Ecology Action Center continues to push recycling

The Ecology Action Center, which monitors recycling for McLean County, Bloomington and Normal governments, estimates that 33 percent of materials that could be thrown away is diverted from the trash through recycling, reuse and composting. That's 76,000 tons of stuff that didn't hit the landfill in 2006 alone.

'Arctic Tale' breaks the ice on ecology

USA TODAY - Like a junior and kid-friendly An Inconvenient Truth, it makes the threat of global warming more real by weaving that message into a pair of absorbing narratives. Queen Latifah provides a friendly and gently funny narration for the two tales of the challenges faced by a mother walrus and her pup and a polar bear and her two cubs in the Arctic.

EU Grants 200 M for Ecology Projects in Bulgaria

Over 200 million EUR from the EU funds will be granted for the construction of rectifying station and improving the quality of waters. This was announced today by the Minister of Environment and Waters Djevdet Chakurov. He explained that by the end of the year a part of the contracts on the Environment Program have to be concluded.

The Simpsons Movie and Arctic Tale, Spread pro-green message

The impact of global warming on the environment may still be debateable in the minds of some, but there is no doubting the impact of Al Gore on the immediate filmmaking landscape. Fallout from Gore's Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" can be detected in two of this week's releases, "The Simpsons Movie" and "Arctic Tale," each of which jump on the ecology bandwagon with markedly different approaches.

Environment and wildlife groups get funding

A group that wants to track the movement of Manitoba's woodland caribou by using GPS collars is among six organizations that recently received funding from the province for environmental and wildlife projects. Manitoba Conservation announced today the latest group of recipients for funding from its Special Conservation and Endangered Species Fund. Among the funded organizations is the Manitoba Model Forest, which received $25,000 to buy collars outfitted with global positioning systems. The group hopes to put the collars on woodland caribou, an animal with a small presence in eastern Manitoba's forests. The project is designed to monitor their movements and habitat use in order to ensure that the population is sustained.

Huge fire releases oil into river

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The state Department of Ecology on Tuesday was trying to contain thousands of gallons of petroleum products that spilled after a spectacular fire destroyed a fuel distribution center. Monday's fire destroyed some structures at Whitley Fuel and led to some petroleum products going into storm sewers and out into the Spokane River.

India: Govt asks court to disband forest panel

The government has asked the Supreme Court to disband a decade-old forest protection panel and leave forest management to the executive branch rather than judges, a move that has upset many environmentalists. The Supreme Court set up a committee in 1996 to monitor use of forest land and report to the justices on the environmental impact of development projects. The court also banned felling forests without permission from the judges, meaning that companies wanting to develop industrial and commercial projects in forested land needed permission from the Supreme Court.

Eco city advances its green centre

Waitakere City is seeking an anchor tenant to enable it to proceed with the next stage of its development of the 3.3 hectare Waitakere Central site in Henderson Valley Rd in the heart of Henderson. Waitakere Properties, a council trading organisation, has leased all but 236 sq m of the 1800 sq m of A-grade office space in its Central One building which was completed in February this year. This building was the final part of Stage 1 of the eco-city's project, planned to eventually contain 30,000 sq m of high quality office space along with ground floor retail outlets.

Melting glaciers raise sea level more than polar ice sheets

Contrary to common belief, melting glaciers due to global warming contribute more to the rising sea level than the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, researchers said Thursday in a study. Scientists found that the ebb and flow of glaciers where they meet the water causes them to speed up and deliver more ice into the world's oceans than previously estimated, said the study published in Science's latest issue.

Gulf dead zone to be biggest ever

This year could see the biggest "dead zone" since records began form in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.Scientists say conditions are right for the zone to exceed last summer's 6,662 sq miles (17,255 sq km).The dead zone is an area of water virtually devoid of oxygen which cannot support marine life.It is caused by nutrients such as fertilisers flowing into the Gulf, stimulating the growth of algae which absorbs the available oxygen.The volume of nutrients flowing down rivers such as the Mississippi into the Gulf has tripled over the last 50 years.

Nuclear energy not clean or safe

Some radioactive fission gases from the reactor cooling water are retained in tanks for days before being released into the atmosphere through filtered rooftop vents. These airborne gases contaminate not only the air, but also end up in our soil and water. Every exposure to radiation increases the risk of damage to tissue cells. Minimal exposure each day can devastate our health. Nuclear reactors produce nuclear waste, which is the most hazardous and toxic material known to man and the hardest to get rid of.

UGA starts nation's first school of ecology

The bust of one of science's most respected ecologists stands at the entrance to what is the country's first university-level school of ecology with a ready reminder: The ecosystem is greater than the sum of its parts. The quote and the bust honor Eugene Odum, the legendary University of Georgia ecologist and namesake of the school, which officially opened last month. And now the late scientist's favorite mantra is being put to the test.

China to spend $2.63B on Tibetan ecology

BEIJING, July 16 (UPI) -- China, which has controlled Tibet since the 1950s, said Monday it will spend $2.63 billion over 20 years on several projects to protect the region's ecosystem. The projects will include construction of nature reserves, protection of natural forests, restoration of grassland and pastures and prevention of desertification, the official Xinhua news agency reported.