Precious Moments Prayer Pal Doll Boy 10 Plush Blue Prayer Doll Says Prayer Demo
Jenna Ladd | June 30, 2016
President Obama signed a monumental environmental bill into law last Wednesday that will make amendments to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act.
Originally, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was signed into law in order to protect U.S. citizens from hazardous chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, radon, and lead-based paint. Signed by President Ford, the law granted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority "to require reporting, record-keeping and testing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures."
The original bill suffered shortcomings according to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. In an official blog post following last week's updates to it, she explains, "While the intent of the original TSCA law was spot-on, it fell far short of giving EPA the authority we needed to get the job done."
Indeed, the original bill deemed any chemical to be safe, even without scientific testing, as long as it was on the market before TSCA was signed into law. Research requirements were also so arduous and extensive that it was often impossible for the EPA officials to test chemicals at all. To illustrate, the EPA attempted to ban asbestos under TSCA during the first Bush Administration because of its many adverse health effects. Their movement to ban the chemical was overturned in a court of law. McCarthy points out, "In the law's 40-year history, only a handful of the tens of thousands of chemicals on the market when the law passed have ever been reviewed for health impacts, and only 5 have ever been banned."
The updated Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, spearheaded by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), is a testament to lawmakers working across party lines to protect the health of citizens. Under the new law, the EPA is required to test all existing chemicals along with new ones before they hit the market. The new bill also mandates that chemicals which pose the highest health risk are given priority in the testing process. Along with a consistent $25 million a year budget, the EPA will be granted many options to deal with chemical and substance risks including labeling requirements, use restrictions, phase-outs. The EPA expects to begin the evaluation of high-priority substances within 180 days.
For a digestible fact sheet about the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, click here.
(Nick Fetty/CGRER)
Nick Fetty | June 29, 2016
Nearly two dozen Eastern Iowa K-12 teachers attended a workshop Tuesday to learn about hands-on activities and lesson plans for engaging students in science.
The Critical Zone Observatory Environmental Science Workshop brought together the University of Iowa College of Education, the UI Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, the UI State Hygienic Laboratory, and the Intensively Managed Landscapes-Critical Zone Observatory to help teachers connect their students to environmental science. While the workshop focused mostly on science, Leslie Flynn, a clinical assistant professor in the UI College of Education, said the workshop also aims to show teachers and students how science is connected to other fields.
"I think what (earth and environmental sciences professor) Dr. Bettis did that was interesting for the teachers was show them how our landscape has changed over time. As farm practices have changed and more people have moved into the area, it's changed the Clear Creek Watershed," said Flynn. "Teachers were drawing connections not just between the science but also the history of the landscape, geography, political considerations in terms of zoning. I think what it showed us is that it's a very interdisciplinary topic and that we can use the environment and the watershed to look through multiple lenses. Through math, science, social studies, engineering and I think that really struck a chord with the teachers."
Workshop attendees spent the morning at a research site in rural Iowa County to learn about hands-on activities and potential field trip opportunities related to environmental science. The afternoon session was at the UI State Hygienic Laboratory where teachers developed environmental science lessons plans. Flynn said she thinks inter-departmental cooperation, particularly between she and CGRER member Dr. Art Bettis, was key to the success of the event.
"One thing that's really important to me is finding people who want to partner. In this project, Art and I said "yes" to each other. We didn't know each other (prior to this event.) Then the State Hygienic Laboratory welcomed us in here," said Flynn. "So one of the great things is finding people who say "yes" and when they do you can solve problems for K-12 and the community so it's just been a great experience."
Nick Fetty | June 28, 2016
Proper LED – or light emitting diode – technology for street lights could benefit both human health and the environment, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
During its annual meeting earlier this month, the AMA "adopted guidance for communities on selecting among LED lighting options to minimize potential harmful human and environmental effects." About 10 percent of existing U.S. street lighting has been converted to LED which often have economic and environmental benefits compared to conventional lighting. However, despite these benefits, officials with the AMA feel that certain forms of LED technology in street lighting may actually cause more harm than good.
"Despite the energy efficiency benefits, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting," said AMA Board Member Maya A. Babu. "The new AMA guidance encourages proper attention to optimal design and engineering features when converting to LED lighting that minimize detrimental health and environmental effects."
The lighting from high-intensity LED designs can harm some bird, insect, turtle, and fish species that are naturally accustomed to a darker environment. To avoid these potential ecological threats, national parks in the U.S. have utilized optimal lighting designs in an effort to minimize the effects of light pollution on the environment. In addition to harming the environment, high-intensity LED lighting can cause distractions for drivers and also disrupt circadian sleep rhythms in humans.
