Tag: Environment

Post-Halloween, this might be your best chance to help the environment

Everybody, do your share.

Halloween night brings out all kinds of crowds, from candy-crazed kids to costumed partygoers. On this festive evening of spooky celebration, everyone is focused on having fun, seeking out scares, and maybe causing a little mischief. But just like Cinderella’s carriage had to turn back into a pumpkin at midnight, Halloween fun can’t last forever. And when you wake up on November 1, the sights that await you aren’t always pretty.

After trick-or-treating ends, you’ll probably notice more than a few candy wrappers and abandoned costume pieces littering your neighborhood. For outdoors appreciators and eco-conscious citizens, seeing all of this trash lying in the grass and on the roads can be more distressing than a horror movie. Unlike the problems faced by most scary movie protagonists, there is a simple solution to this litter conundrum. Host or join a post-Halloween clean-up event!

A person cleaning up litter in the park.

What is a post-Halloween clean-up event? As the name implies, it’s an opportunity for communities to get together after Halloween and pick up any litter in their neighborhood. This can be as easy as getting your family together to pick up trash along the street or joining a community clean-up activity. Check local Facebook groups, community pages, and Eventbrite listings to see if there are any existing events you can support.

If there are no clean-up initiatives in your region, consider starting one. Sometimes, all it takes is one person leading the charge for people to join in. You can even go above and beyond by offering a jack-o’-lantern recycling service. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy came up with an excellent list of ways to recycle these unwanted pumpkins. Options include donating them to local farms and zoos for the animals or dropping them off at a community composting center.

Want to find even more ways to help? Check out this list of ways to support your local animal shelter.

Let this subterranean river lure you in for an unforgettable adventure

Spectacular views hide within the caves.

Journey north of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. On a coast dotted with stunning waterfalls and gorgeous beaches, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park shines as the area’s most famous natural wonder.

The underground river’s mysterious waters draw in adventurers from all over the world. Those who brave Puerto Princesa Subterranean River’s intimidating, craggy entrance will find breathtaking caves and rock formations shaped over time by the tides. A boat tour through the area also illuminates the environment’s biodiversity. Bats, snakes, crabs, and more make their homes in the cave system alongside a diverse collection of plant species. Dive into this vibrant world with these five incredible photos. 

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Beloved humpback whale killed by ship strike off California

An adult female humpback whale nicknamed Fran, described by a prominent researcher as “the most popular whale in California,” has been killed by an apparent ship strike.

**Author’s note: It’s hoped that this story, which contains graphic footage, will raise awareness to the danger posed to whales and other marine creatures by large ships.

An adult female humpback whale nicknamed Fran, described by a prominent researcher as “the most popular whale in California,” has been killed by an apparent ship strike.

The 49-foot whale, who leaves behind a female calf with an uncertain future, washed ashore Sunday in Half Moon Bay.

A necropsy performed by the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences confirmed that Fran’s injuries – including a dislocated scull and fractured vertebra – were consistent with a ship strike.

The Associated Press on Monday, before the cause of death was confirmed, reported that Fran would become the fifth whale killed by a ship strike off Bay Area waters this year.

According to Happywhale, a website that identifies and tracks whales based on photo identification and input from citizen scientists, Fran was born in early 2005.

She migrated between summer feeding grounds off Monterey and winter breeding grounds beyond the Mexican state of Guerrero. She had a previous calf that did not survive the migration from Mexico to California.

Fran was named by Ferd Bergholz, though the Oceanic Society, in honor of his late wife, who lost a battle with cancer.

Bergholz late Monday wrote on Facebook: “I am very sad to report that “Fran,” the Humpback Whale that I named after my late wife Fran, was the victim of a ship strike and washed up on a beach in Half Moon Bay.

“There is no word yet about the calf she had this year. They were together in Monterey Bay a couple of months ago. A Very Sad Day.”

Whales of Guerrero, run by researcher Katherina Audley, added that Fran breached in front of Fred’s whale-watching boat on his wife’s birthday a year after she died.

Audley wrote on Facebook: “When we get to know our whales as individuals like this, their deaths affect us so much more profoundly and the good part of this is that we care more about their health.”

Happywhale, run by researcher Ted Cheesman, recorded 277 sightings of Fran before announcing her passing Monday on its website: “She was the most popular whale in California, encountered by many in Monterey Bay until her death from a ship strike in August of 2022.”

If there’s a positive note to this story it’s that Fran’s calf was observed attempting to feed on her own during a Fran sighting off Monterey in June.

Don Baccus, who was present during the sighting, commented on Facebook: “We saw the calf surface lunging, scattering anchovies every which way, ventral pouch filled with water and possibly fish, not that much later. The calf seemed well on its way to being able to feed.”

“This, of course, doesn’t mean that she was weaned or can feed on her own yet, or survive without Fran, but I am more hopeful than I would be with any other calf I think I’ve ever had the opportunity to watch over time.”

–Top image courtesy of ©Douglas Croft

What is the climate emergency?

The planet is heating up. So are calls for climate action.

Last Wednesday, June 20, United States President Joe Biden posted a tweet addressing the climate emergency. In the same message, Biden singled out a lack of climate action from Congress. Amid news about historic heatwaves and other environmental disasters, Biden’s announcement has drawn media attention. With further details from the Biden administration pending, here are some key facts to know about the climate emergency.

Understanding the climate emergency

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the term “climate emergency” refers to the world’s current climate change situation. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels contribute to an increased concentration of greenhouse gasses in Earth’s atmosphere. As the concentration rises, so does the world’s average global temperature. Over the past decade, the impact of rising temperatures can be seen through environmental disasters like the recent U.K. heatwave.

While scientists have raised climate concerns for years, a cultural shift may be driving the renewed political discussion about climate action. As activists like Greta Thunberg, groups like the Sunrise Movement, and films like “Don’t Look Up” make headlines, people are urging their representatives to make real changes for the environment. 

Calls for climate action

Recently, the call for climate action gained over 100 influential allies. In a letter reported on by The Lever, Common Dreams, and Vice, 165 government staffers called on Biden to prioritize climate policy.

“Every day that you do not act, the climate crisis spirals further out of control,” the letter states. “The coming days represent our best opportunity to address the climate crisis and save countless lives with robust climate justice policy. Even if Democrats control both chambers and the White House again in four years, inaction in this moment will cause an era of record temperatures, extreme drought, sea level rise, and other deadly climate disasters. We do not have years to waste. We have little more than a week.”

The letter outlines a “multi-pronged approach” to addressing the climate crisis. A formal climate emergency declaration from Biden tops the letter’s list of necessary actions. Further interventions include ending fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and restarting stalled Senate climate policy negotiations.

“President Biden, you have an exigent responsibility to reduce suffering all over the world, and the power and skills to do so, but time is running out,” staffers wrote. “You are the President of the United States of America at a pivotal moment in the history of the world. All that we ask is that you do everything in your power. We’ve done our part. We implore you to do yours.”