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Florence + The Machine – Never Let Me Go (Blood Orange Remix) by indieshuffle.com

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Their latest tactic is to paint local clean energy, such as rooftop solar, as an elitist energy source that low-income Californians and people of color are subsidizing.

Pitting the interests of low-income ratepayers and people of color in California against the solar industry and clean energy future is wrong and won't work. Ask the Texas oil companies that tried to pass Proposition 23 in 2010, which would have repealed the state's pioneering clean energy law, AB 32. Voters of color and residents from low-income communities overwhelmingly rejected that proposition because they understood that California's climate policies were good for their health and the economy.

A 2011 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 79% of Asians, 83% of Blacks and 88% Latinos think that climate change is a serious threat to the economy and their quality of life. That same poll found that people of color believe more strongly than the general population that it is necessary to take steps immediately to counter the effects of climate change. People of color are the strongest supporters of a clean energy and climate change fighting agenda in California.

When it's done right, low-income Californians and people of color have more to gain from the widespread adoption of local clean energy than anyone else. The more solar power that comes online, the faster we will be able to turn off the dirtiest power plants -- "peaker" plants -- which are the most polluting, least efficient and most expensive source of power we have.?

Most "peaker" plants are located in our poorest communities. If there are subsidies that need to end, it's the subsidies to dirty energy producers and the heavy price poor Californians pay with their health as a result of last century's pollution based power system.

Today, local clean energy like solar is making strong inroads in lower and middle-income communities. Innovative financing programs are changing the demographics of solar customers in California. According to the PV Solar Report, nearly two thirds of California home solar installations in 2009, 2010 and 2011 were in zip codes with median annual household incomes between $40,000 and $85,000 and not in the wealthiest areas of the state?

Oakland-based Solar Mosaic is using creative, crowd-sourced financing to spread the benefits even further. Ultimately what is needed are incentives, which assure the availability of local clean energy in California's lowest income communities.

Central to the move towards localized clean energy is a little-known policy called "net metering." This policy, pioneered in California and now copied by 43 other states, is a simple billing arrangement that ensures solar customers receive fair credit for the electricity their systems generate. It operates like rollover minutes on a cell phone. When the customer doesn't use all the power from their rooftop solar panels, the extra energy is sent back onto the electric grid for the benefit of other customers. In turn, the solar customer owner gets credit on their electric bill. Today, there are over 100,000 rooftop solar energy systems in California and net metering is the policy responsible for 99% of them.

The savings to regular folks is significant, which is why the utilities are so worried about this threat to their monopoly.

With the Public Utilities Commission poised to boost the net metering program later this month, utilities are trying to make an end-run to halt their action in the Legislature. Lawmakers would be wise to reject that bill and support policies that expand clean energy for low and middle-income communities. One such bill is the "Solar For All" legislation introduced by Assemblymember Fong that provides further incentives for renewable energy in low-income communities.

We have an opportunity to build a clean energy system that is good for all of California's residents, businesses and the planet. But to do so we need bold, holistic and comprehensive strategies that wean us off fossil fuels. The utilities' opposition to local clean energy, and in this case, to net metering, sends us in the wrong direction: backwards.

Van Jones is author of the New York Times bestseller, The Green Collar Economy and Rebuild the Dream. Roger Kim is Executive Director of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN).

Weighing slightly less than 35 pounds, SeaWorld believes the dolphin is no more than five days old.

While tests have shown the dolphin has no major health issues, SeaWorld has been manually tube feeding the dolphin every two hours, Central Florida News 13 reports.

Dolphin calves typically nurse from their mother until they are 12 to 18 months old, according to Examiner.com.

It is believed that the youngster was likely separated from its mother before becoming stranded.

LOOK: A Seaworld worker feeds the dolphin:

Its species — called "false killer whale" even though it's a dolphin and doesn't look like a whale — is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. But scientists estimate only about 150 or 170 live in waters less than 90 miles off Hawaii.

"The administration's own scientists found that the whales run a high risk of extinction within 75 years. Every day that this listing is delayed is another day without steps being taken to protect them," said Michael Jasny, a senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which filed the lawsuit at federal district court in Washington, D.C.

The National Marine Fisheries Service recommended 18 months ago that the population be listed. Under federal law, the agency had one year to decide whether to do so.

The agency has missed similar deadlines before, but Jasny said it's a "no-brainer" to list the dolphins.

"It represents our best chance to save them. Saving them could go a long way towards preserving the remarkable marine oasis of which they are a part," he said.

The animals are at high risk of inbreeding, a 2010 fisheries service study said.

They're also in danger of being inadvertently snagged by fishing lines. Studies showed Hawaii's longline fishing fleet was accidentally killing or seriously injuring an average of 7.4 false killer whales each year. This exceeds the 2.5 per year that the fishery could kill or seriously harm without affecting the population's ability to survive.

