Tea Bird

Go Green Into That Great Good Night

From the Post-Gazette:

Starting Saturday, a Westmoreland County funeral home and owners of nearby Rose Memorial Park will begin offering green burials, an eco-friendly way of burying the dead.

Environmental dependence

We completely depend on the environment for absolutely everything we need to survive. This is a simple statement that often falls by the wayside. When you stop to think about it, though, it is profound. Everything that we eat, drink and breathe — it may come wrapped in plastic — but it [...]

Using the Kiski River To Generate Power in Vandergrift

From WTAE-TV:

The old town of Vandergrift hopes to be the new face of sustainable energy — and what’s in the water could be the most powerful boost ever for the local economy.
University of Pittsburgh researchers want to generate electricity by putting conducting fibers at the bottom of the Kiski River. The faster the current [...]

Invasives increasing due to dams

From Eureka:

The growing number of dams and other impoundments is increasing the number of invasive species and the speed at which they spread, putting natural lakes at risk, says a study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

For more information on Johnson’s research see his website.

Gov Rendell Will Sign PA Smoking Ban Into Law

Governor Ed Rendell is expected to sign the bill banning smoking in most private businesses and public places into law today at noon.  This will make Pennsylvania the 33rd state to ban smoking.
There are some exceptions including bars that have minimal food sales, some clubs, tobacco shops and sections of slots casinos.
Another exception is nursing [...]

Pennsylvania Will Ban Smoking in Most Public Places

One step away from joining 30 other states with public smoking bans, the Pennsylvania state Senate today passed anti-smoking legislation in a whopping 41-9 vote.  Governor Ed Rendell said that he will sign the bill.  The ban on smoking in most bars, restaurants, schools, arenas, theaters, office buildings and bus and train stations will go [...]

American Toad Tadpole Photo and Identification

The American toad (Bufo americanus) is one of the most common toads in western Pennsylvania.  They’re common across their entire range.  They’re small, around 3 inches long, with short legs and are usually a shade of brown to green.  Like most toads, they do have warts with a mildly poisonous (to us) milky fluid that [...]

What a Vole in Your Backyard Looks Like

Caution: Photos of a dead animal are on this page.
Often mistaken for mice, moles or even sometimes rats, voles are little gray rodents that thrive in suburban backyards. While there are many species, 40 I think, of voles, in western Pennsylvania the predominant species are meadow and woodland voles. Meadow voles are the [...]

Photo of the Day — Caterpillar

Will this little guy turn into a caterpillar? I think so.
This caterpillar was photographed last week at Jennings State Park in Butler County, Pennsylvania near their constructed wetlands to treat a stream fouled with acid mine drainage. It’s a lovely state park and well worth the visit.

Climate Change Bill Dies in Senate

It seems that there is bipartisan blame to go around in moving forward with climate change legislation.  Looks like the nation’s legislative priorities won’t change until the Senate does.
Supporters of a bill that would require greenhouse gases to be cut markedly and nudge the nation’s energy priorities away from fossil fuels acknowledged privately Thursday that [...]