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EarthSolidarity!™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
- minimize waste and environmental impacts
- increase community resilience
- respect and protect ecosystem processes and all forms of life
- contribute to good living conditions for everyone around the globe
- affirm and celebrate our interdependence and interrelatedness in the Web of Life!
Scientists and engineers will examine potential role that rising sea levels contributed to Florida condo collapse
Washington Post: Sea level rise will be investigated as one possible factor in Florida condo collapse
There is no direct evidence yet that increased subsidence on a Florida barrier island caused by rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion contributed to the devastating collapse of an ocean-front condo complex near Miami, but the possibility will be examined in coming weeks and months.
Rising sea levels threaten seaside properties on an increasing scale, undermining the unstable land on which they sit and further contributing to erosion of steel and concrete.
In the case of Champlain Towers South, developers used fill from denuded mangrove stands to support the 12-story building, which was built in 1981.
“Land subsidence is a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the surface when material that supports it is displaced or removed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Erosion and the disappearance of groundwater are two of several factors that cause it,” the Washington Post reported.
A least one engineer has said the collapse could be related to a structural problem, not subsidence. The investigation continues, as does the search for bodies.
Knoxville sustainability center posts positive organic growth
KnoxNews: Sustainable Future Center in Vestal is growing and growing
David Bolt started the Sustainable Future Center horticulture and environmental education center six years ago on a half-acre with a tiny house, organic garden, horticultural demonstrations and a little fish farm.
Now he and his allies are expanding the center’s mission with makers markets, camps and other educational programs. The site on Ogle Avenue, a busy urban street in South Knoxville, now is now home to automated organic chicken coops, a chainlink fence transformed into a living trellis, summer camps and educational programs.
Solar panels required on every new roof in Berlin after 2022
PV Magazine & BO Klima: Berlin macht Solardächer zur Pflicht
The rooftop solar law, passed on June 16, says every new building and substantial renewal of an existing building’s roof must be equipped with solar panels covering at least 30 percent of the roof surface.
The German capital — which is on the same latitude as Labrador City — intends to become more climate friendly. It wants to act as a role model for other municipalities and states in how to accelerate the energy transition. It aims for solar to cover 25% of its electricity consumption.
The city contends, the solar potential of its roofs has gotten inadequate consideration and expects the new law will create many future-proof jobs in planning and trades.
Building owners may opt to use solar facade panels or contract with third parties to build and operate equivalent solar capacity that fulfills the mandate elsewhere in the city. But critics of the law say it does not address how to optimize its implementation with present practices, regulations, and tariffs. They predict, this law will be inefficient and costlier than other methods to stimulate renewable energy generation.
Bavaria, for example, launched an incentive program that awards combined new solar and battery storage installations. Applications for that program have multiplied quickly and now are deemed likely to surpass the 100,000 installations mark by the end of its third year.
Germany, whose entire southern border is farther north than Quebec City or Duluth, has a long history of technology and policy leadership in renewable energies. In 1991 the German Electricity Feed-in Act was the first in the world that mandated grid operators to connect all renewable power generators, pay them a guaranteed feed-in tariff for 20 years and prioritize these sources.
Take Back TVA Rally
August 18, 2021
Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement
Outrage + Optimism
Global Optimism: “We Have to Be At War With Carbon”
The first 15 minutes of this podcast analyze the Shortcomings of the G7 Summit.
The second 15-minute segment is a conversation with the CEO of Rolls Royce about its goal to make long-distance flights Net Zero by 2050.
Bear attacks girl in Smokies backcountry campground; responding rangers shoot and kill aggressive bear
Written by Thomas FraserGirl in stable condition following attack; family followed all bear-safety protocols.
A bear attacked and injured a teenage girl as she slept in a hammock in a backcountry campground in the Cosby area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The 16-year-old Middle Tennessee girl is in stable condition with multiple injuries following the attack at 12:30 a.m. Friday at backcountry site No. 29, according to a National Park Service release.
Her family was able to drive off the bear after the attack and contacted park emergency services; the girl was evacuated from the park by a Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to UT Medical Center at about 9 a.m. Friday. Hellbender Press has not pursued identification of the girl because she is a minor.
As responding rangers were at the campsite providing medical care in the wee hours of the morning, two bears approached and persisted in efforts to enter the campsite despite attempts to scare the bears away. Family members identified a particularly aggressive large, male bear as the one who attacked the girl, and rangers shot and killed the animal.
Forensic tests detected human blood on the dead bear.