The fisheries service last year proposed new rules for the industry, including a requirement that it use a different style of hook to reduce the chance the fleet will hook the dolphins

Many longline boats have already started using the recommended circle hooks even before the federal government has formally adopted them.

Longline fishing vessels string a line in the ocean, ranging from one mile to 50 miles long, to catch fish. They run smaller lines with baited hooks off the central line and wait for bait to attract fish.

False killer whales have been getting caught because they like to eat the same fish the fishery is trying to catch — ahi, mahimahi and ono. They've been getting snagged when trying to eat fish hooked on the lines.

"Police escort, with the mayor, who brought us donuts," seniors told WOOD-TV.

The local news outlet also released cell phone video of school principal Katie Pennington telling the students to "Get your butts home." In the video, she also informs them they will not be allowed to participate in the school's senior walk, an annual ritual where students go through the halls to say goodbye to their teachers and younger classmates.

Initially, school officials had threatened the students with not being allowed walk in graduation, though they have reportedly reconsidered.

“She was very upset,” Serena Hall, a Kenowa Hills student, told Michigan Live. “We did not consider this a prank at all, but an opportunity to celebrate our last day at school. We were singing the school fight song (while biking).”

According to WOOD-TV, Pennington took issue with the bike ride because it backed up traffic and prevented staff from getting to school on time. She also expressed concerns that the ride put students in danger. Rob VerHeulen, the town mayor who was in the police car as part of the escort, told the station that the officer with him was not concerned about traffic or safety.

One of the bikers involved, Cody Nicks told Michigan Live that he has no regrets. He is in the National Honor Society and has a 4.33 GPA.

Matt Brown, another participant, expressed a similar sentiment to Fox 17.

"Everybody was honking at us and waving and stuff and it's something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Brown told the station.

For senior pranks that actually resemble pranks, click through the slideshow below:

The Sierra Club is deeply concerned about the environmental implications of the TPP. We understand and appreciate that U.S. negotiators are pushing for strong and enforceable standards in the environment chapter of the agreement, including binding language that would address environmental challenges such as illegal logging and overfishing. As these provisions are core to the work of the Sierra Club, we should be satisfied, right? Well, since the text is being kept from the public, we don't actually know the status or details of these proposals. And there are many other parts of the TPP that could directly undermine these very efforts to strengthen environmental protection while also putting the U.S. economy and workers at risk.

Why is this "21st century trade agreement," with such purported benefits, being hidden so jealously from the American public? Let's take a look at what they're hiding:

1. Unfettered rights to corporations. Every indication is that the TPP will include provisions that give corporations the right to sue a government for unlimited cash compensation -- in private and not-transparent tribunals -- over any law or regulation that a corporation argues is hurting its expected future profits. Corporations have been quick to take advantage of such rights and have profited from them. Nearly $700 million in tax-payer dollars have been paid to corporations already, and about $12 billion in claims are pending. Tragically, dozens of cases attack common-sense environmental laws and regulations, such as regulations to protect communities and the environment from harmful chemicals or mining practices.

2. Increase in dirty fracking. The TPP may allow for significantly increased exports of liquefied natural gas without the careful study or adequate protections necessary to safeguard the American public. This would mean an increase of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the dirty and violent process that dislodges gas deposits from shale rock formations. It would also likely cause an increase in natural gas and electricity prices, impacting consumers, manufacturers, workers, and increasing the use of dirty coal power.

3. Rollback of consumer rights. Just recently the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against U.S. dolphin-safe tuna labels. The WTO found that these labels, which allow consumers to choose to buy tuna that was caught without using dolphin-killing fishing practices, discriminated against Mexican tuna fishers. The TPP, we understand, has provisions that would leave the door wide open to such outlandish cases which not only threaten our environment, but consumers' right to know and our government's right to regulate.

4. Threats to American workers. While free trade agreements are often sold as job-creators, the evidence simply doesn't stack up. For example, the Economic Policy Institute has found that nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs were lost as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The TPP would likely give foreign corporations greater rights than domestic ones, providing an incentive for U.S. corporations to leave home and set up shop abroad. The TPP would also severely limit the U.S. government's ability to set policies that would boost our domestic economy, such as giving preference to American goods or American workers in government contracts.

Many other areas of our everyday life, including access to affordable medicines, food safety, and internet freedom would also quite certainly be limited under the guide of "free trade" in the TPP. And if I've got any of this wrong, I invite someone to prove me wrong. Release the text.

So, now that we have a sense of what they're trying to hide, the next question is, from whom are they hiding?

The answer: us.

