World Conservation Bank: Revisited Sustainable Development
17 Fern St New Rochelle NY. Check it out and give us some feedback what do you think of the video? more on http://homesearchtv.com and http://17fern.com
Duration : 2 min 22 sec
Archive for October, 2009
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Will Work for Scenery
It was innocent enough-she just wanted a little piece of home. New Zealand, with its two islands floating at the far corner of a map, could feel like a forgotten outpost. When people started immigrating to the country, they wondered if they would ever see their native lands again.
So when a lonely Scottish woman broke the earth around her doorstep to make a cradle for seedlings she had brought with her, it’s possible to say that she watched and watered them protectively. In her diary found years later, she had written that she was worried her plant wouldn’t survive.
The story is reminiscent of a time traveling horror novel-kill one butterfly and it alters the world’s ecology in disastrous and permanent ways. The Scottish woman was planting gorse, now a common weed in New Zealand that has invaded the hills like a conquering army. Every year, New Zealand farmers spend massive amounts of time trying to rid the landscape of this nuisance, only to find the hearty yellow plant playing peek-a-boo from the other side of the hill.
But it wasn’t just gorse that settled comfortably in New Zealand. The country is plagued by introduced species that have bullied the natural environment and nearly wiped out many native birds and insects. To say that New Zealand has a homeland security problem is an understatement. New Zealand’s environment, renowned throughout the world for its unique beauty, is at serious risk of losing its biodiversity.
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation spends thousands of dollars each year combating introduced species. But they can’t, and don’t, do it alone. In a country where “a good possum is a dead possum,” New Zealanders almost consider it their patriotic duty to trap possums, or at least swerve for one darting across the road. Yet it’s not only locals that are taking this problem personally. International volunteers have heard the S.O.S and have set out to help with the rescue mission.
With recent appearances in a number of Hollywood blockbusters, New Zealand is the new “it” starlet of travel destinations. But as people around the world are becoming increasingly more aware of environmental issues, they are looking to explore New Zealand and other countries with an eye toward sustainability, ecotourism and viewing environmental crises as a universal problem.
“Instead of using all the paper in the world, you’re planting trees and replacing them,” said Anna Evely, a resident of the UK who volunteered in New Zealand for one month. “Instead of taking from the country, you’re actually giving something back. I felt like I left my mark by the trees I planted in New Zealand. As well as going somewhere and taking in all the beautiful scenery, I’m actually helping to make it more beautiful.”
Eating New Zealand
There were, of course, other reasons besides homesickness that people introduced foreign species to New Zealand. In 1837, the possum was introduced from Australia to create a fur trade. Rabbits were shipped in for hunting and sport. Stoats were introduced to hunt the exploding rabbit population. And heather was planted because somebody just thought it was pretty.
Unfortunately, no one foresaw the problems this would create for a country that had developed like a child always kept inside-with no hardened immune system. New Zealand only has one native land mammal-two species of bat-so birds and plants evolved over time without the threat of possums, rabbits, stoats and invasive weeds. Their ability to defend themselves, as one environmental field worker put it, is “pathetic.”
It’s more tragic than just unfortunate that New Zealand’s national bird, the kiwi (a flightless, awkward thing that never could see it coming), can hardly be found on the mainland. Like a refugee chased from its own home, the kiwi only lives safely on small islands where the predator populations have been eliminated.
And with it is going, though much more slowly, New Zealand’s native bush, filled with rata and kowhai trees. Possums eat 21,000 tons of vegetation per day. If New Zealand were a crescent moon, it would be the possum that took the bite out of it.
Stoats, too, stalk the bush with no real natural competition or threats. While they’ll hunt for rabbits and possums, there are other, much less adept creatures that make dinner an easy catch. As for the rabbits, well, we don’t use the saying “breeding like rabbits” for nothing. In no uncertain terms, New Zealand has become a free-for-all for introduced species.
Given this, it can be fair to say that there are no work shortages for conservation volunteers. It’s only a matter of time before volunteers set down their bags and are handed a spade.
