This Ground is not the Rock I Thought it to be ...

Hey folks,
     Welcome to the CP hour, covering all the goodies for your filling. And today our topic is netting. Like a net of being, a singular organism comprised of an entire composition of singular organisms, all working together to stitch out this great universe.
     Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, that there is no acid trip of a theory but it does put it into a pretty perception. We're all made up of the same matter and our position and intricacy is far greater than meets the eye.
     Case in point. Check out this article that talks about how the ocean is vital for the survival of land creatures and vice versa. Its a little scientific, but none the less a great read, on understanding just how incredibly balanced everything on this blue planet is. And how unbelievably ingorant we are to its value. There is a reason that nature has made what its made the way that its made it. (Was that a tongue twister?) Lets enjoy it for all its worth and that there is the reason CP is in function, to protect it for future generations.
     Art in its natural form. Sigh ....

Action Packed: Let your voices be heard. Art is not a crime!

Statement from the Artist:

9.19.2011
End Mural Moratorium. Art Is Not A Crime…
The reason I hired five jet planes to sky write over City Hall and downtown Los Angeles is to bring awareness to how ridiculous a moratorium on public art is.

The city states that all public murals are signage, effectively banning art from the walls of Los Angeles. And it is removed at the taxpayers’ expense. Money is given to private graffiti removal companies, who have broken onto private property to paint murals beige. The owners of small businesses where murals have been painted have been harassed and threatened with fines if they do not remove the artwork. Police officers raid homes and places of work, intimidating artists and building owners. During this time of economic crisis, “mural signs” are an easy target for the city to extract money. This moratorium is a clear violation of the first amendment right to free speech and enforcement for these unreasonable laws is a complete waste of taxpayer funds.

To put things in perspective I recently visited the beautiful set of murals inside the Terminal Annex Building on Alameda. This mural was painted in 1941-44 and was funded by the “Works Progress Administration” (WPA). Murals are just a part of the legacy of a national program that put the country to work during the Great Depression.

Fast-forward to the Great Recession, taxpayer money is now used to obliterate all traces of the artwork my generation have created. I believe this is city-funded censorship pushed by lawmakers with personal vendettas. Potential jail time is more probable for us than the opportunity of creating an artistic legacy for the next generation. In a city that used to proudly call itself the “Mural Capitol Of The World,” the officials who enforce this ban should be ashamed to call themselves “Angelinos.”
Art Is Not A Crime… End Mural Moratorium.

- SABER

Click on the link below to sign the petition: 

http://saberone.com/blog/2011/09/19/art-is-not-a-crime%E2%80%A6end-the-mural-moratorium/comment-page-1/#comment-6336

Who Ever Told You That This is the Land of the Free is Your Enemy

Philosophically speaking of course.

Whoa what a month this has been. So much political strife in the atmosphere. And it aint even close to being over. We here at CP know that to keep the ocean's clean, it all has to start with the inner mainland. So lets get on with 2 of our targets, shall we?

- Millions of publicly owned acres are up for grabs ... for the oil, gas and mining tycoons. That must be the meaning of "Land of the Free," right?

- What's the theory for what destroyed the civilizations of Easter Island and Central America? Ah, yes, the depletion of vital resources. 1000 years later, I don't think we've learned shit.

Action Packed: Protect Our Ocean and Coastal Resources from Desalination Facilities

Plans for more than 20 ocean desalination facilities are currently underway in California. Unfortunately these plans are moving forward at a pace which precludes thoughtful consideration of the impacts that these facilities will have on water quality, marine life, and greenhouse gas emissions. Many facilities propose to use once-through cooling (OTC) pipes to draw in seawater, along with all of the marine life in it. Additionally, California does not have regulations in place to protect the ocean ecosystem from toxic brine pollution generated by desalination facilities. The Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is charged with recommending environmentally protective policies on ocean issues. OPC’s Five Year Draft Strategic Plan currently includes a section that recommends no new open-ocean intake facilities in California, but this is not debatable. Join us in telling OPC to release a Strategic Plan that makes it clear to state agencies and dischargers that desalination facilities should not be using destructive OTC pipes.

Send your message by clicking the link below!

http://www.cacoastkeeper.org/take-action/speak-out/13

Action Packed: California legislature passed a ban on shark fins

Call Gov. Brown's desk (916) 445-2841 to make sure he signs the bill!

(Reuters) - Shark fin soup would be off the menu in California, under a bill headed for the governor's desk following its approval by the state Senate on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/07/uk-sharkfin-ban-california-idUSLNE78605E20110907

Action Packed: Let's Protest the Living Daylights out of Ed Royce

Calling all CP Foot Soldiers in the So Cal area!

There is a protest being held by the http://www.moveon.org/ in Orange against the deficit and the ongoing job cuts across America. We're hoping that Ed Royce (representative for the area) is there to hear us out and if not, we are sending videos of the event to his office. It will be held at 7 PM and you can find more info by clicking on the CP Foot Soldier below.

We hope to see some of you out there!

Action Packed: Its not just the Chicken of the Sea you're eating ...

Happy Friday CP Foot Soldiers,

We have a petition here against the Chicken of the Sea company and the harmful and destructive ways in which they catch their tuna for their products. They don't only capture tuna, they kill thousands of sharks, sea turtles, birds, etc with the methods they use and its time we let them know that they better start using up some R & D and find ways that are respectful to the environment and the creatures that inhabit them. Follow the link to the petition by clicking on the image below.

