New Kelley Center LibGuide: Discover Government Resources for Earth Month

 

URL to the new LibGuide: https://libguides.rice.edu/earth

Monitoring Restoration of Gulf Coast After Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill

Concerned that monitoring of the restoration of the Gulf coast after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may be inadequate, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have created a publication identifying best practices for restoration monitoring, assessment, and synthesis. The publication also "offers specific guidance for a subset of habitats and taxa to be restored in the Gulf including oyster reefs, tidal wetlands, and seagrass habitats, as well as a variety of birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals." Download Effective Monitoring to Evaluate Ecological Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico for free on the Academies' site or purchase a paper copy for $52.00.

PFOA & PFOS Drinking Water Health Advisories

The EPA has published a health advisories fact sheet about PFOA and PFOS in drinking water. These fluorinated organic chemicals are used to make "carpets, clothing, fabrics for furniture, paper packaging for food and other materials (e.g., cookware) that are resistant to water, grease or stains."   PFOA and PFOA related chemicals were phased out of production in the United States between 2000 and 2002, but drinking water in some communities has been contaminated by industrial facilities that used these chemicals in manufacturing or by airfields that used the chemicals for firefighting. The health advisories fact sheet provides recommendations about safe levels of these chemicals in the water and steps to remove them from drinking water systems.
     
The fact sheet is available at  https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-05/documents/drinkingwaterhealthadvisories_pfoa_pfos_5_19_16.final__0.pdf

Address Wildfire Threat with National Seed Strategy

According to an August 17, 2015 press release, as "part of a comprehensive, science-based strategy to address the threat of wildfires that are damaging landscapes across the West, the Department of the Interior today announced the release of a National Seed Strategy for rehabilitation and restoration to help foster resilient and healthy landscapes." More information is available from the press release and the FAQs.

Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Medium & Heavy Duty Motor Vehicles

A 497 page document containing the proposed regulations for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from medium and heavy duty motor vehicles is now available in the Federal Register. Proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the regulations are designed to transition the United States to a "new generation of clean vehicles." Vehicles proposed for regulation include combination tractors, heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, vocational vehicles, and gasoline and diesel heavy-duty engines.

The summary at the beginning of the document mentions that NHTSA's proposed fuel standards for these vehicles would be voluntary in 2014 and 2015 but mandatory for new models in 2016. EPA's proposed gas emission standards would begin with 2014 models.

America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, 2010

America Recycles Day
November 15, 2010



Do you know how, where, when, and what to recycle in your community? If not, check the America Recycles Day website to find answers to those questions. The site includes a widget that lets you fill in what kind of material you want to recycle along with your zip code or city/state to find when and where to recycle that material. Their Links & Resources page provides recycling information from federal and state agencies and  battery, glass, paper, plastic, and steel industrial sites. If you would like to sponsor a recycling event, you can use their America Recycles Day Tool Kit. You can also find them on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

For campus environmental and recycling information see the Enviro-Web of Rice University.

President Obama's Plan for Offshore Drilling

The U.S. Department of Interior has created a site entitled Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy containing information about President Obama's plan to pursue "a balanced, science-based strategy for exploring and developing oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf." The site includes clickable maps with more information about development, exploration, and protection in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Alaska regions. The site also includes links to resources such as press releases, memorandums, questions and answers, 5 year plans, regional information pages, hi-resolution maps, and Federal Register Notices.


For a brief summary about the comprehensive strategy for offshore oil and gas development and exploration, see Secretary of the Interior Ken Salzar's March 31, 2010 press release.

Track Environmental Exposures & Chronic Health Conditions

According to a July 7, 2009 press release the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched the online Environmental Public Health Tracking Network which enables users to track environmental exposures and chronic health conditions. According to Michael McGeehin, Ph.D., director of the Division of Environmental Hazard and Health Effects of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, "The Tracking Network is the foundation we need to make better environmental health decisions and help prevent chronic illnesses, such as asthma, cancer, and heart disease."

This program has already proven beneficial for the Utah Department of Health which received a call from a person concerned about incidents of cancer in his neighborhood. Instead of taking a year to complete a study, in less than a day the tracking program was able to determine the likelihood of cancer in his area was no greater than in the state as a whole.

In addition to the press release and site, A YouTube video is available with more details about the program.

Celebrate Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day today and every day with tips from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has an Earth Day site with information about the history of Earth Day, a widget to get daily environmental information, environmental podcasts, and practical ideas for everyone to help make Earth a greener place.