Park officials said the campsite, along the Maddron Bald Trail on Otter Creek, will remain closed indefinitely.
The party of five was on a two-day camping trip, and the hammock was hanging near the rest of the family.
The group stored their food and packs on cables, per strict national park bear rules, according to the park service.
“While serious incidents with bears are rare, we remind visitors to remain vigilant while in the backcountry and to follow all precautions while hiking in bear country,” said Great Smoky Mountains Superintendent Cassius Cash in a press release. “The safety of visitors is our No. 1 priority.”
Here are some guidelines for bear safety in the Southern Appalachians and information on bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Save Our Future Act introduced in Senate
CCL: Sweeping carbon pricing bill
On Wednesday, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Brian Schatz (HI) introduced the Save Our Future Act, comprehensive legislation that dramatically reduces emissions and protects environmental justice and coal communities.
In a statement, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Executive Director Mark Reynolds said, “The Save Our Future Act would place an ambitious price on carbon to reduce America's emissions, but it doesn't stop there. This legislation would also address long-standing environmental justice concerns by directly pricing emissions of fossil fuel co-pollutants in frontline communities, and it would invest in coal communities to support them through the transition to a clean energy economy.”
The bill is drawing positive comments from unions and environmental justice organizations.
In the House, the number of representatives cosponsoring the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act has grown to 68 already.
Saturday farmers market will return to Market Square in downtown Knoxville following pandemic shutdown
In a refreshing sign the worst of the Covid-19 crisis is behind us, the city of Knoxville on Monday announced the popular weekend Market Square farmers market will return July 10.
The Nourish Knoxville Market Square Farmers Market will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and feature local produce, organic foods, crafts, and other homespun products through November.
The Market Square farmers market resumed its Wednesday schedule in May with a smaller footprint and social-distancing measures. Markets on both days had been moved to another location in 2020 to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The city recommends, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, that people who have not been vaccinated continue to wear masks, according to a press release. Nourish Knoxville, which runs the farmers market, may require additional protocols for vendors and customers.
The Market Square splash fountains will be turned back on July 1. Fenced outdoor dining areas will also be removed.
Here's more information on the full return of the downtown Knoxville farmers market and other Market Square events.
NPR: Dangerous Fire Season Ahead
Western US in midst 20-year mega-drought
Read about it or listen to Randy Simon’s 2-minutedrought podcast on National Public Radio’s Earth Wise web page.
Media
Price on Carbon
The Southwest drought is worse than you realize. Check out these maps.
NYT: Interactive maps show how the most widespread drought in 20 years is ravaging the Southwest
Low snowpacks, unusually high temperatures and below-normal rainfall have all contributed to the renewed development of extreme and exceptional drought in many portions of the Southwest and California.
Scientists and public officials attribute the drought to climate change. Climatologists expect the drought to worsen during the upcoming summer months and lead to increased wildfires and other problems. Agriculture in California has been particularly affected, and water restrictions to preserve endangered fish are again in a harsh spotlight.
Drought conditions had lessened since a severe drought affected the region five years ago and led to aggressive rationing and water-conservation measures, but this prolonged dry spell could be even worse.
Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., is at its lowest level in 85 years and is emblematic of the growing crisis.
"The lake, which sits on the border between Nevada and Arizona, is under growing pressure from the prolonged drought, climate change and growing population in the Southwest," The Times reported.
CCL Climate Change Conference
Jun 12 1-5 p.m. – Jun 13 1-3:30 p.m. EDT
The Push for a Price on Carbon
Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) — June Virtual Conference
Online pre-conference reception Friday; main conference day Saturday; workshop choices Sunday. Free and open to the public - RSVP
An economy-wide carbon price is the single most powerful tool we have to reduce America’s carbon pollution to net zero by 2050. We’re asking Congress to enact that powerful tool this year.
Find the full agenda and FAQ’s on the CCL website
19-year-old woman killed after car veers into rock face on Smokies Spur
A car crash into rocks on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur killed a young woman and injured two others who were flown to UT hospital via medical helicopter.
Elizabeth Marie Parker, 19, of Centerville, Ohio, died when the sedan in which she was riding collided with a rock hillside on the right side of the road late Monday night, according to a release from the National Park Service.
Vehicle accidents are typically the No. 1 cause of fatalities each year in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which attracts upwards of 12 million visitors annually.
Carbon dioxide levels hit historic high despite emissions slowdown during pandemic
Washington Post: CO2 levels hit highest point yet, even after 15-month idling of transportation, industry and overall carbon emissions.