Courtesy of GreenPeace.org

NASA Top Climate Scientist Arrested on White House Protest

NASA's leading climate scientist James Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Science, is arrested Monday outside the White House in a public protest over an oil pipeline.

Alongside actress Daryl Hannah, religious leaders, and dozens of eco-activists arrested Monday outside the White House protesting a planned oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico stood an unlikely partner -- NASA's top climate scientist and government official James Hansen.

Hansen, a controversial and highly vocal proponent of the argument that man's actions have dramatically affected the planet's climate, is the director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies -- a position for which he earns a $180,000 taxpayer-paid salary.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/31/nasa-top-climate-scientist-arrested/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/30/daryl-hannah-arrested-at-white-house

Get Behind Me, No More Styrofoam!

Sorry Folks!

Been away for a while, finding the answers to the meaning of life gets pretty tough. But fighting pollution is getting easier and easier. That's thanks to all of your support in raising awareness. We've also been able to provide our first CP beach clean up! Nothing better than being at the front of the battle against pollution with the fellow foot soldiers. You are the inspiration and essence of what we are about.

Now, lets keep this rally going and get this petition against styrofoam fully loaded. Click on the Surfrider image below to access the petition and spread it to friends and family like weeds!




It seems like little by little, our voices are definitely being heard and we're taking the initiative against the status quo. As a reminder check out our other sites and blogs listed below. And also below, this photo reminds me of you foot soldiers.

http://www.coastalplayground.com/
http://www.weceeradness.tumblr.com/

Defend the National Ocean Policy

Please ask your Representative to support the National Ocean Policy and oppose any proposal that would restrict its funding or implementation.

Last year, President Obama established the National Ocean Policy to help protect and restore our nation's oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. The policy is already being implemented and is improving collaboration between government agencies, scientists, ocean users, and members of the public.

But now some Members of Congress are attempting to stop the National Ocean Policy with a backdoor attack through an FY12 Interior Appropriations bill. Halting implementation of the policy would reduce our nation's capacity to protect and restore our ocean and coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them. Please make your voice heard and ask your Representative to support the National Ocean Policy and oppose any proposal that would restrict its funding or implementation.

Click here to take ACTION now.  Make your voice heard!!!

http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4581

The BOGUS Government

Here at CP we try to keep our activism's main focus on beach environment, but so many things are tied in that sometimes you have to step out and be all inclusive. With that said, the current budget crisis/approval is something that is affecting a wide range of social services that include funds to keep our water supplies clean and safe. Below is a video of the great Keith Olbermann pointing out the hypocrisy of the US Government (or the US Corporation, I should say) and how this affects all of us, the common American. Not the greedy, sloth, rich, fat guy's clinging to money they have no idea what to do with but us, the common Americans that run their companies and get the short end of the stick.

Imagine if all workers came together and initiated a walk out from all these greedy corporations, we'd put an end to their power and essentially destroy their stranglehold and even out the playing field. We'd be able to provide an even share for all of us thru health, education and social services. Let's see them try to put together a car, take out the trash, serve a 100 people's orders, process thousands of paperwork or countless of other things on their own. That would be really nice right about now!

Losing Ground

What if you woke up and found that your local beach had disappeared into the sea and all that was left was waves and a cliff side?

That's what is happening in Australia! One of their beaches has been eroding for a couple of years now and seems to show a grim sign of things to come if global warming accelerates and we do nothing about it. More than ever, signs of weather changes are occuring all over the world. How much more do the world governments need to see to think, "Maybe this is something we should really start looking into?" Just at least THINK it!



Washed away: Rocks and rusting steel are all that now remains of the once beautiful sandy beach at Kingscliff. Photo: Michael Bryant

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/tourist-town-despairs-as-hungry-ocean-swallows-beach-20110725-1hwtj.html#ixzz1UTRNglGB

Protest in Newport Beach and across the nation!

Hopefully some of you can come out and support and demand our voices be heard! The protest is against the defecit bill that was approved by congress on Friday which includes many cuts to vital social services. This bill is also affecting funding for the EPA and other environmental efforts that could have a huge impact on the stability of our oceans and beaches. Below is the address for the protest in Orange County, CA.

Where are the Jobs? Jobs Not Cuts Rally
John Campbell's Newport Beach Office
610 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2011, 12:00 PM

STOP KEYSTONE!!

Hello CP family

We have an important petition to be signed and spread to the masses! Its against the proposed Keystone pipeline that would threaten animals, ecosystems and water supplies across the midwest leading down to the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico already has had its share of catastrophe's and it certainly does not need more.

The Keystone company has previously stated that they would invest in technology to avoid future spills but their other pipelines have discredited that notion! Don't believe the PR hype on this. We need to make sure we focus on alternative reusable energies that are a balance for the world and its populations!

Spread the word! This is what CP is all about! Activism! Education! And all with Style!!

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/keystone_obama/index2.html?r=230956&id=25349-3955923-l8CjLGx

What's that smell???

Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoftheref/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

A little late on the news report here but I thought I would still share some of my thoughts. In the article below, we have a story about a wastewater treatment plant catching fire and disrupting one of the pipes leading to a wastewater spill into the Hudson River. The city of New York had to issue a health advisory due to the spill.

