The Wall Street Journal reviews the new upstate New York Wild Center.Giovanni Bisignani said wide cooperation was needed from allied industries and governments. "Air navigation service providers must make it possible to fly even more effectively. Fuel companies must supply eco-friendly fuels and governments must give us access to credits in global carbon markets."Read the full story: Airlines to achieve CO2 neutral-growth by 2020: IATA
Aviation is responsible for about 2 percent of global greenhouse gas pollution and that share is expected to rise.
US News & World Report's Fresh Greens blog reports that the D.C. city council voted to approve a 5 cent tax on plastic and paper bags. If [this tax is] approved in a second vote later this month, [that] would make the District the first city in the U.S. to institute a bag fee.Read the full story: D.C. council approves plastic bag fee
San Francisco banned plastic bags outright in 2007, and Los Angeles' ban will go into effect in 2010. Several other cities have tried to assess bag taxes, but have not yet been successful: Seattle residents will vote on a 20-cent tax in August, and a measure in New York was blocked. Last month, the Philadelphia City Council a 20-cent tax on bags, citing the recession.
So what does this mean for consumers in D.C., and other cities that may follow suit? Those who choose not to buy reusable bags can look at an additional $7-$15 dollars spent per year, depending on how frequently they shop.
Proceeds will benefit the notoriously polluted Anacostia River in D.C.
The Daily Green.com reports on 10 vacation spots to view or enjoy before the attraction dies away.
New Scientist reports on evidence that vast deforestation led to the downfall of the Mayan people, not war or disease as previously thought.The builders of the ancient Mayan temples at Tikal in Guatemala switched to inferior wood a few decades before they suddenly abandoned the city in the 9th century AD. The shift is the strongest evidence yet that Mayan civilisation collapsed because they ran out of resources, rather than, say, disease or warfare.Read the full story: Temple timbers trace collapse of Mayan culture
Initial flight tests have found that jet fuel made partly of camelina, algae or other bio-feed stocks can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes by more than 50 percent, doesn't affect performance and presents no technical or safety problems, a top Boeing official said Thursday.Read the full story: Aviation biofuel proves itself in tests, but is there enough?
"It meets all jet fuel requirements and then some," said Billy Glover, who heads Boeing's environmental strategy group.
Glover said a full report on the test flights would be released next month and aviation biofuel could be approved for use as early as next year. Despite its promise, however, Glover said the real problem is how quickly growers can start producing and refiners processing enough biofuel to make it an alternative to the Jet A fuel used today.
Ecotravel News was pleased to hear that the female panda from the Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand gave birth.
The Sacramento Bee reports on environmentalists' concerns over removal of burned logs in South Tahoe. Environmental groups are crying foul over a U.S. Forest Service project to remove burned trees along roads and trails in the 3,100-acre fire area.Read the full story: Environmentalists fear for Tahoe amid logging in burned Angora area
The Forest Service says the trees were a threat because they could topple on unwary hikers. Backers of the logging say the former burn zone will be better for all the work.
Critics fear the project bodes ill for a bigger plan to thin 68,000 acres of overgrown forest surrounding Lake Tahoe in order to avoid future severe fires.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports on the 19th successful ascent of resident Apa Sherpa to the top of Mount Everest, but this time under the agenda of climate change."With the Bhumpa at the top of Mount Everest, Mother Goddess of the World, we will once again enhance her protective powers over mankind. The same powers that were diminished by man's selfish and greedy actions," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, who organized the Eco Everest Expedition and asked Apa to become a member for the past two climbing seasons.Apa Sherpa, 49, has been a resident of Salt Lake since 2006; his hometown is the Sherpa village of Thame. He has summited Everest 19 times in the past 20 years.
National Parks Traveler reports on the new path opening up this weekend in Grand Teton National Park.
Environmental News Network reports that Palo Alto, California will ban polystyrene take out food containers next year.The ban extends to containers, clam shells, bowls, plates, cartons and cups. However, it does not affect straws, utensils or hot up lids. In January, Palo Alto stopped accepting polystyrene packing peanuts and polystyrene blocks used in consumer goods packaging. But while the ban will reduce Palo Alto’s waste, that’s not the initial intention of the prohibition. The current economic recession carried a lot of weight for lawmakers proposing the ban.Read the full story: Styrofoam ban grows in California
Reuters reports on the polluted Buriganga river of Dhaka, Bangladesh.The river flows by the capital Dhaka, a city of 12 million people, which largely depends on the Buriganga's water for drinking, fishing and carrying merchandise.Read the full story: Bangladesh river pollution threatens millions
"The pollutants have eaten up all oxygen in the Buriganga and we call it biologically dead. It is like a septic tank," said Khawaja Minnatullah, a World Bank specialist on environment and water management.
