Ansel Adams' Negatives Found in a Garage Sale--Maybe

from TreeHugger.com
by Bonnie Alter, London

We are always extolling the virtues of garage sales; the joy of recycling and re-using and respecting perfectly good finds. And then there is the joy of Ansel Adams' photography: he was one of the original environmentalists who understood the beauty and inspirational quality of nature. Imagine these two coming together: a man in California bought a box of old negatives at a garage sale ten years ago for $45.

Now it turns out that the 65 glass plates may be Adams' negatives and worth $200M ... or not.

Ansel Adams was the father of American photography. Working in the western states of the USA from the 1930's until his death in 1984, he loved and photographed the scenery of Yosemite National Park and the natural beauty of the wilderness. He was passionate about the environment and way ahead of the times in his causes: the preservation of wilderness, fighting for new wilderness areas, saving the redwoods, endangered sea lions and sea otters, clean air and water. He fought against overbuilt highways, billboards and turning parks into resorts with private concessionaires.

The glass negative plates were taken between 1919 and 1930, during a period when most of his work was later destroyed by fire.

But are they the garage find of the year or not? As always in the art world, nothing is certain... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Can We Cut Crime by Changing Cafeteria Menus?

from WELL Said ... Friday, June 18, 2010

I know; I know. It’s controversial. Some say crazy, but what if we could reduce crime and violence by simply changing cafeteria menus? A high school in Appleton, Wisconsin tried an experiment under the enlightened guidance of their principal, LuAnn Coenen. She wanted to see if she could positively affect the fighting, weapons-carrying and general lack of focus and discipline in the school by changing the food the kids ate.

Vending machines were replaced with water coolers; hamburgers and French fries were taken off the menu and replaced with fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grain breads and a salad bar. With the departure of junk food, she also saw the departure of vandalism, litter and the need for police patrolling her hallways. The students were calm, socially engaged and focused on their schoolwork. Problems were minimal. And all Ms. Coenen did was change the menu.

You can dismiss this as a fluke, a ‘results not typical’ scenario (like with diet plans); or the ravings of healthy eating fanatics. True; no scientists have ever seriously investigated the changes at this Wisconsin high school (even after seven years of this). And healthy eating surely divides us nearly as deeply as politics. There are the zealots who believe that food cures all ills and the equally zealous skeptics who say it’s all nonsense.

And yet, is this really such a radical, left-of-center idea? There is little debate that food can affect the way the brain works, thus our behavior. While it accounts for only 2% of our body weight, our brain uses about 20% of our energy. To generate such energy, we need nutrients…lots of them…vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids…all obtained from nutritious foods.

So the question to be asked is this: what are the effects of constantly eating processed foods that lack the sufficient nutrients we need to operate our brains in a clear, sane way?

Obesity is a no-brainer (pun intended) when it comes to the consequences of junk food on the body. But could it be that unhealthy eating results in more damage than a big belly? Does one high school in Wisconsin point to the connection between healthy eating and behavior? Can it be a coincidence that the dramatic increase in crime, violence and lack of civility has grown hand in hand with the dramatic move toward processed junk food in our modern Western diet?...read more story at WELL Said

Edible Crayons Made From Health Foods Make Eating Bee Pollen Fun

from TreeHugger.com
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto

What kid didn't try to eat their crayons? Designboom introduces us to Luxirare, an extraordinary website where the proprietor develops and presents a collection of rare and beautiful things, like these crazy crayons made of healthy ingredients.

Eating bee pollen and prunes was never so much fun. And they draw, too. Some commenters on Gizmodo have suggested that this is not a good idea, that it encourages children to eat things that they shouldn't; One could also take the position that everything we bring into our homes should be made from healthy, non-toxic and even edible materials.

Not all of the ingredients are health foods, "fruity pebbles" are sometimes used for colour and marshmallows hold them all together.

But a wonderful experiment, beautifully presented at Luxirare... more story at TreeHugger.com

People With Drinking Problems May Turn to Clergy for Help

Nearly 15 percent sought advice from trusted religious leaders, study found

HealthDay News July 21, 2010
By Alan Mozes

Many people afflicted with alcohol abuse problems turn to their clergy for counsel, new research reveals.