Now, how is it that after centuries of handling wastewaters, we still haven't been able to come up with safer, more eco-friendly ways of cleaning these waters for the benefit of al? These are the types of things that cities and governments should spend on to avoid these types of scenarios so you don't have to smell a compiled pool of everybodies processed culinary arts. Pretty gross right? Hopefully it inspires you to look into how your city treats and manages your neighborhoods because again, everything leads to the ocean.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/21/new.york.beaches.wastewater/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

Non-point source pollution

Non-point source or "pointless" pollution is the primary threat to coastal water quality. It includes runoff of litter from the streets, fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, leaky septic systems, and faulty sewage and stormwater systems. People and their everyday habits are both the source and solution to this problem. By keeping informed and making small changes, you can help make our oceans fish-able and swim-able. Remember, whatever goes down a drain, down a storm sewer, into a gutter, on a lawn, or in the air, eventually ends up in the ultimate "sink"... our ocean. Did you know?

The Continental Divide, which runs through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado (shown here at Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat), is the ultimate North American watershed boundary. Rain that falls in its vicinity either runs off to the west (eventually to the Pacific Ocean) or to the east (eventually to the Atlantic Ocean). That means that runoff from places as faraway as eastern Colorado or New Mexico eventually winds up in the Atlantic Ocean

10 great tips to help our beaches!

10 Tips

1. Leave only footprints in the sand.

Use trashcans or take trash home (carry in, carry out).

Use your beach pail at the end of the day to collect

litter. Scoop the Poop! Bring a bag to clean up after

your pet. After enjoying the beach, organize family

and friends for a cleanup, or join volunteers at COA’s

Spring and Fall Beach Sweeps.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Buy only re-usable or

recyclable products. Recycling reduces solid waste

and saves resources. If your beach does not have

recycling bins, take your items home to recycle.

3. Litter is lethal to marine life. Avoid bringing

disposable plastics to the beach. Plastics do not

biodegrade and can kill fish, birds, whales, seals,

turtles, and other animals through entanglement and

ingestion. If you see an animal entangled, injured, or

in danger see Tip # 9.

4. The beach is not an ashtray. Never leave

cigarette filters in the sand. They do not biodegrade

and are highly toxic to marine animals that mistake

them for food.

5. Hold the line, never let it go. Keep all fishing

line for recycling and send to: Pure Fishing America,

1900 18th St, Spirit Lake, IA 51360-1099. If not

possible, cut line into small pieces and put in trash.

6. Look, listen, and learn. Observe wildlife from a

distance and do not frighten or disturb beach critters.

Beachcomb for shells, listen for birdcalls, and look

for plants. Identify what you find with a field guide.

7. Report pollution. If you see unusual beach

conditions (garbage slicks, brown or red tides, fishkills)

notify your state. In New Jersey contact the

Department of Environmental Protection by calling

877-WARN-DEP and contact COA.

8. Carpool, walk, or bike to the beach. Cars are a

leading source of air and water pollution. Turn off

your car if idling for more than 30 seconds; this will

conserve fuel, save money, and reduce pollution.

9. Watch what you're dune. Dunes and grasses

protect inland areas from wind and wave action and

help preserve the shore. Dunes provide habitat for

birds and animals. If you see an animal entangled,

injured, or in danger, contact a lifeguard, wildlife

rehabilitator, or the Marine Mammal Stranding

Center

10. Green Boating. Watercrafts should not be

operated in shallow areas. Operate in deeper water

where you are less likely to disturb habitat. Obey

“fragile area” and “slow no wake” signs. Never

discharge debris overboard. Use pump-out facilities.

Misguided Decision on Behalf of Shell Oil Company Puts Arctic Ocean at Grave Risk

Less than one year after the largest oil spill in American history was contained, the federal government has granted preliminary approval of Shell Oil’s plan for drilling in the harsh and remote conditions of the Arctic Ocean.

This move disregards the recommendations of the National Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to close the research and response gaps that exist in the Arctic before deciding whether drilling can safely proceed.

It also ignores the scientific consensus that drilling in the Arctic presents significant risk to the region’s communities, economy, and marine life.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/misguided_decision_on_behalf_o.html

All is not Quiet on the Plastic Bag Front

(Image by M. Bartosch)

Monday, Monday, Monday! Let's start the week off good with some good news and facts. Click below for a really good article that outlines the dangers and many causes of plastic bag use and how the world is turning around and actually thinking outside of grave convenience. Its also showcasing how the US seems to be behind in many trends far beyond those of policy. Its a good read and I hope you all enjoy and learn something new. As I always say, if you aren't learning anything new, you might as well be dead.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-plastic-bag-wars-20110725

Attack on Clean Water!

I hope everyone is enjoying another happy Hump Day. It's all down hill from here folks.

I've been scouring through the Internet world and boy does it seem aflame today. The recent government cutbacks are diminishing every single corner of our social policies that requires the up most attention. Not only is Medicaid, SSI and school budgets being drained to the last drop, but they are also trying to rid of the Clean Water Act.

A lot of these politicians claim that science does not hold all the answers and that many of our accepted, scientifically analysed reports and facts are not true. Case in point: Global Warming. This "phenomenon" has been acknowledged for more than 2 decades yet the US government has done little to advance regulation and move towards sustainability in an environmentally friendly way.

And mind you, global warming is not even a top priority. The real point of this article is that we have more than 6.5 billion people in the world and with all the water that encompasses more than 2/3 of the Earth, only 1% of that is drinkable. Now with them eliminating or drastically de-funding the Clean Water Act, how are we going to be able to provide a birth given right to this resource for those billions of people?

