ACICAFOC – Asociación Campesina e Indígena de Agroforestería Comunitaria Centroamericana Organic Gardening, Modern Homesteading, Renewable Energy, Green Homes, DIY Projects – MOTHER EARTH NEWS Web Image or HOT TOPICS >> • Plastic safety • Cherries • Female farmers • Easter eggs • Partner plants How to Make Fresh Cheese: The Basic Steps This trio of cinch-to-craft cheeses — mascarpone, fromage blanc and paneer — can enliven appetizers, desserts and everything in between. Organic Gardening Biz Bulletins Green Transportation Real Food Homesteading and Livestock Green Homes Nature and Environment Renewable Energy Ask Our Experts Our International Homesteading Education Month celebration in September was a great success. Find events near you! Don't miss the chance to meet with and learn from our editors, authors and trusted experts at one of our four 2014 MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIRS! Find one near you! Featured Video Rambunctious Goats Playing on Steel Ribbon Husqvarna Expands All-Wheel Drive Walk Mower Line May Is National Bike Month USDA Grant to Help the Next Generation of Farmers Get Started Right Herb Sourdough Bread How To Milk a Cow that Kicks Pollen and Honeybees How Big is Your Water Footprint?
Stockholm Convention (POPs) Schedule and registration Objectives Increasing Parties’ knowledge on existing guidance to update NIPs, Parties’ understanding of HBCD and other POP-PBDEs listed, and Parties’ capacity to make inventories of POP-PBDEs, as part of the NIP update. Contents Introduction - 5 min Presentations Understanding HBCD and POPs-PBDEs - 10 min. Target group Stockholm Convention Official Contact Points, Basel Convention Competent Authorities, Rotteredam Convention DNAs and National Focal Points, national experts involved in the review and update of the NIPs at the national level, especially in the undertaking of the new POPs inventories, Basel Convention Small Intersessional Working Group on new POPs waste, POPRC members and observers, CRC members and observers. Background Parties have the obligation to update their NIP and to transmit it to the COP within two years of the date on which the amendment entered into force for them.
Rainforest Biomes The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C); average humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of less rain. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. A tropical rain forest has more kinds of trees than any other area in the world. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. All tropical rain forests resemble one another in some ways. Despite these differences, each of the three largest rainforests--the American, the African, and the Asian--has a different group of animal and plant species. Layers of the Rainforest There are four very distinct layers of trees in a tropical rain forest. Plant Life Animal Life
ICOMVIS - Bienvenidos a la portada Living Lawns Loren Byrne scoops up a handful of dirt, sniffs it, and smiles. The organic matter that arthropods eat goes right through them, he explains. That's what gives the soil its rich black color. James Collins Lawns, symbol of suburbia, have rarely been studied as ecosystems. Byrne uses his free hand to point out a quick-moving white speck called a springtail—a tiny insect named for the tail-like appendage it uses for locomotion. Byrne, an ecology graduate student at Penn State, is taking advantage of this abundance to study the health of an American archetype: the suburban lawn. Byrne spent the summer of 2001 comparing arthropod populations in high- and low-maintenance lawns, as well as unmowed locations. Byrne took 15 soil cores from each of the three types and extracted the arthropods with a homely but effective device known as a Tullgren funnel—a soda can with the top and bottom removed and a plastic funnel attached to one end.
SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) Tropical Rainforest Where are tropical rainforests found? Tropical rainforests are located around the equator where temperatures stay near 80 degrees year round. Rainforests receive 160 to 400 inches (400-1000 cm) of rain each year. The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia (South East Asia). What is the tropical rainforest? The Tropical Rainforest is a forest occurring in tropical areas of heavy rainfall. What is the structure of vegetation in the rainforest? The image above shows a typical cross section in the rainforest. Emergents are the tallest trees and are usually over 50 metres tall. The sea of leaves blocking out the sun from the lower layers is called the canopy. The under canopy mainly contains bare tree trunks and lianas. The shrub layer has the densest plant growth. The forest floor is usually dark and damp. How did the tropical rainforest get like this? The high rainfall and year-round high temperatures are ideal conditions for vegetation growth. Local:
Centro Cientifico Tropical | Tropical Science Center | Costa Rica 10 World’s Greenest Countries The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a method of measuring the performance of national governments related to environmental policies. Yale University and Columbia University release the EPI every year during the World Economic Forum, ranking 163 countries according to 25 indicators. The final mark shows how close the country is to accomplish the environmental goals. Here are the top ten green countries on the list which have made most, officially the greenest in the world. 1. Iceland, 93.5 www.metrolic.com Iceland is considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful countries because of the breathtaking nature, but they can still enjoy that due to the high level of accomplishing the environmental policy goals. 2. Switzerland was leading the EPI list years ago, but now has fallen to the second place just due to incredible Iceland performance. 3. www.thundafunda.com Costa Rica government is strongly committed to following the Icelandic example for use of renewable energy sources.
WWF If You See This Google Warning, Act Fast: Big Brother is Watching Big Brother is watching. No kidding. And the warning is coming from none other than Google, which says government spies may be spying on you. Some believe the Google announcement may be related to the recent discovery of the data-mining virus named “Flame.” In a June 3 New York Times article, Andrew Kramer and Nicole Perlroth write: “When Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Europe’s largest antivirus company, discovered the Flame virus that is afflicting computers in Iran and the Middle East, he recognized it as a technologically sophisticated virus that only a government could create. He also recognized that the virus, which he compares to the Stuxnet virus built by programmers employed by the United States and Israel, adds weight to his warnings of the grave dangers posed by governments that manufacture and release viruses on the internet. Mr. New Revelations about the Links Between Flame and Stuxnet . According to Wired Magazine: That about says it all. Google Also in the Privacy News