The coolest thing I've read and watched all month.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/09/25/161753383/trees-come-from-out-of-the-air-says-nobel-laureate-richard-feynman-really

Start Saving the World...By Making Smores...With a Pizza Box!!!

    With a quick internet search, I discovered there are over a hundred designs for making your own solar cooker.  If you’ve never seen one of these in action, now is the time to get started.  Simply, a solar cooker collects radiant energy from the sun to heat food or water.  I admit, I don’t use mine nearly as often as I should; it isn’t as convenient as a gas or electric oven, but it saves me money every time I do.  

     Now consider this:  worldwide, over two billion people cook over an open fire, contributing to deforestation, habitat loss, health risks associated with indoor smoke pollution, unwanted heat in the home, time spent gathering firewood, disproportionally affecting women and children.  Additionally, because there is no fuel being burned, there is no fire risk.  Solar cookers can reach temperatures of 400F and can be used to sterilize water, bake bread, or, my favorite, chili.  They are, however, limited by the weather, daylight, sometimes longer cooking times, and different cooking techniques.  So, while solar cookers can not replace fuel-based cooking entirely, they can be a huge supplement, alleviating many global economic, environmental, and health problems.   

     This project is a great introduction to solar energy.  Capturing the sun's heat and using it directly is simpler and more efficient than converting it to electricity.  We are all familiar with a hot car parked in the sun, even in winter, or hot water when the garden hose is first turned on. This principle is the science behind solar hot water heaters, solar air heaters, and passive-solar building design.  It has been said that an advanced civilization will get all of its energy from the sun; so, let’s get started!  

   Materials required:  Pizza box, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, black construction paper, razor knife, ruler, marker, glue stick or double sided tape, and a stick about 1 foot long.

   Step 1:  Order Pizza

   

   Step 2:  Measure and mark 1 1/2 inches around the top of the box and cut through three of them, making a flap.  With adult help. 

    Step 3:  Use glue or tape to line the inside of the box with black construction paper to absorb the sunlight.

    Step 4:  Line the inside of the flap with foil to reflect sunlight into the box.

    Step 5:  With the flap up, cover the opening with plastic wrap to seal in the air from escaping.

    Step 6:  Put s’mores on a dark colored plate

    Step 7:  Set box facing the sun with s’mores inside and flap propped open.  

     Step 8:  Keep your eye on them until they are ready to eat!  Maybe 30 min. to an hour.  

     Tip:   Use an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature inside.

For more information on solar cooking and other projects, start with this link:  http://journeytoforever.org/sc_link.html

Enjoy!

Jonathan Livingston Seagull was a gannet.

Winter can be gloomy on the Eastern Shore.  The winds are strong, the trees are bare, and most of our boats are winterized.  But winter can bring a bounty of visitors from the north in search of food.   One of these visitors is the Northern Gannet.   

When you spy a bird that looks like a seagull on a suicide mission you have more than likely spotted a gannet.  Recognizable by its black wing-tips as well as its signature dive, it climbs into the sky over deep water and rotates into a harrowing rocket-like, life-threatening plunge sometimes reaching depths of 30 feet into the chilly waters of the Atlantic, seconds later emerging gracefully onto the surface.  If they are successful they have already consumed a fish or two while underwater.  Take-off for the gannet is not nearly as graceful as the dive.  It looks awkward and cumbersome, but any lack of grace is quickly forgotten when they plunge toward the water once again.

The Northern Gannet is a common bird that spends the summer months nesting on cliffs northward in Quebec and Newfoundland.   They are monogamous, choosing a mate and sticking with it for life.   While they share the responsibility of incubating, the male bird does more sitting on the egg than his mate; both parents also participate in providing food for the chick once hatched.   Young birds have brown plumage turning gradually white until they reach maturity at five years.  Their bill is light blue as is their eyes. 

This video is shot off the coast of South Africa but our gannets' dives look the same (at least to this untrained eye) as their cousins and it is incredible to see from below the surface.  Notice how all the animals compliment one another in the hunt.  It makes one wonder if the same activity is going on below the surface in the waters surrounding the Eastern Shore where we see the Northern Gannet hunting its prey.   It only seems logical...

The gannet is closely related to the booby and are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic.  To borrow some cool facts from Wikipedia:

Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this:

• they have no external nostrils (Think about what this would do for your diving skills!)
• they have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;
• their eyes are positioned far enough forward on their face to give them binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.