Initial air pollution reductions during the Covid-19 pandemic had an immediate measurable impact on global and local air quality. Demand for oil dropped by nearly 9 percent. That didn't stop the atmospheric carbon dioxide level from reaching its highest concentration since records began.
It's a sign of how difficult it will be to curb overall global emissions enough to prevent the worst consequences of climate change and global warming.
"Even as international borders closed and global economic activity took a massive hit throughout much of 2020, researchers have found that human-caused emissions rebounded fairly quickly after decreasing sharply early in the pandemic," the Washington Post reported.
Tell TVA by THURSDAY: No new fossil gas plants!
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently announced plans to retire its five remaining coal-fired power plants by 2035.
However, it is seriously considering replacing them with large fossil gas power plants and new gas pipelines!
That’s like “two steps forward, one step back.”
TVA could take many more steps forward by prioritizing clean energy.
TVA’s new gas plan is not final, and the time to influence our public utility is now!
Click here to tell TVA, No new fossil gas plants!
Comment deadline is June 10
More...
‘Mean greens’ flex their muscles, and a fossil-fuel giant taps out
NYT: Shareholder revolt forces troubled Exxon to focus on a fossil-free future
Exxon stock tanked (it was even kicked off the Dow Jones Industrial Average) in recent years, largely because of the oil giant's dismissive stance toward climate change and renewables. This led shareholders to conclude the oil giant wasn't playing the long game by investing in carbon-free fuel technologies.
Both a renegade hedge fund and huge investor groups recently forced a change by electing half a slate to the board of directors who are calling for increased energy-source diversification. Some of the largest pension-investment groups in the country drove the change because Exxon's coddling of climate denialists was definitely and demonstrably bad for business.
Michaela Barnett wants to help break your consumer chains
Written by Thomas Fraser
Michaela Barnett is the founder and owner of KnoxFill. She is seen here outside her South Knoxville home-based business in this submitted photo.
KnoxFill offers Knoxville home delivery and pickup of sustainably sourced personal-care products in refillable containers
Michaela Barnett has traveled the world, is an accomplished science writer and editor and is closing in on a doctorate from the University of Virginia.
Now she’s a business owner with a focus on sustainability and waste reduction and that has proven to be her true raison d’etre. She gets out of bed with joyous purpose and determination. And she sings to start her day.
“My husband says it’s like living with this annoying Disney character,” she said with a light laugh.
“I’ve got so much energy and joy and excitement,” said Barnett, who launched KnoxFill in March after eight months of research and preparation and works out of her home to fill multiple orders each day.
KnoxFill offers sustainably sourced personal-care items, detergents and other everyday household products in reusable glass containers for pickup or delivery. The product line includes shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotions, laundry detergent, and dishwashing and castile soap. Barnett even offers safety razors, bamboo toothbrushes and refillable toothpaste “bites.”
- knoxfill
- reusable packaging
- sustainable product
- avoid packaging
- sustainable personal care item
- personal care delivery
- limit waste
- landfill
- incinerator
- fossil fuel
- refillable product
- personal care bottle refill
- environmental justice
- petrochemical product
- microplastic
- sustainable shopping
- consumerism
- consumer choice
- shopping
- green product
- conscientious shopper
Podcast details 13-year mystery of man who disappeared near Smokies
KnoxNews: "Park Predators" details unsolved disappearance of Michael Hearon
A well-known podcaster who chronicles bizarre disappearances and crime on or near public lands details the sad story of Michael Hearon, a 51-year-old Maryville man who vanished in August 2008 while tending his 100-acre property in Happy Valley. His Blount County land abutted the Abrams Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Hearon's abandoned 4-wheeler was located by searchers, but absolutely no other clues to his disappearance were found despite an extensive search by national park personnel, search parties and family members.
Journalist Delia D’Ambra said Hearon's case is one of the strangest she's ever investigated, and hopes the podcast will jog memories and generate new leads. The episode debuts June 1 and can be found on a range of podcast services.
Three Rivers Co-Op workers form union
Compass: Three Rivers Market bosses supported union status
Managers of a North Central Street grocery cooperative in Knoxville known for its selection of quality and local organic goods agreed to “voluntary recognition” of a union agreed to by 73 percent of its workers, according to Compass.
Union members agreed to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1995, according to Compass, which reported that manager Jacqueline Arthur said “Three Rivers Market deeply respects our employees‘ right to join a union.”