The website DogVacay debuted in New York and Los Angeles in March and, just in time for the summer travel season, is now available throughout the United States and Canada.

The site lets pet owners look up hosts in the area who will care for a dog in their own homes, giving a pet the food, exercise and attention you would give if you stayed home – sort of a doggy version of couch-surfing, for an average price of $25 to $30 a day.

Hosts are checked out and interviewed by DogVacay and every owner and dog is encouraged to meet the host.

The Santa Monica-based company was founded by Aaron and Karine Nissim Hirschhorn. In two months it has grown to over 4,000 hosts in two countries and from five employees to 13, Hirschhorn said.

Valerie Steiger's Shih Tzu mix named Joey was just 3 months old when she had to leave for a two-week Thailand trip in February. Joey has been back four or five times since, said Steiger, whose job as a life coach keeps her on the road.

Her host has a couple of dogs and Joey enjoyed them so much, he was depressed when he got home and didn't have any playmates, Steiger said.

"She was wonderful. I was talking to Joey (through a cell phone app) from Thailand. She took pictures of Joey on an iPhone, she took a video of him zipping around with his buddy. I didn't ask for any of that. She just did it," Steiger said.

Steiger has used kennels in the past. And there are good ones, she said, but dogs are still kept in crates or cages for several hours each day. "It's like they are in jail."

Knowing where her dog is and what he's doing is important to her because "this is my baby. I'm leaving my baby behind," Steiger said.

Hirschhorn and his fiance went on a trip to visit family in 2010 and left their dogs Rocky and Rambo in a kennel. "Rocky came back a little off. She was not acting herself. She was sheepish and hiding under the desk. She is normally a happy, happy dog," he said.

There had to be something better, they said. They let everyone know they were going to start dog sitting. "Business was booming. We got multiple calls a day," he said. They watched more than 100 dogs during eight months.

At the end of their experiment, they had two things: enough money to pay for their 2011 wedding and a business model. They quit their day jobs, joined forces with former MySpace CEO Mike Jones to create an online community and raised $1 million in venture capital.

The company's website provides host bios, location, home photos, prices, availability, notes on what they can handle and reviews.

DogVacay provides insurance (up to $25,000 per animal) for emergencies, the company has a partnership with VCA Animal Hospitals and owners can rent GPS-enabled dog collars if they want to track their pets constantly. Most hosts will email, text or telephone owners once a day with updates on their dogs, Hirschhorn said.

About a third of the hosts are professional pet care providers while two-thirds are casual dog lovers who might be retired, unemployed, stay-at-home moms or veterans, Hirschhorn said. Nine out of 10 hosts have their own dogs.

Hirschhorn wouldn't divulge the number of stays logged in the first two months, but said about half of all boarders are repeat customers.

DogVacay takes credit cards for payment when reservations are made, then pays the hosts.

Interviews and security checks by DogVacay and meet-and-greets with host and owner are designed to overcome concerns about adjusting to the new environment.

"If they don't want to check me out, it means they don't care about their dog very much," said host Lauren Meyer.

Meyer has a 2,500 square-foot home in a quiet neighborhood in Los Angeles and charges $38 a night. She has always had older, larger dogs with medical problems, so she's not afraid to keep dogs with special needs, she said.

The biggest problem for the Hirschhorns is keeping up with demand and updating the website with new features, he said.

DogVacay has a concierge, a customer service representative who can help if there is a problem or if someone can't navigate the website.

Personal dog chef Danielle Rapin of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been hosting for three months for $40 a night. She has had four boarders so far, but has six meet-and-greets lined up in the next two weeks as people prepare for summer vacations.

DogVacay has been good for her 4-year-old mini-Greyhound mix too, she said. A 12-pound rescue, Baci once had to fend for herself on the streets, so didn't have much time for socialization.

But she has turned into a remarkable hostess. "It's been rewarding to see her develop," Rapin said.

For the Hirschhorns, dogs may be just the beginning. They own the domain names for a variety of vacays, including pet, animal, cat, iguana, bird, hamster, rabbit and snake.

___

Online:

The measure would ban new ownership of exotic animals, while allowing current owners to keep their creatures by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and adhering to strict new caretaking standards.

Facilities accredited by some national zoo groups would be exempt from the bill, along with sanctuaries and research institutions.

Ohio's restrictions on exotic pets are among the nation's weakest. Efforts to strengthen the law took on new urgency after Terry Thompson released 50 animals — including black bears, mountain lions and Bengal tigers — from his eastern Ohio farm in Zanesville in October before he committed suicide. Authorities killed 48 of the animals as a public safety measure. Two others were believed to have been eaten by other animals.

The Ohio House passed the measure 87-9 with changes on Tuesday, and the Senate agreed to the revisions, which included lower permit fees and a lower minimum insurance requirement than the version senators passed last month.