I wonder if congress even asks themselves these questions. And I hope you guys wonder the same and sign the petition (link below) to urge them to re-think their strategies or face voting consequences in the coming elections.

http://pol.moveon.org/cleanairactvote/

House Committee Launches Most Significant Attack on the Clean Water Act in at Least 15 Years


Steve Fleischli
Senior Attorney, NRDC


Not satisfied with merely trying to undo the Clean Air Act, the House of Representatives has now decided to attack the federal Clean Water Act with the introduction of H.R. 2018, which is slated for mark-up tomorrow (Wednesday) in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill, sponsored by Congressman John Mica of Florida, strips EPA of critical oversight authority that for decades has resulted in improved water quality across the country. And it's not just Republicans leading the charge. Several Democrats, including Representatives Nick Rahall (WV), Jason Altmire (PA) and Tim Holden (PA), have co-sponsored the legislation.

The bill seems to be a reaction to EPA's recent important efforts to protect water quality in Florida, West Virginia and on the Chesapeake Bay. But its impact is far broader than that.
Also called the "Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011," H.R 2018 takes "cooperation" to a whole new level by stripping EPA of its ability to protect national water quality without state-by-state approval. Among other things, the bill:

• Limits EPA's ability to effectively implement or make necessary improvements to state water quality standards to deal with modern pollution challenges.
• Prevents EPA from improving numeric criteria for pollutants that have led to dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico.
• Restricts EPA from upgrading standards for toxic pollutants where narrative standards only provide very limited protection (a common example being state standards that prohibit the "discharge of toxic pollutants in toxic amounts").
• Prevents EPA from vetoing state-issued Clean Water Act permits even if EPA concludes those permits are not protective of water quality.
• Blocks EPA's ability to withhold federal funding to states even if EPA determines the state's implementation of water quality standards is not protective of water quality.

Basically, H.R. 2018 takes the "federal" out of the federal Clean Water Act and highlights a new disdain for the federal government's role in environmental protection. Yet it is this federal law and EPA's oversight that have resulted in so many improvements to water quality across America since the Clean Water Act's passage in 1972.

The federal Clean Water Act provides a safety net for waterways across the country, where states must implement minimum provisions to protect water quality. States can always do more if they so choose, but the law recognizes that Americans deserve a minimum standard of protection no matter where they live, and the Clean Water Act is designed to prevent a "race to the bottom" in places where the benefits of clean water may be ignored for short term economic or political gain.
By hamstringing the EPA, H.R. 2018 would remove the most critical piece of the puzzle and would take away this safety net.

Indeed, sponsors of the bill seem intent on taking us back to the "good old days" of limited federal involvement when rivers like the Cuyahoga caught fire and Lake Erie was declared dead -- and when states sued other states because pollution flowing from an upstream state ruined a neighboring state's waterway.

Yet these past horrors and the legislative history of the Clean Water Act reveal why the federal role was and remains so important: before 1972 many states lacked any approved water quality standards and national efforts to abate and control water pollution were "inadequate in every vital aspect."
I say this is the worse attack on the Clean Water Act in at least 15 years because it is hard to compare which is worse, the Dirty Water Bill of 1995 or today's H.R. 2018. Both contained provisions to paralyze EPA's Clean Water Act duties - the Dirty Water Act under the guise of cost-benefit analysis, H.R. 2018 under the guise of states' rights. But one thing that is easy to see is that H.R. 2018 will undermine almost 40 years of progress in cleaning up America's waterways, and it will remove America's most vital safety net for protecting water quality across all 50 states.
This blog is cross-posted on NRDC's Switchboard.

Forget the Spinach Popeye ... how about some Seaweed?

It's finally Friday internet-landians and I can finally take a breather from the long week and I hope you can too. Wednesday I posted about the oil spill that occured a couple of weeks ago (or was it last week? I've lost track of time) in Montana. I mentioned that we definitely need to start moving away from oil as our source to power our economy and lives.

And low and behold, to my luck, I came across this awesome article regarding seaweed as a biofuel. Its a great outline and showcase of how this would work but of course nothing is ever easy. It's a pretty long read but it also comes with a video. You know how much we love those. Another good read on how the ocean can bring to us benefits beyond the swell and rip curl. But always remember, if we are to start harvesting kelp for biofuel, it has to be done in an environmentally friendly way. With dedication and great minds, this can easily be accomplished. Have a good weekend folks!


Seaweed in the Fuel Tank?

By Jessica Marshall 

THE GIST

• Kelp and other seaweeds could be used for biofuel production.
• Kelp grows quickly and doesn't compete with food production like land-based biofuel crops do.
• So far, the difficulties of cultivating and harvesting kelp make it cost ineffective.

Kelp and other seaweed could be biofuels of the future, avoiding competition with food crops for land and scarce freshwater resources -- limitations that plague land-based biofuel prospects.
Researchers envision fast-growing cultivated kelp forests growing downward into the water, anchored on webs of rope, or porous sheets of material that roll with the waves. Offshore wind farms could be convenient places to grow seaweed biofuels in the future, some say.
So far, the process is not economical, but rising oil prices, or the possibility of first extracting higher-value products from the seaweed such as food additives or protein for fish food before converting the remainder to fuel, could change that.

NEWS: Could Cheap Algae Oil Power Our Energy Future?