“We need volunteers in conservation because the conservation challenges we face here are so huge,” said Toby Malcolm, team leader of the Global Volunteer Network’s New Zealand volunteer program. “New Zealand’s got some amazing biodiversity and unique flora and fauna, but it faces a lot of challenges because of that. Those challenges are almost entirely human-induced, and they’re not going to go away without intervention.”
Trading Backpacks for Work Gloves
Helen Winser and James Irving quit their jobs in the UK and sold their house. They put their cats in a kennel. Days after they arrived in New Zealand, they were wading in a stream in knee-high rubbery boots to conduct an ecological health survey of the water and the fish. It was just the holiday they had in mind.
“I’ve always wanted to come to New Zealand,” Winser said. “I heard so many horror stories about places being destroyed by tourism and I didn’t want to come here and do that. I thought, if I could come here and volunteer, I could give something back rather than just take something from the environment.”
Had Winser and Irving come to New Zealand strictly as tourists, there’s not doubt they would have been impressed. But New Zealand’s backpacker buses certainly don’t stop to point out a signing Tui or explain the mind-boggling stages of growth of the Lancewood tree.
“We were able to experience things that tourists don’t,” Winser said. “Even when we did go to tourist places, we got to go off track and get right into the heart of the environment to see what it’s really like.”
Getting off the beaten track was also what Mandy Reina, a college student from Texas, had in mind when she signed up to volunteer in New Zealand.
“As a volunteer, I really could experience the ‘soul’ of New Zealand by working to preserve it,” Reina said. “I saw parts of New Zealand that tourists never will by getting down on my hands and knees and planting trees that will be there for decades to come.”
Because conservation volunteers usually work with local organizations and community members, they do get to meet New Zealanders in a different capacity. If volunteers have to turn down multiple offers for morning tea, it’s just because New Zealanders are grateful to have the help.
“So many community members are very appreciative that we’re here,” Irving said. “They know it’s not easy to come all this way and pay your own expenses.”
The conservation staff that work with volunteers are often overwhelmed by these strangers’ generosity.
“It is sometimes hard to find good in humanity,” said Browyn Wall, who co-manages the Otari-Wilton Reserve restoration project. “But this reaffirms for me that there are people out there who care about other things than just themselves. It’s inspiring.”
The Value of a Volunteer
When Joseph Otari declared the forest he owned just outside of Wellington protected land, he was defying the times. There wasn’t much that was spared during the early colonial land clearing days. His foresight would result in one of the most comprehensive collections of native New Zealand botanical specimens.
So when an area of severely degraded land teeming with invasive weeds began to rub elbows with the Otari-Wilton reserve, conservationists and the city council knew they had to work quickly to stop the damage from spreading.
But to restore the already degraded land with native species while maintaining the unspoiled reserve was a chore too big for even the most well-meaning conservationist. They decided, instead, to call upon volunteers.
Four years later, with overseas volunteers taking on much of the reforestation work, the land is experiencing a rebirth. To walk among the budding trees with their still snap-able trunks is to see New Zealand the way it may have looked as a toddler. Not only is the project heralded as a success in native bush restoration, but also in volunteers’ ability to play a vital role in the conservation effort.
“In 10 years time, we want to have a complete forest canopy,” said Jonathan Kennett, who works alongside Wall. “And we believe it is possible. This really is a place of hope for the rest of New Zealand. A forest is being developed here. Volunteers have been absolutely crucial. There’s no way this would have succeeded without them. And they’re not just working for New Zealand; they’re working for the global environment.”
It’s not always this easy for conservation volunteers to see the impact their work makes. Often volunteers take on tedious, difficult tasks that give no thanks by way of visible progress. The work that volunteers are involved with in New Zealand includes weeding, planting, conducting seal and stream surveys, predator control (setting up stoat, possum and rat traps), reserve and park maintenance and making seed balls to help reforest areas with native plants.
