L.I. Nature

New Location

jrn320kdejesus — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:24:15 +0000

L.I Nature has moved to a new location. Look forward to new and interesting blogs, video and photos!

http://linature.wordpress.com/

Smart Pizza Box

jrn320kdejesus — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:25:52 +0000

I was a little shocked to see the homepage of CollegeHumor, but it’s quite interesting and a great idea. Who would have ever thought to revive the pizza box and make it easily reusable?

Being vegan I don’t buy pizza very often but I know the box can be very bulky and difficult to fit really anywhere – even in the garbage can!

The company that invented this new pizza box, Eco Incorporated, focuses on redesigning food packaging that is more user friendly and its environmental impact is taken into account. The “green box” pizza box is made from 100 percent recycled cardboard too!

Look for this pizza box at a pizzeria near you.

Check out the video here.

Woodland Drive Woods Cleanup

jrn320kdejesus — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:36:43 +0000

So the cleanup last weekend went really well. The weather was great and we got a lot done over there. With about 20 or so volunteers we removed about 15 bags of trash from the woods. We found some pretty neat stuff too, like a shopping cart, lots of crates and even a deer skull! The younger kids seemed to enjoy it most, especially the boys, but there were a group of young girls from a local brownie troop who really got into it too. Special thanks to Keep Islip Clean for supplying the materials and flower seeds. Great job to everyone and we hope to see you at the next cleanup. Check out the pictures below.

Awesome Video

jrn320kdejesus — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:35:14 +0000

This is a video from Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Although it’s quite far from Long Island, this video is a wonderful way to show the beauty and power of cycling. Enjoy the video and check out the blog too.

I can’t embed the video. But check it out here.

The End of Automobiles?

jrn320kdejesus — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:51:18 +0000

I came across this “Top 10 Predictions for the Future” list on MSN, and the list has some interesting predictions.

The one that cuaght my interest the most was number three – cars as a major source of travel may soon end….what?! That’s right. According to the little blurb, advances in wireless communications and the use of flying delivery drones to replace delivery trucks is reducing the need for automobiles. It also mentions restrictions on vehicle ownership – I’m not quite sure what that means, but if they mean financial restrictions, I could see that being a major factor in people giving up their vehicles.

This is really exciting and it will be very interesting to see if this prediction really happens. I’m not a huge fan of technology as a way to solve all our problems in the world, but this may be one way that a technological innovation is having an indirect effect on another industry and may benefit the environment and quality of life.

Photo: Openlettersmonthly.com

Biking In Style

jrn320kdejesus — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:47:39 +0000

I saw this slideshow on nytimes.com today, and I think it’s a great way to show that bikes can be fashionable. Although I’d like to mention that chicks ride bikes too, not just men….

Check it out here and the interactive version here. I think the ladies will be impressed with the models and for those of you who are biking enthusiasts, the bike is quite nice too.

Proposed MTA Fare Hikes

jrn320kdejesus — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:13:03 +0000

A few weeks ago, the MTA proposed a fare hikes on city subways and buses, as well as the LIRR, a popular mode of transportation for many Stony Brook University students. This video examines how an increase in prices could hit students that commute to school and those who travel home on the weekends and live in the city. Check out the video below or check it out here.

Good News

jrn320kdejesus — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:17:29 +0000

Check out this story about the LNG tank off Long Island.

Some Upcoming Events

jrn320kdejesus — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:02:04 +0000

Well here are a few upcoming events. If you want to know more, or if you have anything to add, please leave a comment.

Lots of stuff is going on at Stony Brook for Earth Day, which is on April 22, but events are going on this week and next week. Earth Stock, the largest celebration of all will be on April 17. Check out the links for more information.

April 17- Earth Stock @ SBU

April 18- Woodland Drive Woods Cleanup in East Islip. 11 am- 1pm (rain date is April 19.) Email dejmkrys[at]hotmail[dot]com.

April 22- Earth Day!!

May 2- Earth Day Festival in Sayville.

May 16- Sierra Club Bike Outing in East Islip. Meet at JFK Elementray School. We leave at 11am, 8-10 miles. After bike feel free to join us for the Earth Watch conference at the South Shore Nature Center in East Islip. Email dejmkrys[at]hotmail[dot]com.

More events on their way….

Is Geoengineering the Answer to Global Warming?

jrn320kdejesus — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:53:55 +0000

So earlier this week I heard that President Obama’s science adviser, John Holdren, admitted that shooting pollutants into the earth’s atmosphere to prevent more warming may be necessary if countries around the world do not take drastic changes to prevent more warming.

Two possible geoengineering options Holdren stated in his interview with the Associated Press were,

a) shoot sulfur particles into the air to create a blanket in the earth’s atmosphere to block incoming sunlight.

b) create artificial trees that take in carbon dioxide.

I like the tree idea a lot better, but I would like to see a stronger push for a nationwide tree planting campaign. Real trees. Fake trees may be necessary too but as far as I know real trees do a great job of sucking in CO2, too. And while there at it, how about some regulation on cutting down trees? There is far too much of that going on.

Holdren admitted that there could be severe side effects such as depletion of the ozone layer and climates changing in the Mediterranean and Mideast. He also said there could be unforeseen consequences.

That scares me. It’s a tough decision to make and I’m happy to hear it’s being reserved as an emergency option. I just hope if its chosen, it’s not not done hastily. My philosophy is that we shouldn’t be playing with mother nature, and even though we are testing the limits right now, I think that experimenting with the atmosphere could create problems that cannot be fixed.

It’s a good thing it’s only being considered as an emergency option, but the next question is how do we convince billions of people around the world to reduce carbon emissions?