The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

What up team!

Two summers ago I went to a leadership seminar called Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership (PSYL) and we did a project on environmental issues.  Our group looked at something that I had never heard of before, its called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, basically it’s a massive island of garbage floating the middle of the ocean.  What happens is currents form a spiral which traps floating debris, the source of the patch comes from many countries; Japan, Canada, and the US are major contributors. The real shocker to this “waterfill” is the size. It’s hard to get an exact size, but it has been estimated to be the size of TEXAS!

The patch has countless effects on wildlife in the area; passing fish mistake small pieces of plastic for food, and essentially eat until their stomachs are full with garbage.  If you look at the pictures to the lest you can see that the effects are giving animals a horrible death that they do not deserve at all. Because of the massivness of the patch takes up tons of space, this forces marine life to find a new habitat. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, because it’s in international waters, no country wants to step up and take responsibility.  There has been an effort to clean the patch from companies like Pepsi, but it’s not enough, governments need to treat this issue as a priority and act. Maybe we could even write some strong worded letters to our man Stephen Harper to start making change?

If you would like more info on this issue, click this fancy link


- Owen T

Ten Tee Apparel

Hello all!

I thought I would make a post about this clothing company I read about in the Metro. Its called Ten tree Apparel, They plant ten trees for every item sold, and their clothes are produced in an environmentally responsible way.

I think this is an amazing idea because not only do the clothes look good, but you know that you are helping out on a great cause.  The trees are planted all across the world and the kind of tress that get planted depend on the area and what will assist the ecosystem in a positive way, for example they plant sugar cane and moringa trees in Haiti to prevent sheet water erosion. Here is a list of what trees get planted where:

 Mangrove Trees – Madagascar, Honduras

Oak Trees – Canada, Haiti

Poplar Trees – Canada

Mellettia Ferruginea – Ethiopia

Juniperus Procera – Ethiopia

Cashew Trees – Haiti

Mahogany Trees – Philippines

Apitong – The Philippines

Moringa trees – Zambia

The clothes are pretty pricey ($90 for a sweater) but I see it as a donation with a gift J

When I find a job and get some cash in my pocket im going to grab some fresh new swag from them and I hope some of you guys do the same, they even have free shipping!

- Owen T

Carbon Monoxide

I wanted to share with you all a little diddy by one of my favorite bands- Cake.

Its a simple tune, with uncomplicated lyrics, but a good message overall and somewhat catchy.

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If you would like to folow along, the lyrics are as follows:

Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear
Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear
Where's the air?
Where's the air?
Where's the air?
After car after bus after car after truck
After this my lungs will be so fucked up
I wish I was in that Mercedes Benz
Sealed away from my sins
I'd have the music high going 95
Too much too much too much too much
Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear
Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear
Don't you care?
Don't you care?
Don't you care?
After car after bus after car after truck
After this my lungs will be so fucked up I wish I wasn't just a pedestrian
Breathing all this in
I look up at that grey sky It makes me want to... (ohhhh)
Too much too much too much
Too much too much too much
Tooooo muuch
Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear.

-brought to you by Marley Beach

Big A$$ Mushroom

        So a couple days ago I was walking around and noticed this humongous mushroom cap lurking over my head. Although I see mushrooms all the time, this one took me by surprise due to its size. The edge of the cap was a good foot away from the trunk and it was a thick as my head at the thickest point! After a little research I concluded that this is a Pleurotus Dryinus variety of mushroom. They commonly grow around this area and chances are you have probably already seen a few in your time.

      Your local fantastic fungi finder,
                                  - Marko Javorac

How Do You Like Them Caterpillars?

Oh hello there

Compared to a hand! (not my hand)

Antheraea Polyphemus

Hello fellow classmates! When we first talked about this blog in class, I knew instantly what my first post would be. A few weeks ago I was visiting Bobcaygeon for the weekend. After a nice bike ride though town my friend and I noticed this little critter in the garage while we were putting our bikes away. This huge caterpillar quickly became the subject of a photo shoot because I have never seen a caterpillar of this size. When I got home I found this Butterflies and Moths of North America website  that you all should take a look at. There is information on caterpillar, butterfly and moth species and you can even submit a sighting and they will identify it for you, which is what I did to find out more about this Polyphemus moth.

Your fellow nature lover,

Savannah Somers

Phylloxera

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeipm/insects_attacking_grape_foliage.htm

Phylloxera. This small aphid-like insect has a complex life cycle that involves survival on the roots throughout the year, and on the leaves during the growing season.  The sequence of events in the life cycle is different for the foliar and root forms of this insect.  The foliar form survives the winter as an egg under the bark of the grapevine.  Asexual, wingless forms hatch in the spring and crawl onto the new leaves, where they develop galls.  Young crawlers settle on the upper surface of immature leaves, causing galls to form on the under surface of the leaves.  The only opening in a gall is to the upper leaf surface.  Once mature, the female begins to lay eggs within a gall.  Nymphs hatching from these eggs crawl to new leaves at shoot tips, settle on the leaves, and form new galls.

