RIP Picher, Oklahoma 1918 – 2011

Image Credit: sync.democraticunderground.com

Located in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, the town of Picher was once home to the world’s richest lead and zinc mining field. After decades of mining, towering piles of mine waste covered 25,000 acres, devastating Quapaw tribal lands and local economies. Acid mine water burned nearby Tar Creek and stained it red. An alarmingly high percentage of local children were found to have toxic levels of lead in their blood, along with high rates of cancer and other diseases among the populace. (more…)

In Reverse Order – (Cause it’s easier to swallow this way.)  I am sure there is more but below is
my list.

—— The UGLY :

Caribbean Monk Seal – Now Extinct

Humans hunting the docile creatures for research, food and blubber left the population
unsustainable, say biologists who warn that Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could
be the next to go.

Polar Bears Resort To Cannibalism As Arctic Ice Shrinks

Scientists have noticed increasing reports of starving Arctic polar bears attacking
and feeding on one another in recent years. Less than 30 years ago, there would still (more…)

(Silver Spring, Md.) – Planet Green, Discovery Communications’ multiplatform environmental initiative and leading non-profit environmental organization the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) today announced plans to join forces on a broad range of activities and initiatives including grassroots community outreach, public affairs and content creation.

“NRDC has taken a leadership role across the spectrum of environmental stewardship, from the water we drink to the fuels we use, to the protection of our fragile ecosystems,” said Clark Bunting, President Discovery Emerging Networks. “NRDC is an important addition to Planet Green’s distinguished group of partners as we work together to inform, engage and inspire people to create a positive and lasting legacy for the planet.”

“Discovery’s Planet Green has become a critical voice for the solutions to our
most pressing environmental challenges,” said Frances Beinecke, NRDC president. (more…)

Energy efficiency boom leads 9 clean technology predictions for 2009

SHANGHAI, China, December 4th, 2008 – Continuing an annual tradition, the Cleantech
Group™, founders of the cleantech investment category and providers of leading global
market research and financial services for the cleantech ecosystem, today issued nine
predictions for clean technology markets in 2009, forecasting progress in some sectors,
but delays and setbacks in others.

A reflection of undercurrents in the global clean technology category from the company’s
conversations with industry and government leadership worldwide, the nine predictions
include a global focus on energy efficiency as a job creation and economic engine, and an
increase in valuations of global wind companies. (more…)

Looks like T. Boone and Walmart are in the lets make a deal phase.  Walmart
has announced it would buy 15 percent of the electricity for its Texas
facilities from Duke Energy wind farm.  That 15 percent equates to 226
million kilowatt hours or 18,000 homes could be powered for a year.

Walmart is buying the power and accompanying renewable energy credits
beginning in April from a Duke Energy wind farm in Notrees, Texas. The power
will supply WalMart’s 360 facilities within the competitive Texas grid. (more…)

For you futurists, geeks and of course, you greenies……… look at this!

Supercomputers Break Petaflop Barrier, Transforming Science By Betsy Mason
A new crop of supercomputers is breaking down the petaflop speed barrier, pushing
high-performance computing into a new realm that could change science more profoundl
than at any time since Galileo, leading researchers say.

When the Top 500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers was announced at the
international supercomputing conference in Austin, Texas, on Monday, IBM had barely
managed to cling to the top spot, fending off a challenge from Cray. But both competitors
broke petaflop speeds, performing 1.105 and 1.059 quadrillion floating-point calculations (more…)

This is a guest article focused on the environmental effects of domestic oil
refinery use from Mesothelioma.com, a leading web resource for information about
mesothelioma cancer and its various causes.

CFCs and Fossil Fuels Have Short, Long Tail Effects

Often when considering the environmental hazards presented by human behavior, we fail to
see further than the direct effect on our planet. However, if we examine further, we can
gather that our behavior is affecting not only the earth we live on but also the general
human condition. There are essentially two levels to the damage posed by destructive
environmental actions. Let’s examine each of them in depth for a better comprehension of
this hazard.

(more…)