Creeping Dead Zones

Scarier at the moment to fish than to humans but of increasing concern to all, dead zones are areas of the ocean along coasts with low levels of oxygen at the sea floor. Many dead zones are occurring near the mouths of major river systems when fertilizer run-off, especially during flooding, supplies nutrients to phytoplankton which multiply rapidly. Organic matter produced by phytoplankton sinks to the bottom of the ocean where bacteria break it down. The bacteria use oxygen in the process and release carbon dioxide, depleting available supplies of oxygen needed by other forms of aquatic life.

To learn more about dead zones, access Creeping Dead Zones by NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. The site includes satellite views of dead zones, a world map of dead zones, and links to further information.

EPA Libraries Return Diminished in Size

According to a May 21, 2008 News Release from the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the EPA, responding to an order by Congress to re-open its closed libraries, will re-open four libraries effective September first. However, space allocated to the libraries will be considerably diminished unless plans change. For example, the Chicago regional library which serves the six-state Great Lakes area will occupy a vacant reception area on the 16th floor of a federal building that is one-tenth the size of its former area; the Dallas regional library serving five states will operate 6 hours a day 4 days a week using 2 staff workstations and 1 patron work station.

The EPA has more information about its current library services and repositories on its National Library Network page.

Celebrate Earth Day

From NASA Visible Earth (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/)

On Earth Day 2008, Tuesday, April 22, people around the world are celebrating events promoting environmental friendliness. The following sites provide ideas about how to commemorate the day and take part in saving the environment:

• Earth Day 2008 Events Worldwide (earthdaynetwork) -- Campaigns, education, and outreach.
  
  
• EnviroLink Network. -- Comprehensive list of world-wide Earth Day events "regardless of size, geographic location or organizational affiliation."
  
  
• Sun-Earth Day: 2008 -- NASA.gov list of world-wide celebrations for the IHY (International Heliophysical Year) concentrating on this year's theme of space weather around the world.
  
  
• Celebrate Earth Day -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site with podcasts, environmental tips, and ideas to use at home, in the community, at school, at work, and while shopping.

Going Green

Do you have a desire to be more environmentally friendly, but don't know where to start? The EPA has an online pamphlet, GreenScaping: the Easy Way to a Greener, Healthier Yard. The pamphlet explains five steps for creating a healthier, more beautiful, and environmentally-friendly lawn and garden:

1. Build and maintain a healthy soil
   
2. Plant right for your site
   
3. Practice smart watering
   
4. Adopt a holistic approach to pest management
   
5. Practice natural lawn care
   

Adopt an Attwater Prairie Chicken

The Attwater's prairie chicken, a species of grouse known for elaborate mating rituals, has been on the Endangered Species List since 1967. Urbanization caused the destruction of most of the bird's habitat. The chicken is now classified as critically endangered.

Don't let the Attwater's prairie chicken go the way of the dodo; adopt a prairie chicken through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The $25 donation goes to programs raising the chickens. Donors receive an informational packet about the threats facing the prairie chicken.

To see Attwater's prairie chickens, visit the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, 10, 528 acres dedicated to increasing their population. The refuge is approximately an hour drive from Houston.

For more information about Attwater's prairie chicken, check out these links:

• videos about conservation efforts
• history of species decline
• prairie chick desktop background
  

US-Mexico Border 2012 Program

The EPA announced a new website for the US-Mexico Border 2012 Program, a US/Mexico collaboration to improve the environment and address public health needs along the border. The Program's first report, State of the Border Region 2005, includes data on water, air, land, emergency preparedness and response, and enforcement and compliance.

Global Warming

On March 20, 2007 California Representative Henry Waxman, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the Safe Climate Act of 2007 (H.R. 1590) which "sets targets and requires the actions that will be necessary to avoid dangerous, irreversible warming of our planet." Targets are to be achieved through a combination of technological advances, energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, and a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions.

Similarly, the Rice University Student Association is addressing global warming by sponsoring a Carbon Neutral Day on April 20th, 2007. The association will buy "carbon credits" to pay for clean energy and energy efficient projects that equal the amount of emissions attributed to Rice's energy consumption for a single day. The association hopes to collect enough money to buy 55 tons of carbon credits at $10/ton ($550). Those wishing to donate can send checks by April 5 made out to Rice University (with the memo line indicating carbon credits) to:

Rice University
CSES, MS-170
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892

Global Warming

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report on global warming yesterday. This report, the Summary for Policymakers of the first volume of “Climate Change 2007”, addresses the natural and human drivers of climate change and states that:

"Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values determined from ice cores spanning many thousands of years. The global increases in carbon dioxide concentration are due primarily to fossil fuel use and land-use change, while those of methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture."