Ride a bike in Mexico City

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the new bicycle friendliness of Mexico City.

How to help this sprawled-out city choked with more than 4 million vehicles and rampant air pollution? Ride a bike, says Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.

New infrastructure, road closures, and bike-sharing programs are helping to promote the two-wheel answer to congestion and poor air quality. There’s the “Muevete en Bici,” which opens 8.7 miles of major avenues to only cyclists on Sundays. The city has also promised to build new bike parking and 186 miles of bike paths by 2012. There are bike racks in the Metro stations as well as bicycle-designated subway cars. Bike-sharing programs abound, the largest being the newly launched EcoBici (EcoBike) that has 1,100 bikes for use. It is the first of its kind in Latin America.

Read the full story: Mexico City makes way for bicycles

Photo by Alfredo Estrella / AFP

Coral smuggler to be sentenced

The Christian Science Monitor reports on German businessman who plead guilty in a federal court in Portland, Oregon this week for smuggling 40 tons of coral from the Philippines.

Gunther Wenzek, [a German businessman from Essen], runs a company called CoraPet, which sells sand, pebbles, sponges, and shells for aquariums, terrariums, and ponds.

According to documents filed in the case, Mr. Wenzek illegally smuggled two 20-foot shipping containers of coral into the US [from the Philippines to Miami and Portland in 2008]. The containers were falsely labeled as holding “rock” or “gravel.”

Read the full story: German businessman smuggled coral into US from Philippines

Photo by Scott Keeler / Newscom

Ride a bike, power a bus, get paid

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the new conception bike-sharing program that the designer hopes will create energy to power a hybrid-bus system.

Chiyu Chen, a design student at the Royal College of Art, has conceived of an urban bike sharing program that not only provides riders utility, but also powers the local bus system – and pays them to do so.

Users check out specially designed bikes from a locking station using an ID card. Inside the bikes is a system that stores kinetic energy generated from braking. Riders go where they need to, and when they’re finished, bring the bike back to the locking station. Locking up the bike transfers the energy generated by the trip into the city grid – or, as Chen envisions, into a hybrid bus system.

Ride enough – and generate enough energy – and bike sharers can earn a bus pass. Completing the trifecta: the locking stations would be placed near bus stations, both to make renting a bike convenient and to facilitate easy bike-to-bus recharging.

Read the full story: Bike sharing that creates energy - and pays you to ride?

Protecting mountain gorillas

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the Congalese rangers who put their lives on the line to protect some of the last remaining mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park.

Ecotravel News has followed this story closely with previous posts on closer monitoring of gorillas against poaching, Congalese gorillas in rebels' hands, and Environmentalists killed in DRC gorilla park.

Read and watch fascinating video of the Monitor's full report: The last mountain gorillas and their protectors

Six global conservation efforts

The Christian Science Monitor reports on six conservation efforts around the world and most in popular travel spots:

Costa Rica: has protected 1/4 of its land.

The Philippines: home-grown conservation is stemming rampant deforestation and illegal poaching.

Vancouver Island: reintroduction of sea otters has created new problems of sea urchin and abalone decline.

Florida Everglades: might never recover due to destructive non-native species.

Congo, Rwanda, Uganda: Mountain gorillas now with a 14 percent population increase live in the shared borders of all three countries and have survived civil war and poaching.

Madagascar: Deforestation and poverty is destroying habitats of native species such as the lemur (picture above) but carbon offset trading could save the forests that are now being bought by companies such as Dell and turned over to international conservation organizations.

Read the full story: Where they rebuild nature

National Parks are climate change "warning system"

The Christian Science Monitor reports on how the nation's national parks are a "warning system" for the effects of global warming.

The Joshua Tree (pictured left) and its iconic twisted branches that symbolize the self-named park is disappearing because of drought conditions.

Global climate change is “the single greatest threat to the health of our national parks,” says Michael Cipra, California desert program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association.

According to researchers, climate change is contributing to:

• The possible loss of all the glaciers in the Glacier National Park within 20 years.

• Dying coral reefs in Biscayne and Virgin Island National Parks due to increased heat and disease.

• Insect pests thriving and destroying forests ranging from the Great Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone.

• Declining water levels at Lake Mead because of extended droughts.

Read the full story: How climate change may be threatening national parks

Ecotravel News is away

Ecotravel News will be traveling and won't be able post again until February.

To help readers get through the hiatus we suggest the following links:

The Christian Science Monitor's environment section is a favorite

Environmental News Network always has new and interesting stories everyday

Reuters video, environment section

National Parks Traveler blog

Enjoy and until Feb!

Zoo elephants have stunted lives; study

The Christian Science Monitor's environment blog reports on the study showing how elephants in captivity have a shorter lifespan than those in the natural world.

