2011 August 20

Where Did "More" Corn Ethanol Really Come From?

There was never any 'empty' prime farmland on which to produce the increasingly large crop of Federally subsidized ethanol-corn (see Figure 1). Over the last decade, agricultural land use was swapped to get the job done. Whether a coincidence or not, a steep uptick in ethanol production kicked in as "W" took office and, according to USDA data, "the simultaneous net expansion of corn and soybean acreage resulted from a reduction in cotton acreage, a shift from uncultivated hay to cropland, and the expansion of double cropping (consecutively producing two crops of either li...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Where Did All The "More" Corn Ethanol Really Come From?

Image credit:USDA There was never any 'empty' cropland acreage on which to produce increasingly large volumes of Federally subsidized ethanol fuel (see Figure 1). Land use was swapped to get the job done. Whether a coincidence or not, the steep uptick in ethanol production kicked in as "W" took office and, according to USDA data, "the simultaneous net expansion of corn and soybean acreage resulted from a reduction in cotton acreage, a shift from uncultivated hay to cropland, and the expansion of double cropping (consecutively producing two crops of either like or unlike co...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Dolphin With Prosthetic Tail Gets Her Own Movie (Video)

Winter the dolphin lost her tail at three months old when she got entangled in a crab trap off the coast of Florida. She was brought in to Clearwater Marine Aquarium where she received a unique gift -- a prosthetic tail that would allow her to swim like a normal dolphin. It's been five years since Winter got her new tail, and her fame has brought gads of visitors to the aquarium, bringing numbers up from 7,000 in July five years ago to 35,000 this year. Winter's story is amazing -- amazing enough that she now has her own movie coming out next month starring Harry Connick Jr, Ashley Judd, and Morgan Freeman. Check out the trailer above, and watch a short video about Win...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bill McKibben Versus The Terrifying Tar Sands (Podcast)

When renowned NASA climatologist James Hansen came on the podcast recently, he said some chilling words: if we burn the oil in the Canadian tar sands "it's essentially game over for the climate." The murky oil sands of Canada are the largest known deposit of carbon on Earth, second only to Saudi Arabia. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would funnel the stuff all the way from Alberta to Texas. Bill McKibben, a scholar, <...Read the full story on TreeHugger

It Begins. 70 Arrested at White House on Day 1 of Tar Sands Action (UPDATED)

Photo via: TarSandsAction Flickr CC. Saturday, August 20 - 2:24 EDT In Day 1 of what is expected to be a two-week protest against the development of the Read the full story on TreeHugger

It Begins. Dozens Arrested at White House on Day 1 of Tar Sands Action

In Day 1 of what is expected to be a two-week protest against the development of the Keystone XL pipeline, dozens of people were arrested today at the White House, including 350.org founder and action leader, Bill McKibben. Twitter is the place for up-to-the-minute information. Follow @TarSandsAction , @350 , Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sierra Club Announces the Nation’s "Coolest" Schools

Photo: dalexeenco School is a testing ground for the way we perform later in life. It can mold us into fine upstanding members of society, or not. While environmental responsibility isn't something we have to learn early in life, it certainly makes things easier. College can provide just such an opportunity as highlighted in this month's Sierra Club magazine. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sierra Club Announces the Nation’s "Coolest" Schools

Photo: dalexeenco School is a testing ground for the way we perform later in life. It can mold us into fine upstanding members of society, or not. While environmental responsibility isn't something we have to learn early in life, it certainly makes things easier. College can provide just such an opportunity as highlighted in this month's Sierra Club magazine. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Clever Design Turns Bike Handlebars 90°, Makes Storage in Tight Spaces a Snap

Image Courtesy of Flipphandle If you've ever fought to store your bike in a hallway, on a train, or anywhere where space is at a premium, you've probably cursed your handlebars. So necessary while in motion, on a parked bike they turn out to be remarkably cumbersome, sticking out as they do. But a new design, the Flipphandle, does what its name says: it allows you to turn the handlebars 90° to line up with the frame, without turning the front wheel. Problem solved....Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Bacon Candle: Your Life May Depend On It

Photo by Syriloth/Creative Commons It's The End Of The World As We Know It. What are you going to do? Your flashlight batteries are dead. Hell, your candle wax is even running low. All you have left to eat is bacon. Well, at least there are worse ways to die. But wait ... A burned-out candle. Bacon leftovers. What? Behold the bacon candle. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger