Notes from Seattle: The Journey of Junk

An epic journey is currently underway in the Pacific Ocean. Two men, Dr. Marcus Eriksen and researcher/filmmaker Joel Paschal, are sailing on a 2,100-mile journey (roughly 3,380 kilometers) from Los Angeles, California, to Hawaii. While this may not exactly sound like an unheard-of voyage, consider the fact that the vessel they are sailing is made [...]

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Notes from Seattle: Orca Awareness Month

The magnificent Orca whale is the beloved icon of the Pacific Northwest and Puget Sound. But a recent and significant decline in the Southern Resident Orca population has caused deep concern among researchers, government agencies, and citizens throughout the Northwest. Between 1995 and 2001, the Southern Resident Orca population declined by 20%, and in November [...]

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Notes from Seattle: Good to go

Today I was struck with a familiar sight: a polystyrene take-out container laying discarded in the garbage can at work. Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer. Most people know it under the name Styrofoam, which is actually the trade name of a polystyrene foam product used for housing insulation. Polystyrene is [...]

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Notes from Seattle: Container Gardening

For those of us living in cities, one of the easiest ways to connect with Nature is to grow and care for plants. While there are often limits to yard space in the city, particularly for those living in apartments or condominiums, it’s still easy to get our hands dirty: gardening using containers. On a [...]

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Making a comeback

Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpback whales have made a dramatic comeback in the North Pacific Ocean over the past four decades, a new study says. The study released last Thursday by SPLASH, an international organization of more than 400 whale watchers, estimates there were between 18,000 and 20,000 of the majestic mammals [...]

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Notes from Seattle: Earth Day

“This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” Chief Sealth, aka Chief [...]

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Notes from Seattle: Earth Hour

Lights out this Saturday in honor of Earth Hour Some major buildings in the U.S. will be turning down the lights from 8 to 9 p.m. on March 29 to make a statement about climate change called Earth Hour. Well-known participants include the Sears Tower in Chicago, Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the Georgia Dome [...]

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Spenden, auch wenn Weihnachten schon lang vorbei ist

Freiwillig und gerne etwas hergeben, etwas zur Verfügung stellen, die unterstützen die etwas tun, weil es sonst niemand tut, eigene Prioritäten setzen und nicht zuwarten oder gar abwarten bis etwas geschieht, von oben herab, als braver Untertan, nein, wir von unten setzen Zeichen, wir entscheiden selbst was wir gefördert wissen wollen, wir sind aktiv, geben [...]

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Notes from Seattle: New Year, New Opportunities

There is a common practice of making “new year resolutions” during the holiday season. If I were to poll people on whether they are able to stick to their resolutions, I would guess that a great many do not last for very long. With the new year comes a huge motivational push, and when we [...]

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Notes from Seattle – Celebrating the good

The folks at Seattle-based environmental web site Grist.org are putting on a party to celebrate the release of their first book, named Wake Up and Smell the Planet. On October 17, 2007, liked-minded folks here in Seattle will celebrate this new book, which details many practical tips on better choices to live lightly upon our [...]

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