"We've got a lot of seaweed growing out in the sea and we're not really using it. It's not taking up land. It's not food which could also be eaten," said Jessica Adams of Aberystwyth University in Wales.
"They grow very fast," added Yannick Lerat of the Technical Research Center on Seaweed in Pleubian, France. "The amount of organic matter you can produce per year per surface is about 10 times higher than you can find in croplands without GM organisms."
"There is no need to use freshwater," he continued. "Freshwater in some parts of the world is becoming really a tricky resource."

WATCH VIDEO: Learn how biomass gas can be transformed into green gasoline.

As with land plants, the carbohydrates in the tissues of seaweed can be converted in various ways to fuels. They can be burned via a process known as pyrolysis to make oil; fermented with bacteria into ethanol; or converted into methane via anaerobic digestion.
Because seaweed is buoyed by water, it does not need to make the woody compound lignin to help it stand up against gravity, like land plants do in growing their stalks and trunks.

Gnarly lignin resists degradation, a key obstacle in bringing terrestrial biofuels made from biomass like corn stalks or tree crops to market. This makes seaweed easier to convert to fuels, researchers said.
"There are issues with harvesting it from the wild for it to be sustainable," said Michele Stanley of the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences, who is a leader of a program investigating fuels from seaweed. "We would support cultivation."

In Norway, wild kelp is harvested on a five-year rotation for production and sale of alginates -- used as stabilizers and emulsifiers in foods, among other things. Wild harvest would not be feasible for the quantities needed for biofuels, Stanley said.

Pål Bakken, founder and head of Norwegian company Seaweed Energy Solutions AS, is working to develop better methods for cultivation.
His company has patented devices for growing kelp in sheets anchored to the seafloor at a single point, which allows the sheets to flow with the wave action, simulating a more natural growth environment.

This should allow simpler, cheaper cultivation and harvesting, he says, eliminating the tangly, multi-anchored rope systems of traditional Asian seaweed culture and perhaps making deeper waters available for cultivation.
Like land plants, kelp needs sufficient nutrients to grow, so it would need nitrogen fertilizer to grow in open water far from coastal nutrient sources.
But cultivated kelp could be a useful way to clean up waters full of nutrient runoff. For example, Norway's salmon farming releases enough nitrogen to support 9 million metric tons of kelp, Bakken said.

It is still unclear how the economics of seaweed biofuels shake out, according to experts. Stanley is investigating the question and hopes to have an answer in the next couple of years.
"There is no way this would be competitive on day one," Bakken said. "Incentives will be important in the beginning."

NEWS: How Much Fossil Fuel is in the Earth?

Lerat says oil prices will need to be somewhere around $300 a barrel before it's economical, but he and others say extracting higher value chemicals first could change the equation.
"The more valuable things you can get out, the better," Adams said.
Indeed, the idea of the "biorefinery," analogous to the petrochemical refinery where high-value petrochemicals are taken out of crude oil before fuel is refined, is a popular vision of the future for terrestrial and marine biofuels alike.

Components of bioplastics, nutritional supplements, protein for fish food or even the phosphorus-laden ash from seaweed could be possible profit-turners. The remaining, carbohydrate-rich biomass could be fermented or digested to ethanol and methane for fuel. Bakken notes that the available area for cultivation could be "almost unlimited and believes seaweed can make "a very large contribution" to the liquid fuels industry. His company claims that about 3.7 metric tons of kelp are needed to produce a barrel of ethanol.

Current global production is about 15 million metric tons, largely for alginate and food, and mostly in China and Japan. In a release from last year, Bakken's company reported that using 0.05 percent of Europe's coastal areas to cultivate kelp could supply 4.7 percent of the 2008 global ethanol production.
For now, the crop would be seasonal. Adams presented work this week at a meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Glasgow, Scotland, noting that carbohydrate levels in kelp on the Welsh coast rise tenfold from their wintertime lows to 35 to 40 percent in July, a finding that others have agreed with.

Seaweed crops would likely be bred for desirable attributes over time, including a longer cultivation season. Prudence would be needed in what species were introduced where, researchers agreed, to avoid problems with species invasions.
"I think this is really big," Bakken said. "It's not only the seaweed. It's the shift toward thinking 'blue.' We are so land-based. I think this will open up all kinds of industries related to the sea. It's finally beginning now."

http://news.discovery.com/autos/seaweed-kelp-fuel-cars-crops-110711.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DiscoveryNews-Autos-News+%28Discovery+News+-+Autos+News%29#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Another spill in a beautiful neighborhood

This is unbelievable! With all these corporate henchmen winding up in congress and pushing forward deregulation and agendas to increase profits at the expense of our natural resources and homes, you'd expect to see a riot. Where are the pissed off folks at??????

Another oil spill, this time in Montana in the middle of the country. You know this oil is going to spread down the Yellowstone River into countless other regions creating many problems and destroying wildlife for years to come.

We here at CP have said it before and will say it again, oil is not a resource we should invest in any longer. We need new forms of fuel, many of which are already in the works and are sustainable and environmentally friendly. What i suggest doing is hitting Exxon where it hurts the most ... their pockets. Don't buy their gas. Go to one of the lesser of many evils like 76. I've stopped going to Shell, BP and Chevron due to all the debacles and carelesness that they've been creating.

Read the article below and just try to imagine waking up to some shit like that. And pardon the French, but sometimes you just have to let the steam out.





The spread of an estimated 1,000 barrels or 42,000 gallons of crude oil along the flooded banks of the Yellowstone River in Montana is becoming increasingly difficult to capture since an ExxonMobile pipeline ruptured late Friday night.

The break in the pipe near Laurel, Mont., forced an immediate evacuation of about 140 people from the town to protect them from possible explosions and dangerous fumes.
Brent Peters, the fire chief for Laurel, told the Associated Press that once the leak was detected he asked the three oil companies with pipelines in the area to shut down their flows. The residents were allowed to return to their homes around 4 a.m. on Saturday. ExxonMobile reports that pipeline pumps were shut down seven minutes after the loss of pressure in the system.

While the fumes have dissipated to safer levels, the smell of the oil still permeates the air downstream and 12 miles to the east through the city of Billings, where the oil pipeline terminates. ExxonMobile, Cenex Harvest Refinery and Conoco Phillips all have refineries in Billings. The 12-inch diameter ExxonMobile pipe that ruptured was buried six feet below the riverbed and carrying crude oil from Belfry, Mont.

ExxonMobile clean-up crews from the Billings refinery laid out absorbent material and booms along the banks and across the Yellowstone River on Saturday, but the fast flows and flooding has hampered efforts to contain the spread. ExxonMobile sent a team of 50 more oil spill responders to the area on Sunday.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the International Bird Rescue as well as local and state authorities are also on the scene.

The Associate Press reported that oil from the slick had reached Hysham, Mont., by late Saturday night, a distance of nearly 100 miles east of Laurel.
"Nobody's been able to lay their eyes on the pipe," Peters told the AP. "Right now, the Yellowstone River is at flood stage. The bank isn't stable enough for anybody to get close.

Oil spills into Montana's Yellowstone River

Plastics: An enemy of the ocean state

We here at Coastal Playground pride ourselves in being able to take part in making sure our oceans are clean and safe. Heck, we enjoy the beach just as much as the next guy and seeing trash littered and mixed in the sand is an awful site. Its like trashing a zen garden. Who does that? Well, many Americans do. And one of the leading pollutants in and around our beaches is plastic.
With the new green movement that appears to be happening across the nation, you are starting to see many companies focusing on promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable products. But as is normal nowadays with corporations that are only out to make big bucks, a lot of the marketing can be very misleading.
Below is an article I found which helps explain the differences between the types of recycling that can occur with the many different types of plastics we have. Some even claiming to be environmentally friendly, when in fact, they are not.

It's a good read and I encourage everyone to read. The first line of defense in keeping the oceans clean and safe is by recycling at home. And we're glad to be bringing this attention to our readers so spread the word to friends and family to keep the movement going. Nothing but positive benefits can come from this, for us and the environment.



http://www.alternet.org/environment/151543/compostable_or_recyclable_why_bioplastics_are_causing_an_environmental_headache

Summer's just around the corner ... but don't jump in the water just yet.

Happy Friday, Happy 1st of the month and in a few days, Happy Independence day.

And what better way to spend this hot weekend than at the beach!!
But then I came across this interesting article from MSN in regards to the quality of the water in and around the nations beaches. The most important thing to consider at all times is the health and well being of our communities and that is what Coastal Playground is all about! Keeping the beaches clean and safe not only for us but for all the creatures that share the same environments.

We will be holding multiple beach clean ups throughout the summer so keep an eye out for the dates. And remember to visit our store, where every purchase you make, 50% of that goes to fund beach clean ups!



http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/27/6958891-report-highlights-poor-water-quality-at-nations-beaches

Hello everyone and happy hump day!

We have a little Take Action request from the great SurfRider non-profit organization. This one is asking for petitions to make sure the EPA is enforcing the requirement of the best technology being used by these companies to not harm the oceans. Visit the link below to get signed up and add on to our voice.

This is what Coastal Playground is all about, keeping beaches clean and safe for our future generations.



Every day, across the US, older power plants suck in and kill ocean life and disrupt the delicate ecological balance of our coastal and ocean environment through a process commonly called “once-through cooling.” This process is outdated and these older power plants can retrofit with newer technology that re-circulates the water necessary to cool the generators. Re-circulating cooling systems are commonplace on newer power plants and should be standard equipment on every power plant in the country.
The Clean Water Act mandates that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require all power plants in the country use the “best technology available” to avoid killing ocean life. For years, EPA failed to draft rules to enforce the protection of our precious marine life until the environmental community finally forced them to take action through several lawsuits. Unfortunately, the EPA is once again attempting to avoid their duty and is considering a new rule that leaves enforcement up to the states. THAT’S NOT RIGHT! In fact, that’s what EPA has been doing since the Clean Water Act was passed nearly 40 years ago. IT HASN’T WORKED BEFORE – AND IT WON’T WORK NOW!!
Please join Surfrider Foundation and numerous other organizations in telling EPA to fully enforce the Clean Water Act by telling the electric generating industry to update their antiquated power plants with technology that re-circulates cooling water and eliminates the unnecessary death of our precious marine life.
Nearly forty years of avoiding their duty is over. It’s well past time for EPA to enforce the laws that protect our wonderful and precious marine wildlife!

http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4401

What level of importance is environmentalism in your house?

For the last few months, I've been giving it a jab to make myself as sustainable and environmentally friendly as one can in a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment in Tustin. Granted that i don't even own the actual structure, I can't really make much modification, or else I would have tried installing some solar panels already.

