*BONUS Article* — How To Make Your Cell Phone Greener

Cell phones have become one of the most ubiquitous hallmarks of life in the 21st century, but they aren't necessarily good for the environment.  From plastics to the rare, powder precious metal tantalum, cell phone materials present a variety of environmental and even human rights issues.  Then there's energy use: smartphones are especially notorious energy hogs, with most models rarely getting more than a day of usage without some pretty drastic energy-saving strategies.

In addition to the power needed to charge any cell phone, smart or otherwise, there's also the power required to transmit calls, text/media messages and data across wireless carrier networks.  All of this electricity consumption adds up to greenhouse gas emissions.

Ways to have a 'greener' cell phone:

• Keep your used cell phones out of landfills.  You can also make money by selling your used cell phone for reuse, either directly through Craigslist or eBay or through a service.
• An even greener and generally cheaper option is to buy a used cell phone rather than a new one.  You can probably get a good price on a model in good condition that's a year or less old.
• There are several new models claiming to be greener than most such as Samsung's Blue Earth feature phone, slated for a U.S. launch later this year, which features a built-in solar panel for charging. Also, several phones, like the LG Remarq, tout that they, or their packaging, are made of recycled or recyclable materials.
• Keep in mind that texting is the most energy-efficient, and thus eco-friendly, communication option.

For the full article, click here.

Fish Farms, With a Side of Greens

In the lowlands of Scotland, an old fire station donated to the community of Moffat has been converted into what may be the farm of the future.  Using a new technology known as aquaponics, the Moffat farm, due to start production at the end of this month, will churn out fish and vegetable by the ton, in a space equivalent to a small factory.

Aquaponics -- a combination of aquaculture, or fish cultivation, and hydroponics, or water-based planting -- utilizes a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants.  Fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, which in turn filter the water in which the fish live.  Cuttings from plant are composted to create food for worms, which provide food for the fish, completing the cycle.

"Aquaponics is a method of delivering multiple crops with minimum input, through a closed-loop method of farming," said Charlie Price, founder of Aquaponics UK, the nonprofit organization that runs the farm.  A kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of fish food, produces at least 50 kilograms of vegetables and 0.8 kilogram of fish, he said.  "As the ecosystem become self-sustainable, the fish food comes from the worms, so the entire cycle is free."

For the full article, click here.

U.S. Education Secretary Vows to Make American Children 'Good Environmental Citizens'

"Today, I promise you that under my leadership, the Department of Education will be a committed partner in the national effort to build a more environmentally literate and responsible society."
-Education Secretary Arne Duncan

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan vowed that his department would work to make American children into "good environmental citizens" through federally subsidized school programs beginning as early as kindergarten that teach children about climate change and prepare them "to contribute to the workforce through green jobs."

"Right now, in the second decade of the 21st century, preparing our children to be good environmental citizens is some of the most important work any of us can do.  It's work that will serve future generations -- and quite literally sustain our world," Duncan asserts.

For the full article, click here.

Mimicking Nature, Water-Based 'Artificial Leaf' Produces Electricity

A team led by a North Carolina State University researcher has shown that water-gel-based solar devices -- 'artificial leaves' -- can act like solar cells to produce electricity.  The findings prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely mimic nature, specifically photosynthesis.  They also have the potential to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the current standard-bearer: silicon-based solar cells.

The research team hopes to learn how to mimic the materials by which nature harnesses solar energy.  Although synthetic light-sensitive molecules can be used, naturally derived products, such as chlorophyll, are also easily integrated in these devices because of their water-gel mix.

Now that they've proven the concept, NC State's Dr. Orlin Velev asserts that researchers will work to fine-tune the water-based gel and light-sensitive molecules to improve the efficiency of the solar cells.

For the full article, click here.

Lost Tiger Population Discovered in Bhutan Moutains

A 'lost' population of tigers has been filmed living in the Himalayas -- the highest living tigers known.  The discovery stunned experts, as the tigers are living at a higher altitude than any others known and appear to be successfully breeding.  Leading experts suspect that tigers may also be living at higher altitudes, following anecdotal reports by villagers suggesting that some were roaming as high as 13,000 ft (4000m).

Their presence in the Bhutan highlands has been confirmed by footage taken by a BBC natural history camera crew.  The cameras recorded a wealth of wildlife, including red foxes, jungle cats, monkeys, leopards, musk deer and even a red panda.  This is the only place on earth known to have tigers, leopards and snow leopards all sharing the same valley.

The discovery of tigers living at high altitudes in Bhutan could be crucial to one scheme proposed to help save the species from extinction by offering sanctuary from human towns and the pressures they bring.

For the full article and video, click here.

Asian 'Unicorn' Photographed for First Time in Over 10 Years

For the first time in more than ten years, there has been a confirmed sighting of one of the rarest and most mysterious animals in the world: the saola of Laos and Vietnam.  The Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a.k.a. Laos, announced on September 15 that villagers in the central province of Bolikhamxay captured a saola and brought it back to their village in late August.  Sadly, the animal died several days later, but was photographed while still alive.

Saola are so secretive and so seldom seen -- no biologist has ever reported seeing one in the wild -- that they have been likened to unicorns, despite actually having two horns.  Today, saola occur only in dense forests of the Annamite Mountains along the Lao/Vietnamese border.  This species is classified as "Critically Endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -- probably no more than a few hundred survive making it one of the most threatened large mammals on the planet.  There are none in zoos anywhere in the world.

The national representative for the IUCN Lao Programme, Ms Latsamay Sylvavong, noted, "This incident highlights the importance of Laos to global wildlife conservation.  Saola and several other rare endemic species are found almost nowhere else in the world [...] we need to improve protection of both the ecosystems [in Laos] and the special species they hold, like the saola.  Much needs to be done."

For the full article and a picture of the saola, click here.