In the case of the root form of grape phylloxera, the insects overwinter as immature forms on the roots.  These forms mature in the spring and produce eggs that hatch into nymphs.  The nymphs then start new galls on the roots.  Winged forms develop in the spring, summer or fall and emerge from the soil to lay eggs on stems.  These eggs hatch and produce the true sexual forms that produce the overwintering eggs laid under the bark.  Several generations of each form of phylloxera may occur each season.  Although the two forms behave differently, both belong to the same species of phylloxera that occurs on the leaves and roots of grapes.
Denisa Ollomani

Leptocoris trivittatus

Boxelder Bug- I saw this bug so many times while gardening outside the TSS.
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Boxelder-Bug

Common names:  Boxelder Bug

Scientific name:  Leptocoris trivittatus

Region:  This insect is found throughout North America and they usually appear during the fall.

Life cycle:  This bug produces one to two generations each year.  The adult females hibernate in any place that offers protection, including houses and barns.  On warm winter or spring days, they come out into the open and return to the trees where they spend summer.

In fall, they congregate on trunks of trees, fence posts, and exterior surfaces of buildings.

Physical Description:  This grayish brown to black bug has three red stripes on the thorax and thin diagonal red lines on the upper part of the wings and is about 1/2 inch long.  It lays its eggs on bark and leaves, and the nymph is a bright red.  These insects are true bugs and have sucking mouthparts.

Feeding characteristics:  This bug prefers the boxelder, but also may feed on various fruit trees, as well as maple and ash.  They feed on foliage and flowers of ornamentals but sometimes infest orchard crops.  Fruits may be punctured and slightly deformed, but the injury is usually minimal.

Denisa Ollomani 

Squirrels identifying intruders.

Squirrels identifying intruders.

As I was walking home, I noticed a strange noise coming from the trees above. I stopped and looked and spotted a squirrel holding a nut and looking straight at me. Unfortunately I didn't have any recording device with me and I wasn't able to record it but I found a YouTube video of a very similar noise from a different squirrel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-2wGAjOywA

From research I found that this specific call means that the squirrel spotted an intruder also when being in territorial.  It is a form of communication to let others know that there is something going on. 

-Denisa Ollomani 

Cost of green energy 40% higher than government estimates

By: Nicholas Montgomery

Ratepayers should expect their electricity bills to rise by 65 per cent by 2015 and 141 per cent by 2030 — substantially more than current government predictions of 46 per cent and 100 per cent, the study found.

You saw my other post about how environmentally windmills don't make sense. Now let's take a look at how much sense they make for consumers who are paying the bill at the end of the day.


In Ontario, the average residential user's annual bill, which currently stands at $1,700, will exceed $2,800 by 2015 and be over $4,100 by 2030 due to 'green' energy.

To put that in context, that is by far the highest cost of electricity of any developing countries. How can we expect to compete globally when the cost of doing business here is 4X higher then another province or country? A small price increase could make sense, but if I'm a business or resident, I'm planning on leaving as soon as possible.

Ok, forget businesses for a second. What about low income families? Electricity bills are already a large expense for them, but we're now expecting them to dish out 4x more? That simply isn't moral and responsible. For a country that prides itself on providing a good quality life for everyone this is simply wrong.

The way the system is set up is that the government has a monopoly on power. Don't like the type of power you get and the price you pay? Tough. Hydro One has zero accountability to its customers and has no reason to really care.

The solution? Privatize power and heavily regulate it, making it competitive, green and accessible to everyone. The market can provide for consumers much better then a government entity with no accountability for its customers, finances or even environment.

Full article at: http://www.thespec.com/news/ontario/article/610422--cost-of-green-energy-40-higher-than-government-estimates


By: Nicholas Montgomery

Nosey Neighbours

Thought I would share this photo of some nosey neighbours of mine:

Some baby raccoons, roughly 3 months old. Decided to sneak in during the night, apparently looking for some warmth. They were very cute, but entirely frightened and therefor vicious. We scooped them out in a box and set them outside so they could wander back home.

An unexpected guest while having lunch at the High Park Cafe a couple weeks ago.

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are extremely common- they can be found in the wild as far north as Alaska, and have adapted eerily well to city life too. Though a lot of Toronto residents dislike them, and may consider them pests, I think they are rather awesome. They are very intelligent, have dexterous hands, and in general have many similarities to ourselves. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources have issued a guide on our raccoon friends. I like the excerpt from this which says:

Wild animals have the same basic needs as humans – food, water and shelter. Sometimes, humans and wild creatures come into conflict when animals are trying to meet their basic needs. Often, conflicts can be prevented if we’re willing to make small changes to how we think and act.

Another great resource is Raccoon Nation, part of the CBC series The Nature of Things.  Its a really interesting look at what goes on in our own city, and the animals we typically avoid. Here's the link, and I highly recommend you go have a watch.

