Although biofuels help fight gobal warming by potentially helping us to respond to the challenges we face, it’s true that there are drawbacks associated with them. Like threatens for food prices to drive up in poor countries or negative effects on soil protection and bio-diversity. However, we’re pretty sure these are not the reasons why Muslims may prohibit use of biofuels.

Image courtesy of octal

Looking like a pretext for you and me, the Muslim culture forbids alcohol buying, selling, transporting and drinking. And according to Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi of the Saudi Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, that includes the ethyl alcohol present in ethanol or any alcohol-derived fuels.

Therefore we can only wonder why luxury car makers are considering the green path if the rich oilmen of the desert won’t be able to fill the tank.

Do you think prophet Muhammad would be against biofuels knowing they could help reduce global warming, even by a bit? Would that be a sin? There are always camels … No?

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It has been declared by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that a ban on elephant ivory will be brought into force from 1st January 2009. This has been a result of a thorough investigation by the IFAW that more than 7,000 wildlife products were found listed on 183 websites spread over 11 countries and astonishingly 73% of the goods were made of elephant ivory.

This alarming discovery has caused panic as to the fast extinction of these wild animals including 20% of exotic birds, primates, big cats and some other animals.

“This very important step to protect elephants. With these findings and eBay’s leadership, there is no doubt left that all internet dealers need to take responsibility for their impact on endangered species by enacting and enforcing a ban on all online wildlife trade.

“eBay has set the standard for protecting elephants, now governments and other online dealers need to follow their example,” said Robbie Marsland, director of IFAW UK.

Sardonic as it may sound, this decision comes at the same time when a 100 tons of stocked ivory from the remains of 10,000 dead elephants is being legally put up for sale, which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) says is taking place for the first time in ten years.

This sale is giving rise to doubts about the illegal trade thriving once again as it is a profitable business rivaling the illicit drugs and weapons trade. If this continues to go on, it is bound to cause severe damage to our eco-system by endangering the wildlife species.

Do you think such a ban would help the elephants? I don’t, but it may be a step forward. – via Telegraph.co.uk

Original image via Arno&Louise

Washington officials are already discussing a possible ban on washing cars at home on the driveway, for environmental reasons. Apparently they’re really concerned that the shampoo or whatever cleaning products people use, are going into the storm drains and then off into the rivers, seas, oceans where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc.

Though it sounds like a good initiative, state residents have complained against it, and I think it’s mainly because they don’t know much about ocean’s water pollution. Would they do it anymore if they would’ve been told that the fish they’re going to eat the next day is full of soap? Probably not.

If the ban will be voted for (which I don’t think will happen) most people will be allowed to was their cars at home, as long as it’s not on the driveway. Do it on the grass and it’s okay, state officials said. How come? It’s better to kill the lawn and the soil under, instead of the shrimp and tuna?

Maybe instead of banning what people have been doing for the last tens or hundreds of years, maybe we should develop greener solutions that no matter where they drain, will not harm the environment. How’s that? Better, I know!

Image courtesy of Micah Taylor

With just a hand full of birdseed every Venice tourist in the historic St. Mark’s Square is able to gather around an avalanche of pigeons.

photo by Dimitry B

Vendors in the area used to sell corn to visitors which enjoyed what seemed to be the most entertaining activities in the plaza. They are now out of jobs, because a municipal ordinance have put a ban on selling and distributing food for the pigeons, from May 1st. Fines for ignoring this decision start from 50 Euro ($77).

One of the vendors, obviously furious about the decission said that this may put an end to a century old tradition and this would be like “removing Rialto or the Bridge of Sighs.” There is truth in his words, but the ban has real motives. The pigeons are eating away at the city’s marble statues, the buildings and the delicate mosaics on the façade of St. Mark’s Basilica, by pecking at small gaps to reach for scraps of food that were blown inside. Cleaning and restoring these monuments is not cheap and a study estimated that each Venetian taxpayer is paying up to 275 euros for the repairs.

In the meanwhile, tourists continued to feed the birds, and if birdseeds where not available, they used potato chips and bread sticks. “Word is” that pigeons really enjoyed changing their diet, in fact they really enjoyed it.

There are over 130,000 pigeons in Venice’s historic center and Sergio Lafisca, the Venice health expert responsible for the Department of Prevention said this led to a 40 times higher rate than the optimal concentration per square kilometer. “Even locusts are cute on their own, but then read what the Bible says about invasions,” he said.

Here is a small picture gallery of St Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) with Basilica di San Marc and the pigeons.

Image copyright : 1, 2, 3