ECOLOGY

GM PLANTS ESCAPING INTO THE WILD

GREGORY M. LAMB, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR - In rice-growing states,
traces of an unapproved genetically modified rice have been found mixed
in with conventional rice meant for human consumption. In Oregon,
genetically engineered creeping bentgrass, being tested for possible use
on golf courses, has been found miles outside its test beds, making it
the first GM plant known to have escaped into the wild.

In Hawaii, a federal judge has admonished the US Department of
Agriculture for displaying "utter disregard" for the state's endangered
native plant species. The judge says the USDA failed to conduct research
on the environmental effects of fields of experimental corn and
sugarcane that had been genetically modified to produce pharmaceuticals.
Environmental and food-safety groups have asked for a moratorium on all
field tests of experimental drug-producing plants until their safety
precautions can be reviewed.

Early indications are that in each case little substantial harm has been
done. . . But many who closely watch how biotechnology is changing
agriculture, including those who see a valuable role for GM crops, are
disturbed by what appears to be a series of recent incidents showing lax
supervision of experimental plantings by the government and
agribusinesses. . .

After the news spread that unapproved GM long-grain rice had been found
in US consumer supplies, the European Union announced it would require
imports of long-grain rice from the US to be certified as free from the
GM strain. Japan has suspended its imports of American long-grain rice
pending further review.

http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/top/~3/17792398/p15s01-sten.html

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COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS: UGLY BUT THEY WORK

ALICE HILL REAL TECH NEWS - Like most people, I hated the compact
fluorescent bulb or CFL when it first came out, and to be honest, for
some time after that. They were priced high but packaged in a gimmicky
way that made me suspicious. Most hotels used them and it felt like it
took five minutes for the light to come on and when it did, there was
not much light, and it was not a warm looking lighting color. And then
the price - at double or even three times the cost, who would take the
chance on a bulb that would last years when there was little known about
them? So I stayed away.

How wrong I was. Here is a great round-up of facts from Fast Company
that may change the way you think of these bulbs.

- If every one of 110 million American households bought just one
ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an
ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city
of 1.5 million people.

- Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but
use 75% or 80% less electricity.

- A $3 swirl pays for itself in lower electric bills in about five
months.

- Compact fluorescents, even in heavy use, last 5, 7, 10 years. Years.
Install one on your 30th birthday; it may be around to help illuminate
your 40th.

- The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is
power plants–half our electricity comes from coal plants. One bulb
swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power
plants–or skip building the next two.

- In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the
atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the
roads.

- Last year, U.S. consumers spent about $1 billion to buy about 2
billion light bulbs – 5.5 million every day. Just 5%, 100 million, were
compact fluorescents.

- A 60-watt classic bulb and a 15-watt swirl are identically bright–the
swirl just uses 45 fewer watts.

http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3433#more-3433

FAST COMPANY
http://www.fastcompany.com/subscr/108/open_lightbulbs.html

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WASHINGTON STATE'S GLACIER MELT A MAJOR CLIMATE CHANGE INDICATOR

LES BLUMENTHAL, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS - With more glaciers than any state
in the Lower 48, Washington state has emerged as a bellwether for global
warming. At Mount Rainier, which has more glacial ice than the rest of
the Cascades combined and is among the best studied in the nation, the
National Park Service says the area covered by glaciers on the mountain
shrunk by more than a fifth between 1913 and 1994 and the volume of the
glaciers by almost one fourth. A national environmental group recently
reported that North Cascades and Mount Rainier are among the dozen
national parks most susceptible to climate change. . . "They are the
canary in the coal mine," Ed Josberger, the head of the U.S. Geological
Survey's ice and climate project in Tacoma, said of the glaciers in
Washington state. "They are changing fast, and this is not good."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0829-02.htm

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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TO OFFER DEGREE IN ORGANIC FARMING

NATHAN CRABBE, GAINESVILLE SUN, FL - As organic food becomes a bigger
presence on the shelves of major grocery stores, the University of
Florida is following suit by expanding the study and research of organic
farming. UF officials recently announced the university will be one of
the first in the U.S. to offer an organic farming major. A class in
organic crop production is being offered for the first time this fall
semester as part of the program. . . The development of national organic
standards in 2002 made the UF major possible, said Danielle Treadwell,
an assistant horticulture professor teaching the crop production course.
Now students can be taught standards that can be applied anywhere in the
country, she said. . .

The sale of organic foods has grown nearly 20 percent annually since
1990 and accounted for $13.8 billion in consumer sales in 2005,
according to the Organic Trade Association. Organics now represent 2.5
percent of all food sales, the group reported.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/NEWS/608300373/1004


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HYBRID MINI-COOPER HAS MOTORS IN EACH WHEEL

TREE HUGGER - A British engineering firm has put together a
high-performance hybrid version of BMW's Mini Cooper. The PML Mini QED
has a top speed of 150 mph, a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds. The car uses
a small gasoline engine with four 160 horsepower electric motors — one
on each wheel. The car has been designed to run for four hours of
combined urban/extra urban driving, powered only by a battery and bank
of ultra capacitors. The QED supports an all-electric range of 200-250
miles and has a total range of about 932 miles. For longer journeys at
higher speeds, a small conventional internal combustion engine is used
to re-charge the battery. In this hybrid mode, fuel economies of up to
80mpg can be achieved.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/the_hybrid_mini.php

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NO PROGRESS ON DRIVING HABITS

[From the latest Census report]

- The share of people driving alone to work increased from 75.7 percent
in 2000 to 77 percent last year.

- The share of people carpooling to work dropped from 12.2 percent in
2000 to 10.7 percent last year.

- The share of people using mass transit stayed the same at 4.7 percent.

- The share of people walking to work dropped from 2.9 percent in 2000
to 2.5 percent last year.

- The share of people working at home increased from 3.3 percent in 2000
to 3.6 percent last year.

http://www.cnn.com/rssclick/2006/US/08/30/commute.times.ap/index.html?
section=cnn_topstories

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Building a Zero-Carbon World
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/081406EB.shtml
UK "green" architect Bill Dunster is finding unparalleled opportunity in China
for environment-conscious urban design. State planners have suddenly "got" the
environment in a big way, and this year China announced a major investment
program in renewable technologies. By the end of 2010, all Chinese buildings
will need to reduce energy use by 50 per cent.

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Dave Freeman and Jim Harding | Solar Cells Change Electricity Distribution
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/081406EC.shtml
In separate announcements over the past few months, researchers at the
University of Johannesburg and at Nanosolar, a private company in Palo Alto,
have announced major breakthroughs in reducing the cost of solar electric cells.
While trade journals are abuzz with the news, analysis of the potential
implications has been sparse.