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Extinct Fox Turns Up Again in California
Photo via Keith Slausen / US Forest Service
The Sierra Nevada red fox was thought to be extinct, until three weeks ago anyway. U.S. Forest Service biologists captured photos of the fox with a camera set up on a trail, and took DNA samples of saliva pulled from a bait bag the fox bit into to experts at the University of California, Davis. And yep, we can put one extinct species back on the books, at least for now. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
'Dancing Shrimp' Off The Menu At Sacramento Sushi Restaurant
photo via flickr
Ever eaten live shrimp? Me neither, and I don't want to. But while some consider the dish a delicacy, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals consider it cruel. That's why PETA targeted a Sacramento restaurant that was serving "dancing shrimp," which is shrimp with lemon juice squezzed onto their exposed flesh, creating pain....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Mystical Mt. Fuji is Tourist-Polluted
Image from oldphotosjapan : Mount Fuji in Clear Weather by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Mt. Fuji in Japan is one of the most famous and iconic mountains in the world; it has been the subject of endless photographs, poems and paintings over the centuries. It is also a spiritual symbol, sacred in the Shinto religion.
But it has become a huge site of tourism, growing in popularity yearly. There were 200,000 visitors a decade ago and 430,000 in 2008. With that growth comes garbage, noise, tacky tourist shops, more garbage and a lack of toilet facilities....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Obese Orangutan Finds a Healthier New Home
Photo via The Telegraph
Oshine the orangutan has a bit of a weight problem. After being kept as a pet for 13 years, lazing around and eating junk-food, the portly primate ballooned up to 220 pounds - but she should soon be on the right track to a hea...Read the full story on TreeHugger
The 6 Crucial Errors that Led to the Deepwater Horizon Explosion
Photo via NY Daily News
It's beyond well-known by now that crucial mistakes and shoddy cost-cutting measures were instrumental in bringing about the tragedy at the Deepwater Horizon drill site. But it's still rather alarming to look at them back-to-back-to-back -- New Orleans Times...Read the full story on TreeHugger
If Obama Had Chosen Energy Over Health Care ...
Photo via MSNBC's Cosmic Blog
It's an interesting question for followers of both politics and climate issues: How would things have turned out if Obama had thrown his weight behind clean energy legislation instead of health care reform? Would we now be looking at a freshly passed law designed to map out the future of the American energy economy and to stimulate job growth in sustainable sectors -- while curbing greenhouse gas pollution and ramping up renewables? Would Democrats have benefited from focusing on the economy i...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Seasonal Shifts Could Be Confusing Bees
Image credit: ruurmo/Flickr
Everything from fungus to parasites, pesticides to disease, pollution to habitat loss, has been blamed for the startling—often sudden—declines in bee populations worldwide...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Europe's Largest Onshore Wind Farm to Expand to 539 Megawatts
Photo: Flickr, CC
Adding 3MW Turbines
Europe's largest onshore wind farm, which is located in East Renfrewshire in Scotland, is about to get even bigger. ScottishPower Renewables is planning to add 75 turbines to the existing 140, increasing the capacity of the wind farm from the current 322 megawatts to 539 megawatts. Read on for more details....Read the full story on TreeHugger
What Are the Top States for Energy Efficiency? Did Yours Make the Cut?
Credit: pgegreenenergy
The Center for American Progress has ranked the Top 10 states for policies that promote energy efficiency. The report cautions, however, that even those states on the list haven't fully tapped into the power of using less power. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
IKEA Sells Used Furniture (Only in Sweden for Now)
Photo: Flickr, CC
Might Expand to Other Countries
Speaking of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", IKEA Sweden wants to make it easier for owners of old IKEA furniture to give it a second life. Against their own commercial interest, the company is offering a free online platform where sellers and buyers can find themselves, and they aren't even taking a cut of the transactions. Read on for more details....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Today on Planet 100: Oil Billionaires Fight Climate Legislation (Video)
China Beat US in Offshore Wind, Europe Still Trounces Everyone Else in Solar Power
photo: Adam Tinworth via flickr
Two new illustrations about how the US has stiff competition around the world in renewable energy: New York Times reports on how China has beaten the United States in building the first major offshore wind farm outside of Europe; Read the full story on TreeHugger
In Defense of Sidewalk Bike Riding
Photo credit Edenpictures via flickr.
As a new or continuing city cyclist, you are bound to hear the admonishment: "Don't ride on the sidewalk. It's dangerous." I swallowed that Kool-Aid for quite a while. After all, I want cycling to be a respected part of the transport infrastructure, I want cyclists to be generally law abiding and not continually agitate either pedestrians or car drivers (or each other!). But that word "dangerous," bandied about as it is so ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Porcelain Factory's Discarded Products Turn Into Arty New Pieces (Photos)
Above: a piece from the Lifeguard collection. Photos: Courtesy of Leo Battistelli.
In 2002, Argentine artist based in Brazil Leo Battistelli began working with the remains of a porcelain factory. During the following eight years, he has experimented with the discarded materials in sculptures, installations, utilitarian objects and prototypes, and has even built his whole studio with the furniture the factory threw away and worked with the venue's production chain and materials....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Similar Tropical Forests Store Much Different Amounts of Carbon: New Report
photo: Lori via flickr
While we've just learned that over 80% of new farmland in the tropics came at the expense of forests, another new study shows us that when it comes to calculating how much carbon tropical forests store, variable on the ground conditions make estimating how much sequestration potential forests have more tricky than thought. In fact, for some areas this has been overestimated ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Critically Endangered Whales Stop Feeding Thanks To Russian Oil & Gas Exploration
Photos via ICUN
The issue of how marine noise impacts whales is a subject of intense study. We're seeing more and more evidence of how human activity in the ocean negatively affects whales and dolphins. Most often the culprits pointed out are the shipping industry and naval sonar. But other harmful noises include that of...Read the full story on TreeHugger
What a Waste of an Oil Disaster
Image credit: Oliver Bernstein, Sierra Club.
With media coverage of the country's worst oil spill fading away, recent decisions on how to handle tens of thousands of tons of boom and oily waste are going to affect people along the Gulf for years to come.
That's because BP is relying on public complacency to get away with dumping its clean-up waste in local landfills, where hazardous oily residues and chemicals, like benzene, will either slowly slither their way into nearby water streams or evaporate and affect air quality. While this pl...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Finally Something To Do With Empty CD/DVD Spindles
Photo via user Crath on reddit
The Second "R"
Something else than carry bagel sandwiches, that is (see below). This one might only apply to geeks, but then again, if you have lots of empty CD and DVD spindles, chances are you also have a bunch of disorganized cables in a pile somewhere....Read the full story on TreeHugger
80% of New Farmland in Tropics Carved From Forests Between 1980-2000 - Land the Size of Alaska Cleared
photo: Teacher Traveler via flickr
More than 80% of new farmland in the tropics cultivated over the last two decades of the 20th century was carved out of tropical forests, according to new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Between 1980 and 2000, globally the amount of Read the full story on TreeHugger
Ride in Comfort On The City Recumbent
Seoul Cycle Design Competition 2010 results are out soon, and Designboom builds the tension with a release from the short list: A spectacular looking recumbent bike by Jean Davignon....Read the full story on TreeHugger