State Rep. Brian Hill, a Zanesville Republican, said the exotic animal release in his hometown showed it was "essential" for the state to have proper regulations.

"The bill before us today sets standards in place for people to effectively care for these animals, while at the same time protecting the public," Hill said.

Permit fees for bears, tigers and other dangerous animals would begin at $250. And insurance policies for the creatures could range from $200,000 to as high as $1 million, depending on the number of animals.

Owners would be required to pass a background check and show inspectors that they adhere to care standards and have taken safety measures such as fencing their property. Signs would have to be posted on the property to alert people there were dangerous animals on the premises.

The House changes would exempt several types of small primates, including lemurs, from permit fees and certain restrictions. Owners would still have to register the animals, however.

Ohio officials aren't sure exactly how many wild animals or owners the bill would affect.

The state's agriculture director has told lawmakers the proposed permit fee structure might not cover the cost of the instituting the new regulations.

The bill cleared the Legislature after hours of testimony from distraught owners who had lined up in hearings to express concerns about having to get rid of the family pet or pay too high of a price to keep it, among other issues.

The Columbus Zoo and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation are among the measure's supporters.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich recalled the animal release in a statement Tuesday, saying that it was fortunate that the public and law enforcement officers weren't harmed.

"Next time we might not be so lucky, however, which is why I committed to doing everything we can to prevent a 'next time,'" Kasich said, adding that he would sign the bill.

SeriesKeeping Fear at bay means riding into it without brakes.

This is the first of many stories we hope to gather from women who have overcome hurdles and challenges that have made them not only stronger women, but role models for others. Do you have a story you’d like to submit on how you have overcome something? Send us an email at contact@ecosalon.com

I am sitting at my kitchen table, my front door and windows wide open to let in the fresh mountain air, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversation with my best friend, Christiane, on the other side of the country, when the topic of fear came up.  “You should write about Fear, you have experienced it so deeply, and live daily with it nipping at your heels.”  I laughed wryly, “Yeah, Fear is definitely camped outside my door waiting for an invite to come on in.”

Pausing to think if Fear is rabbit hole I really wanted to dive into today, two dogs burst into my kitchen. Neither one of them belong to me and as I chase them out Christiane hears me shout, “Get out! Out! This is not your home, you don’t belong in here!”

“Hmmm”, she says, “It’s as if they arrived on cue to spark that response! Those words could easily apply to fear as much as to the those dogs.” A cosmic sign?  Or just two overly curious and cheeky canines looking for some free food? To me, Fear is the summation of all the undefineable things that throw up resistance to change, roadblocks to experience, and an inability to love unconditionally. Not a fan of roadblocks of any kind, fear is not a companion I am willing to share my time, or my coffee, with. I have experienced it keenly as rape victim – brutal violence and violation that left me in a broken heap in the dirt. I endure its nearby presence daily as the founder of an international non profit that hasn’t yet turned the corner financially, and as a single mother that risked everything to fight for women’s rights in conflict zones like Afghanistan and at times has to choose between groceries and phone bill. I know how closely Fear is shadowing me.

The trick is to recognize Fear, to say hello as you would to the paranoid Tea Party supporter you see at the coffee shop every day, but to not make friends with it. If you simply try to ignore it, it tries to engage you in conversation, sucking you into the abyss.  But acknowledging it sets boundaries. “Hi, I see ya, but I’m too busy to chat today.”  Move along.  I’ve got things to do.

It’s the same on a mountain bike.  I have donated my fair share of blood and skin to the Gods of Dirt and Rock along with a cracked rib and broken elbow. One particularly pricey donation came while bombing down the backside of Hall Ranch chasing a much faster, and experienced, friend. I washed out on a slab of rock covered in a veil of loose dirt and ripped the better part of my forearm and elbow off.  I spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out what was me and was rock, and I know that by continuing to ride, donations like this are part of the contract.  Fear whispers, “Slow down, use your brakes.  Dismount before the rock garden. Don’t try to lift your wheel over that ledge, you’ll get hurt again!” But what Fear doesn’t realize is getting hurt is part of the game.  No one is invincible, we’re not built that way.  Life is meant to PLAY.

The therapy I get from two wheels, one gear, and miles of singletrack, overwhelmingly outweighs the risks.  The combination of a clear head, burned out quads, and dirt in my teeth far exceeds the occasional bodily appeasement to the deities. The irony is that by conquering Fear on my bike, I keep the daily Fear of life at bay, much like the old song, by Little Richard, “I hear you knocking but you can’t come in,” I call out.

