Google Bike Maps March 24, 2010

At the 10th annual American bike summit google announced that they’re maps features will now include bike routes for 150 U.S states. The feature includes 15,000 miles of off-street bike trails gathered by the Rails to trails conservatory  a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit that has collected trail information  for its website. Google made the decision after being given a petition with over 50 000 signatures for bike routes to be added to the google maps features.

ONline tools for mapping bike routes have existed for years. For example RideTheCity.com. It also tell you bike shops on you route path.Promoting bicycle travel for utilitarian purposes, in addition to recreation and exercise, has become a federal objective since Congress opened new sources of funding for bicycle facilities with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, or ISTEA, in 1991.This continued over the next decade and now federal planning requirements must consider bicyclists in state and Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, long-range transportation plans.

The League of American Bicyclists sponsored the American Bike Summit, hopes the Google feature will encourage wary would-be cyclists to get on the road, give more seasoned bikers the respect they deserve, and curb unnecessary motorist pollution by highlighting safe routes:

-Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail

-Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road

-Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling but without dedicated lanes

The tool is far from perfect, however. It does not yet work for mobile devices, so bikers will have to map their routes from home or the office before setting out. And Google’s algorithm that combines input from bike lanes, topography, and traffic signals is still just an algorithm.If you spot a problem in the bike map you can you can suggest a route change or make a correction using Google’s “report a problem” Feature.

  

Too bad they don’t have this in Canada yet!

Pacific Garbage Patch March 23, 2010

Most of our garbage today is made up of plastic. Plastic is made of petroleum and the earth cannot digest the petroleum. Almost every little piece of plastic that has been created has not broken down in the landfills, or in the ocean. Some plastic   the  get incinerated, but that releases toxic chemicals. In the ocean plastic accumulates in seas of debris. PLastic to sea life ratios are 6:1. Birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration. They’re bellies are full of plastic. fish are ingesting toxins at a rate that will soon not be safe to eat.

The pacific garbage patch is roughly the size of Texas. It contains about 3.5 tons of trash. The Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest garbage dump in the world. There are also many animals that are affected by the Pacific Garbage Patch like sea birds , turtles, and beluga whales. They get caught in the nets and swallow pieces of plastic floating in the water. Experts say plastic trash has already killed millions of sea birds and marine mammals. In one case, pieces of plastic and a cigarette lighter were found in the stomach of a dead albatross.

 

Water Pollution March 10, 2010

There are many causes of water pollution. Farmers use chemicals to keep bug infestations and diseases from ruining their crops. They also use chemicals to enhance the growth of their crops. But the chemicals they use seep into the ground water and end up in the lakes, creeks and rivers causing water pollution. Farmland that is treated with fertilizers/pesticides is a major contribution to water pollution.

Industries produce toxic waste containing heavy metals. When heavy metals filter into the water they are fatal to the animals that live in the water.  Humans are affected by the heavy metals in the fish  that we eat. Heavy metals in the water have also been known to cause severe birth defects, a damaged or suppressed immune system, cancer, fertility problems, developmental problems in children.

The construction industries is also at fault for contaminating our water with cement, lubricants, metals, and plastics.  Rivers and lakes are also contaminated by run-off and sediment from the construction sites.

Ground water pollution occurs when debris, garbage, oils, chemicals and other contaminates enter the ground water supply over time. Ground water is often a resource for our drinking water. If the water isn’t treated properly the contaminates can cause severe health problems for humans and some animals.

Natural catastrophes are the cause of water pollution effects as well. Storms, earthquakes, floods, acid rain, and volcano eruptions have also been known to disrupt the ecological system and pollute the water.

There are a few thing that you can do to stop water pollution. Click here to see them.

There are many effects of water pollution. Click here to see the effects.

Earthquake in Chile March 7, 2010

As some of you may know there was an earthquake in Chile on february  the 27th of febuary. The earthquake was a shocking 8.8 magnitude. Chile has had more the 200 aftershocks since the earthquake on friday! It was reported one of the strongest earthquakes ever reported.

At first the government said that there was 802 deaths from the earthquake, but recently they have lowered the number of deaths too 279. It’s still a big number but not nearly as big as they the first estimate of 802 people.  The earthquake in Chile had unleashed a tsunami that hit coastal towns. Thirty-six hospitals have been heavily damaged and destroyed from the . There was about half a million homes that were destroyed by the earthquake. The earthquake destroyed over 500 000 homes in Chile, and will take three to four years to rebuild. It will cost 8 to 14 billion dollars to rebuild everything.