Environment – Page 163 – Things Are Good

The Mystery of the Northern Lights

Next month, in a joint Canadian / American project, five satellites will be launched toÂ help figure out the mystery behind aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights.Â This project, called THEMIS,Â includes recording interaction between charged particles expelled by the sun and the Earth’s magnetic field.Â

When these particles interact with the magnetic field, theyÂ sometimes release energy near the polar regions, resulting in aurora substorms. The electron release interacts with molecules in the atmosphere and appears as the northern lights.

The scientists involved are from Canada and the United States, including NASA.Â In addition to the satellites, twenty observatories will take digital images and monitor magnetic signatures from substorms.Â Most of the observatories will be located in northern Canada, including Whitehorse, Inuvik, and Gillam, Man.

Switch’n It Up!

The World Wildlife Fund started a great new campaign in 2006 called ‘Powerswitch’. The initiative has been working to eventually help the world’s power sector become completely CO2-free. The goals achieved thus far include more than 600,000 actions taken by individual PowerSwitch! supporters. They’ve even stopped the construction of new coal power plants and have pushed legislation that puts tough caps on CO2 emissions and boosts clean and efficient renewable energies.

How do I switch to clean energy from where I live?? It’s actually not as hard as you might think! In many countries, including Canada, you can choose to buy energy from green resources at a very comparable cost. There are many other ways you can work to decrease your global footprint as well.

In only one year the WWF’s campaign has effectively established networks and initiatives on different continents, which are longlasting and are continuing to grow even further. The more people learn about how they can help, the more alternatives to dirty, non-renewable energy sources will become popular and readily available. It all starts with us!

Cute Environmental Protection Ads

The Environmental Defense Fund has produced a series of awareness-raising ads that show animals doing everyday tasks that humans can do to protect the environment.

The ads ask the simple question: if you don’t preserve nature, who will?

Alarming Al

Mr Al GoreÂ has beenÂ called an ‘alarmist’ byÂ critics who don’t really believe theÂ facts he is teaching about global warming. He’s not letting these negative comments hold him back! He hasÂ recently mobilized thousands of volunteers to spread the word and take action against letting the planet melt into oblivion. Sometimes being ‘alerted’ isn’t such a bad thing!

The goal had been to train 1,000 “presenters” to show slides of melting glaciers and charts of climbing temperatures, but many more have wanted in. Those selected to gather at the Hilton Nashville Downtown last week included teachers, doctors, a meteorologist, ministers, Wal-Mart employees, actress Cameron Diaz, architects, retirees, veterans and financiers.

Each volunteer is required to give at least 10 presentations within a year of the training. This is great proof that people are catching onto the importance of the global weather situation, and networking to try and help!Â Thats a whole lot of good!

GM, Killer of Electric Car to Make Electric Car

After being accused of killing the electric car, General Motors has decided to make another electric car. The Chevy Volt is the name and getting plugged in is its game.

“The Volt has a battery-powered electric motor that can run the car for up to 40 city miles on a single charge. Beyond that, a gasoline-powered, one-liter, three-cylinder engine can generate electricity to power the car and replenish the battery, with a range of up to 640 miles, GM said.”