EARTHLING /ərTHliNG/ noun: an inhabitant of the Earth.
The term Earthling is holistically inclusive—it reflects our similarities, not our differences. We call ourselves Earthlings because we are of the same species, living on the same planet.
Documents revealed that the Trump administration has allowed British Columbia-based mining company, Midas Gold, largely influence the writing of an environmental report. According to conservation group, Earthworks, which obtained the documents, the input Midas Gold will contribute will aid government approval for its Idaho gold mine project.
An Idaho statesman claimed that access to the environmental report proposed open-pit gold mines in central Idaho, USA, which were previously rebuffed from the Forest Service.
The report, called a biological assessment, would typically be written by the Forest Service or an independent contractor. Its purpose is to examine the potential effect the open-pit mines would have on salmon, steelhead and bull trout protected under the Endangered Species Act.
In February 2018, internal documents show the agency denied Midas Gold’s request to participate as a non-federal representative in writing the assessment because the massive project would likely harm protected fish. However, by October 2018, Midas Gold was both participating and leading the writing of the document.
The company claims that Idaho there is over 113 million grams of gold and more than 45 million kilograms of antinomy at the Idaho site. The company plans on additional mining in the two open pits already there and to create a third open pit, doubling the size of the area utilised for the mining. They say they will restore ‘much of the area’ when they finish mining.
Im trying to teach myself to be not afraid of rough sketches and share them. It’s very hard to allow yourself do that - something that is not perfect. It’s hard to afford mistakes in your art. But mistakes is an experience.
Today is World Environment Day. Established by the United Nations in 1972 and first held a year later, this celebration and day of action encourages worldwide awareness of and action for the environment and galvanizes global citizens to do something positive for the planet.
The 2018 theme, #BeatPlasticPollution, invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health. Organizers also call on citizens, companies, and organizations to organize cleanups in their local communities.
The Chelonia mydas, or green sea turtle, is a predominantly vegetarian, marine-faring reptile who is capable of remaining submerged under water for five hours. During such an event, the turtle’s heart would slow, with up to nine minutes passing between beats. Usually, though, the turtle’s dives last less than five minutes.
Found throughout the world in tropical and subtropical waters, the green sea turtle is on the worldwide endangered species list due mostly to human infringement on its nesting beaches. Pollution, hunting, habitat loss, disease, and fishing nets have also taken their toll on the reptile.
May 23 is World Turtle Day, set aside to raise awareness about the plight of turtles, tortoises, and terrapins. Some of the oldest creatures on earth, they face endangerment due to habitat destruction, the exotic pet trade, and the black-market food industry.
Learn more about some of the 300 species of the Testudines here.
Green sea turtle by Brocken Inaglory [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Endangered Species Day reminds the public that there are more than 1,300 species of plants and animals are currently listed as either threatened or endangered in the United States. Animals and plants become endangered for a variety of reasons including destruction or degradation of habitat; overconsumption; disease; predation; inadequate regulation; and other manmade conditions.
According to The Red List, which tracks threatened species around the world, there are more than 474 species native to the United States that currently are classified as critically endangered (meaning they are in imminent danger of becoming extinct in the wild) and nine that now exist only in human-curated conditions.
The Endangered Species Act, enacted by Congress in 1973, is co-administered by the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service. It seeks, at the federal level, to prevent the endangerment of species and, where possible, to aid in the recovery of species already in danger.
The Endangered Species Act is a remarkably successful federal law, boasting a success rate greater than 90 percent. Among its successes are whooping cranes, seen above, which, in 1967, had a population of 48 birds in the wild and six in captivity; today they number nearly 600. The American crocodile is another success story. When it was listed in 1975, scientists could find fewer than 20 breeding females in the wild. Thanks to federal protections, the American crocodile population rebounded quickly and today exceeds 2,000.
Originally founded in 1988, National Wildflower Week (May 7–13) aims to celebrate the beauty and role of the hundreds of native wildflowers across the United States. In addition to beautifying their surroundings, wildflowers help conserve water, protect soil from erosion, and serve as valuable habitat areas for migratory butterflies and birds.
While native plants and wildflowers generally require fewer resources to grow than cultivated plants, they can become at risk from habitat loss and invasive species that compete with them.
We’ve all been told that we should recycle plastic bottles and containers. But what actually happens to the plastic if we just throw it away? Here are the life cycles of three different plastic bottles.
Bottle One, like hundreds of millions of tons of its plastic brethren, ends up in a landfill. This huge dump expands each day, as more trash moves in and continues to take up space.
As plastics sit there being compressed, rainwater flows through the waste and absorbs the water soluble compounds it contains, and some of those are highly toxic. Together they create a harmful stew called “leachate”, which can move into groundwater, soil, and streams, poisoning ecosystems and harming wildlife. It can take Bottle One an agonizing 1,000 years to decompose.
Bottle Two floats on a trickle that reaches a stream, a stream that flows into a river, and a river that reaches the ocean. After months lost at sea, it’s slowly drawn into a massive vortex, where trash accumulates - place known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” This is one of five plastic filled gyres in the worlds seas.
Some animals mistake the brightly colored plastic bits for food. Plastic makes them feel full when they’re not, so they starve to death, passing the toxins from the plastic up the food chain, eventually to us.
Bottle Three, on the other hand, is recycled. It’s taken away on a truck to a plant, where it and its companions are squeezed flat and compressed into a block. The blocks are shredded into tiny pieces, which are washed and melted, so they become the raw materials that can be used again. Bottle Three is ready to be reborn, as something new.
So, what can you do? First - reduce your use of plastic altogether! And when you do find yourself needing to buy a bottle, don’t forget to recycle it. You’ll be doing Planet Earth a great, big favor.
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