Lanterns, like balloons, float and then eventually come down. After Valentine’s Day, a man collected over 30 love themed balloons in only a few hours off the coast of Laguna Beach. I believe there is already a lot of awareness to the problem with balloon releases and am shocked that they still allowed anywhere. They
300 pounds of road salt is applied per lane per mile. It sounds like a lot! That is the industry standard! Certainly less is applied if conditions require it, but it takes many factors to determine the correct treatment to keep roadways safe in the winter months. According to to Wisconsin Saltwise, an organization designed
When the road get snow covered and icy, road crews work extra hard to keep travelers safe. However, the extensive use of salt may be damaging lakes and streams. Researchers examined 371 lakes and found that 44% are at risk of salinization, meaning there is a build of salt in the water table. This excess
High water levels leading to eroding shorelines have been front-page news in recent months. Shoreline erosion is a concern for property owners with homes located on a Great Lakes or an inland lake. While we can’t control how Mother Nature effects our water levels there are steps that property owners can do to minimize shoreline
Packaging – much of it single-use food wrapping – has created a rubbish problem that now pollutes every corner of the world. EPA defines containers and packaging as products that are assumed to be discarded the same year the products they contain are purchased. Containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal solid waste,
In 2017, Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico and damaged the system that feeds drinking water from the main island to Vieques. Moses West, 59, a retired Army officer from Texas, brought in the machine made by his company to help fill the void. He spends his days beside it, fine-tuning the repurposed 20-foot shipping
A monumental eco-challenge facing the planet is plastic marine debris. The modern economy has produced more than eight billion metric tons of newly manufactured plastic, but 75% of it becomes plastic waste. It is estimated that approximately five trillion pieces of plastic, or roughly 250,000 metric tons, have littered the waters. So, what can be
A recent study of bottled water, conducted by the journalism organization Orb Media, found that almost every major brand of bottled water is contaminated with particles of plastic. The researchers tested 250 bottles of water—from nine countries and 11 brands. They dropped a red dye in each, which stuck to the plastic and glowed when
Efforts to restore Georgica Pond are proving to be successful thanks in part to the help of an aquatic weed harvester. Georgica Pond has been invaded by toxic cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, in recent years, which can cause serious health problems. For the second consecutive year, the foundation has leased an aquatic weed harvester to
According to a Fish and Wildlife study, almost 80 percent of non-native species found on the West Coast were first sighted in California. You might have heard about ballast water. Cargo ships fill their holds with seawater to stay balanced, but that water can also carry invasive species. Since 1999, ships have been required to