Defining ecological footprint



Ecologists have come up with the term “ecological footprint”.  What does it mean?  Our ecological footprint is the amount of land and water it takes to sustain the way we live here on our planet.  It encompasses the people’s demand on the planet with its ability to regenerate.  Studies have shown that the way we live now, our ecological footprint is 1.3.  Meaning, it takes 1.3 Earths to support our lifestyle.

With the advent of global warming, pollution and other ecological disasters plaguing our planet, scientists, ecologists and environmentalists are scrambling to find a way to make our footprint smaller.  There are a lot of ecological footprint calculators so scientists are finding a way to standardize these tests in order to obtain a more accurate and consistent measuring system.

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What is Composting? How to Composte.



Composting is the natural decomposition of weeds, manure and other yard waste, fruit and vegetables.  The breakdown of these organic materials produces compost which can be made into fertilizer to enrich soil.    By composting we do not only help conserve our environment by reducing the amount of garbage sent to landfills, we also help promote healthier soil where we can grow healthy flowers or fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots and herbs.

There are many ways to compost.  Some make bins from recycled materials or buy one at the store.  Others go binless, by digging a hole directly on the ground.  But there are some basic composting dos and don’ts.

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Atrazine-Killing weeds. Destroying bodies.



Atrazine is used to impede pre- and post-emergence broadleaf and grassy weeds in major crops through-out the world. Atrazine is also used in many industrial processes, such as some dyes and explosives. It was banned in the European Union in 2004 because of its persistent ground water pollution. However, Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States, with 76 million pounds applied each year. It has even been said by Tyrone Hayes, a scientist at UC Berkeley whom found evidence in which Atrazine is causing male frogs testosterone levels to reach below females.

Another recent study in February 2008 reported that young tadpoles undergoing organ morphogenesis were found to develop deformed hearts, impaired kidneys and digestive systems when exposed to Atrazine. During the summer of 2001, NRDC discovered that Syngenta had been tracking prostate cancer in the employees of its St. Gabriel, Louisiana Atrazine plant. When on there lunch break, workers would eat in areas covered with Atrazine dust. Some workers recall there supervisors telling them that Atrazine could be eaten without any adverse health effects.

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