Well, it seems that the White House doesn't really take environmentalism as much of a priority. Below is an article I came across in regards to the Obama Administrations appeasements on its eco policy. Check out the article for yourself and comment back here on the different things you do to help the Earth :)

 

Mr. Babbitt’s Protest

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt declared in a speech last week that President Obama’s failure to mount a persuasive counterattack to the Republicans’ “radical” assault on the country’s environmental safeguards amounts to a “form of appeasement.”

 

It is rare for someone of Mr. Babbitt’s stature to use such caustic language about a sitting president from his own party. But he was reflecting growing concern — which we share — that the president and his top aides have decided for political reasons to back away from the fight. In recent months the White House has been far too quiet on the problem of climate change, and its once-promising efforts to regulate industrial pollution, toxic coal ash and mountaintop mining are flagging.

Mr. Babbitt’s main complaint involved Mr. Obama’s failure to do more to conserve open space and protect sensitive areas threatened by imminent development. He was particularly dismayed by the White House’s acceptance of a Republican budget rider — pushed by the oil and gas industry — undercutting the Interior Department’s authority to identify and set aside valuable public lands for future designation as permanent wilderness.
Mr. Babbitt said Mr. Obama still represented “the best, and likely only, hope for meaningful progress” on energy and the environment, and we must hope, as he does, that the president’s temporizing is merely temporary. Even bigger fights lie ahead. The administration has proposed to limit power plant emissions of toxic pollutants like mercury and impose new rules governing power plant emissions of greenhouse gases. Any retreat from these pledges would be disastrous.
Mr. Babbitt also said President Obama should emulate President Bill Clinton, Mr. Babbitt’s old boss, who faced similar opposition after the 1994 Republican revolution but came roaring back. After wavering for a while, he seized the lead on conservation issues and threatened to veto all anti-environmental legislation. The public supported him; the Republicans retreated. It is sound advice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/opinion/13mon3.html?_r=1

Report: If We Don't Stop Destroying Our Oceans, We'll See "Mass Extinction" of Marine Life

Pollution and global warming are pushing the world's oceans to the brink of a mass extinction of marine life unseen for tens of millions of years, a consortium of scientists warned Monday.

Dying coral reefs, biodiversity ravaged by invasive species, expanding open-water "dead zones," toxic algae blooms, the massive depletion of big fish stocks -- all are accelerating, they said in a report compiled during an April meeting in Oxford of 27 of the world's top ocean experts.

Sponsored by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), the review of recent science found that ocean health has declined further and faster than dire forecasts only a few years ago.

These symptoms, moreover, could be the harbinger of wider disruptions in the interlocking web of biological and chemical interactions that scientists now call the Earth system.

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/620571/report:_if_we_don't_stop_destroying_our_oceans,_we'll_see_"mass_extinction"_of_marine_life/#paragraph4

A love for beer and a love for surf? And environmentalism!

Check out this video on a surfboard made out of empty beer cans!

Cote’s Cube: The Recycled Beer Can Surfboard

Rich Morrison and TWS' Chris Coté and the recycled beer can surfboard. Photo: Kueny

Oh no, not the wetlands!

So as I've been pointing out all this talk on how the highlands and other ecosystems affect the oceans, here we have an article that is chronicling the loss of wetlands in Louisiana. One thing that the wetlands provide assistance in keeping the oceans healthy is by absorbing and preventing farm nutrients, waste and other run offs from reaching the coasts.

One of many more reasons coming up on why we should be moving to a more sustainable and eco-friendly society.

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/06/louisiana_is_losing_a_football.html

 

 

The Evolution of the Wetsuit

Good day CP Family!

For those bodyboarders and surfers out there, the greatest thing to come around since sliced bread has to be the wetsuit. It's total beach fasion and signature style, keeping you nice and comfy against cold, salty waters. Well, now, it looks like Billabong has upped the ante by creating a wet suit with a built in flotation device. Really RAD (shout out to you Adrian) stuff here. Check out the video below and if you got the funds, go cop one for  yourself. Now you can really enjoy some extreme surf! Just remember to pull that string!

http://www.surfline.com/video/events-and-promotions/the-wetsuit-that-will-forever-change-big-wave-surfing_56388

THE BAG MONSTER!!!

I came across this great site that is dedicated to bringing awareness on single-use plastic bags. The site outlines facts regarding the bags and marine debris that affects marine animals. It also provides a way to follow the Bag Monster across his journey to raise awareness of this type of pollution.

They have just recently come under a law suit brought on by the 3 largest plastic bag manufacturers. So CP family, I urge you to check out their site, campaign and help end plastic bag usage and pollution. And hopefully you've all gone out and bought a re-usable grocery bag to help. If you haven't already, you're missing out! The bags can hold up to 2 or 3 times what a plastic bag can hold. Believe me, it makes carrying groceries in a lot easier!

http://www.bagmonster.com/

The Tragic Effects occuring in the Gulf Coast

 Not only are the Gulf Coast residents still trying to restore their habitats, well being and jobs due to the aftermath of the oil spills that occured last year, they also have the huge effects of the farming that occurs in the midwest. This article details those issues and how we sitll have a long way to go in creating a sustainability that does not affect our oceans. This also points out to how all the ecosystems are tied in to one another and that the highlands need to be protected just as much as the coasts. 





