Green Eco Services

Eco Reefs-Rebuilding Reefs The Green Way

Written by Cathy on July 30, 2010 – 3:27 pm -

Welcome back!

You may find yourself wondering: what is an eco-reef and what exactly does it do? Eco-reefs are man-made reef-like modules that encourage natural reef growth and provide a basis for long-term habitats for marine organisms. The goal in creating them is to enhance or reclaim coastal developments that have been damaged by human habitation, marine preserves that work to sustain and research marine life, and environmental impact zones recovering from disasters. In addition, companies that produce and install eco-reefs strive to do so in a safe and environmentally-conscious manner that will augment rather than disrupt the delicate ecosystems into which they are placed.

Some of the services offered by companies that produce eco-reefs include design of synthetic reefs, culturing and transplantation of living reefs and other marine life, long-term observation and maintenance to ensure successful growth, and project management from start to finish. But what makes eco-reefs better than Mother Nature? For starters, reefs that have been compromised in some way are notoriously difficult to re-grow. When the reef is gone, the life that colonized it disappears and is commonly replaced by algae. So even if the conditions are right for new reef to grow, it is unlikely that it can survive long enough to overcome rapid growth of algae or avoid being swept away by currents or damaged by sifting sand. Eco-reefs combat these issues by slowing the flow of abrasive sand while small colonies of fish are introduced to consume the encroaching algae. This process starts with the installation of ceramic bases that provide a clean surface to promote reef growth without any ecological impact to the surrounding environment, making it both productive and environmentally safe.

In addition to being ecologically sound, eco-reefs are both aesthetically pleasing and logistically manufactured. The ceramic modules are not only an ideal base for growing coral, they are also chemically inert in seawater and completely non-toxic, ensuring that they won’t further unbalance an already strained ecosystem. And their looks aren’t too shabby, either.

Individual units are created to mimic the structure of native coral reef and are strategically placed to emulate natural growth so that as the living reef spreads on and around them, they won’t stick out like a sore thumb, but will gradually fade into the background as the habitat resumes a natural order. In this way, marine life re-entering the territory will not be scared away by obtrusive man-made structures, thereby allowing a flawless re-integration of species that previously inhabited the area. Finally, these man-made reefs are lightweight, portable, and easy to assemble, cutting down on the cost of both transportation and expensive and cumbersome equipment at the site, not to mention the complexity of installation.

In short, eco-reefs are facilitating the re-institution of life into areas that have, for one reason or another, suffered an ecological loss. And they are doing so in a way that is both cost-effective, easy to implement, and safe for the environment. Companies that provide this service have taken a holistic approach to employing man-made solutions in ecologically sensitive situations in an attempt to both heal some of the damage that man has wrought upon the environment as well as prevent future loss of viable marine habitat.

Kyle Simpson writes for Medical Coding Certification website where you can find information on a career in medical billing and coding industry.

Tags: Environment
Posted in Environment | No Comments »

Killing Whales With Taxpayer Money

Written by Cathy on July 29, 2010 – 7:59 pm -

Plan to Legalize Commercial Whaling Would Cost US Taxpayers – United States to Subsidize Whaling Industry if Approved

WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Washington, DC and London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today revealed that proposals to resume commercial whaling under the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will cost nearly 19 million dollars over the next decade. Estimated additional costs for the US during this time would be over $988,000 if costs were shared between member countries.

A document posted to the IWC’s website last week(1) outlined basic costs for setting up a Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Scheme (MCSS) in the event that the IWC agrees to allow commercial whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland to resume.

The cost of the scheme is estimated at $1,880,000 per year, with additional start-up costs of $250,000.  This does not include surveys to gather vital data for the calculation of alleged “safe” catch limits. The proposal on whether to legalize whaling will be considered by IWC members in Agadir, Morocco, June 21-25.

“It’s certain that US citizens don’t want their tax dollars used to subsidize the killing of whales,” said EIA Campaign Biologist Samuel LaBudde, who added: “Financing whale hunts is not consistent with American interests and reason enough to reject the proposal to legalize Japan, Norway and Iceland’s commercial whaling.”

At present, total income paid by IWC members amounts to about $2,234,000, which contributes to the various costs associated with the operation of the IWC and its programs. The estimated cost for monitoring commercial whaling by just 3 of the 88 IWC members would almost double membership fees.

