Clipmarks | urbanlife's Comments

An End To Mountaintop Removal Mining?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:36:16 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: good news if they can beat the coal co's

ABINGDON, Va. - Mountaintop removal could be ended by as early as next year, said a leader in an environmental group working to halt the destructive mining practices.

“Now there is an increasingly powerful and vocal national movement to stop mountaintop removal,” said Matt Wasson, an ecologist and director of programs for Appalachian Voices. “I’m saying we’re going to have it stopped by the end of next year … the end of 2009.”

“Mountaintop removal” is, to some, a controversial term. It refers to the blasting away of mountain ridges to get to the coal underneath, a process that evolved with technological advancements over the decades from traditional contour mining.

What makes this type of mining cost-effective is a valley-fill permit, which allows the overburden - dirt and rock removed to expose the coal - to be dumped into adjacent valleys.

“Mountaintop removal mining is a national disgrace,” said Aaron Isherwood

“If the American people knew what was happening in Appalachia

our culture's proclivity to rip down our past, and pave over

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:39:31 GMT

clipped by: tidbit2

Clip Source: www.goodreads.com

Although this novel is written for children, I think it has great application for contemporary society and any age. Just a few days ago -- I learned that a historic area close by is going to be demolished, the red brick arches, the architecture of the past to be crumbled and soon taken away by trucks. Only too Be replaced with a strip mall with shops in chains and corporations that could be anywhere. It's frightening to think of our culture's proclivity to rip down our past, and pave over what is underneath .... whether it be just buildings or the wisdom of our elders....

Downtown McConnelsville Building Collapses

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:17:51 GMT

clipped by: presohio

Clip Source: www.whiznews.com

One of the older historic buildings in Morgan county has collapsed.

The building was located on Main street next to the Sheriff's Office and County Courthouse.

The collapse, last Friday, caused some excitement in downtown McConnelsville around 12:30 in the afternoon.

The building has a long history and at one time housed the popular Coffee Shop Restauarant and was also where the bus station was housed.

Chief Building Official with the Mid-East Ohio Building Department in Zanesville is Jim Waymer. He told WHIZ News that he had condemned the building a few weeks ago. "The building was condemned because there were bricks falling out of the side onto the alley and then from there the owner had the option of repairing the building or razing the building" said Waymer. "The indication we got that he got a contractor to come in and tear it down. The contractor just didn't do it soon enough."

Tags: preservation, demolition, mcconnelsville

Community Garden Slide Show

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:14:44 GMT

clipped by: egsnyder
clipper's remarks: This is an 8 minute success story slide show featuring a downtown, urban community garden project in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Thanks to Pauline Gabriel, Regina.FullCircles.org, for bringing the project to our attention.

/e

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

NCCA Community Garden Slideshow

[Video]

Tags: community garden, sharing, gifting

10 Beautiful Butterflies And Their Caterpillars

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:48:33 GMT

clipped by: hitchhiker08
clipper's remarks: Actually I did not think the offspring was ugly at all! Depends on each one's perspective I guess...?!

Clip Source: www.scienceray.com

10 Beautiful Butterflies and Their Ugly Duckling Offspring

nother opportunity to scratch your head at the vagaries of Mother Nature, take a look at this pictorial proof of butterfly beauty and caterpillar creepiness!

The Tiger Swallowtail

You can see the black “tiger” strips on the wing of the male

in the caterpillar stage of its life.

will appear to be a piece of bird dropping, which is nice. However, if you disturb it then it rears its head

The Common Nawab

More slug-looking than anything, this little guy is giving off a message to his predators that he will not make a tasty meal

The Evening Brown

Although not the most colorful

Evening Brown is a lovely butterfly

The Malachite Butterfly

named after the green mineral malachite

Great Purple Hairstreak

caterpillar (larvae more rightly) is pretty much the overweight kid

The Eastern Black Swallowtail

The Morpho Nestira

Clip Source: www.scienceray.com

Magellan's Iridescent Birdwing

Orange-barred Sulphur

The Monarch

Monarch caterpillar has now been spotted in places such as Bermuda

Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, larvae, flowers, metamorphosis, insect, lepidoptera

moving houses

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:05:48 GMT

clipped by: rachaelkeriwilliams

Clip Source: www.dexmovers.com

Tags: structural movers, houses, moving, relocation, preservation, salvage

Old New York

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:48:52 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman
clipper's remarks: Even more at the site

Clip Source: wirednewyork.com

Woolworth

West St., 1885

Herald Sq., 1888. 6th Ave. El.

Terminal, 1892. Alfred Stieglitz.

Winter, 1893. Stieglitz.