A dead zone -- already the size of the state of New Jersey -- is growing in the Gulf of Mexico, fueled by nutrient runoff from the swollen Mississippi River.
This year, with floodwaters from the Birds Point levee breach and the Morganza and Bonnet Carret spillways spreading over farmland and other residential areas, the river is collecting tremendous amounts of fertilizer and pesticides. This is contributing to what scientists say may become the largest dead zone ever, and posing a serious threat to already taxed marine life.
During the rainy season, fertilizer, animal waste, sewage and car exhaust wash into the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya rivers, flow south and empty into the mouth of the Gulf.
Nitrogen and phosphorous from farm runoff and animal waste are especially toxic to ocean life. They act as natural fertilizers, feeding harmful algae and causing it to bloom wildly. As bacteria consume these blooms, they suck oxygen from the water, depleting the ocean's oxygen reserves. Scientists call this oxygen depletion hypoxia.
"We're expecting probably the largest-ever amount of hypoxia," said Nancy Rabalais, a marine scientist and executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. "That's the the prediction based on the amount of nitrogen coming down the river."
A surge of fresh water creates a layering effect in the seawater, which compounds the problem. The freshwater sits above the heavier saltwater, acting as a cap that prevents oxygen from reaching the deeper water levels.
"The bottom layer of the ocean gets so low in oxygen that sea life has to swim away and vacate the area, and if they can't get away, they suffocate," said Matt Rota, science and water policy director for the Gulf Restoration Network.
Flooding could cause further injury to fisheries in the northern Gulf of Mexico, already reeling from last year's oil spill, Rabalais said. Dead zones alter the habitat for crab, shrimp, fish and lobster, often forcing them to shallow areas. This includes catchable seafood, like shrimp and snapper, which are vital to the area's fisheries.
"A lot of the Louisiana shrimp fisheries use smaller vessels," Rabalais said. "With the price of fuel and the distance they have to go, they might opt not to go offshore."
Possibly the largest source of nutrients comes from farms in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and southwest Minnesota, where drainage tiles -- plastic pipes that crisscross underground - - drain the once-wet soil, making it arable, and dry enough for corn and soybean crops. But these pipes also flush nitrogen fertilizer into tributaries, which lead to rivers and eventually the Gulf.
In fact, research shows that the most heavily tile-drained areas of North America also contribute the largest source of nitrates to the Gulf of Mexico, which add to the dead zone, according to Mark David, a professor of biogeochemistry from the University of Illinois.
David is researching options for reducing nitrate levels. They include valves and beds of woodchips inside the tiles, as well as restoring wetlands, which filter pollution naturally.
It's not the farmers' fault, David said, but there's little incentive for farmers to reduce their nitrate output. "There's a fundamental problem in the whole system if we really want to reduce nitrate and phosphorous loss from the system. Everything's been voluntary up to this point, and that hasn't gotten us anywhere."


http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/05/the-gulf-of-mexico-has.html
Story by Jenny Marder

Defending Sea Turtles and the Beach!

This is one of the reasons we must move away from Oil. Already there is an abundance of alternative fuels and ways of processing the items that we need for our daily lives. Let's take action and protect the sea creatures and keep our beaches safe!

Double Trouble for Sea Turtles

Last year's devastating Deepwater Horizon disaster was a serious blow for sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. But the catastrophe for the sea turtles hasn’t ended yet.

Already this year, more than 340 dead sea turtles have washed ashore on the Gulf Coast -- more than three times the annual average -- and the death toll is likely to be much higher. Signs point to shrimp fishing as a likely cause for the spike in deaths -- perhaps combined with the lingering effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Yet the government has not taken action to save these animals struggling to survive. Defenders and our conservation partners have launched a lifesaving lawsuit to protect sea turtles, but federal officials need to hear from you.

Take action now: Urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to enforce lifesaving protections for threatened and endangered sea turtles in the Gulf.

Last Day to Speak out Loud!

This is a huge issue that needs to be addressed so we're hoping everyone has gone on and clicked to help voice their opinions that fossil fuels are a step back towards sustainability. If you haven't already done so, scroll down and click the petition. Let's hope Hillary Clinton doesn't sell out on this one.

The United States may be about to let oil giant TransCanada build 1,702 miles of pipeline -- they call it “Keystone XL” -- to funnel highly toxic tar sands from Alberta, Canada, all the way to refineries in Texas and Louisiana.

The only person standing between TransCanada and its plan to corrupt the American Midwest and vulnerable Gulf Coast in the name of oil profits is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who can either approve or deny the Presidential Permit needed to cross the US-Canada border.

Today is the very last day for public comments on the project. Please click here to sign the petition now, opposing the pipeline.

Keystone XL would endanger pristine areas of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana -- as well as the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest source of water for drinking and crop irrigation in the country.

TransCanada claims the pipeline will be safe, but they said that last time, too.

When TransCanada was hammering through approval for their first pipeline, they swore the pipeline would only leak “every seven to eleven years” -- but its pumping stations have had 12 spills in just the last year. Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation had to order TransCanada to shut down the pipeline because of ongoing safety concerns.

Right now, oil companies are pulling out all the stops to urge Secretary Clinton to permit this disastrous new tar sands pipeline.

Fight back against TransCanada and protect American health and safety. Public opposition is the only way to convince Secretary Clinton to stop the pipeline, so please sign the Sierra Club’s Change.org petition today:

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-a-new-oil-pipeline-across-the-midwest-deadline-june-6

Thanks for taking action,

- Patrick and the Change.org team