22 April 2012
Posted in Earth Day

Here in Florida, water conservation means so much more than watering your lawn less, or taking shorter showers.  Because so many of us live near coast lines, water conservation also means taking care of the natural treasures we’re lucky enough to enjoy every day.  To issues that face Floridians are littering and ocean dumping.

We’ve all seen it.  You spend a day at the beach, expecting to enjoy nature at its finest.  When you arrive though, the picture is often different.  Trash and litter from the visitors before you are carelessly discarded.  For us, it’s an eyesore.  For the wildlife we share these oceans with though, it’s a different story.

Marine animals sometimes mistake debris for food and swallow it or become caught in it and die.  Debris and trash can be carried downstream in rivers endangering all aquatic life on its way to the sea where it will drift through the ocean currents for years and years.  Plastic floating in the ocean can resemble jellyfish.  Many leatherback turtles die from ingesting plastic bags which they mistake for their favorite food, jellyfish.  As a result, the leatherback is listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List as endangered worldwide.

Of the approximately 7 billion tons of litter that enters the world's oceans each year, about 60 percent is of a plastic composition including bags, bottles, synthetic ropes and fishing nets, and more.  These items can last for 10-20 years before finally decomposing.  It is estimated that 1 million seabirds and 100,000 other marine animals, including endangered species, die as a result of having swallowed plastic litter or been caught in it.

In addition to trash, the oceans and waterways that surround us also become at risk due to pollution.  Two thirds of the major cities in the world are situated along coasts, and millions of people vacation at shorelines.  Pollution from developed areas drains into the ocean killing marine life, threatens human health, causes toxic algae blooms, and forces beach closures.  Human pollution is destroying coral reefs and coastal habitat which are vital for breeding, food and shelter for marine species.  Vast amounts of pollution are draining into our ocean waters daily from human-related activities.  Ocean currents can carry pollutants far from the source of entry, and species consume and absorb them.  Pollutants have caused major declines in species, and are threatening the planet's ecological stability; and therefore, our life support system.

Needless to say, pollution of any kind does great damage to our environment.  When it comes to conserving our oceans and waterways though, Floridians have an added responsibility.  It’s a small price to pay for living in such a beautiful state.

19 April 2012
Posted in Earth Day

The Sierra Club works to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. It is the largest, most influential grassroots environmental organization with over 1.4 million members across America. The goals set forth by the club are to have safe and healthy communities to live in, implement smart energy systems to battle global warming, and to create a lasting legacy for the wild places that still remain in the United States.

The Mission of the Sierra Club is, “to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.”

The Central Florida chapter of the Sierra Club consists of 2,100 members in the four surrounding counties. Monthly meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at Leu Gardens where a guest speaker is featured or an education session is presented. The topics discussed at the meetings are centered on Florida’s distinctive ecology. The Central Florida chapter also partakes in weekly outdoor adventures including hiking, bicycling, kayaking, camping, backpacking, and conservation oriented walks into natural areas that still remain around the area.

If you would like to join The Sierra Club, click here.

19 April 2012
Posted in Earth Day

Conserving our natural resources should be a top priority for everyone, but due to social and economic pressures, it’s a lot easier said than done. Among those concerns is preserving our land.

It may not get more important than saving our planet’s rainforests, namely the Amazon, which is severely threatened by deforestation.

How does deforestation of the Amazon rainforest affect me in Orlando or in any other part of the world you may ask?

For starters, the Amazon is so large, that the atmosphere of our planet would be turned upside down without it. Its absorption of carbon dioxide and release of oxygen is the largest factor in preventing global warming. With more than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen produced by the rainforest, the effect would be felt by everyone on earth.

As if that wasn’t enough, scientists estimate deforestation is to blame for the loss of 137 plant, animal and insect species every day and 50,000 species a year. With their extinction, we lose the potential for cures of life-threatening diseases.

As of today, more than 100 prescription drugs sold around the world come from plant-derived sources. And the biggest eye opener? Twenty-five percent of Western pharmaceuticals originate from the rainforest, while less one percent of its tropical trees and plants have even been tested by scientists.

Of the 3,000 plants that are active against cancer cells, 70 percent are found in the Amazon; a quarter of the active ingredients in modern cancer-fighting drugs derive from organisms found only in the rainforest.

In fact, periwinkle, a rainforest plant from which we get vincristine, is one of the most powerful anticancer drugs in the world. Thanks to it, we have increased the survival rate for acute childhood leukemia since its discovery.

And for the food lovers, more than four-fifths of developing countries’ diet can be sourced to the rainforest. From it, we’ve received fruits such as avocados, oranges and bananas and vegetables like corn, potatoes and rice. And don’t forget chocolate!

While 2011 showed the slowest deforestation rate since records started being kept, it’s dependent upon mankind to preserve what nature intended to last forever.