest of our country and is only house by house recovering. At this rate it will never fully recover because it will keep getting devastated by future storms. What happened to New Orleans is beyond belief and only slightly believable by visiting the city yourself and seeing the destruction, even 3 years later.
The rest of the country has very slowly taken notice to the changes that are needed to fight climate change, but taking notice is very different from changing lifestyle. Despite the media jumping on the green band wagon, we continue to waste energy, drive too fast, don't recycle and... The list is long. Though many have taken great strides and done fantastic things, the total numbers just aren't there yet.
A tornado ripped through, of all places, New Hampshire this summer. Not the usual isolated touch down that only happens maybe every year. No, this was out of the Wizard of Oz. A continuous 50 mile swath, luckily mostly through forest, damaging over 150 homes and killing one person. Yes, in New Hampshire. Some call it a fluke, others call it the dramatic weather predicted as a result of climate change.
Some say Katrina was a fluke. After all, there are lots of flukes in history. But scientists around the world are not calling these weather events flukes. These are well established weather predictions based on science, thousand of scientists, hundreds of computer models.
So how many wake up calls do we need? How many times are we going to press snooze and go back to sleep and carry on our non sustainable lifestyle? Haven't we learned anything yet?
Meanwhile, New Orleans gets ready for Fluke Gustav.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Independence Day - Or Was It?
The 3 H's are brewing, hazy, hot and humid. Nice big red tail hawk over head.
The weekend in New England was perfect for the 4th of July, our celebration of Independence from England. Our young country wanted to be on its own, to govern itself with no strings attached.
So what the heck happened?
Talk about strings attached. China now owns us financially along with many other countries because of the debt we have created. Our oil dependence has seeped into every aspect of our life. Plastic (made from oil) is just about everywhere and seems impossible to live without. Prices of just about everything are increasing because of oil, mostly due to everything needing to be transported by trucks. (silly us gave up railways)
The perfect storm is brewing - scientists say we have reached peak oil so supplies will be harder to come by and very expensive, India and China are creating a huge middle class that wants what everyone else has, (so share the oil) and our foreign oil sources keep us begging for stability. Drilling and supplying our own oil is the ultimate "drop in the bucket" and offers no short term or long term solution. So much for being independent.
And then, there's that climate change issue which slaps the icing on the cake. The writing on the wall is clear for me. Time to convert to renewable, sustainable energy ASAP. We can do it. We have more geek brain power than any place in the world. Take all that money wasted on considering new drilling for oil and let these guys and gals have a crack at this. Then we can have a new kind of celebration on Independence Day.
The weekend in New England was perfect for the 4th of July, our celebration of Independence from England. Our young country wanted to be on its own, to govern itself with no strings attached.
So what the heck happened?
Talk about strings attached. China now owns us financially along with many other countries because of the debt we have created. Our oil dependence has seeped into every aspect of our life. Plastic (made from oil) is just about everywhere and seems impossible to live without. Prices of just about everything are increasing because of oil, mostly due to everything needing to be transported by trucks. (silly us gave up railways)
The perfect storm is brewing - scientists say we have reached peak oil so supplies will be harder to come by and very expensive, India and China are creating a huge middle class that wants what everyone else has, (so share the oil) and our foreign oil sources keep us begging for stability. Drilling and supplying our own oil is the ultimate "drop in the bucket" and offers no short term or long term solution. So much for being independent.
And then, there's that climate change issue which slaps the icing on the cake. The writing on the wall is clear for me. Time to convert to renewable, sustainable energy ASAP. We can do it. We have more geek brain power than any place in the world. Take all that money wasted on considering new drilling for oil and let these guys and gals have a crack at this. Then we can have a new kind of celebration on Independence Day.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Collecting Rain
Early morning mist rose from little pockets and valleys. Just mystical.
We don't think much of collecting rain here in New England, especially after an above average rainy June. But perhaps we should since the weather pattern is unpredictable and is taking on more extreme up and down patterns. I can't help but think this could be the last good rain we have for months. It has happened before. After all we were in a drought phase for several years.
We also don't cherish water as much as other parts of the country because we have these spectacular clear rivers and streams that we take for granted. A quick step outside of New England and the rivers become silted with brown or red. However our clear rivers and lakes now have levels of mercury in them, mostly from coal burning Midwest plants, high enough to require warnings to people wanting to eat fish. Try only once a month for pregnant women and once a week otherwise. Given our governments loose levels of concern, it makes me wonder just how toxic our fish really are. So don't eat the fish.
Other parts of our country literally die for our kind of water. The southwest is fighting over water as is Georgia and Florida. The escalating heat due to climate change in the southwest is going to have very serious water issues soon. The answer seems to be water collection. but it isn't that simple.
In Australia, particularly Victoria, water collection is a really big deal. Almost every house has at least one cistern. My sister has a small vegetable farm and she has eight large cistern. People also collect water by having a little damn on the lowest level of their property. This way they are able to go long periods of time without rain and be okay, just barely. The problem with all this collection is so little is going into the ground. There are no more rivers and streams in Victoria. They have recently dried up and are filed with weeds. Their wells are drying up and Australia is in for serious water problems.
So why bother to collect rain? Because it gets back to "every little bit helps". Whether we pay for city water (more reason to collect, save money) or get water from our wells, collecting rain is one step in water conservation. Whether you live in lush New England or not, it helps for us to be less wasteful and use water that collects instead of using other sources that require treatment or use electricity. Why run your water pump when it can flow from a rain barrel? Makes sense to me.
We don't think much of collecting rain here in New England, especially after an above average rainy June. But perhaps we should since the weather pattern is unpredictable and is taking on more extreme up and down patterns. I can't help but think this could be the last good rain we have for months. It has happened before. After all we were in a drought phase for several years.
We also don't cherish water as much as other parts of the country because we have these spectacular clear rivers and streams that we take for granted. A quick step outside of New England and the rivers become silted with brown or red. However our clear rivers and lakes now have levels of mercury in them, mostly from coal burning Midwest plants, high enough to require warnings to people wanting to eat fish. Try only once a month for pregnant women and once a week otherwise. Given our governments loose levels of concern, it makes me wonder just how toxic our fish really are. So don't eat the fish.
Other parts of our country literally die for our kind of water. The southwest is fighting over water as is Georgia and Florida. The escalating heat due to climate change in the southwest is going to have very serious water issues soon. The answer seems to be water collection. but it isn't that simple.
In Australia, particularly Victoria, water collection is a really big deal. Almost every house has at least one cistern. My sister has a small vegetable farm and she has eight large cistern. People also collect water by having a little damn on the lowest level of their property. This way they are able to go long periods of time without rain and be okay, just barely. The problem with all this collection is so little is going into the ground. There are no more rivers and streams in Victoria. They have recently dried up and are filed with weeds. Their wells are drying up and Australia is in for serious water problems.
So why bother to collect rain? Because it gets back to "every little bit helps". Whether we pay for city water (more reason to collect, save money) or get water from our wells, collecting rain is one step in water conservation. Whether you live in lush New England or not, it helps for us to be less wasteful and use water that collects instead of using other sources that require treatment or use electricity. Why run your water pump when it can flow from a rain barrel? Makes sense to me.
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