Although getting help from alcohol abuse professionals is a more common route to take, nearly 15 percent of those coping with alcohol-related issues seek comfort through clergy services, the study indicated.

"Clergy are in a unique position to notice changes in behavior over time," co-author Brian Perron, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Michigan, said in a university news release.

"Their roles as senior leaders of churches, their embodiment of important [tenets] of their faiths, and their formal roles as caregivers of their congregations also lend clergy considerable credibility, particularly within African American communities. Clergy are often seen as being deeply committed to their congregants and willing to honor desires for confidentiality," Perron added.

The research team's observations are published in the July/August issue of the American Journal on Addictions.

After examining the habits of 1,910 people coping with alcohol-related problems, the study authors found that most of those individuals who turned to their clergy also sought out professional help. Only 0.5 percent sought counsel from clergy services alone... read more story at MedLinePlus HealthDay

Industry and consumer organizations call for removal of soaps, detergents and cleaning products from Ontario's MHSW program

OTTAWA, July 15, 2010 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - The Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA) and the Consumers Council of Canada (CCC) today called on the Government of Ontario to remove soaps, detergents and cleaning products from the province's Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) program, which now includes the new eco fee for consumers.

Shannon Coombs, CCSPA President, says

"Ontario's Minister of the Environment is accountable for the MHSW program and he should undertake an immediate review of all products currently classified under the program. Our industry fully supports the goals of waste diversion, but we believe a fair, effective, cost-efficient and transparent program is needed."

She says empty soap, detergent and cleaning product containers have been recycled effectively since 2002, as part of the province's Blue Box program that is funded by municipal taxes and levies paid by brand owners. "The eco fee consumers are now being asked to pay is based on the contents of those packages."

"Consumers do not throw out half-empty containers of soap or detergent," says CCC President Don Mercer. "Rather, they buy what they need and use it up. The eco fee, in effect, charges consumers for a service they will not use."

"In addition," Coombs says, "soaps, detergents and cleaning products manufactured by CCSPA member companies are not hazardous waste. These products are safe for consumers and the environment, and CCSPA has advocated all along that they should not have been included in the MHSW program."

The Consumers Council of Canada (www.consumerscouncil.com) works collaboratively with consumers, business and government in support of consumers' rights and responsibilities, seeking an efficient, equitable, effective and safe marketplace for consumers. The Council is a member of the Canadian Consumer Initiative.

CCSPA (www.healthycleaning101.org) is a national trade association that represents 45 member companies across Canada that manufacture, process, package and distribute consumer, industrial and institutional specialty products, such as soaps and detergents, pest control products, aerosols, hard surface disinfectants, deodorizers and automotive chemicals.

10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

HowStuffWorks.com
by Jane McGrath

Even if you don't follow the developing theories in physics, you have probably heard of the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. Most known as a brilliant mind in a paralyzed body, he's prided himself on making his complex physical concepts accessible to the public and writing the bestseller, "A Brief History of Time."

And if you are a fan of Conan O'Brien, "The Simpsons" or "Star Trek," you might have seen him brandishing his cool wit during guest appearances on those shows.

Even if you are familiar with his academic work, however, there are many interesting facts you might not know about Hawking, stretching from his time at school and gradual development of disability to his opinions on the future of the human race.

Many find it surprising, for instance, that, despite his influential body of work, Hawking hasn't yet been awarded the Nobel Prize. We'll talk about some of the remarkable distinctions he has received, however.

Another interesting fact: Hawking was born Jan. 8, 1942, which just happened to be the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death.

But this has just been the warm-up. Next, we'll delve into some fascinating and unexpected facts about Hawking, including some things about his profoundly inspirational story... read more story at HowStuffWorks.com

Yacht Club, Cottage Owners, Fishermen Opposed To Billion Dollar, Eastern Lake Ontario Wind Farm

frm TreeHugger.com
by John Laumer, Philadelphia

Locals are weighing in early against plans to install hundreds of wind turbines in the shallows of Eastern Lake Ontario. The NY Power Authority-proposed project is purported to be 'not in the economic interest of the community' as reported in the Tonanwanda News. Reading between the lines of the Tonawanda coverage, it looks like sailors and lake home owners won't like the view - sounds like Cape Wind doesn't it? - and charter boat owners are worried about, you know, the fish.

