@betaNYC #BikeHack #CivicHackNight @NYURudin — @CitiBikeNYC and #BikeNYC – Video

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@betaNYC #BikeHack #CivicHackNight @NYURudin -- @CitiBikeNYC and #BikeNYC
betaNYC #BikeHack #CivicHackNight at Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management NYU Wagner College NYC on December 18 2013, dedicated to @CitiBik...

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@betaNYC #BikeHack #CivicHackNight @NYURudin -- @CitiBikeNYC and #BikeNYC - Video

UNEP Ecosystem Management

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Scientific evidence shows that ecosystems are under unprecedented pressure, threatening prospects for sustainable development. While the challenges are daunting, they also provide opportunities for local communities, business and government to innovate for the benefit of communities, economies and the global environment. However, in order to secure the environmental conditions for prosperity, stability and equity, timely responses that are proportionate to the scale of the environmental challenges will be required. In creating such responses, governments, the international community, the private sector, civil society and the general public all have an important role to play. As the environmental programme of the United Nations, UNEP is working to articulate, facilitate and support appropriate responses.

The Social Dimension of Ecosystem-based Adaptation

Policy series No 12, 2013

An important feature of Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change (EbA), besides environmental and adaptation benefits, is the pursuit of social benefits for local communities including vulnerable groups, such as women, youth and indigenous people (e.g. increases in income, diversification of jobs, educational opportunities and gender equality). While EbA can target specific social or environmental impacts, one of its strengths is in the ability to simultaneously maximize synergies between multiple environmental, economic and social goals.

With regards to social benefits, properly implemented EbA projects have the potential to deliver benefits for local communities including food security, shelter, risk reduction, freshwater and medicine supply, and local climate regulation.

This issue of the UNEP Policy Series on Ecosystem Management highlights the importance of the social dimension in developing and implementing ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation through supportive policies and policy instruments.

To read more download the Policy Series here

Restoring the natural foundation to sustain a Green Economy

60 years of paradigm shift in China, change of policies and practices on to Ecosystem Management

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UNEP Ecosystem Management

Eco-certification builds up to fight

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PORTLAND, Ore. An eco-friendly building rating system that has powered a green arms race across the nation now faces a challenge from policymakers and an upstart rival.

LEED, the longstanding king of green construction and renovation projects, has become a de facto brand in cities such as Portland, Ore., where sustainable growth has been the rage for years.

But that could change as legislation and executive orders in several states have all but banned Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design from public contracts, and a new system known as Green Globes has emerged and marketed itself as a simpler, less expensive alternative.

LEED is a good process, said Byron Courts, director of engineering services for Portlands Melvin Mark Companies. But it represents a huge bureaucracy thats extremely complex and costs quite a bit.

Courts has used both LEED and Green Globes, which has issued about 850 building certifications in the past few years and has recently picked up support from the federal government.

LEED supporters say the emerging opposition comes from lobbyists seeking to damage the industry leader and increase the prominence of Portland-based Green Globes.

The timber, plastics and chemical industries support Green Globes because it does not represent a threat to them, its their way of having a green building without having to change their practices, said Scot Horst, a Green Building Council senior vice president who oversees LEED.

From Seattle to Chicago, LEED has certified thousands of buildings and provided a marketing tool, tax breaks and other incentives to contractors eager to cash in on the sustainability craze.

In Portland, LEED adorns buildings as varied as the arena where the NBAs Trail Blazers play and condos in a trendy warehouse district.

Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., LEED aims to reduce the use of energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions in new construction and renovation projects.

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Eco-certification builds up to fight

Solar street lighting officially switched on at Cove

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By Kinnesha George

Story Created: Dec 22, 2013 at 4:52 AM ECT

Story Updated: Dec 22, 2013 at 4:52 AM ECT

THE largest solar street lighting system in the CARICOM region has been officially switched on at the Cove Eco-Industrial and Business Park in Lowlands. The 79 lights are along various roads in the 400-acre park. The second shell factory, the Rufus Phillips Building, was also officially opened. Speaking at the event last Thursday, the Tobago House of Assemblys (THA) Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development, Joel Jack said that the THA, through the Eco Industrial Development Company of Tobago (E-IDCOT), undertook a rigorous tendering and evaluation process for the lighting project This particular project was done within nine months at an approximate cost of $3.7 million and was completed on time and within budget by Tobago contractors, Active General Traders Limited. This cost was expected to be recovered within the next five to seven years while the units had an average run-time of four full days and were highly resistant to the potentially high winds and the marine environment at the park, Jack said. The ceremony also marked the opening of E-IDCOTs second factory shell which was named after one of Tobagos leading entrepreneur Rufus T Phillips. This flagship project epitomises the power, poise, perseverance and pride of the people of Tobago and the Assembly must be commended for its vision and determination to take Tobago to new heights, said Jack, who stated that E-IDCOT had a mandate to develop, manage and promote the requisite facilities for the continued growth and prosperity of local entrepreneurs. Cove is the islands first industrial park, and it is also the nations first industrial park of an eco-friendly nature. Clean, green, safe and serene. The park represents the core principle of the Assemblys development agenda which is not just to develop Tobago, but to maintain the islands pristine nature in the most sustainable and progressive way, added Jack. Approved and prospective tenants for the Eco-Park also participated in the exhibition.

