11 SEPTEMBER 2021
Time for Lawns to Go!
An interesting story about one person's struggle to provide a bit of habitat in the big city. The authorities are not amused!
30 AUGUST 2021
The End of Leaded Gas? Not Quite.
The headline on NPR reads (in part) The World Has Finally Stopped Using Leaded Gasoline. Because lead exposure causes serious health problems, the end of leaded gasoline use would be very good news indeed, but it isn't quite true. Several paragraphs into the article we learn that leaded gasoline is still used by some airplanes and off-road vehicles. I think about that whenever I see a piston-powered airplane pass overhead, and imagine tiny lead particles raining down on those of us below. Still, this is a good development, as far as it goes.
29 AUGUST 2021
Environmental Movement Lies
Journalist Chris Hedges interviews Derrick Jensen and Lierre Keith about their new book Bright Green Lies.
27 AUGUST 2021
Ark
I have no idea how many films I watched in school from first grade through twelfth, but I only remember one of them. Nearly fifty years ago my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Case, showed us a film that I've thought about many times since.
It's a 19 minute short called Ark, written and directed by Rolf Forsberg. The story revolves around one man's effort to build and create an oasis in a degraded world.
I've wondered about that film and tried to find it on the internet many times over the years, though I didn't even know its name. But earlier this week I finally found it.
I can't say much more about it without giving the whole thing away. It doesn't have the high technical standards of modern films, or even full budget films of its day. But I found it riveting the first time I saw it and it is still powerful.
Follow the link to see for yourself: Ark
25 AUGUST 2021
Moths and LED Lights
An interesting article from The Guardian about energy-efficient lighting and its effects on moth populations. Spoiler: The news is not good, but there may be some opportunities to minimize the damage.