(1) IWC/62/10 www.iwcoffice.org/_documents/commission/IWC62docs/62-10.pdf

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea…-95791529.html

SOURCE Environmental Investigation Agency

Back to top

Tags: Environment
Posted in Environment | No Comments »

Plastiki Boat Built With Plastic Bottles Ends 4 Month Sail

Written by Cathy on July 26, 2010 – 10:12 am -

Plastiki, the recycled plastic bottle boat comprised of 12,500 recycled bottles finally completed their journey across the Pacific Ocean. The Plastiki taken from the famouse Kon Tiki raft is 100% recyclable and gets it’s power from solar panels and windmills plus held together with sugar cane/ cashews glue  and even the mast is made with recycled aluminum irrigation pipe.

You can read their incredible story on Facebook or the website.

Tags: Environment
Posted in Environment | 1 Comment »

Drive 30 Miles Less/ Week and Reduce Oil Consumption by 20%

Written by Cathy on July 14, 2010 – 9:34 am -

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From sun-up to sundown and all through the night the life blood of our 24-hour economy is oil. 250 million cars, tens of millions of cars, hundreds of thousands of planes and ships, nearly a million buses, and 8 million homes in the northeast alone rely on oil nearly every day. The u.s. now consumes 19 million to 20 million barrels of it every 24 hours. that translated to nearly 10,000 gallons a second. 52% of that comes from foreign sources, much of it from canada and mexico. only a quarter comes from opec companies like saudi arabia and venezuela. roughly 8% of the oil consumed from america comes from the gulf of mexico. 1.6 million barrel as day.

Tags: Energy, Environment
Posted in Environment | 2 Comments »

World Environment Day- June 5 2010 -Saving Gorillas

Written by Cathy on May 12, 2010 – 6:25 am -

World Environment Day (WED) is June 5th. The theme “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”, putting out an urgent call to conserve the diversity of life and and environmental sustainability, which is why the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has chosen Rwanda to host this year’s programme of events and a focus on Saving Gorillas.

Rwanda is home to thousands of species and about 750 Gorillas (about 1/3 of the worlds) and is one of Africa’s most diverse regions. Of the 151 different types of mammals, 11 are currently threatened. Rwanda is working hard to preserve this biodiversity, which is critical to global environmental sustainability.

I just gotta tell ya:

• With the present rate of logging and poaching, gorillas may disappear from their habitats within 1-15 years.
• Humans are the greatest threat to gorillas from disease, logging, mining, poaching
• Gorilla are poached for meat, collections and trophies.
• 300 Gorillas are killed every year for Bushmeat in the Congo

If you are interested in taking a stand for gorillas in Africa, go to Take A Stand For The Gorillas- For every activity or positive action organized and registered on the WEd website, $10 will go toward gorilla protection.

To find out more about World Environment Day visit the website United Nations Environmental Program

Resources

• Endangered Species International
• International Gorilla Conservation Programme

Tags: Environment, Events
Posted in Environment | No Comments »

Protesters Plan on Protesting Gold Mine in Costa Rica on Earth Day

Written by Cathy on April 20, 2010 – 7:28 am -

The Costa Rican Supreme Court (Sala IV) ruled last Friday that a small Canadian mining company can proceed with its open-pit gold mine, striking down complaints from environmental groups that the project was destroying virgin forest.

“After reviewing the official studies we did not find that this mining project will negatively affect the environment. So the project will go ahead,” Vanlly Cantillo, a court spokeswoman said.

For years the Crucitas mine near the border of Nicaragua was closed until last weeks court ruling allowed it to open, a victory against environmentalists who had complained that the mine owner Infinito Gold Ltd (IG.V) would be breaking the law by cutting down trees in forests that are home to such wildlife as the endangered great green macaw and other precious birds.

Crucitas will be Costa Rica’s first major gold mine with a capacity to produce 85,000 ounces of gold annually  … read rest of article at Costa Rica Crucitas Gold Mine

Tags: Eco Chic, Green Basics
Posted in Environment | No Comments »

Give The Gift of Farm Animals- Heifer International

Written by Cathy on December 8, 2009 – 8:14 am -

Many years ago I gave up on giving gifts at Christmas. With at the time 9 nieces and nephews (now 14) it got to be costly and I hate to shop, hated the crowds, the worst was the whole commercialization of Xmas and the high expectations of the gift recievee. Then I went to giving money, still costly. This year I am giving the gift of an animal from Heifer International. Heifer International assists families in poverty by giving them livestock and agricultural programs to help alleviate poverty and hunger throughout the world.