The study published in journal Science used the data compiled over 45 years about 4,500 elephants living around the globe. Mostly female African and Asian elephants were studied in European zoos, a Kenyan wildlife preserve, and a Burmese logging enterprise.

"The results were shocking. [The scientists] found that, excluding premature and still births, zoo-born African elephants had a median life span of 16.9 years, compared with 56 years for animals in the park. Asian elephants, which are more endangered than their African counterparts, lived for 18.9 years in captivity and 41.7 years in the Burmese timber trade."

Read the full story: Study: elephants in zoos live much shorter lives

DMZ: where the wild things flourish

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the wildlife haven in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

This swath of land, 390 square miles worth, was created after the 1953 Korean War cease-fire agreement. Virtually untouched for 55 years, this area houses rare and endangered animals and birds.

But the wildlife haven now faces problems as the two Koreas rekindle peace relations and tourism development pressures:

"Increased industrial activity, as well as extensive deforestation on both sides of the border (up to two-thirds of North Korea) have meant worse air and water pollution within the sensitive zone. What has so fortuitously been saved could be recklessly lost, says Hall Healy, president of the DMZ Forum, a US-based NGO working to preserve the area."

Read the full story: Korean demilitarized zone now a wildlife haven

Funds infusion for electric-car company

The Christian Science Monitor's Horizons blog writes about the funding infusion of $40 million into the Tesla electric-car company.

Tesla didn't disclose the investors but hope the money will keep their eco-friendly cars in business.

"The new funding will accelerate production of the Roadster (pictured above), a sporty all-electric and heart-throb for alt-energy proponents. While there’s huge interest in the $109,000 car, Tesla has only been able to deliver on about 50 of the 1,200 orders."

Read the full story: Tesla hopes its cars can electrify industry

Poland's organic farms blossom

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the flourishing organic farm business in Poland.

Organic farming works in Poland because farms have always been "small-scale" in addition to being "the only former Soviet satellite country to resist agricultural collectivization under communism."

There are now over 13,500 organic farms, up considerably from the 300 in 1996. And residents are big fans of the natural produce:

"'I’ve been buying organic vegetables, kasha, milk, and especially eggs for the past 15 years,' says Warsaw resident Anna Basiak. 'I don’t want to ruin my stomach.' Ms. Basiak made the switch to organic when sauerkraut of unknown provenance made her ill. Today, she shops in grocery stories that buy directly from farmers."

Read the full story: Poland's organic farms prove to be fruitful ventures

Where global warming is now: Alaska

The Christian Science Monitor reports on Alaska, where global warming and its consequences are being felt now.

Alaska's glaciers are melting at double the amounts just 10 years ago and melting ice is raising sea levels almost double to that of Greenland's.

Milder winters are also allowing insects such as the spruce bark beetle to survive and decimate native spruce trees.

Other problems include changing wetlands:

"Now shrubs and trees are encroaching on what has been a peat moss-dominated bog. Cores taken show no evidence of woody plants until the top, or recent decades. Their arrival implies a drying-out, [says Ed Berg, an ecologist with the US Department of Fish and Wildlife]."

Read the full story: Alaska: climate-change frontier

Organic farms offer back to basics vacation

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the quietly growing trend of volunteering on small organic farms in return for room and board.

The World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms or WWOOF is a global organic farm network, where you can become a member for a small sign-up fee and have access to volunteer opportunities wherever you and the farm you choose sees fit.

CSM contributor Emily Badger shares her experience as a novice WWOOFer in the french countryside:

"I’ve never been particularly organic, and I had a vague sense that my best qualification for this job was that I like to do yoga, which is something organic people seem to like, too. The movement, though, doesn’t draw the bulk of its WWOOFers from farmers hoping to bring new organic techniques back to their own backyard polytunnels. Rather, the idea appeals to the adventurer, the wandering soul, the liberal who wants to do more than pay for carbon offsets. I felt a little of all that."

Read the full story: WWOOFing in Normandy

Bolivia's model rainforest protection scheme

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the Bolivian rainforest conservancy project that could be a world-wide model for fighting deforestation and global warming.

The Bolivian government along with conservancy groups and energy companies came together to save the rainforest in a first-of-its-kind plan called Noel Kempff Climate Action Project.

This venture sparked a carbon-reducing initiative called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, which environmentalists criticized:

"But REDD is now seen as a leading solution to deforestation, which accounts for 20 percent of the world’s annual greenhouse-gas emissions – more than the transportation sector, according to the Center for International Forestry Research...

In Bolivia, the idea has been tested at the widest scale: The project bought out four timber concessions, nearly doubled the national park’s boundaries, and set up a carbon-monitoring system by which offsets are awarded to three participating energy companies (American Electric Power, BP, and PacifiCorp.) and the Bolivian government – offsets that could be traded on the voluntary carbon-trading market, and (in the case of the Bolivian government) the money reinvested in the communities affected."