“You might not be able to recognize the benefits immediately,” said Catherine Walker, who volunteered in New Zealand for six weeks. “But you can think that in a few years time, the tree you planted will be that big. Even if it’s just tedious tasks like making seed balls, it’s great because it’s groundbreaking research. No one’s ever done this before. If they can work out what plants to plant here, it will save so much time and energy. Then they can focus their attention on what needs to be done, rather than just randomly throwing seeds around.”
While volunteering may be unceremonious at times, there are also the moments when volunteers understand their value.
“I was able to meet a kiwi in the wild when I was working in the Coromandel,” Winser said. “It really reinforced why we are here. The kiwi is the national symbol, and yet, it’s in so much trouble. We were working some really hard days up there, so to get to grips with what we were actually doing made me think, yes, this is all worth it.”
An Ecological Revolution
If the Kiwis and the kiwis have volunteers to thank for helping to safeguard New Zealand’s biodiversity, so does the rest of the world. After all, it’s volunteers that are trying to preserve Middle Earth for generations to come.
“I’m not stupid enough to think that I’ve saved the world from the work I’ve done here,” Winser said. “But I think that I have made some small contribution to protecting the kiwi and replanting natural habitat to get the forest back. I’m quite proud of it, actually.”
Although Winser and Irving would like to continue the work they’re doing in New Zealand, they, like most other volunteers, have responsibilities calling them home-bills, mortgages, families, jobs. Their cats, for one, will be happy to see them.
And while volunteers are willing to set aside their own lives for the pursuit of saving the environment, they’re also hoping they won’t have to shoulder the burden alone.
“People are starting to wake up to global warming and other environmental problems,” Walker said. “The mentality of the world is, ‘Okay, we’ve got a slight problem here.’ But there needs to be a connection between saying we need to do something and then actually doing it. You can’t expect the world to be changed by volunteers, because dedicated volunteers need to live and eat too. We could all be out there earning a living being fat cat city brokers, but then we’ll lose the world.”
It’s this environmental consciousness that has conservationists hoping that the work done by volunteers in New Zealand will result in action taken at home.
“I’d love to try and encourage an ecological revolution,” Kennett said. “These volunteers are going home and bringing a new environmental awareness that if it can be done here, and it can done there.”
If the old adage, “planting a seed,” has any merit here, it won’t just be in terms of the trees planted around the country.
“It’s always worth remembering that although New Zealand seems like a clean, green country, environmental degradation is happening here too,” Wall said. “But I think the message that volunteers can bring home with them is, it’s never too late to start.”
For more information on volunteering check out: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/
For more great articles on volunteering check out: http://globalvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/
© 2000-2007 Global Volunteer Network
Megan Taddy
http://www.articlesbase.com/causes-and-organizations-articles/will-work-for-scenery-255413.html
Packaging Up Our Future Environment
The pressure is on for us all to play our part in reducing land fill in the UK. We are still filling sites with five million tons of the stuff every year and this, the government says, must be reduced drastically to have any lasting effect on global warming.
One way for this to be achieved is to reduce the amount of packaging that surrounds our everyday products, with food companies being targeted more than anyone else. But what will this mean for the companies that produce the packaging machinery?
Well, if some of them are anything to go by, nothing much will happen. Supermarkets have made some changes but still want to give their customers the choice of whether or not they use plastic or easily recyclable packing products. Plastic bags are still available and one supermarket claims to have made its salad packaging thinner.
So, the packaging machinery that takes care of this is still being used in abundance, just with thinner plastic. Maybe a better idea would be to make it luminous. Then, when our salad is shoved in the drawer at the bottom of the fridge we won’t forget about until the point where the contents liquefy. Every time we open the fridge door this luminous food product will be screaming at us to be used. It would also do away with the need for the fridge light, thus further saving on environmental pollution.
Packaging machinery is used every day to shrink wrap items of all descriptions. So how come all we see in the news is the shrink wrap around food being vilified? The idea is to get everyone using paper bags that are biodegradable to wrap food rather than the plastic that it usually comes in. Greener packaging – back to my luminous idea, then!
