articles with a difference

Here are some interesting articles from Treehugger. For the full article press the title of every bit of info.

Israel replacing pesticides with birds- Many farmers are installing nest boxes to encourage the birds, which hunt the crop-damaging rodents.
In Israel, where there is a drive to reduce the use of toxic chemical pesticides, this has been turned into a government-funded national programme.-shouldn't Malta do the same?

Mars going fair trade - And then the big announcement of their teaming-up with Rainforest Alliance and other certification bodies to ensure that all the beans bought by Mars would meet fairtrade standards. That includes "minimum wages for farmers, conserving water and biodiversity-friendly pest management- now that is great news!

Canadian government eats raw seal - She swallowed a piece whole and deemed it tasty, saying: "It's like sushi. ... And it's very rich in protein."
Jean, whose post is largely ceremonial, defended the hunt as an eons-old traditional hunting practice that is not inhumane - disgusting...I understand why they won't ban seal hunting but I belive they should find a more humane way to kill them!!

Portable flip flop - Like a devoted lover, these portable flip-flops will go where you go, roam where you roam, whether it's to the yoga studio, the spa, or that grody motel room where the carpet smells (and feels) like wet mongrel. - hmmm nice thought.

Foldable bikes -- The clean and striking MODE is aimed at commuters that may have not considered cycling or folding bikes as an option. MODE avoids oily chains, complex tubes with hidden dirt traps and the clutter of traditional bike features. It can be used by commuters who do not want to change their appearance into 'bicycle warriors'. - Now if only it wasn't so expensive I'd get one.

Laptops no need to recycle - What they've done with a laptop that many users would think is past its prime is pretty inspirational. We love seeing old devices made new again, rather than tossed. Keeping useful products in the stream is definitely greener than that next best alternative - recycling. - Nice idea me a d Dave will soon try it as ours going downhill.

200 new frogs in Madagascar - What's more is that of these newly discovered frog species, about 25% of them were discovered in areas not protected as reserve or national park—that's in a country which has lost about 80% of its rainforests- wow awesome!

Climate change no more - a group of about 230 glaciers in the Western Himalayas are either growing or holding instead of retreating like most other glaciers. The study points to a potential explanation for that, and it sounds very plausible. Read on for more details. - don't raise your hopes there is an explanation.

Sun and global warming - Currently astrophysicists are noting that this is the "slow" period in solar flares and storms in decades and that the last time this happened coincided with the coldest part of the Little Ice Age from 1645 to 1715. Currently the sun is also the "dimmest" it has been in 100 years, and no that's not just because we're experiencing winter/spring here in North America.- why ain't nothing easy now the sun gets in the middle.

I enjoy reading these stories...gives you some hindsight and get to know what's new.