Archive for September, 2009

Earthquake strikes Peru and Bolivia

Wednesday
Sep 30,2009

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 has struck southeastern Peru near Bolivias’s capital of La Paz.

Map of Peru

Map of Peru

You can see all the seismic details from the US Geological Survey here. And, click here for a map of the area.

Reuters is reporting that the quake was not felt by witnesses in the area, and there are no reports of damages or casualties.

According to NPR, the depth of this particular earthquake could help explain why it wasn’t felt more on the surface.

On Tuesday, there was an earthquake off the coast of American Samoa in the South Pacific. And earlier today there was one near the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Are all three of these quakes related?

Researchers are looking into that possibility.

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Wednesday
Sep 30,2009

The massive 8.0 earthquake that rocked the Pacific yesterday sent tsunami waves crashing down on American Samoa.

This video, posted earlier today on YouTube, shows the incredible damage in Leone, American Samoa. Houses were washed away. Cars were left stranded in trees. Bloomberg is now reporting that at least 141 were killed. “You can imagine the sheer force,” the narrator says.

In this second video from the Wall Street Journal, Simon Louisson from Dow Jones Newswires in New Zealand, describes the damage and reports that New Zealanders prepared for the possibility of a tsunami strike.

Yuo can see more videos and a slideshow from American Samoa here.

Tuesday
Sep 29,2009

Officials are keeping a watch on Hawaii’s shoreline and asking boaters there to secure their vessels after a large earthquake shook the Pacific and sent a tsunami into Pago Pago in American Samoa earlier today.

Slow motion tsunami

Slow motion tsunami

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a  tsunami watch for the Hawaiian Islands. You can read the details of the regional warnings, watches, and advisories here.

As a result, the city of  Honolulu has activated its Emergency Operations Center.

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Monday
Sep 28,2009
A greener apple ...

A greener apple ...

Gadget makers have often been accused of being wasteful and excessive, leading to giant carbon footprints. Organizations like Greenpeace have been very vocal of these practices and now even consumers are beginning to take notice.

Apple, like other companies, has moved to reduce its carbon footprint, and has vowed to reduce it dramatically over the next few years. Apple, though currently ranked above competitors like HP and Dell, is still placed below the fold by Greenpeace.

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Monday
Sep 28,2009

humpback whaleNew data shows that humpback whale populations have been growing steadily over recent decades, and as a result, the U.S. government may take the humpback whale off the endangered species list.

Last year, the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), received results from an extensive study showing that the north Pacific humpback whale population has been growing 4-7% a year over the past few decades.

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Monday
Sep 28,2009

ups fedxFedEx and UPS are both major package carriers/shippers, and this time around they are not just battling for business share and growth, but also to beat the other in sustainability targets.

Going green also makes business sense as a number of consumers and clients choose to go with the service offering a lower carbon footprint.

To that end, both are vehemently trying to reduce their carbon footprint, and setting new goals like the 20% reduction of carbon both of them have promised to achieve by 2020.

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Monday
Sep 28,2009

Paper is a vital, everyday product that undoubtedly we could not live without. In fact, it is hard to imagine a world without the countless newspapers, magazines, books, posters and photographs it is used for. The impact of this incessant paper-making, however, means that our planet is suffering as a consequence.

recycle paper

Every year, entire forests full of trees are cut down to produce the approximate 300 million tons of paper used throughout the world. Furthermore, used and unwanted paper is often dumped in landfill, meaning part of it ends up in the environment, contributing to green house gases.

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Sunday
Sep 27,2009

Nature Conservancy Planet Change logo. jpg Did you know that the carbon emissions caused by deforestation are greater than those caused by the entire global transportation sector?

The Nature Conservancy wants to equip you with facts like this so you can start thinking about the solutions that nature holds for slowing carbon emissions and dealing with the effects of climate change.

In fact, last week, the Nature Conservancy launched a web-based campaign that aims to inspire a movement to respond—and offer solutions— to the threat of climate change.

The campaign, called “Planet Change,” educates site visitors about:

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Friday
Sep 25,2009

legendary Frank Lloyd Wright house With a cantilever design that allows it to seemingly float over a waterfall, Fallingwater, the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright house in rural western Pennsylvania, has fascinated visitors ever since it was built in 1934.

Now, a few lucky people may be able to stay overnight on the grounds.

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Friday
Sep 25,2009

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, and nearly half of its population does not have access to clean water.

Matt Damon

To combat the problem, Matt Damon announced at the Clinton Global Initiative that his charity Water.org will commit $2million towards the cause. The charity will help secure safe water and sanitation for nearly 50,000 people in Haiti and the project will be executed over 3 years.

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