When I was in Antarctica, I saw a few icebergs that had linear voids where ice melted out. These were typically icebergs that flipped or tipped on their side. The sections melted when that part of the iceberg was underwater. These voids can fill up with sea water that’s rich in algae, creating the striped effect you see in this image.

For more information, see Snopes on Striped Icebergs.

Thanks to The Wanderer for this tip!

Derek goes “Inside the Bottle” and exposes the billion dollar fib we’re been made to swallow. To learn more visit: www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca

Some people make a business out of getting around the law, regardless of the affect it has on you or your health. The intent of the Clean Water Act is to protect water from getting contaminated. Unfortunately, the act mentions “navigable waterways” which leaves a loophole. That means that companies can dump whatever toxins they want into “non-navigable” waterways, like the Avondale Creek in Alabama. At one time in its history, the creek was probably a great place to swim on a hot southern day. But no more. The McWane Company of Alabama took advantage of the loophole and dumped lead and zinc into this little creek. And because the creek isn’t a “navigable waterway,” the company can truthfully claim on their website that it has:

“implemented environmental practices that in many instances exceed U.S. standards, producing performance that is among the best of the industries in which we operate. McWane strives to improve our performance every day, so that we are part of protecting our environment for generations to come.”

But McWane isn’t the only company. I’m not singling them out. It’s just that they were mentioned in the New York Times today. There are lots others, do you know of any in your area.

The Clean Water Act needs to be fixed to eliminate the loopholes. The act confuses the Supreme Court as to what water is protected exactly. You or I could probably figure this out, even without a law degree. But the law is all about wording!

Read Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling E.P.A. from the New York Times. Then take action to get your representatives to fix the act.

If you drink bottled water, you might be concerned with the composition of the plastic bottle that the water comes in. The Straight Dope has a great article you should read: What’s up with compostable plastics?

An excerpt from the article:

So what’s compostable plastic good for? It’s made from a renewable resource, namely corn, but that doesn’t necessarily make it environmentally friendly. Writing in Scientific American in 2000, Tillman Gerngross and Steven Slater pointed out that manufacturing PLA required more fossil fuels than it takes to make most plastics, canceling out the environmental benefit.

They weren’t completely down on the stuff, though, and pointed out two benefits you might not suspect. First, much of the energy needed to turn corn into plastic could be obtained by burning the stalks and leaves, known as stover, which are normally discarded. Second, they argue, we don’t reallywant PLA to biodegrade — just the opposite. The big push these days is on figuring out ways to sequester carbon so it doesn’t enter the atmosphere as CO2, one of the major greenhouse gases. What better way to do that than grow corn, which sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere, then use the corn to make plastic, which can be buried underground after use?

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying this is accepted scientific advice. But it’s not out of the question that years from now the environmentally responsible thing may be to use all the plant-derived plastic packaging you can and then throw the stuff away.

If you are really concerned, you’ll give up drinking bottled water. Then you won’t have to worry about the origin and future of the plastic bottle.

Thanks to The Wanderer for the pointer to The Straight Dope.

Two icebergs are now drifting off Antarctica’s coast. One of them is 23 years old and is named B9B. The other just came into existence because B9B smacked into the Mertz Glacier and broke off a chunk. Any ideas for names of this second iceberg? We can’t let this chunk of ice have as dull a name as its companion B9B?

B9B is 97 kilometers long, which puts it at the size of the country of Luxembourg. Hop on it, declare yourself the ice king or queen, and you can stand ruler over any penguins and seals that jump on.

This second iceberg (Ms. Newberg, perhaps?) is 78 kilometers long. How big is that? It holds about a fifth of the water usage of the world!

For the full story:
2 Huge Icebergs Let Loose Off Antarctica’s Coast

Did you ever stay in a hotel that places cards in your room that encourage you to reuse the towels and sheets during your stay? It gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling that your stay is helping the environment. You are saving water! When I walk around such a hotel and see an extraordinary number of lights on—and kept on all night—I wonder whether the hotel is really all that committed to saving the environment. Or is the hotel just trying to attract green customers?

In the 1980’s the term greenwashing was invented to refer to the practice of hotels that promoted linen reuse but did not also have other strategies for recycling. Green is good. Don’t get me wrong. But it is deceptive to spend more money promoting products as green than actually making sure the company is green or that the product itself is green.

That’s one of the reasons why I posted Is Bottled Water Green? some time back. Focusing on whether the bottle itself is better than some other bottle totally misses the point that bottling water is not an environmentally friendly practice to begin with.

Do you have any examples of greenwashing?

If you are a member of the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or know a member, vote for The Cove to win best documentary film. The exposure will help stop Japan from killing the dolphins. In turn you’ll also help stop the Japanese people and countless pets from being exposed to mercury by the deceptive labeling of dolphin meat, which has toxic levels of mercury.

If you are not a member of the Academy, buy the DVD and host a screening at your house prior to Oscar night. Get your friends to discuss the issues in the movie and to take action.

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The Cove movie site has a study guide that you can use to engage your students with the issues shown in the movie.

The movie provides a great opportunity to discuss these issues and more:

• Is it okay to capture dolphins? Is it okay to swim with dolphins?
• How dos a person change from one viewpoint to the opposite, as Rick O’Barry did. Ric captured and trained dolphins for the Flipper TV series many years ago.
• Is the tradition of a people more important than the needs of an animal?
• Environmental activism—do the ends justify the means?

“It is a bloodbath, cruel and barbaric. Each year, the idyllic and peaceful setting of the village of Taiji in southern Japan is shattered by almost unspeakable cruelty as indreible pain and ultimate death is inflicted on defenseless dolphins.” Paul Watson, president and founder, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

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What can you do?

Follow these suggestions from Sea Shepherd and then visit their website for more suggestions and information:

In order to spread the news about what is happening in Japan, we need to get media coverage from your local media (TV, NEWSPAPERS AND RADIO):
• Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers
• Call TV and radio stations to ask them to cover this important news
• Refer your local broadcast and cable TV stations to Sea Shepherd to get a free copy of our Susan Sarandon “Save the Dolphins” Public Service Announcement (PSA)
• You can offer the Sea Shepherd telephone number 360-370-5650, so the media can contact us for interviews with Sea Shepherd president and founder, Captain Paul Watson.

One of the incentives for the Japanese slaughter of dolphins is that some of the dolphins they catch can be sold for as much as $100,000 to “Swim With Dolphins” attractions.

Read the World Society for the Protection of Animals excellent article “What’s Wrong With Swimming WIth Dolphins?”

Here’s one excerpt from that article:

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of the SWTD industry is the misconception it perpetuates among the general public. SWTD programs present themselves as “educational” and “eco-friendly”. They market themselves to people who love dolphins, care about conservation and are looking for a tangible way to express this interest. What SWTD participants don’t realize is that by patronizing these programs, they are not only contributing to this expanding, profit-driven industry, but they are ensuring that dolphins will continue to be captured from the wild and suffer in captivity.

Make no mistake . . . swim with dolphin programs are about making money. A single dolphin can bring in millions a year; it’s an industry worth over a billion dollars. You might be thinking that not every dolphin comes from Japan and is part of the slaughter machine.

What about dolphins born in captivity?

The Cove website provides a great answer to this question:

“It is the same question slave owners asked about children born into slavery.”