Reuters reports on the coral reef protection commitment made by six Asia-Pacific nations at the World Ocean Conference last week. Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands border a stretch of reef known as the Coral Triangle, which contains 76 percent of all known coral species and is a vital tuna spawning ground.Read the full story: Asia coral protection pact seen as important step
The pact signed during the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Sulawesi, last week includes a commitment to crack down on illegal fishing and pollution, and enforcing new tuna fishing regulations to protect spawning grounds.
The Huffington Post's Green blog reports on the firing of two Yellowstone National Park workers for using the iconic Old Faithful geyser as a urinal.
The Associated Press via USA Today compiled a list to answer the question of "what's the greenest way to travel?"
New Scientist reports that the blue whale have been reappearing in Pacific Ocean waters off Alaska and Canada.Whalers formerly caught hundreds of blue whales in the northern zones, landing 1300 between 1908 and 1965. Yet despite the ban, they seemed not to recover there, suggesting to some researchers that the cultural knowledge of the area had been lost.Read the full story: Migrating blue whales rediscover "forgotten" waters
USA Today reports on a Montana hotel initiative where guests can help pay for conservation efforts. A new program invites innkeepers to make ever-so-subtle pitches for small sums that will help pay landowners who agree to sign conservation easements, which are binding agreements that limit development of property. In some cases, easements may make it financially workable for a ranch to remain in agricultural use rather than being sold for residential lots or other development.Read the full story: Montana hotel guests asked to contribute to conservation efforts
The Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog reports that among President Obama's budget cuts is $100 million funding for hydrogen vehicle technology.But lately, enthusiasm among auto makers and politicians has been shifting away from hydrogen toward electric vehicles. One reason: the enormous projected cost of developing an infrastructure of hydrogen filling stations. The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, said last year that the total cost of deploying a national hydrogen network could be as high as $200 billion, including $55 billion in government aid through 2023. And that amount, the council said, would be enough to put only two million hydrogen cars on the road - a small fraction of the total U.S. vehicle population of about 300 million cars and trucks.Read the full story: Running on empty
The Washington Post reports on a sustainable farm tour in Virginia. Polyface [Farm] has been widely praised by sustainable-farming advocates and foodies for its commitment to Earth- and animal-friendly practices, including rotational grass grazing, humane treatment of animals and local processing. With an annual average population of 6,500 laying hens (for eggs), 24,000 broilers (for meat), 1,000 head of cattle, 200 hogs, 500 turkeys and 250 rabbits, Polyface is classified as a commercial farm, but it's on the smaller side, defiantly spurning one-size-fits-all USDA regulations.Read the full story: For locavores, a new breed of farm
Blog the Beach reports on the Florida Sea Turtle nesting season. Sea turtles come back to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs. I found this nest [picture left]on Caladesi Island several years ago. It is a good example of the hard work that goes into protecting the turtle nests from predators and vandals. If you are walking down the beach and you see a yellow sign like the one in the photo next to some wire on the ground or if you see wooden stakes connected with yellow tape, you’ll recognize that as a sea turtle nest.Read the full story: Sea Turtle nests in Florida
The Daily Green.com reports on this year's 10 most fuel-efficient cars and SUVs in an informative slide show.
The Idaho Statesman has a nice set of photos of wildlife seen around the inland-northwest.
Mycitytalk.com reports that New York's Stewart International airport, north of Manhattan, is striving to be "carbon-negative."[The Port Authority] has yet to announce a plan, but the possibilities are multi-faceted. It likely will incorporate the latest energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive design into all new airport buildings. On-site generation of power from solar or wind energy will help. Connecting the airport to Manhattan via mass transit already is under review.Read the full story: Building the first carbon-negative airport
National Parks Traveler reports that wildfires are burning through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and several trails are closed.As of 12:30 p.m. [today], the closed trails included the Laurel Falls Trail, Roundtop Trail, Little Greenbrier Trail at Wear Cove Road, Little Brier Gap Trail, and Cove Mountain Trail. If you are familiar with the park, you know that several of these trails intersect within relatively short distances in a very scenic area west of the Sugarland Visitor Center on the park's northern margin.Read the full story: Some popular trails are closed
USA Today reports on several airports around the country that are getting their power from solar and wind power.