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Solar street lighting officially switched on at Cove

Merchandise (Tampa Band) Play A New Song and Some Noize @ Cyborg City,Tampa 12/13 – Video

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Merchandise (Tampa Band) Play A New Song and Some Noize @ Cyborg City,Tampa 12/13
Not your typical Merchandise set but some progressive, noize jamz (and maybe a new song in the mix.) They were the last band to play a set at the final show ...

By: Mojo Books Records-Tampa Fl

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Merchandise (Tampa Band) Play A New Song and Some Noize @ Cyborg City,Tampa 12/13 - Video

Ormond official wants beaches back

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Published: Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 7:49 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 7:49 p.m.

ORMOND BEACH Troy Kent is old enough to remember when gates didnt block the approaches to Ormonds tranquil sands or a nighttime drive on the beach wasnt illegal.

The city commissioner says he often dreams of reviving the notion of free and open access to the citys roughly four-mile stretch of beach.

I bet if you ask people how the beach was in the (19)70s and 60s, the farther back you go, the better and better it was, he said. The main thing is that our beach was accessible. Its bothersome that you cant get on your own beach.

Kent, 38, who represents the Ormond beachside south of Granada Boulevard, is pressing his colleagues to discuss an attempt to take back the citys beaches and approaches from Volusia County, which has managed the coastline since 1986. Though a proposal hasnt been formally introduced, Kent suggested at a recent commission meeting that Ormond residents be allowed to access the beach by vehicle for free while everyone else, including other Volusia County residents, would be charged $20 a day.

We know what our residents want and need, he said.

Kents call was prompted after the countys apparent unwillingness, so far, to open up the Milsap Road approach, north of Ormonds Andy Romano Beachfront Park, which opened this year. Kent and others believe opening that approach would allow many more people to enjoy the multi-million dollar parks no-traffic zone and solve parking issues that have plagued the stretch.

I wouldnt even be having this conversation if the beach approaches were open, he said. But the county has put its head in the sand. Theyre not being team players.

Ormond Beach has six approaches within its limits, but only two of them Granada Boulevard and Cardinal Drive are open for vehicular access. Beach Safety spokeswoman Tammy Marris said soft sands in the summer lead to periodic closures of the Granada approach.

Kent said under his plan the city would man the toll booths and Ormond Beach police would be responsible for patrolling the beaches. The county would continue to provide lifeguards as Ormond residents pay county taxes, he said.

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Ormond official wants beaches back

Can governments protect people from killer sharks?

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ABC Troy Buswell says new shark control measures in Western Australia do not represent a cull. ABC Fact Check finds his statement is .

Shark attacks arouse strong emotions in the Australian community. Following recent fatal attacks in New South Wales and Western Australia, there have been calls for tougher control measures, including the culling of sharks that lurk near popular beaches. Others say that sharks are an important part of the ecosystem and we should learn to co-exist with them.

On December 10, the Western Australian Government announced a series of measures that it says will increase safety for swimmers and surfers. WA Minister Troy Buswell says the response "does not represent what you would call a culling" of sharks.

"It is our view that is a targeted, localised, hazard mitigation strategy... If we are catching sharks that are or are about to be in close proximity of beaches then by extension we are making those beaches safer," he said.

The main initiatives are the establishment of 'Coastal Shark Management Zones' along popular beaches near Perth and Margaret River, the setting of baited drumlines one kilometre out from the shore, and engaging local fisherman to kill large sharks that venture into the new zones.

ABC Fact Check takes a look at whether Mr Buswell is giving the public the full story about these measures and the trade-offs required to improve beach safety.

The key measure in the WA package is the use of baited drumlines to catch sharks before they enter the new management zones. While this is a new strategy for WA, drumlines have been used in Queensland and the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal for many years. They have a similar function to the shark nets also used in those regions and in New South Wales. A drumline consists of a large baited hook suspended from a large plastic float, which in turn is anchored to the sea bed.