I guess it's less of a concern that Lake Ontario levels and fisheries could be affected by climate change.

Charter boat captains have a reputation issue to overcome regarding their ability to take a balanced view of resource management. Here's an example of what I'm talking about from Boat/US Magazine.

When wildlife biologists landed on Little Galloo Island in Lake Ontario in July 1998, they were unprepared for the carnage there. But dozens of spent shotgun shells quickly told the ugly tale behind a bloody incident which had claimed the lives of hundreds of victims.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials called it "the worst mass killing ... in recent decades" and brought federal agents to this 52-acre patch of rock just off Watertown, NY. The federal agency that investigated issued a press release decrying the "senseless slaughter" of highly skilled fishermen -- 856 double-crested cormorants.

Ten men were arrested, most of them charter boat captains from around Henderson Harbor, NY. They pleaded guilty last April to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and in August, a U.S. magistrate levied sentences of up to two years' probation and six months of in-home confinement, plus up to $2,500 each in fines. He also ordered the men to make a cumulative contribution of $27,500 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Perhaps the fishermen should make lemonade out of this proposed a wind project. Their support could bring an unexpected bonus. Hundreds of wind turbine blades spinning around Little Galloo Island could whack a whole bunch of cormorants. Eh?


But if that doesn't seem like a fair trade-off... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Canadian wildlife need big connected parks - or species will disappear

OTTAWA, July 9, 2010 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - The health of wildlife and biodiversity is uneven in Canada's national and provincial parks, says a new report prepared by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

In some cases species are at risk of dying out and biodiversity is faltering because habitat has not been adequately protected. In others, good progress has been made to protect wildlife.

The review "How is Wildlife faring in Canada's Parks?" makes the case that parks are a cornerstone of Canada's efforts to protect biodiversity - the variety of flora and fauna that make up an ecosystem. However, it notes that bigger, better managed parks, and more of them, are needed if parks are to fulfill their critical role in protecting Canada's wildlife.

CPAWS prepared its third annual review of parks to mark Canada Parks Day, July 17. The organization focused on biodiversity this year because the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.

"This report underscores that one of the best ways to protect biodiversity and wildlife is to strengthen our parks system," says Éric Hébert-Daly, Executive Director of CPAWS.

Encouraging moves to protect biodiversity

The report praises government efforts over the past year to create new parks. Particularly noteworthy is the establishment of Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area off the coast of British Columbia

CPAWS also welcomes government decisions to create parks on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, and in the Mealy Mountains of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Mealy Mountains is exceptional because the park will protect most of the range of a threatened herd of woodland caribou.

Large parks protect species

There are 500 species in Canada at risk of extinction and more at-risk species are identified every year.

"In Canada we have one of the best opportunities left in the world to create big parks that can protect species that need large areas of wilderness to survive. --before those species get in trouble," Mr. Hébert-Daly points out.

CPAWS prescribes a range of measures, including:

- Creating new parks and expanding existing park boundaries;
- Maintaining and restoring wildlife movement corridors (so that wildlife have the large ranges they often need);
- Restricting roads and other damaging developments;
- Limiting recreational activities; and
- Practicing good park management focused on healthy ecosystems as a first priority.

Species struggle without adequate parks, good management

Among the good news stories highlighted in the report, where parks help protect vulnerable species, are the Ipswich savannah sparrow of Sable Island, the black dogfish of the Laurentian Channel of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the eastern wolf of Algonquin Park.

Sadly, some other species face an uncertain future. They include the little brown bat in the Fisher Bay area of Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, the northern gannet, of Atlantic Canada, and New Brunswick's American marten.

"In this International Year of Biodiversity, it is especially important that we focus on the role of Canada's parks in keeping our wildlife healthy," Mr. Hébert-Daly says.

