30) Reflective Crops Could Cool Planet

Planting more reflective versions of crops could cool off the regional temperatures in summertime, reducing the impact of increasing global temperatures in these areas. Increasing the reflectivity of crop plants by 20 percent could decrease temperatures in a given area by about one degree Celsius. The idea is not to think about changing what crops you plant, but rather to look within the variety of crops you might plant. This might mean choosing a more reflective variety of wheat for example. About 11 percent of the global land surface is devoted to crops and planting all of the world's crops with more reflective varieties would not be enough to reduce climate change worldwide but it could take the edge off of the regional temperature increases as the climate warms. Several things change the reflectivity of a crop, including the amount and composition of the wax on the leaf surface and even how hairy the leaves are. Changing the wax can also change the plant's water retention which could change crop yields for the better in arid regions. Genetic engineering could be used to improve reflectivity but the team's intention is to start with conventional crop breeding to create more reflective crops. This is an interesting idea because if you think about it, in warm areas, that is one degree that we don't have to turn up the air conditioning which, in a large scale, greatly improves the amount of carbon emissions in the air. I'd be interested to see what the results from this study are and hopefully other areas will follow up on this.

Link to site: http://news.discovery.com/earth/reflective-crops-climate-change.html

29) Ocean Acidification Threatens Food Security

Acidification of the seas linked to climate change could threaten fisheries production and is already causing the fastest shift in ocean chemistry in 65 million years. Production of shellfish, such as mussels, shrimp or lobsters could be the most at risk since they will find it harder to build protective shells. It could also damage coral reefs vital as nurseries for many commercial fish stocks. About a billion people worldwide rely on fish as their main source of protein. Ocean acidification is yet another red flag being raised carrying planetary healthy warnings about the uncontrolled growth in greenhouse gas emissions. About 25% of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide are absorbed by the seas, where it is converted to carbonic acid. The pH value of the oceans, a scale from alkaline to acidic, has fallen 30 percent since the Industrial Revolution in a shift to acidity. There is constantly news about how the oceans are suffering due to global warming and pollution that goes in the water. A recent article in National Graphic indicated that we are slowly running out of seafood and this just shows how the pH is also being affected. Obviously if the water's pH is affected, the organisms can't survive in that acidic environment. We'll just have to wait and see what the consequences of the water's acidity are.

Link to site: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B16MD20101202

28) Key to Prevent Cancer is False

The likelihood of developing cancer is largely attributed to an individual's genetic inheritance, but can also be affected by lifestyle choices and what we eat. In 2009, an article by the American Cancer Society recommended eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to prevent cancer but now a recent study from the University of Oxford suggests that fruits and vegetables are unlikely to protect against cancer. Researchers concluded that the only diet-related factors to affect the risk of cancer were obesity and alcohol. Obesity can cause very difficult-to-treat forms of cancer in the bowel, pancreas, kidney, esophagus, and breast. Alcohol can cause cancer of the mouth, throat, breast, bowel, and liver. Researchers stress that the best way to prevent cancer is to keep a healthy diet, stop smoking, and limiting alcohol to one drink per day for women and two for men. Eating fruits and vegetables up to a certain level is essential for the body to obtain vital nutrients. This article largely shows that a lot of companies will create publicity around their products by advertising them as cancer-fighting or cancer-curing food so people will consume them more. While essential for a healthy diet, fruits and vegetables can't fight all the new cancers nowadays specially since more come up everyday that are becoming harder to fight with treatment or medicine.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/42070

27) Contest Challenges Youth

Renowned wildlife artists Robert Bateman and Wyland are challenging American youth to get outdoors and "get to know" their wildlife neighbors of other species by entering the Get to Know Contest. Youth age 5-18 are invited to create art, writing, photography and video entries based on first-hand experiences with nature, which they can submit until November 30th, 2010. The contest organizers hope it will inspire youth to build meaningful connections with nature. Youth disconnection from nature stems from the trend of young Americans spending progressively more time indoors to the detriment of healthy outdoor activity. The theme for the 2010 Get to Know contest art, writing, photography categories is "Celebrating Biodiversity". Winners will receive wild prizes including a week-long Art & Nature Camp experience at a Canadian national park for those aged 12 and older. I agree when they say today's youth is disconnected from the environment thanks to all the new technology that mainly steams from computers and videogames that makes them want to be inside rather than outdoors. I believe getting to know the environment is important and its something I definitively would approve of because this contest sounds like a terrific idea.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/42005

26) New Risk Posed by Reusable Shopping Bags

The New York Times published an article called "Even Reusable Bags Carry Environmental Risk" which revealed that lead has been discovered in several types of re-usable bags, particularly those made in China. Stores like CVS and Wegman's have already recalled their bags, although NYC's big grocery stores don't seem to have a problem. The great concern seems to be that the lead could eventually reach groundwater after the bags have been thrown out. The simple answer is that we can't fix the world by using a re-usable bag but we can use the reusable bag as a stepping stone to a solution and we should use it because it really is better than plastic or paper. There is no perfect solution to being environmentally friendly even when it is a huge trend, there is always a chance it's not the best or safest idea. Of course there are risks with everything but if users are so concern about this then they should make their own bags. Regardless, it is an interesting piece of news because it comes to show that even when people advertise things as green and environmentally friendly, most of the time they aren't.

Link to site: http://blog.enn.com/?p=606

25) Over-Cleanliness Negatively Affects Immune System

A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan shows that chemicals such as Triclosan and Bisphenol commonly found in anti-bacterial soaps, toothpaste, food cans, etc may be detrimental to the immune system and cause allergies. Both chemicals are classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds and interfere with the body's natural synthesis, transport, and other processes of hormones. After a study researchers found that children with high levels of triclosan had a higher propensity for allergies and had fever. This 'hygiene hypothesis' maintains living in very clean and hygienic environments may impact our exposure to micro-organisms that are beneficial for development of the immune system. More research needs to be done to establish a definite causal relationship. Are people sicker from over-using hygienic products? Or do they use these products because they are sicker? Those are definitively interesting questions but I have always believed that killing all the bacteria in your hands, even the good bacteria is actually bad for you since its there to protect us from harm. Back in the day people didn't need to use soap they would just wash their hands with water and although yes, they would get sicker more often, they also had more protection I believe. After all, human race has made it this far and only in the last 100 years or so have people actually cared about being hygienic.

Link to site: http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/42054

24) Sustainable Design for Food Packaging

Designers are in the business of making stuff and when done well, this makes people consume more in order to help businesses grow. Until recently, design for sustainable living had often been synonymous with subtraction-having less, living smaller, limiting oneself. In truth, sustainable design is the rejection of less. The goal of any designer, no matter what they think about green design, is to create an enduring product. Continued relevance is a hallmark of brilliant and elegant design. At IDEO designs two interesting things happen. Whether a product is designed to last for a few days or for a couple of generations, the company doesn't overlook its end of life. Far from being limiting to great design, a sustainable mindset simply requires that they create each choice with an extra level of care and meaning. By designing the end with as much creativity and passion as they do the beginning and middle, designers are in fact staring a longer and ultimately deeper conversation with customers. Second; coloring outside the lines. At IDEO, most of the truly 'green' elements of a sustainable product will always be invisible to the primary consumer. This not only means designing beyond the product but also asking questions about the processes. In doing so, the company's view expands to consider ways to evolve manufacturing processes or re-imagine existing technologies. It is always very interesting to see green designs on products or items that we use everyday such as bottles and such but done in a way that doesn't affect the environment as much and it can be recycled.

Link to site: http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/616765/sustainable_design_shapes_the_future_of_food_packaging.html