Broadway, 1894

Herald Sq., 1895

Lower Broadway, 1899. Lots of hats.

Police Parade, 1899. Bowler hats, hardly any women.

Tiffany’s, Union Sq., 1899. Early car and some figures added by artist.

Easter, Fifth Avenue, 1900.One car visible, coming towards foreground.

Hester St., Lower East Side, 1901.

Flatiron, 1903. Burnham.

Broad St., 1904. Stock Exchange and Federal Hall.

Municipal Building under construction, 1904. McKim. No cars.

The Belmont Coach, 1905, four horses. Dogs run free.

Easter, Fifth Ave., 1906. No cars.

City Hall subway, 1907. Turkish headhouses.

Lower East Side, 1908.

Herald Square, 1909. Skyscraper beyond is NY Times Building in Times Sq. Cars have replaced horses.

Automatic Vaudeville, Union Sq., 1910.

Downtown skyline with Singer Building., 1910. World’s tallest.

Federal Crowd Control, 1918.

Times Square from New York Times Building., 1922.

The cost of saving the planet: $190 Billion

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:12:22 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Make no mistake about it...

Clip Source: weirdandinteresting.blogspot.com

What would it cost to wipe out world poverty, guarantee universal health care, stabilise population growth and roll back the ravages of global warming?

About $190 billion a year, or the equivalent of a third of U.S. annual military expenditure, a prominent environmental economist says in a new book.

"Once you accept that climate change, population growth, spreading water shortages, rising food prices etcetera are threats to our security, it changes your whole way of thinking about how you use public resources," Lester Brown told Reuters in an interview.

From eradicating adult illiteracy to restoring fisheries and stabilising water tables, the head of the Earth Policy Institute think tank in Washington calculates the cost of saving civilisation in a new edition of his best-selling "Plan B".

The $190 billion price tag compares with $1.2 trillion that world governments spent on military budgets in 2006. The United States splurged the most with $560 billion.

Tags: planet, humanity, budget

City Slickers Turn Tropical Entrepreneurs: An Eco-Adventure

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:44:48 GMT

clipped by: urbanlife
clipper's remarks: Imagine going after your dream business…on a tropical island. What does it really take to build an island resort? In 2002, four city slickers set out to build their dream business in the Panamanian rainforest: called Tranquilo Bay.

All of the buildings at Tranquilo Bay—are constructed from steel, virtually unheard of in that corner of Panama: but they wanted to protect against termites, sea air, and earthquake damage.

Jim Kimball and Jay Viola knew nothing about construction before beginning work on the buildings. They learned everything they needed from the Internet during Sunday visits to the mainland.

“We built Tranquilo Bay inside the rainforest overlooking the Caribbean Sea and the beautiful Panamanian Jungle. Our central location within the archipelago of Bocas del Toro permits us to explore some of the most biologically diverse areas of Panama and Central America: an archipelago of some 68 tropical islands”

http://www.tranquilobay.com/home.htm

Clip Source: ifmsapanama.org

Clip Source: www.inc.com

In 2002, four city slickers set out to build their dream business in the Panamanian rainforest

Jim and Renee Kimball and Jay and Stefania Viola had no construction experience, no modern equipment, no electricity and no skilled labor

What they did have was mud, heat, and plenty of crocodiles

the creation of their eco adventure lodge Tranquilo Bay -- a testament to entrepreneurial adventure in its purest form

Clip Source: www.inc.com

used a boat called a “panga” as their pickup truck to ferry tools to the dock under construction

Clip Source: www.inc.com

For more than two years Kimball and Viola camped out on a raised platform dubbed “the rancho.”

inside tents, which were attached to a roof

No toilets. No electricity. Lots of snakes and bugs.

Clip Source: www.inc.com

The entrepreneurs built the cabanas

Clip Source: www.inc.com

Kimball and Viola standing before the first completed cabana

Clip Source: www.inc.com

All supplies were unloaded at the dock and then dragged up to the work site

Clip Source: www.inc.com

The same method used by builders of the Panama Canal.

Clip Source: www.inc.com

Clip Source: msnbcmedia2.msn.com

Tags: eco-advetnure, panama, rainforest, dream job, island, vacation, nature

FreeCycle

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:51:35 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.freecycle.org

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,543 groups with 5,477,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

Proms-Dress Drive Aids Foster Girls

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:47:18 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.socialworkers.org

Student's Prom-Dress Drive Aids Foster Girls

It's a teenage rite of spring: picking out the perfect prom dress for a magical night of dancing and romance. But for some girls, it's not as easy as just wandering the aisles and finding what strikes one's fancy. NASW member and social work student Tyleen Caffrey decided to do something about that.

