The Galapagos Islands

Commander Chris Hadfield did something amazing.  He recently returned from the International Space Station.  While there, he made a video blog and answered questions from kids about science in space.  I am sure we will see him in the future.

As his time on the ISS came to an end, he took some amazing Hi-Res photos of Earth.  This one is probably my favorite - The Galapagos Islands.  Not really going to say much more about it.  And I will just leave this right here.

The Evil that is Lawns

I have to mow the yard this morning.  So I will present this guy, who is kind of crazy, but he makes a good point and brings some good information.  The idea of a lawn seems kind of weird when you think about it.  We put this wide empty space which we really don't use out in front of the house.  I will say that I actually like mowing.  It is peaceful and I can listen to podcasts or music.  Or I can just spend an hour thinking.

Actually, I enjoy mowing.  Since we will be moving to Chapel Hill next week, I won't have a yard to mow anymore.

Awesome Ad from WWF

We are animals... big-brained, bipedal apes who have developed the most extensive culture the world has ever seen.  But in the end we are still animals.  Too often we neglect the other living things that inhabit this Earth.  This awesome ad from the World Wildlife Foundation shows the connection between humans and animals.  We want the same things and behave the same way as most things on Earth.  We should do a better job taking care of the planet.

The world is where we live from WWF on Vimeo.

Finding the True Cost of Gas

The cost of a gallon of gasoline fluctuates wildly throughout the year.  Just 12 years ago when I began driving, gas hovered around $1 a gallon.  Now we pay between 3 and 4 dollars for each gallon we buy.  But as we all know, fossil fuel consumption has many consequences on the environment.  Because of this, the Center for Investigative Reporting attempted to calculate the true cost of a gallon of gasoline.

Americans have lower gas pump prices than most other countries.  However, we actually pay a lot more for the gasoline in various other ways than just at the station.  As the following video details, the pollution affects climate systems, human health, crop yields, and many other aspects of life.  More people suffer from asthma and related illnesses.  Our climate seems to be going off the rails.  And all of this appears to be caused by the liquid we put into our cars.

Other countries pay more at the pump because gas taxes help to treat some of the problems caused by our consumption.  The money goes to helping fund alternative energies and public health concerns.  But in the United States, we can't even introduce a realistic and reasonable carbon tax to ease the pain of pollution.  Please watch the video and discover how much we really pay per gallon of gasoline.



I support several ideas to help the problem of gasoline:

1. Carbon Tax/Cap-and-Trade Proposals - Charge the polluters for their environmental damage.
2. Increasing CAFE standards - require new cars have better miles per gallon
3. Green Tax Credits - Investment in Green Energy and Efficiency
4. Solar Paneling - Install solar panels on the roofs of schools and government buildings

I am sure that there are more ways we can help our planet and make a switch from fossil fuels.

What The Frack?!?

I haven't paid too much attention to a strange, new environmental issue called Fracking.  Basically, companies pump water deep underground to cause the rocks to break apart so they can collect the natural gas that is released.  While they can collect huge amounts of natural gas, this largely unregulated practice causes a host of environmental issues.  For instance, benzene and other chemicals escape into the water supply which eventually comes out of our taps.  Like this case below.  In areas that practice fracking many have found that you can light the water on fire as it comes out of the faucet.


To help people understand whats going on, some scientists have put together a song and video about fracking.  Check it out and maybe you can educate some people today.