Specifically, the AMA recommends that communities use LED technology with the lowest emission of blue light possible. AMA also recommends that LED lighting be properly shielded to reduce glare and that LED lighting be dimmed during non-peak time periods
In 2015, MidAmerican Energy announced plans to convert more than 100,000 Iowa streetlights to LED over a 10-year period.
Jenna Ladd | June 27, 2016
This week's On The Radio segment discusses a memorandum to protect and revive pollinator habitat that was signed by five U.S. states last month.
Transcript: Iowa Department of Transportation joins regional effort to protect pollinators
The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and transportation departments in five other states have joined forces to improve pollinator habitat along Interstate 35.
This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.
Supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), transportation officials from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas met last month in Des Moines to sign a memorandum of understanding. The memo asks that states work together to promote habitat conservation and renewal for monarch butterflies, honeybees and other pollinators along Interstate 35. The interstate, otherwise known as "the Monarch Highway," is the primary route that Monarchs take between Mexico and Canada.
Mark Masteller, Chief Landscape Architect for the Iowa DOT, led the Interstate 35 initiative.
Masteller: "This memorandum provides additional support for the Iowa DOT's practice of seeding native grasses and wildflowers in the highway rights of way. In addition to benefiting pollinators, these native species provide improved erosion control and improved control of blowing and drifting snow for the highway user."
A 2014 memo by the Obama Administration declared that pollinators are vital to the United States' economy, food security, and environmental health. Quantified, honey bees alone add upwards of $15 million dollars to agricultural crops every year.
For more information about these five states' efforts to protect pollinators, visit Iowa-Environmental-Focus-dot-org.
From the University of Iowa Center for Global and Environmental Research, I'm Nick Fetty.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/05/19/announcing-new-steps-promote-pollinator-health
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/daaedb0983e44f58a2826f67a687e75a/bees-butterflies-get-better-habitat-along-interstate-35
(Nick Fetty/CGRER)
Nick Fetty | June 24, 2016
The Iowa City Science Boosters Club taught children about climate change through a hands-on experiment at the Linn County Fair on Thursday June 23.
Hundreds of children stopped by the ICSBC booth in the Lynn Dunn Memorial Building at the Linn County Fairgrounds to learn about the effects that ocean acidification can have on marine life. Participants blew bubbles into cups of water and then measured the water's pH level. They found the carbon from their breath lowered the pH level similar to how with climate change excess carbon in the atmosphere contributes to more acidity in oceans. The higher acidity level in oceans can damage the shells of mussels, clams, and other shellfish which can make them more susceptible to predators and create a whole slew of ecological issues.
"We're here for youth day and this is related to our outreach work with schools. The National Center for Science Education is really interested in changing community attitudes towards science education and supporting science teachers," said Emily Schoerning, Director of Research at the National Center for Science Education. "So if we can give these families a positive, upbeat, hands-on experience with climate change that will make them less concerned with talking about climate change and less concerned about their kids learning about climate change in schools."
Schoerning also said that the ICSBC has raised more than $10,000 in its first year which provided Iowa classrooms with durable science equipment. To learn more about the ICSBC club check out their Facebook page or to establish a science boosters club in your area, find out how to do so with information from the Nation Center for Science Education.
Nick Fetty | June 23, 2016
Sections of the Cedar River reached "flood level" after heavy rains earlier this week.
Data from the Iowa Flood Information System show that National Weather Service (NWS) sensors near Conesville and Palo detected levels in the Cedar River that exceeded "flood level" stage. NWS sensors use a four-point scale to rank flood severity: "Action Level, "Flood Level, "Moderate Level," and "Major Level." While "flood level" typically does not present a serious immediate threat, the system is meant to warn communities, landowners, and others about potential upcoming threats.
Sensors at Palo – which is about about 10 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids – recorded levels that exceeded "flood stage" over the weekend and on Monday but those level began to recede by Tuesday. Sensors at Conesville – roughly 60 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids – recorded "flood stage" levels around the middle of the day Wednesday. Unlike the Iowa River, the Cedar River does not have a dam or reservoir which helps to control flow rates downstream after heavy rains.
Spikes in nitrate levels were also detected in the Cedar River following this week's rainstorms, according to data from the Iowa Water Quality Information System. The sensors at Palo and Conesville detected nitrate levels 2 mg/l or more above 10 mg/l, which is the Maximum Contaminant Level allowed for drinking water as established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning early Wednesday morning for parts of Benton, Iowa, Johnson, and Linn Counties. The precipitation elevated humidity levels across much of the state and a heat advisory was issued Wednesday for Southern Iowa, with parts of the region experiencing heat index values that exceeded 100 degrees. These heavy rains and elevated river levels follow weeks of "abnormally dry" conditions in Southeast Iowa.
Jenna Ladd | June 22, 2016
A University of Iowa chemical engineering professor is working closely with a California start-up to produce clean energy using only sunlight and water.