The Queensland Government's Shark Control Program manager Jeff Krause told Fact Check that in his state, shark nets and drumlines are used in combination along 85 beaches "to catch resident sharks and sharks that move through an area while feeding on bait fish". KwaZulu-Natal similarly uses a combination of nets and drumlines. New South Wales only uses nets, in place on 51 beaches including in Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle and the Illawarra.

Nets and drumlines are in place in Queensland and South Africa for most of the year, but NSW runs its program only between September 1 and April 30 and, according to a NSW Department of Primary Industries document, nets "may not be in place on every beach every day" even during that limited period.

The other main component of the new WA shark control program is the targeted killing of all sharks over three metres long that enter the management zones. Experts consulted by Fact Check say this sort of ad hoc shark control is not regularly practised elsewhere, although there was a shark number reduction program that operated on an irregular basis in Hawaii between between 1959 and 1976. In addition, it has been reported that the French Indian Ocean territory of Reunion plans to kill 90 sharks following five fatal attacks since 2011.

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Can governments protect people from killer sharks?

Astronomy Forecast – Asteroids, Fireballs, Meteor Showers, Giant Asteroid, Exoplanet w/Comets, Ison – Video

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Astronomy Forecast - Asteroids, Fireballs, Meteor Showers, Giant Asteroid, Exoplanet w/Comets, Ison
December 19, 2013 2013 XG10 0.0288 AU 11.2 LD Size 22-48m Close Approach 1:56 a.m. UT 2013 XK22 0.0319 AU 12.4 LD Size 41-92m Close Approach 2:08 p.m. UT 201...

By: Sarah Hockensmith

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Astronomy Forecast - Asteroids, Fireballs, Meteor Showers, Giant Asteroid, Exoplanet w/Comets, Ison - Video

All About Astronomy – Enchanted Learning Software

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EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages. Click here to learn more.

Our Solar System Our solar system consists of the sun, planets, dwarf planets (or plutoids), moons, an asteroid belt, comets, meteors, and other objects. The sun is the center of our solar system; the planets, over 61 moons, the asteroids, comets, meteoroids and other rocks and gas all orbit the Sun. The Earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system.

The Planets The nine planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (the biggest planet in our Solar System), Saturn (with large, orbiting rings), Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (a dwarf planet or plutoid). A belt of asteroids (minor planets made of rock and metal) orbits between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; this dwarf planet has an elliptical orbit tilted over 17 from the ecliptic).

The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the Sun) are quite different from the outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the Sun).

Small Bodies There are other smaller object that orbit the Sun, including asteroids, comets, meteoroids and dwarf planets.

The sun is about 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is about 80,000 to 120,000 light-years across (and less than 7,000 light-years thick). We are located on on one of its spiral arms, out towards the edge. It takes the sun (and our solar system) roughly 200-250 million years to orbit once around the Milky Way. In this orbit, we (and the rest of the Solar System) are traveling at a velocity of about 155 miles/sec (250 km/sec).

To reach the center of the Milky Way Galaxy starting from the Earth, aim toward the constellation Sagittarius. If you were in a spacecraft, during the trip you would pass the stars in Sagittarius one by one (and many other stars!).

The Milky way Galaxy is just one galaxy in a group of galaxies called the Local Group. Within the Local Group, the Milky Way Galaxy is moving about 300 km/sec (towards the constellation Virgo). The Milky Way Galaxy is moving in concert with the other galaxies in the Local Group (the Local Group is defined as those nearby galaxies that are moving in concert with each other, independent of the "Hubble flow" expansion).

Enchanted Learning Over 35,000 Web Pages Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

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All About Astronomy - Enchanted Learning Software

Astronomy Picture of the Day – NASA

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Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2013 December 22

Explanation: If you went outside at exactly the same time every day and took a picture that included the Sun, how would the Sun's position change? With great planning and effort, such a series of images can be taken. The figure-8 path the Sun follows over the course of a year is called an analemma. Yesterday, the Winter Solstice day in Earth's northern hemisphere, the Sun appeared at the bottom of the analemma. Analemmas created from different latitudes would appear at least slightly different, as well as analemmas created at a different time each day. With even greater planning and effort, the series can include a total eclipse of the Sun as one of the images. Pictured is such a total solar eclipse analemma or Tutulemma - a term coined by the photographers based on the Turkish word for eclipse. The above composite image sequence was recorded from Turkey starting in 2005. The base image for the sequence is from the total phase of a solar eclipse as viewed from Side, Turkey on 2006 March 29. Venus was also visible during totality, toward the lower right.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day - NASA