When it comes to the design of packaging machinery, what I want to know is who the hell is responsible for the packaging that refuses to be opened. Why is it necessary to wrap even the smallest item in solid lumps of moulded plastic that defy even the sharpest scissors?
Many a time my husband has been trying to open one of these awful constructions with a sharp implement and slipped. One more than one occasion we have had to make hospital visits due to an accident because of this type of packaging. Note to manufacturers – do not wrap anything in these impossible packages, then we won’t have accidents and we won’t have to take trips to the hospital, thus burning more fuel, thus harming the environment even more.
Newspapers and magazines use packaging machinery but there packaging is of the eco-friendly type when you look at the bulk being delivered to shops. I say why not use the Sun or the News of the World to pack them in – no-one would notice. It’s those individual magazines that are delivered to subscribers that need to have their packaging changed.
Like my husbands. His Caravanning Monthly is delivered in a dark paper envelope. At least, he tells me it’s his caravan magazine, maybe I’ll check next time one drops through the door.
Packaging machinery is adaptable. It can wrap in thinner materials, surely it can wrap in different, eco-friendly materials too? But at the end of the day, does packaging machinery contribute towards pollution by the sheer running of it in the first place?
Catherine Harvey
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/packaging-up-our-future-environment-379984.html
Video: Practices and Importance of Green Officer Training
R. Michael Richmond is informing companies on having at least one of their employees to take the Green Officer Training to demonstrate Green practices in their business or work place.
Duration : 2 min 24 sec
New Blue Earth
A 3D rotating Earth!
Animated by TalentedSnail
Tutorial coming soon
If you want this for yourself then please ask us!
Duration : 9 sec
Sustainable Future
Sustainable Future means designing products and processes to meet the needs of the customer while also considering the needs of society, of the environment, and of the company.
Corporate success is all too often measured in terms of arbitrary growth in sales and profits over a short period versus judging the ongoing viability of the company and its products or processes. Many "consumer products" are designed to be "disposable" with the hope that "repeat sales" in the near term will drive corporate growth and profits.
This is environmentally difficult to sustain.
We hope to empower every individual to make a personal decision that can positively impact their lives and the future.
For more information, visit www.omachron.com
Duration : 3 min 21 sec
google earth pastime!
right coldish. prompt this for nothing game for google earth. butcher the aliens!
Duration : 1 min 58 sec
Indian Real Estate
We are at a defining point in the history of Indian real estate. Rarely has a business sector seen so much churn, conjecture, simultaneous pessimism, optimism and prophetic predictions in the space of just a few months.
To say the very least, these are interesting times. There has been a slowdown in Indian real estate because an amalgam of reasons – overheating of prices in certain regions, reduced liquidity among developers because of the credit crunch and a watch-and-wait stance among property buyers as they anticipate a blanket correction in the sector. This cannot be attributed solely to the credit crunch and the US recession – property and interest rates were inflated to begin with. Nevertheless, we are still given to focusing more on reasons beyond our borders than those within them.
There is a currently fashionable saying making its rounds – when the US sneezes, the whole world catches cold. In the case of India, however, I beg differ.
India – and for that matter China – represent an economic scenario that has evolved separately and on very different parameters from the economies in most developed countries.
It is an emerging economy, with an emerging and maturing real estate market. The fall in demand will prevail for approximately ten to twelve months, but it will not be of a magnitude comparable to that of other countries. India continues to be very attractive, but foreign investors are now justifiably awaiting greater transparency and stability.
Still, prices are doubtlessly stagnating and there may be a more generalized correction over the next one year. However, many locations and properties will continue to be in great demand. The retail and commercial space sectors have seen a major sea change on the demand side, completely redefining what is expected from the coming supply. No longer can we adhere to traditional standards of format, efficiency and location – everything is changing, ladies and gentlemen, and we must change with the times.