With College of Engineering Professor Syed Mubeen as head scientist, the University of Iowa has signed a second one-year research contract with HyperSolar. In tandem with Iowa researchers, HyperSolar is working to commercialize low-cost renewable energy using hydrogen.
Hydrogen is considered a green energy source because its byproduct is water rather than carbon emissions. However, pure hydrogen is hard to come by. There is only a tiny fraction of 1% of pure hydrogen floating around in Earth's atmosphere, therefore it must be produced.
The majority of hydrogen is manufactured through a chemical process that converts fossil fuels into hydrogen. This practice produces climate-changing greenhouse gases. Hydrogen can also be produced in a more sustainable fashion called electrolysis, using extremely pure water and electricity. While this method does not emit greenhouse gases, the costs associated with it are very high.
Mubeen and the HyperSolar team have discovered a much more environmentally sound and low-cost means of hydrogen production. Mimicking plants during photosynthesis, their electrochemical device can convert any type of water into hydrogen with a little help from the sun. Here's how it works: the device sits in any type of water (freshwater, sea water, wastewater, etc.), and when sunlight shines through and hits the device water is converted into pure hydrogen. The hydrogen is then stored in the device and available for use.
Mubeen is striving to drive costs for this energy source down even further so that is may be available globally. He explains, "Currently, we understand how clean energy systems such as solar cells, wind turbines, et cetera, work at a high level of sophistication. The real challenge going forward is to develop inexpensive clean energy systems that can be cost competitive to fossil fuel systems and be adopted globally and not just in the developed countries."
For a more detailed description of this process, watch the video below.
Nick Fetty | June 21, 2016
About 14 percent of Iowa experienced abnormal dryness during the early part of June and since then that percentage has nearly doubled.
Data from the Drought Mitigation Center show that Iowa's southeast corner is the driest region in the state. This region includes much of the area south of Interstate 80 and east of Interstate 35.
Drought intensity is measured on a five-point scale from "abnormally dry" to "moderate drought" to "severe drought" to "extreme drought" and finally "exceptional drought." The Hawkeye State has not experienced severe or extreme drought since 2012.
Dr. Deborah Bathke, a climatologist with the Lincoln, Nebraska-based Drought Mitigation Center, warmed that if the current weather conditions continue it may lead to a "flash drought."
"If we continue to see these high temperatures and lack of precipitation, I can see us quickly evolving into what we like to call a 'flash drought,' which is when we have this rapid onset of high temperatures combined with a lack of precipitation that really starts to desiccate our soils and stunt our crop growth," Dr. Bathke told Radio Iowa.
Soil conditions have also varied across Iowa with most of the northern third of the state experiencing "adequate to surplus" levels of moisture in topsoil compared to southeast Iowa where over 60 percent of topsoil moisture levels were rated "short to very short," according to the most recent Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Despite the hot and dry conditions in southeast Iowa, the USDA report found that statewide just 4 percent of Iowa's corn land is classified as "poor" or "very poor" while 3 percent of soybean land falls into those same categories.
Jenna Ladd | June 20, 2016
This week's On The Radio segment discusses University of Iowa Assistant Professor Xun Zhou's mathematical model that measures gains and losses of vegetation in urban areas.
Transcript: Iowa researcher creates mathematical model to track human impact on greenspace
A University of Iowa researcher has developed a formula that allows city planners to closely monitor the effects of human activity on vegetation.
This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.
Xun Zhou, an assistant professor in the Tippie College of Business, designed a model that identifies the losses and gains of green space caused by human activity. Zhou says that human migration, traffic, and urban development can leave environmental footprints not easily observed by the naked eye. His model allows policymakers and planners to see and target areas most affected by humans. He hopes his research will allow for more informed and sustainable decision-making.
"By using our algorithm they can efficiently track every corner of the city or the urban areas and identify some potential change processes as early as possible so this could help them make some decisions to respond to human movement, climate change, environment change and so on and so forth."
Variation in vegetation can have a number of causes. Zhou is testing his model in areas of the world that scientists have closely monitored for years, like the Amazon Rainforest. Comparing his data, Zhou can separate human-induced change from that which is naturally occurring.
For more information about Zhou's research and why it matters in Iowa, visit Iowa-Environmental-Focus dot org.
From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I'm Betsy Stone.
Nick Fetty | June 17, 2016
Pete Damiano (Director at the University of Iowa's Public Policy Center), Pete Weyer (Director at the UI's Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination), and Joyce Zhu (PhD student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) discuss "Iowa's Drinking Water: Could Flint Happen Here?" which was hosted at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines on June 17, 2016.
Source: https://iowaenvironmentalfocus.org/2016/06/
0 Response to "Precious Moments Prayer Pal Doll Boy 10 Plush Blue Prayer Doll Says Prayer Demo"
Post a Comment