The little victories on the bike translate into confidence and courage and then equals bigger victories off the bike. Choosing to get back on the bike knowing it may draw blood is a choice, and one I make willingly, even happily knowing that 95% of the time I’ll come off my bike, sore and dirty, but also gloriously happy.

I embrace the risks I’ve taken, without them I wouldn’t have ridden my singlespeed across the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. I probably wouldn’t have started mountain biking in the first place. I wouldn’t have lived abroad for ten years. I wouldn’t have started a business, or a non profit. I wouldn’t have entered the fight for women’s rights. I wouldn’t vacation in war zones. I wouldn’t have fallen in love. Twice. Hell, I wouldn’t have even become a mother, by far the scariest thing I’ve done to date, as anyone that has stared down a three-year-old’s tantrum can attest to.

Sorry, Fear, but you have to stay outside with the dogs.

The storm that hit the city on the afternoon of May 22, 2011, wiped clean entire neighborhoods, devastated a hospital and flattened schools. A year later, the debris is cleared from the city of 50,000, and residents are continuing the work of rebuilding their community.

A year after the storm ripped through the city, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon opened the day of remembrances with a sunrise ceremony where balloons were lifted into the air. Officials broke ground on schools that will replace the ones that were destroyed. Survivors are walking the path of the storm. And at 5:41 p.m. – the precise moment the tornado struck – residents will fall silent to remember the 161 lives lost.

Associated Press Photographer Charlie Riedel and photographers from The Joplin Globe show, from sunrise to sunset, how the day of memorials unfolds in Joplin.

What would it look like if all of Earth's water was brought together in a single sphere? It might be smaller than you would imagine.

The image above, from the USGS, shows all the world's water -- from bodies of water, glaciers, soil, water vapor and even living things -- in a sphere with a diameter of 860 miles. The volume of the sphere would equal 332.5 million cubic miles.

The USGS explains that the sphere only appears small in relation to the entire Earth -- the diameter of the sphere is a bit larger than the distance between Salt Lake City and Topeka, Kansas.

They notes that, according to one estimate, nearly 97 percent of Earth's water can be found in oceans, seas and bays while less than one percent can be found as freshwater in lakes, rivers or the ground.

British researchers recently mapped the quantity and potential yield of all of Africa's groundwater, which may help improve access to clean water for the continent's residents. Scientists from the British Geological Survey and University College London estimate that Africa's groundwater totals over 158,000 cubic miles.

The research comes as experts warn that increasing water scarcity is likely to contribute to political instability in Africa and elsewhere. John Kufuor, a former president of Ghana and current head of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, told Bloomberg, "People migrate to find water anywhere if there’s a scarcity situation. People have fought wars to access water."

Even the U.S. is not immune from water shortages. According to the EPA, more than 36 states are expecting "local, regional, or statewide" water shortages by 2013, "even under non-drought conditions."

Click here for more information on the world's water from the USGS.

Track and field star Lolo Jones isn't an Olympic virgin, considering she competed in the 2008 games, but she is a virgin in the traditional sense. You might think that an almost-30-year-old virgin would not advertise the fact that she's never had sex, but Olympian Lori "Lolo" Jones isn't shy about her virginity. Later-in-life virgins have a new celebrity role model in 29-year-old Lolo, as she's been opening up in interviews and on Twitter about online dating difficulties and keeping her V-card until marriage. On HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, the hurdle jumper said:

"This journey has been hard. It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Harder than training for the Olympics. Harder than studying for college has been staying a virgin before marriage. I've been tempted. I've had guys tell me . . . 'Hey, you know, if you have sex, it'll help you run faster.' If you marry me, then yeah."

Keeping her virginity hasn't been the only hurdle Lolo has had to overcome. She grew up bouncing from school to school with a single mom who had to work multiple jobs to support her family, even living in a church basement at one point. After splitting from her family to pursue her track-and-field dreams, Lolo went on to excel in school and to become the accomplished Olympian she is today. Now, Lolo gives back to those in need with her charitable activities and involvement in Christian ministries. She definitely proves that you don't have to be having sex to be a strong, sexy woman to watch.

See more pics of Lolo in action and on the red carpet now!

Flip-flops are a summer staple that many of us will be spending the next three months in. But instead of purchasing some flimsy pair at the local mall this year, why not consider slipping your toes into an eco-friendly, vegan option instead? We’ve rounded up 10 eco-friendly flip-flops that use everything from raffia fiber to recyclable rubber to make for some stylish slip-ons. Check ‘em all out ahead!

