News

Global warming melts polar ice, which slows down ocean currents, and cools Europe, heats Africa, and reduces fish stocks, according to a new article.

Today sleet and graupel, yesterday daffodils and crocuses. Last Saturday, a herd of 50 elk stampeded past me while I was hiking in the foothills. The ground seemed to shake. I never have heard before the sound of a herd stampeding. We found turkey tracks in the snow patches while we postholed thru remnants of snow. On Sunday, we heard choruses of frogs calling. The apple, forsythia, and redbud blossoms were just budding out over the last few days.

Warmer temperatures and droughts may lead to trees drying out faster than they can suck up water. According to an article in Rolling Stone, drought stressed trees have less sap to use to defend themselves from insects. They are also more vulnerable to wildfires. Instead of live tress absorbing carbon, dead trees may release carbon. Fires will release soot, which can lead to more warming. Live forests store about 25 % of greenhouse gas emissions. An article in the Daily Camera says that western forest fires are caused by climate change, not insect damage. Join Clean Energy Action, 350.org, 350clorado.org, Greenpeace, Citizens' Climate Lobby, and Sierra Club to work against global warming.          

Satellites can calculate groundwater disappearance by measuring a decrease in gravitational attraction. With less water in the ground, there is less mass and less attraction. The Colorado River Basin has lost 17 trillion gallons since 2004, mostly groundwater. Our water use is steadily growing, but groundwater losses take millennia to be restored by nature. Seventy percent of the basin's water supply goes to water-intensive agriculture, and much goes to population growth in cities. Solutions:

• municipal conservation
• reuse
• grey water treatment
• irrigation efficiency

Come see films about rhinos, condors, pandas, hawks, and orangutans; films about native cultures: Mayans, Inuit, Nuxalk, Micronesians, and Hawaiians; "Damnation", about dams; and "Burden of Dreams", about the making of Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" in the Amazon. The Festival is run by the Boulder County Audubon Society, a voice for migratory bird and wildlife conservation through habitat protection, political action, and education. When: October 17-19, 2014 Where: Boulder Dairy Center for Performing Arts Tickets: Dairy Center for the Performing Arts ticket office and website Informational contact: Steve Jones More info: Living in Nature: First Boulder Rights of Nature Film Festival

Some people here in Boulder are trying to get the city to take its money out of JP Morgan Stanley, claiming that immoral or unethical acts by that bank harm people and society. Good banks and credit unions invest and loan locally. They avoid laundering money, screwing customers, and investing in polluting and damaging companies. There are similar socially responsible mutual funds and companies. Learn more:

• Ethical banking - Wikipedia
• Green America's Guide to Socially Responsible Investing: Choosing a Bank that Makes a Difference
• Global Alliance – For Banking on Values ~ Socially Responsible and Green Banks as a Vehicle for Socio-economic Development and Change