Gannets can dive from a height of 30 m, achieving speeds of 100 km/h as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds.
The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to "gannet" becoming a disapproving description of somebody who eats excessively, similar to "glutton".

So, next time you see a bird that you think is a seagull taking a mad dive, remember it is our winter guest, the Northern Gannet.  Try to take some time to watch this bird in action.  It is really exciting. What a way to get your dinner!

For the car traveler, pulling off to watch from one of the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is probably your best bet for spotting this bird in action. 

Know any more fun facts about the gannet or great places to go and watch them?  Post it here.  We welcome your comments.

The Value of Doing Nothing

Photo by Bill Tiernan The Virginian-Pilot

In a previous post, a commentator noted that this was his favorite sight to see while crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  Here is a wonderful image captured by Bill Tiernan of the Virginian Pilot. They are located at the ESVA National Wildlife Refuge and can conveniently be seen from the CBBT .  To read more about it and the concept of how sometimes doing less is more, visit the Pilot's archive: Dead Trees Produce Biological Bounty

A "Green" Public School, with its own Farm!

    This opening statement reads like a dream of what our schools could be:

"One day, our nation’s brightest minds will be united by a common goal. In the future, scientists, business leaders, artists and mathematicians will combine their most innovative thinking in pursuit of the most important challenge of our times - ensuring a long and healthy life for our planet and the people who share it.

At Denver Green School, the future is now. Our hands-on, real-world curriculum prepares students to excel in the colleges and careers of tomorrow, by combining essential skills mastery and creative problem-solving today."

   Combined with an experiential curriculum rooted in sustainability, is a working 1 acre farm.  This farm provides produce for the cafeteria, a CSA and farm stand for the community, and educational and volunteer opportunities for the students.  It is a Public School approved by the Board of Education in Denver, Colorado.  

To learn more about the Denver Green School, Click here: www.denvergreenschool.org

To see a video,  Click here: http://vimeo.com/31401445

As the tides change...

Southern tip of the Eastern Shore of Virginia including Fisherman Island.  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel can be seen crossing the island and extending out over the Chesapeake Bay.

Crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is routine for many Eastern Shore inhabitants and visitors. Cresting the high rise approaching Fisherman Island from either direction offers a beautiful view that is always a little different.  Flocks of birds can be seen on her shores. Marshlands are continually changing colors with the seasons.  Larger birds like ospreys and vultures perch high in dead trees along the edge of the roadway.  Less obvious than the birds, but just as interesting to observe, is the growth of the island on its southeast side.  Watching the sandy shores widen, new plants emerge, and tidal pools get created brings the same perennial joy as watching a garden grow.  It takes patient observation- but it’s a lot of fun to see what changes next.   

The Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge website states that Fisherman Island was about 25 acres in an 1852 coastal survey.  Since then the island has expanded to over 1850 acres.  While other barrier islands along Virginia’s coast are shrinking Fisherman continues to grow- how lucky we are to have such a great view of the action!

While crossing the bridge with friends and family look around and discuss the changes you see.  Which changes are permanent and which are merely seasonal?  What is your favorite part of the island and its surroundings?  What do you think causes the island's growth?  If you were a bird where would you build your nest? 

Who Snows Whether It's Weather or Climate?

It certainly has been a warm winter around here.  Last year we'd already seen record snows and cold by now.  What do these two drastically different winters tell us about global climate change?  Nothing, really.

Weather is something we experience over short periods of time.  It can change from day to day or even minute to minute.  Climate is the word we use to describe patterns of weather over longer periods of time, usually decades or more.

We have to be careful not to make assumptions about a changing climate based only on recent observations of local weather.  This year's warm winter shouldn't be used as evidence that the Earth's climate is getting warmer. Nor should last year's cold winter be used as evidence that the Earth's climate is getting colder.  If you'd like to learn more about global climate patterns, check out Orrin and Keith Pilkey's new book, Global Climate Change.  You can read Jack Orderman's full review of the book on page 5 of the January issue of CBES Shoreline by clicking HERE.

If you're still waiting for a good snow like I am, or if you just want an excuse to treat yourself to a creamy cup of hot chocolate, take a few minutes to watch the video below of scenes from the Seaside during an unusually cold stretch we had two January's ago in 2010.