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Post tags: Chaco, Chipkos, eco friendly sandals, eco friendly shoes, eco-fashion, eco-friendly flip flops, Ethical Fashion, Feelgoodz, green fashion, Ipanema, Musewear, Ocean Minded, Okabashi, Patagonia, Planet Flops, recycled flip-flops, recycled sandals, recycled shoes, Splaff, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable flip-flops, sustainable sandals, sustainable shoes, sustainable style, upcycled flip-flops, upcycled sandals, upcycled shoes, vegan flip-flops, vegan sandals, vegan shoes

• 4 things to keep in mind if a guy pulls a disappearing act on you - TheFrisky
• Online dating safety: signs he's a criminal - YourTango
• Why being on The Bachelor could be good for your career - The Jane Dough
• Fifty Shades of Grey gets a Funny or Die parody - BuzzSugar
• A new website will tell you if you should dump your boyfriend - HuffPost Women
• Don't mess with these actresses - theBERRY
• 15 things you shouldn't do while online dating - CollegeCandy
• "Dealbreaker: she always agreed with me" - GOOD
• Meet the future Mrs. Alec Baldwin - The Daily Beast
• How to spot a hipster in the bedroom - Em & Lo

Here at Inhabitat we have seen some very creative iPhone amplifiers that use bamboo canes, repurposed musical instruments and even an entire tree trunk to blast tunes. But here is one example you can easily DIY by combining a vintage bike horn and a standard plastic tube. Homemade, low-tech and definitely eye-catching, Lowtechatmo’s Bike Horn iPhone will combine your love of music with your love for bikes.

Read the rest of iPhone Amplifier Reuses a Vintage Bike Horn to Blast Some Tunes

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Post tags: bicycles, DIY, electricity-free iPhone speakers, green gadgets, green products, iPhone Amplifier, Lowtechatmo

The U.S. military’s embrace of alternative energy seems to drive a segment of the public crazy – witness the many vituperative comments to this story about a hybrid ground combat vehicle under development by the Army. Now this skepticism about green warriors is gaining voice in Congress, where a House committee is trying to put the kibosh on the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet.”

Wired’s Danger Room reports that Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee want to ban the Navy from making or buying any alternative fuels that costs more than a “traditional fossil fuel.” The move is aimed specifically at biofuels, which are set to be a featured part of the Navy’s biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise planned for June 29 to August 3 in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

This extravaganza is billed as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, and the Navy wants to use it for “surface combatant and carrier-based aircraft testing, evaluating and demonstrating of the cross-platform utility and functionality” of biofuels made from algae and refined animal fats.

The Navy said the demo “will also incorporate prototype energy efficiency initiatives such as solid state lighting, online gas turbine waterwash and energy management tools,” but none of that is drawing the ire of conservatives. Instead, they’re focused on the alt fuels, the heart of the Great Green Fleet effort, under which the Navy seeks to deploy a fleet powered entirely by alternative fuels by 2016 on its way to reaching 50 percent alternative energy use overall by 2020.

South San Francisco-based Solazyme, which ferments algae to produce oil that can be refined into fuel, is one of two big players in the Navy’s biofuels program. The other is Louisiana-based Dynamic Fuels, a Tyson Foods-Syntroleum joint venture that makes its fuel from used cooking oil and non-food-grade animal fats. Last December the Navy said it will pay $12 million to purchase a total of 450,000 gallons of biofuels from the companies to help power a carrier group during big maritime exercises this summer.

The biofuels do come at a hefty cost. Based on the $12 million purchase price for 450,000 gallons, the Navy is paying north of $26 per gallon for the biofuel – more than eight times the approximately $3 per gallon that petroleum-based jet fuel is going for these days. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said the investment is worth it, for a number of reasons.

“We think that this represents a major step in energy independence for the United States in making the United States Navy a better war-fighting operation,” Mabus said, “and in reducing our dependence on unstable sources of foreign energy, as well as reducing the budget shocks that come with buying fuel from either potentially or actually unstable place on earth.”

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) is a leading critic of the Navy biofuels policy, arguing that in an era of shrinking budgets, the price premium for biofuels is a waste of money that could be spent on expanding the Navy’s fleet.

“When I look at shipbuilding, I see the secretary coming over here with a shipbuilding plan, and he won’t take a stretch goal on shipbuilding, you know, but we’re cutting down and we’re cutting down the goal that we had of 313 ships and saying no, 300 is enough,” Forbes told Navy Times last month. The Navy, in response, said there was no choice between fuel or ships, and that the Navy was supporting both.

"I do my best, but it's just not easy to know which mattress to buy, or how far from flame retardants you can get, or what food wrapped in plastic packaging is okay," she said.

On Tuesday, Nienstedt and her 11-year-old daughter, Tyler Cheyenne, joined about 200 other moms and children as part of the National Stroller Brigade in Washington, D.C. Their mission: convince Congress to retire the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act and replace it with the proposed Safe Chemicals Act, which currently awaits a Senate vote.

