ecology

Global warming is hitting us already. It is no coincidence that some of the biggest storms and an unexpected number of storms are hitting us now. Nor are food shortages coincidence...nor are they caused primarily by biofuels. Extreme weather, an expected part of global warming, is hitting us hard, damaging crops around the world. Crops are established based on a particular climate. That climate has changed and it will take time for agriculture to adapt and infrastructure to be put into place. Time and money.

Global warming isn't our future. It is our now.

I have covered how the more optimistic scientists think we have 10 years (now more like 8) to deal with global warming before we are hit with the full brunt of it. Essentially that means we have that period to mitigate the eventual effects. Keep in mind that there will be some delay before the worst happens. That relative optimism is fading. Now even some of the most optimistic scietists are realizing that the models were wrong. Global warming is hitting harder and faster than predicted. Things are WORSE than the models predicted. Jim Hansen, possibly the top global warming scientist and the head of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Sciences (where my wife works), has revised the estimate of how long we have to act to mitigate global warming down to one year. This is our last chance right now. Time has run out to act.

Eco Build America
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave.
Anaheim , CA 92803

Whether you are an Architect, Engineer, Contractor, Facility Manager, Gov't employee, Contractor, Specifier, IT Professional, Building Owner, or just an interested consumer, come learn about the latest products and technologies for green building.

Ecobuild America
Sustainable, Green, and High-Performance Solutions for the Built Environment

Ecobuild America represents your best opportunity to capitalize on the most comprehensive offerings of built environment resources under one roof:

- Explore the latest in sustainability, spanning local to global perspectives
- Uncover best practices in environmental design
- Review new advances in green building products and techniques
- Meet officials representing Building & Construction budgets and projects
- Discover how to apply your expertise to government projects and expand your client base
- See and hear from world-renown and industry experts in Keynote Presentations and in 100+ educational sessions
- Network with product manufacturers and service providers
- Benefit from your whole building team assembling in one location

Eco Build America openly invites all industry organizations, experts and career professionals to provide you and your building team with comprehensive exposure to all aspects of:

Sustainable Mini-Farming Workshop, Willits, California.
February 29-March 2

The weekend workshop will consist of lectures, discussion, and demonstration on soil preparation, sustainable soil fertility, fertilization, compost, compost crops, efficient resource use, crops for full nutrition, and crops for income. Contact: Margo Royer-Miller, Ecology Action, margoroyer-miller@growbiointensive.org, (707) 459-0150.

One of the biggest issues of our generation just might be the collapse of the honeybee population (and the populations of several other pollinators). The decline in pollinators threatens one third of our food supply and already has created problems in the honey and almond industries and considerable concern among scientists and farmers who depend on bees. It is a genuine crisis that seems to be getting worse from year to year.

I have written about this crisis and have been in touch with some of the scientists who study this. I need to get around to another diary as soon as I can, but have been distracted by other issues. But for those who want to learn more about it, PBS will be having a program on the decline of the bees on its show Nature.

I haven't watched Nature in some time, but I remember when it first started and I did watch it for many years. It has always been one of the best nature programs on television, from its very first episode (Flight of the Condor with some of the best nature photography ever).

I am sure that they will do a good job with this issue and if you are concerned about the environment and/or our food supply, you probably want to watch it:

Sunday, October 28 at 8pm and November 3, 6:00pm
Nature: "Silence of the Bees"
In Nature's season premiere

I haven’t owned a car since 2003, and it's a tremendous relief. I no longer receive parking tickets or speeding tickets, don't have to control the temptation to drive like a lunatic. (I was a road rager if there ever was one.) Each month, I need not concern myself with car payments, insurance payments or maintenance payments.

Having moved to Brazil, the dreaded task of removing snow and ice from a car windshield is not only in my past, but it is inconceivable to those in my present.

The alternatives to driving have become much more attractive to me. Having moved to within a five minute walk of the ocean, I no longer need to spend ten dollars of gas and two hours of driving to reach the Jersey Shore. I just walk.

Because the nearest shopping mall is eight hours away, the ritual of endeavoring to earn more and more money to drive to the mall and invent new ways to spend it is much deemphasized. No more shopping mall parking lots for me! Less is more.

In Brazil, there are buses that reliably take passengers to most anywhere we might want to go, no matter how remote. So, when I want to go to a beach further up the coast, I just wait at a bus stop on this beach for a bus to that other beach. Unlike in the United States, the buses in urban areas here typically run twenty-four hours per day, which makes them a viable alternative, even for nocturnal people who like, sometimes, to party all night.