You have many choices to pick from starting at $10.00 (a partial goat, pig, rabbit or sheep) to a whole goat ($120)  Basically, what happens is they give the gift of livestock, teach the family how to raise and once the family gets offspring, they have to give back to another family, pass on the gift that never stops giving. It gives a sense of community to an area, promotes social responsibility, while alleviating hungar and poverty. I like it.

So this year, to my friends and family, it’s all about Heifer International. It’s easy to do online, takes seconds, no need to fight traffic and holiday crowds. The best part, no more frownies, what can they say if you give a goat, a pig or chickens in their name to someone who is barely surviving in impoverished areas?

Tags: Environment, Home
Posted in Environment | 1 Comment »

Got Your Bags Campaign Kicks Off In Los Angeles

Written by Cathy on November 1, 2009 – 7:49 am -

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Today non-profit, government and business

groups joined together to kick off the “Got Your Bags?” campaign – a public

education and outreach effort aimed at encouraging Californians to use

reusable bags for shopping and bring plastic bags back to the store for

recycling.

California state law (AB 2449) requires grocery stores and pharmacies with

more than 10,000 square feet of retail space to provide bins for the

collection and recycling of plastic shopping bags. Yet research shows that

consumer awareness remains low, and shoppers often forget to bring their bags

back to the store. The same holds true for reusable bags.

“Our goal with this campaign is to give consumers that extra reminder so they

translate good intentions into action,” said Christine Flowers-Ewing,

Executive Director of Keep California Beautiful. “We all play an important

role as individuals by using reusable bags and increasing the recycling of

plastic bags and wraps. California’s residents need to get the message that

they can recycle all types of clean plastic film, such as dry cleaning bags,

newspaper bags, and wraps covering paper towels, drinks or other retail items.

“

In Los Angeles, the “Got Your Bags?” campaign is working to bring together a

coalition of partners that will help spread the important environmental

messages in a number of creative ways. For example, 68 Albertsons stores in

the Los Angeles area are featuring “Got Your Bags?” reminders in the form of

decals on their front doors, buttons for employees and select stores are

placing stencils at store entrances.

“We encourage our customers to recycle their plastic bags in our stores,” said

Rick Crandall, Albertsons director of environmental stewardship. “Our plastic

recycling bins provide a convenient place to drop off and recycle plastic bags

when you shop at Albertsons stores. The ‘Got Your Bags?’ campaign is a great

extra push to reinforce and remind us all that reducing, reusing and recycling

is very important.”

“Choosing a reusable bag over a one-way paper or plastic bag is a simple

choice we can each make that benefits the environment,” said Margo Reid Brown,

chair of the California Integrated Waste Management Board. “We are pleased to

partner with Keep California Beautiful and others on ‘Got Your Bags?’ It’s the

call to action we need to remind us to bring our reusable bags with us while

shopping.”

The American Chemistry Council, which includes the Progressive Bag Affiliates

- a group of leading manufacturers and recyclers of plastic bags and plastic

resins in the United States – also are participating in the effort. “We are

delighted to work with Keep California Beautiful to help promote access to

convenient recycling for Los Angeles residents,” said Sherri McCarthy,

Manager, Western Region State Affairs with the American Chemistry Council.

“Plastic bags are too valuable to waste and should be recycled. I’m pleased to

provide plastic bag holders to Albertsons’ customers so shoppers will have an

easy way to collect and store plastic bags for recycling. Recycled plastic

bags and wraps can be made into durable backyard decks, home building

products, shopping carts, and of course, new bags.”

During the event, Flowers-Ewing also recognized the newest “Got Your Bags?”

partner, Sherwin-Williams. Sherwin-Williams has committed to provide discount

pricing – available nationally – for use in applying “Got Your Bags?” stencils

to the store entryway.  The stencil serves as a dual reminder to have your

reusable bags when you enter the grocery and to bring your plastic bags back

to the store to be recycled.