The swap would essentially shift the burden of proof for chemical safety from the current assumption that a chemical is safe until proven toxic -- generally after it has already spent years on the market -- to a requirement for industry to prove that a chemical is safe prior to placing it on store shelves.

"To me, the idea of testing chemicals before they are allowed to be used is common sense. We should have had that in place decades ago," Nienstedt said.

Evidence has been mounting that exposure to environmental chemicals, particularly while in the womb and during early childhood, can lead to health problems throughout life -- possibly even into future generations.

Just this Monday, a study was published suggesting that nearly a quarter of U.S. teens now have diabetes or pre-diabetes. That's up from 9 percent a decade ago. While there might be other possible contributions to the rise, recent research hints at the potential role of exposures to bisphenol-A and phthalates.

Autism, cancer, obesity and asthma are also on the list of conditions thought to be both increasingly common among children and associated with kids touching, eating or breathing toxic chemicals.

The new act, introduced by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in April 2011, would regulate both new chemicals coming on to the market as well as the existing inventory of chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be tasked with first addressing chemicals already suspected to be toxic and those that are particularly pervasive, regardless of what's known about them to date.

"The stroller brigade is carrying an important message to Congress that we're not going to stand by and let our kids continue to be exposed to chemicals that make them sick," Lautenberg, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, said in a statement. "Concerned moms are the best weapons we have in this fight. With their help, I will keep advancing the Safe Chemicals Act to reform our broken toxic chemical laws and provide a healthier future for our families."

Representatives of industry, however, don't think that Lautenberg's proposal is the best means to modernize the country's regulation of chemicals. "We will continue to work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to create a feasible science-based solution that will give consumers confidence that chemicals are being used safely and foster innovation and job creation in the U.S.," the American Chemistry Council, a lobbying group, said in a statement in response to Tuesday's event.

Receiving perhaps the most attention lately are flame retardants. Over the last couple of weeks, the Chicago Tribune has exposed the deceptive campaigns of Big Tobacco and chemical manufacturers that led to the proliferation of this known carcinogen in couches, chairs, nursing pillows and strollers, among other products. In a recent study, toxic flame retardants were found in 80 percent of tested products for babies and children. The most common: chlorinated Tris, which was actually banned from children's pajamas in the 1970s due to toxicity concerns.

"Somehow chemicals phased out of kid's pajamas wound their way into everything else that we hold up close to baby," Andy Igrejas, director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, told The Huffington Post.

"The current system amounts to an honor system," Igrejas said. "Chemicals get on the market without any health or safety data. And once on the market it can be used for anything, even without disclosing that chemical's presence in a product.

"Bottom line, there can be no honor system when we've shown companies have no honor," he added.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found traces of 212 industrial chemicals in the blood and urine of Americans. Several of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

Children's health advocates fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg, given that only 200 of the 80,000 chemicals available for industry use have been tested for any toxic threats. Tracey Woodruff, a reproductive health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said she thinks the chemical industry should have the same kinds of laws as the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to toxic chemicals. "We don't think it's strange to ask for the safety information of a drug before it's prescribed," she said.

"We want to tell Congress to stop waiting to protect children from toxic chemical exposures," added Maureen Swanson, a mom from Pittsburgh who participated in the brigade and directs the Healthy Children Project for the Learning Disabilities Association of America. "We've waited too long already."

With her second child, Mariah, she says that she is much more conscious of possible exposures. "I don't use plastics in cooking and I buy locally grown and organic produce, to the extent that I can," she said.

But like Nienstedt, Swanson said she is frustrated by the lack of information, and therefore control, over exposures. "Labels don't tell you what chemicals are in a product," she said. "Furniture that has flame retardants is almost impossible to avoid."

The proposed law would also make this information more transparent for consumers.

"Parents take a lot of responsibility for keeping their kids safe," Swanson said. "But we can't do it alone."

With China becoming the world’s leader of solar cells and panels, it was hoped that their mass production would help bring down global prices. However, in order to aid domestic manufacturing, the US has hampered such progress by imposing tariffs of as much as 250 percent on Chinese-made solar cells. While the decision was made to protect US solar production against foreign competition, it is expected that it will ultimately raise PV cell prices and hurt the domestic renewable energy industry.

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The president will visit TPI Composites, a wind manufacturer in Newton, on Thursday to highlight his push for tax credits to encourage investments in clean energy technologies. The trip is part of Obama's ongoing effort to prod Congress to act on a "to-do list" he says is necessary to make sure the economy doesn't lose steam.

Specifically, Obama wants Congress to renew the federal Production Tax Credit for the wind industry, which is set to expire at the end of the year, and expand the 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit, which supports American-made clean energy manufacturing.

