US environmental concerns “freeze” in the deep North.

The Kulluk off the Seattle waterfront. Photo by dnak | flickr.com

As the polar ice caps melt, interest in the Arctic region is all the rage for the use of shipping lanes and for potential claim over potential oil reserves. Shell Oil Co. has been investigating this potential for the past fifty years and has now been given the green light for exploratory drilling in open water by the US federal government (and backed by an appeals court).

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More Than One Direction: What Makes Us Beautiful?

Photo by merwing✿little dear| flickr.com

The beauty of this world can be seen in so many different ways. It can be seen under so many different lights and so many different perspectives. Whether we consider this earth on a microscopic level or on a macroscopic scale, the end result is that nature is an extraordinary blanket that covers the surface of this planet, but extends far enough to impact the depths of our souls.

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Turning the Tide on Renewable Energy.

Photo by jaywood_uk | flickr.com

Tidal power has long been an option for renewable energy production. However, while tidal power has the potential to make sizable contributions to the energy grid and alleviate the pressure we put on non-renewable energy, it still remains relatively underutilized. Tidal power has a number of marked advantages over solar and wind power, including the ability to predict when tides are strongest. This allows power generation efforts to coincide with the tidal changes.  However, the high cost of developing tidal power technologies has historically been the largest hurdle in implementing it on a large scale. Such an investment would be a small price to pay to allow the large scale implementation of a completely renewable form of energy.

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Conserving the Cute: Why Many Conservation Efforts Are Biased.

Photo by Mira (on the wall) | flickr.com

As humans, we are preconditioned to adore and protect things that are ‘cute’ – creatures that have big eyes, chubby cheeks, and make nonsensical noises – you know, like babies.  This is an evolutionary mechanism put in place to ensure that parents care for their vulnerable young rather than abandoning them before they are prepared to survive independently. 

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Gulf Oil Spill: Two years later.

Photo by IBRRC | flickr.com

As we reflect upon the disastrous Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, the largest spill in US history, scientific studies continue to emerge regarding its many environmental repercussions.  And although a full two years since the spill, this is still considered ‘short-term’ in the grand scheme of things.

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Humans and the environment: How much damage have we done?

Photo by Keoni Cabral | flickr.com

It’s a seemingly simple cycle: the environment influences how humans live, while at the same time, human activity changes the state of the environment in which we live.  This relationship has existed since humans first starting roaming the planet, and has become increasingly complex as technological advancements develop through time. 

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Joe Smith - How To Use One Paper Towel

Check out this video recommended to us by George Kamiya. Thanks, George! If you've got any videos you'd like to see here, e-mail us at thestarfish2010@gmail.com.

Life Without Mosquitoes?

Photo by Brittany Greene | flickr.com

It’s that time of year again. Cottagers are waking from their long winter naps, docks are put back into the water, drinks with ice cubes and tiny umbrellas are being mixed. Summertime is just around the corner.  And what would cottage country be without nature’s least loveable creatures? A new article published in Nature claims that cottage country may in fact, be just fine without mosquitoes.

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