“Sherwin-Williams is proud to support organizations and programs, like Keep

California Beautiful and its “Got Your Bags?” campaign that improves the

quality of life in communities,” said Josh Bagshaw, Los Angeles District Sales

Manager with Sherwin-Williams. “The grassroots efforts to use stencils to

remind us all what we can do to pay attention to plastic bag recycling and

use, is a program perfectly aligned with our company’s environmental social

responsibility efforts.”

The “Got Your Bags?” campaign originated as a grassroots effort with the

Mariposa County Public Works Department (MCPWD) and the Mariposa County

Unified School District, who worked together on a pilot stenciling project in

local supermarket parking lots. MCPWD staff created the “Got Your Bags?”

slogan and logo stencil design. The stencil painting was then incorporated

into a lesson plan on recycling for summer school students.

To learn more about the “Got Your Bags?” campaign, visit

www.keepcaliforniabeautiful.org, or call 916-368-9301.

SOURCE  Keep California Beautiful

Christine Flowers-Ewing of Keep California Beautiful, +1-916-844-6457 (cell),

keepcabeautiful@sbcglobal.net

Tags: CA, Environment, Recycle
Posted in Environment, Recycle | No Comments »

Use Your Money To Create Change: Blog Nothing Week

Written by Cathy on October 25, 2009 – 6:39 pm -

Recycle Bill Has this wonderful suggestion on getting companies to change and become more sustainable. Hit them in the pocketbook! From Recycle Bills

Blogging, even green blogging, requires electrical energy. And sadly, too much of the world’s electrical energy is produced using outdated carbon intensive technologies that could be replaced by Solar, Wind and other more environmentally sound technologies if only the companies who produce electrical energy could be persuaded to change to these environmentally responsible technologies. That’s why groups like 350.org are working hard to spread the word about global climate change and that’s why RecycleBill is proposing an International Blog Nothing Week.

So how much energy does one blog use? What would be the impact of one blogger not putting up any new posts for just 1 week? The answer: not much. It probably couldn’t be measured. As a matter of fact, if only one blogger were to quit posting for just one week the world’s electric meters wouldn’t even notice. But if every blogger in the world were to quit posting for just one week the world’s energy producers would notice not only a lower electric consumption rate but a lower profit margin. And nothing moves corporations to do the right thing faster than a lower profit margin.

Now I’m not deluding myself into thinking every blogger in the world will support or even believe in the idea that we should all stop blogging and reading blogs for one week but if we can amass a large enough group of “non bloggers” for just 1 week we will gain the attention of the world’s electrical providers and a lot more.

Not only will the electric companies take notice but so to will the world’s online media companies who depend on hyperlinks from bloggers to help drive traffic and revenue to their online properties. That’s right, for those of you who hate the Main Stream Media you can get into pockets of the MSM by not blogging for just one week.

Then there’s the impact on your evil Internet Service Providers. A relative and executive technician for one of the world’s major ISPs is visiting RecycleBill as I write this post and he tells me an action such as I am proposing would have his bosses quaking in their boots and looking for greener sources of energy to power their online services.

Another industry that would without a doubt take notice is the online advertising industry. Industry giants like Google earn millions of dollars each week thanks to the efforts of bloggers and those who read blogs. And while Google has been taking big steps to green their operations, many of their competitors have done nothing. Again, get in their pockets and they too will start looking for ways to reduce their carbon outputs. And let’s not forget the Amazons and other online retail giants who would feel the pinch of a week without their blogging affiliates’ efforts to drive sales.

That’s why this blog and hopefully millions more bloggers and blog readers will not be posting or reading from Monday, November 16th thru Sunday, November 22nd as myself and others observe International Blog Nothing Week.

Update: 7:15 PM Okay, so some of you don’t believe global climate change is real. That said, there are still reasons you can get behind International Blog Nothing Week. For example: converting to green alternative energy production will reduce the world’s dependence on imported oils whose profits go to support terrorists and the enemies of world peace and democracy.

Tags: Environment
Posted in Environment | No Comments »

The Fun Theory- Great Idea To Get People To Use Trashcans

Written by Cathy on October 22, 2009 – 6:26 pm -

They believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do.They call it The fun theory. If you have an idea that uses fun to change behaviour let them know.  Enter now for the chance to win €2500. http://www.thefuntheory.com

Tags: Environment, Pollution
Posted in Environment | No Comments »