The president's "to-do list" includes a series of economic initiatives he has been pushing for months, none of which have gained traction in Congress. Obama has been trying to blame congressional Republicans for blocking his ideas for creating jobs. And, by extension, he argues that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could be expected to follow their approach if elected.

Polls show the economy is the top issue for voters, and Americans are split over which candidate can best handle it.

Advocates say renewal of the production tax credit could save thousands of jobs and bring financial certainty to the wind industry, which has been vulnerable to boom-and-bust cycles. A study commissioned by the American Wind Energy Association, an industry group, said failure to extend the tax credit could mean the loss of as many as 37,000 U.S. jobs.

Iowa is the second-leading state in the U.S. for wind power, after Texas.

Angela Casey's class is directing its efforts towards the governors of Oregon and Washington as well as President Obama, asking them to prevent any more sea lions from dying on the Columbia River.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS)

Oregon and Washington state officials have captured and euthanized California sea lions caught eating the salmon in the Columbia River. The two states are exempt from the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, allowing officials to kill the creatures by claiming they have a significant negative impact on the endangered salmon population.

Since May 4, nine sea lions have been killed and one was saved and sent to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The heroic effort of Casey's third grade class to prevent any more killings has caught the attention of politicians, news outlets and activists along the west coast.

On May 10, Casey traveled to Oregon to try to hand-deliver her students' letters to Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber, however, was not able to meet with her in person.

"I'm very upset that sea lions in Oregon are being killed for salmon! It's your fishermen's fault because they are over fishing," one student's letter reads. "There are better ways to save salmon without hurting sea lions."

"My office received 15 letters from Lafayette Elementary students,” State Senator Mark Leno said in a statement. “I applaud these young people and their teacher for taking a stand on this animal protection issue and thank them for their advocacy and passion.”

But the fight won't end here.

On May 15, attorneys for the Humane Society of the United States argued that killing sea lions is not the solution for protecting endangered salmon.

Pending a judge's decision, Oregon and Washington are currently allowed to remove twenty more sea lions this year. Casey, however, remains hopeful that the judge will rule in the sea lions' favor.

"The school year ends this Friday, but this issue does not. We await the judge's ruling and my third graders continue to get a lot of press," said Casey on the Facebook page she created to feature her students' efforts.

The sea lion sent to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium was named Casey after the teacher's efforts.

The judge is set to release his final decision on the fate of the sea lions later this month. In the mean time, take a look at the sample from the students' campaign below:

"Harry Potter" fans enchanted with the boy wizard's owl sidekick Hedwig drove up demand for the birds during book and movie releases, the Mirror reports. But now that all book installments and film adaptations have been released, many owners are abandoning their pet owls into the wild, where they are unprepared to care for themselves.

"Before the films were out I had six owls, now it's 100. It’s all down to ­Harry Potter," Pam Toothill, a rescue workers at the Owlcenter sanctuary in Corwen, North Wales, told the paper. "People saw ­Harry’s owl in the movies and thought how cute and cuddly they looked. Now they are bored and fed-up with all the work involved looking after an owl."

Toothill said that in order to properly to care for owls, owners need to purchase a 20-ft. aviary, which can easily cost more than $1,000. Unfortunately, many unprepared pet owners have kept birds in apartments with limited space -- one owl Toothill rescued had been living in a man's bedroom.

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has pleaded with fans to sponsor an owl that needs help rather than trying to take one in as a pet, according to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.

"If anybody has been influenced by my books to think an owl would be happiest shut in a small cage and kept in a house, I would like to take this opportunity to say as forcefully as I can, 'you are wrong,'" Rowling said.

But if past cases of fan-fueled animal crazes are any indication, people are often undeterred by such advice. When Disney released the live-action film '101 Dalmatians' in 1996, animals rights advocates worked tirelessly to educate prospective pet owners about the breed in order to prevent disastrous adoptions.

Unfortunately, the film's popularity fueled thousands of Dalmatian puppy adoptions that owners later regretted, and shelters were soon overflowing with unwanted dogs, The New York Times reported in 1997.

Years earlier, thousands of pet turtles met a similar fate after fans of the animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV series grew tired of their newly-adopted pets, according to Change.org. Many dumped their turtles in ponds or lakes, where they began to reproduce and outcompete indigenous species of turtles for food.

Pat Morrison, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that L.A.-area animal shelters see a rise in pet abandonments whenever a popular animal movie is released. The movie "Babe" spurred unwise pig adoptions, and the movies "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and "Marmaduke" caused similar upswings in failed adoptions for Chihuahas and Great Danes.

"Every time a cute-dog or cute-cat movie comes out, 5% of the box office take –- gross, not net; I have lived here long enough to know about Hollywood accounting –- should go to animal shelters to take care of these bought-and-abandoned "fad dogs," Morrison wrote.

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