Download the report :

www.cpaws.org/files/report_parksday2010.pdf

Monkeys Catapult Themselves Out of Primate Research Institute

from TreeHugger.com
by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil

At a primate research institute in Japan's Kyoto University, recently a group of inventive monkeys managed to escape their enclosure despite the 17 foot tall electric fence in place to keep them in. With no obvious means of escape visible, the researchers were undoubtedly puzzled at how their high-tech security was breached -- that is until they discovered the primates had figured out a way to catapult themselves.

Researchers at the institute, who apparently study primates for a living, learned that they may have been underestimating the athletic and intellectual capacity of their monkeys. Although the enclosure has trees in it, they're cut short to around 6 feet tall and kept far enough away from the fence to foil any escape plans the monkeys may hatch out -- or so they thought.

Authorities from the institute discovered that the monkeys were able to catapult themselves over the giant fence by using the small tree's branches as a slingshot, reports the Japan Times.

"Their jumping power was greater than we thought," said the head of the institute, Hirohisa Hirai.

A life on the lam, it seems, wasn't in the cards for a few of the monkeys, who returned to the enclosure on their own. Later, 10 other escaped monkeys were discovered "hanging around" just beyond the fence, reports the Times. Eventually they too returned to captivity after researchers bribed them with peanuts... read more at TreeHugger.com

Faster to Read Paper Books Than e-Books, Survey Shows

from TreeHugger.com
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California

The Nielsen Norman Group has conducted a study that shows it is substantially faster to read a paper book than an e-book loaded onto an e-reader. What does this mean -- a slowed market for e-readers? A new wave of tree-cutting as the publishing market experiences a resurgent love for the printed word? A turn around in the prediction for e-readers to be successful tools in school classrooms? A giant uptake in energy consumption as readers slowly trudge through War and Peace on their Kindles? Well....not quite.

TG Daily reports that the study consisted of a less-than-scientific sample population of 24 individuals.

"Each participant read a short story by Ernest Hemingway on each of the devices. Nielsen found that those using an iPad were 6.2 percent slower than those reading a standard book, and the Kindle 2 was 10.7 percent slower."

There are a lot of potential reasons for this. For instance, maybe the readers were not used to using the devices and so were slower to navigate. It takes time to get used to a new gadget, and focusing on reading a book while you're also trying to figure out which button turns the page is sure to slow folks down.

Further, the survey showed that readers weren't perfectly content with their e-readers. The participants said the iPad is on the heavy side, and the Kindle's gray-on-gray lettering isn't preferable.

Most people prefer the printed book because it's already associated with relaxation -- we all already know what it feels like to sink into a comfortable chair with a good book. Electronics still hold a feeling of work, or level of engagement requiring more engagement than simply flipping a page to see what a favorite character will do next. That may change as the favorite characters continually end up appearing on a e-paper screen than a paper page.

While the printed word may be preferable in some ways, including reading speed, we do have to recognize that e-readers are creating a strong and undeniable market for themselves. But that doesn't mean the environmental debate over which is better, the paper or the digital book, is anywhere close to being over... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Ending the Consumption Addiction

from TreeHugger.com
by Tom Szaky of TerraCycle, Trenton NJ

We are on a race to nowhere. Consumption drives our economy. We measure our success by consumption (how much we spend). Global consumption is equal to the cumulative GDP of all countries or the world economy. If we don't increase consumption and grow our economies every year, we deem ourselves in stagnation.

We all seem to be tied to consumption. We work hard to earn money so that we can buy stuff to feel good. Yes, innovation is important and we need to replace things with better versions, but why do we need to have more things than the generation before? And by our own "buying in" to these patterns, what messages are we passing on to those who follow? Even more concerning is our trend away from durable products and toward more disposable products.

On a personal level, even though I am deeply aware of the issue, I find it hard to consume only what I absolutely need. I'm single and have two cars, create garbage, buy more than I need etc. and sadly in relation to the "average" I'm consuming less per person than the average person in America.

If as a people we consumed less and tended our consumption towards fewer, more durable products, we would loose weight, bring our manufacturing home, reduce our stress etc. But how do we do that? Perhaps as Bill W. powerfully suggested, we have to admit our addiction...read more story at TreeHugger.com