Caffrey, 32, was a foster child herself. Her foster parents were unable to afford a prom dress for her, but her foster mother was able to make one. She realized, however, that not all children in foster care would have that option. She developed the plan in October with the Southern Miss Student Association of Social Workers and began collecting dresses.

Her original projections estimated the project would serve about 50 girls, with hair styling and makeup for 10 of those girls. "We collected between 450 and 500 dress altogether," she said. "And every girl who came through [the Department of Human Services] got a full makeover.

Tags: foster care, children, poverty

Couples, Divorcees Could be Forced To Plant Trees

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:10:21 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.treehugger.com

In Brazil, Marrying Couples, Divorcees Could be Forced To Plant Trees

A project by Brazilian Deputy Carlos Humberto Mannato could establish that all people who want to get married, get divorced, buy a new car, or build a house would have to plant a certain amount of trees to offset their activity.

The deputy thinks this will help reduce the effects of global warming in the long term without affecting people's pockets. With this law, "The person who buys a 100 thousand reals apartment would pay about 50 reals for the environment. That's a ridiculous amount that might be symbolic to people but that could mean a lot for the environment," Mannato said to O Globo newspaper. "We have to start somewhere, and that could be this federal law."

Why divorce? "When people separate, families are divided and that results in an increase of the number of residences, which leads to a higher space occupation and consume of energy and water," explained Mannato to O Globo.

2008 Rainbow Gathering

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:20:20 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Thanks to Dee for the photos. It brings back memories.

Clip Source: deesings.livejournal.com

A really cool feature of the Rainbow Gathering is just taking in the sights - the people and all the creativity. Here are more photos:

The Prayer Pole in the Main Meadow where all the meals are served and the Meditation for World Peace on July 4:

This is Tianna from Hawaii. I was struck by her creativity during her pregnancy:

July 4: Meditation for World Peace (thousands of people encircling the main meadow with hands held chanting "OM", followed by a parade led by Kiddie Village and then culminating in a big boisterous celebration that lasts all day and night:

This is the very colorful "Grandpa Woodstock" who is a regular attendee of the Annual Gathering. He told me that I was "very beautiful and could be Queen of the Blueberry Blossoms"!

The area was very beautiful. We walked along the Dutch Joe River....

....and walked to the top of a rock with dozens of other folks to watch the sunset:

Living Lightly

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:24:01 GMT

clipped by: egsnyder
clipper's remarks: A project led by David Chernushenko, producer of the film, BE THE CHANGE...

Chernushenko was interviewed on the local cable station last evening.

Clip Source: www.livinglightly.ca

Living Lightly

Clip Source: www.livinglightly.ca

What is Living Lightly?

Living Lightly means seeking a personally fulfilling and enriching way of life that makes a positive impact on our environment, our community and society, and inspires others to want to join us.

There is no single definition of Living Lightly, nor is there a roadmap or a set of commandments that will apply to every person in every society.

Living Lightly is a pursuit, a philosophy or maybe even a quest. It is a social movement with a very individual approach, and as such can be very public and communal, or very private and personal.

Living Lightly is a lifestyle that is at the same time ethical, practical, economical and spiritual.

Photo by Mykl Roventine

Clip Source: www.livinglightly.ca

Ideas Exchange

What do you think Living Lightly means?
What are you doing, and what else can you do to make a difference?

Do you have ideas, advice and accomplishments to share?
Do you want to find out what others in the Living Lightly community are doing?

Blog

Tags: living lightly, environmental footprint, environment

Seneca County Courthouse Rally

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:37:58 GMT

clipped by: presohio

Clip Source: toledoblade.com

TIFFIN — As the saga of the once-endangered Randolph County, Indiana, courthouse played out on screen yesterday, those fighting to save the Seneca County courthouse couldn’t help but notice the similarities.

A long-neglected courthouse whose stately clock tower and top floor were removed in the 1950s. A 2-1 vote by county commissioners to tear the landmark down and build new. And a fight, a very valiant fight, to save it.

“It reflects a great deal of what’s going on here,” Rayella Engle, a long-time courthouse supporter, said after the showing of Courthouse Girls of Farmland, a documentary about seven senior citizens’ efforts to help save their county courthouse by posing in their birthday suits for a calendar that drew attention to the issue.

“I liked what it said at the end, something like, ‘Apathy is as dangerous as the wrecking ball,’” Ms. Engle said. “I just wish the [Seneca] county commissioners could see and hear some of this.”

Tags: preservation, revitalization, courthouses, tiffin