Our thinking must change, because the sector is changing. I cannot emphasise this enough. We are on the threshold of an awakening into the Era of Transparency. From this point in Indian real estate history onward, – http://www.omaxe.com we will forever need to look beyond short-term profitability and concentrate on making our projects institutional quality assets through more tie-ups with international expertise.
In commercial projects, the onus is now clearly on large floor plates, workplace ambience and conformity to international sustainability standards. In fact, our thinking must now permanently reorient to global best practices and eco-friendly projects with LEEDS certification.
In the retail sector, the sad truth is that there is an oversupply situation brewing, mainly because the current supply is opportunistic and not based on actual demand. Developers are building malls in catchments where land is available, without studying existing and potential demand.
In residential real estate, most large development houses have now woken up to the fact that affordable housing projects have the fastest absorption rates and are focusing on this hitherto neglected sector. It makes both social and business sense. Business sense in terms of the volumes the market is offering that developers can cater to, and social sense because it provides buyers of economical housing more options to choose from. The demand in terms of units is phenomenal and developers getting into this segment can build for years to come.
Yes – interesting times. We are in the eye of the storm and therefore do not adequately sense the full extent of the turbulence all around us. However, the current market dynamics are already serving the required purpose – bringing about a Indian real estate Renaissance. Quality retail and commercial spaces in tune with the international blueprint are arriving, and developers are now launching housing projects for the common man as never before.May the future begin.
Charles King
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/indian-real-estate-605826.html
How To Create A Health Club Environment Centered On Safety
A health club is generally where people go to get in shape and stay healthy. Most health clubs offer a variety of classes, equipment and health-focused amenities such as massage and steam baths. Members assume their health club is focused on safety because it is focused on their health. That is not always the case, however.
In order to build a solid clientele, a health club needs to have the right combination of classes, instructors, equipment and marketing. One component that simply cannot be overlooked is safety. Members need to feel as if their safety is a health club’s number one priority. Here are a few ways to make any health club focused on safety:
First Aid Training
Each and every employee of the health club should be properly trained in the administration of first aid and CPR. A health club is an environment where a large percentage of members are beginning a workout regime hoping to improve their health. This means that they are currently not in the best of shape and that can spell trouble!
While some emergency situations strike without warning, such as cardiac arrest, others are brought on by stress and exertion. It is imperative that all heath club employees know the warning signs of heart-related problems and how to handle life-and-death situations.
It is also important that employees can handle non-life threatening situations. Many health club members simply find themselves with sprained joints, pulled muscles or other injuries. Health club staff should be prepared to handle these medical situations as they arise.
CPR Training and AED Training
When a person suffers cardiac arrest, their brain can only live 4-6 minutes without the help of properly administered CPR. CPR acts to manually pump blood through the body until medical intervention can begin. It is extremely important for the safety of all health club members that employees receive CPR training on a regular basis.
CPR is great, but for the safety of their members, many health club managers are installing Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s.) An AED provides an electrical shock to the body of a cardiac arrest victim to essentially jump-start the heart. Combined with CPR, this system can actually raise a cardiac arrest victim’s survival rate above 40%.
First Aid & AED Equipment Checks
Having employees trained in first aid and CPR goes a long way towards the safety of a health club. Installing an AED in the club is truly making a commitment to the safety of members. However, if first aid materials and the AED are not kept in proper working order, they may not be there when needed most.
Have a particular employee take on the responsibility for keeping the first aid box well stocked. Another employee can be responsible for checking the AED to ensure it is operating properly and carries a good charge. If a medical emergency was to arise and these items were not available as promised, members would suffer greatly.
Equipment Safety Checks
First aid and AED’s are not the only sets of equipment that need to be kept in working order to ensure member safety. The exercise equipment itself needs to be checked on a regular basis to make sure all parts are running smoothly. Literally hundreds of different people may use a piece of equipment at a health club in any given week. This increases the opportunity for a small part to break or be compromised in some way. By checking each piece of equipment on a regular basis, health club managers can definitely say they put their member’s safety first!
Christine OKelly
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/how-to-create-a-health-club-environment-centered-on-safety-393009.html
