ENN: Arctic Ice Melting Fast, Myanmar Signs Ignored, 100% Solar Village and Much More

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					Monday, May 12, 2008
	News of Note India's green revolutionary is back in spotlight Forty years after he helped rescue the world from growing famine and a deepening gloom over the future of food supplies, Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is once again agitating for revolution -- this time a perpetual one. The 82-year-old scientist, dubbed here the father of the Green Revolution for helping development a hybrid wheat seed that allowed Indian farmers to dramatically increase yields, says the current food crisis offers the world a chance to put farmers on the right road to unending growth. Top Stories Inventor, Engineering Students Explore New Type Of Solar Collectors There's a lot of energy in the College of Engineering at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., these days, and it doesn't have anything to do with 20-year-olds cramming for finals. The energy in this case involves a team of students led by chemical engineering associate professor Dr. Kevin Dahm working with a local inventor to advance a new solar thermal collector the inventor designed. The engineering students pointed out that this is the first truly new solar thermal system in more than three decades, and the company stated that it is unique among renewable energy technologies as it is cost effective without any government subsidies. Clearing the Air on Liquid Natural Gas Every month when I see the magazine Seed in my mailbox I can't wait to sit down and read it. This month I found a DVD inside the magazine with the oil company Shell's short movie, Clearing the Air on it. My attention peaked, and I watched the movie. Clearing the Air is a fictional account of the development of gas to liquid (GTL) or liquid natural gas (LNG). The California Energy Commission defines LNG as "fuels that can be produced from natural gas, coal, and biomass using a Fischer-Tropsch chemical reaction process." However, in the movie LNG is used to refer to converting natural gas into liquid for fuel. Eco Friendly Flooring Doesn't Have to be Drab Undertaking a home building project? Sustainable, eco-friendly materials are the only way to go — they're better for you, as well as the planet. According to GreenBuilding.com, "the US EPA ranks indoor pollution among top five environmental risks, and unhealthy air is found in up to 30% of new and renovated buildings."		ENN Spotlight Enzyme-coated plastic could mean self-cleaning fabrics A way to attach a coating of 'live' enzymes onto plastic and other materials could lead to clothes that digest stains as soon as they occur, or kitchen surfaces able to kill bacteria. More Top Stories Korean Village Runs On 100% Solar Power The Korean village Donggwang gets 100% of its power from the sun. The village is located on the semi-tropical island of Jeju-do. Near the village, Halla Mountain, a volcano and the tallest mountain in South Korea, rises from the island's center amidst a patchwork of small farms. Japan scientists warn Arctic ice melting fast Arctic ice is melting fast and the area covered by ice sheets in ocean could shrink this summer to the smallest since 1978 when satellite observation first started, Japanese scientists warned in a report. Ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean shrank to the smallest area on record in late summer in 2007, researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said in a report on the website WHO urged to back radical changes in drug R&D An international group of prominent academics — including several Nobel prize winners — has urged WHO member states to support radically new ways to address the lack of research into diseases that affect the poor. In particular, they are seeking a sizeable increase in government support for research into these diseases through an international research and development (R&D) fund, and alternatives to the financial incentives of patents. Ignored warnings 'worsened' Myanmar cyclone disaster Experts say the inadequate response of the government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) to scientists' warnings, coupled with large-scale destruction of protective mangroves along its coasts, aggravated the devastation wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis. The cyclone has killed an estimated 22,980 people so far, with millions rendered homeless by the disaster, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar last week (3 May).
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	Member Press Releases Bigger and Better Stormwater BMP Database By: Water Environment Research Foundation There is no end to the creativity in stormwater management programs. A newly designed website now makes it much easier for stormwater professionals to evaluate best management practices (BMPs), to make sure that their creativity produces an effective and reliable system. Bush Sets Record: Two Years Since Any U.S. Species Listed As Endangered By: Center for Biological Diversity Friday marked two years since the Department of the Interior last protected a new U.S. species under the Endangered Species Act. Tejon Ranch Deal, Largest Development Ever Proposed in California, Destroys Critical Habitat for Condors By: Center for Biological Diversity Tejon Ranch Corporation and several environmental organizations announced a deal Thursday that may pave the way for massive development in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles. Destruction of Mangrove Forests Increased Devastating Impact of Cyclone Nagris By: Mangrove Action Project (MAP) In the wake of the destruction and rising death toll caused by Cyclone Nagris, Mangove Action Project (MAP) is calling for the re-establishment of mangrove buffer zones and coastal greenbelts along affected coastal zones to avert future such disasters. Marsh Restoration in Iraq "Promising" By: Environmental Law Institute Iraq's Mesopotamian marshes, often referred to as the original Garden of Eden, were once the largest wetlands in southwest Asia, covering an area nearly twice the size of the original Everglades. Zane Grey's Rogue River Cabin Preserved By: The Trust for Public Land The Rogue River cabin where western author Zane Grey fished and wrote will be permanently preserved, The Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization, and the Bureau of Land Management announced today. Report Documents Greenhouse Gas and Public Health Impacts of Off-Road Vehicle Use in California By: Center for Biological Diversity Motorized off-road vehicle use in California releases as much greenhouse gas as burning 500,000 barrels of oil each year - equivalent to more than 1.5 million car trips from San Francisco to Los Angeles - according to a groundbreaking report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity and Clean Air Initiative. Steve Curwood to speak at 2008 Warren Wilson College Commencement By: Warren Wilson College Steve Curwood, host and executive producer of "Living on Earth," will deliver the main address at the 2008 Warren Wilson College Commencement May 17. Editor's Note : 'Network News' features press releases submitted directly by organizations in ENN's member network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by ENN and is not subject to ENN's editorial process.
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