-brought to you by Marley Beach

Get rid of the DVP!

This link is from a toronto based newspaper called "The Grid".
http://www.thegridto.com/city/places/what-do-we-do-with-the-dvp/

This article is about innovative and imaginative ways to cut down pollution and traffic on the Don Valley Parkway. It stresses ideas such as carpooling and "pedal power". There is alot of greenspace near the DVP and it should be recognized as such.

-Theo

Poor Birdies

Last March after returning home from Fort Meyers, Florida I noticed this Robbin's nest on my parents windowsill. I wasn't too sure how long the three eggs had been there so I did a little reasearch. Based on my research I was able to conclude that the eggs would hatch in 14 days, except I didn't know when the eggs had been laid. After checking them everyday finally after four days they had hatched, however after two days I checked on the new babies and they were dead. Clearly the mother got spooked everytime my parents walked into their room and she abandoned the nest and the babies caught a chill.

Galls

While walking home after the most recent rainfall, I came across a leaf lying on the sidewalk. It appeared to be diseased, with tumour-like lumps dotting the suface. It looked a little something like this:

 I determined, using this website, which runs through multiple choice options for characteristics of your leaf until it can narrrow it down. But more importantly, I determined that these dots were called galls.
These galls occur on all different types of plants- where on the body where it occurs, the type of plant, and the type of insect, all effect the colour, shape and texture of the gall.

These galls were caused by a mite- translucent, and so small you need a micoscope to see them.
The University of Saskatchewan has a good, simple article on galls and the mites which cause them:

Eriophyid mites are very small, and are only visible by means of a microscope. The mites are worm like, and have only two pairs of legs. Males and females appear identical. They are poor crawlers and the primary method of population spread is by wind.

If you could see them, they would look a little something like this:

                          

Really, as unsightly as the galls can be, they do not often harm the host plant. They merely give these mites a home(or, one could say, habitat). Each mite is specific to their plant and their type of gall- they evolved together. These galls just add a harmless splash of colour and diversity to our very green neighbourhood.

Philippe Lavoie-- Broke Italians, and the U.S. DoD is going for a swim...

http://jalopnik.com/5948219/the-us-navy-is-trying-to-turn-seawater-into-jet-fuel

Article:
An interesting look at how even the least likely organizations are taking steps to save costs and subsequently do good for the environment. It would be awesome to see boats and recreational water-crafts running on the water they ride in! Let me know what you guys think, what unwanted effects could come out of this?

Interesting and (mostly) relevant facts: 
The U.S. Department of Defence uses more fuel than any other Gov't body in America.
DoD's average annual energy use could supply 2.6 million U.S. homes for a year.
If the DoD were a nation, it would be 34th in oil usage/58th in electricity, thats more oil than Sweden (pop'n of 9. 514million) and more electricity than Denmark! (pop'n of 5. 543million)
The Navy accounts for 33% of the DoD's usage.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_usage_of_the_United_States_military)

On another note, Italians are either really broke or love the earth! 
(http://jalopnik.com/5948272/italians-are-now-buying-more-bicycles-than-cars)
Last year in Italy, more bikes were sold than cars. The economy and small, dense cities are most likely to blame. But surely the Italian people are getting tired of paying $9.50 for a liter of gas...

(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-30/italians-squeezed-by-9-50-a-gallon-gas-face-costly-drive-home.html)

Our Child Hood Comes Back

I was cruising the internet recently and i came across this video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHP9Rh-ooh0&feature=player_embedded#!

it is an auto-tuned video of Isaac Asimov and Bill Nye the Science Guy riffing about climate change and the effects certain pollutions have on our planet, namely carbon dioxide. It uses humor, nostalgia, a current media effect and a real threat to creat a powerful message. It is also a plea to people to make the effort to make a change,even if it is small, which i feel resonantes with our course outline.
-Theo S-G

Must See @ the Humber!

Right around this time and closer to Thanksgiving the Atlantic Salmon that live in Lake Ontario are making their way upstream of The Humber river to spawn. Near Old Mill Station is the perfect place to watch them jump and fight the current as they try to get over the waterfalls to calmer water. It was magnificent seeing them actually get over because we were at the highest falls that they had to get over. By concurring this it was then all smooth swimming for them they had completed their journey and could now begin to spawn.
I also noticed many people with those big waterproof overalls on in the river fishing, however though from my understanding it's is not healthy to eat the salmon but apparently you can it's just not recommended in large amounts. Personally I think that it should be a catch and release process since they are realistically just getting to calm water to lay their eggs, then after spawning they all return back to the lake. Some people may not know this but you actually need a fishing license in order to fish in the Humber.

- Alison .W

 http://youtu.be/YrMJwIedrWU

Above I have left the link for the eco-documentary Garbage Warrior. It is a great film and deals with some tangible solutions for the improvement of the way we live. It has it all; a nutty guy ahead of his times, a change in their environment (for the better), and has you leaving with a more positive outlook on a grim subject. julian