Read the full story: Bolivia gets clean by staying green

Resort threatens Grenadian bird

The Christian Science Monitor reports that a new resort to be built in a protected park on the Caribbean island of Grenada could wipe-out the already endangered native dove.

Mount Hartman National Park - one of the few undeveloped areas of the island and a sanctuary for the native dove - is now set to build a Four Seasons uber-resort. Only 120 doves remain of which about half live in Mt. Hartman.

Protests from conservation groups have led to a compromise to help preserve the already small numbers of the bird:

"Under the current plan, the resort will develop areas that are currently part of the Mt. Hartman National Park. But in exchange, the resort’s developer will help underwrite the designation and management of a newer, better, and similarly sized sanctuary nearby. Pets and pesticides will be prohibited at the resort, which will be built in phases timed to minimize disruption of the birds’ seasonal activities."

Read the full story: Will new resort imperil Grenada's endangered dove?

Contradictions in Costa Rica's ecotourism trade

Costa Rica is often touted as an ecotourist paradise.

But although many tourists visit this Central American country to enjoy nature, the tourist outfits aren't always thinking about keeping the environment as pristine as one would think.

The Christian Science Monitor explored this dark issue in a recent article:

"Statistics revealed that 97 percent of Costa Rica's sewage flows untreated into rivers, streams, or the ocean, and that more than 300,000 tons of garbage was left uncollected on streets in 2006. And a flurry of illegal well-drilling is running aquifers dry, ironic in a country where as much as 20 feet of rain falls annually.

Despite the chaos, less than a quarter of coastal towns have zoning plans to balance tourism development with natural resources and government services such as sewage treatment and public water supply."

Read the full story: Costa Rica sees tourism's environmental dark side

The greening of national museums

The Christian Science Monitor reports on a growing trend of museums turning "green."

Correspondent Yvonne Zipp writes that Michigan's Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is the very first to get the Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and En­­viron­­mental Design) certification.

Others such as Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art will also join GRAM with a Gold status.

Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory is so environmentally friendly that it has even banned bottled water.

"The director of the Phipps, Richard Piacentini, can describe every step the conservatory has taken to become more environmentally sustainable.

This fall, the conservatory will break ground on a greenhouse that Piacentini and his team hope will become the first Living Building in the United States – one that is completely self-sustaining and relies exclusively on renewable energy.

Organic waste will power the fuel cell that supplies the building with electricity, and a combination of constructed wetlands and a 'living machine' (with anaerobic bacteria) will treat the sewage for the entire complex."

Read the full story: Museums sprout 'green' architecture

Contest for most fuel-efficient car

At the New York International Auto Show this week, there are several fuel-efficient car models that are competing for a $10 million prize. The contest is the Progressive Automotive X Prize for the first vehicle to get 100 miles-per-gallon, but so far no major car makers are entering. The Christian Science Monitor sent reporter Ron Scherer to check out these earth-friendly cars:

"We need a car that is not just a concept but can be made in mass quantities at a reasonable cost for the average American," says Jack Hidary, chairman of the Coalition Advocating for Smart Transportation and a donor to the X Prize's new effort. "Unfortunately, Detroit has not stepped up to the plate, they have fought CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards every step of the way."

Read the full story: $10 million quest for a practical 100-mpg car

CSM is also venturing into video reporting, accompanying this article is a video report produced by print journalists... meaning, they tried but it's no CNN...

Negative aftereffects of biofuel production?

Biofuels should be a solution to oil-based fuel. On paper it sounds good because its made from plants like corn or soybeans and should therefore be much better for the environment. But there are some negatives. The Energy Bill that recently passed calls for a certain amount of biofuels and production to be mandatory. However, land that is cleared for agriculture is land that is changed from a natural habitat. Agriculture requires chemical pesticides and irrigation which are also harmful to the environment. The Christian Science Monitor also points out that the demand for biofuels could directly raise global food prices.

'"More people are coming to the conclusion that there is a food-fuel link," says Siwa Msangi of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Washington food-security research organization. Bruce Babcock, an economist at Iowa State University's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute says biofuels play a role in higher grain prices.

His findings are bolstered by a study last month in which Mr. Msangi's IFPRI estimated that future biofuel expansion could increase international corn prices between 26 and 72 percent by 2020, depending on how aggressive the expansion turns out to be.'

Read the full story: As global food costs rise, are biofuels to blame?

Once-living souvenirs stir internal dialogue

Miriam C. Daum's recent Home Forum essay for the Christian Science Monitor ponders an interesting ethical dilemma travelers face. She had the luck of seeing a living Blue Morpho butterfly in the wilds of Costa Rica. She marvelled at its stunning size and beauty. Later on at a souvenir shop she had the opportunity to take one home as a souvenir, albeit dead, mounted and framed. This posed an internal debate about why or why she shouldn't buy the butterfly.

Read the full story: A blue wonder to remember