WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 21.4MB)
HEADLINES
Midwest Energy reports on a solar project that almost developed by accident. Larry Graham found himself scrambling when a farmer who had been renting a parcel of his land for three decades “kind of bailed out.” Graham figured leasing it for solar panels would be a good fit and started doing research online.
—Norm Holy
Researchers are combing far and wide to find solutions to keeping beehives healthy. Work at Indiana University identified a microbe that may help protect honeybees against poor nutrition, which can worsen stresses that cause declining populations.
—Norm Holy
The Detroit Free Press reports that the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin have signed an agreement with Michigan to add charging stations and boost electric vehicle use around Lake Michigan.
—Norm Holy
The News and Tribune reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Indiana portion of the Louisville area has been formally redesignated to attain the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ground-level ozone.
—Norm Holy
On July 28, a group of justice, faith and climate organizations calling themselves Now or Never took a protest against government inaction on the climate crisis directly to Congress—but not in the hall of Congress. Rather, they took it to the Washington Nationals’ ballpark in Washington, D-C, and interrupted the Congressional Baseball Game.
—Linda Greene
In 2019, the U-S Government Accountability Office examined the climate-related threats at Superfund sites, the nearly 2000 most contaminated properties in the country, and found that 60% were at risk of climate-related events, including flooding.
—Linda Greene
After glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, atrazine is the most widely sprayed pesticide in the U-S. Much research has documented that atrazine disrupts the endocrine system in humans and animals and is responsible for birth defects, low sperm counts and fertility problems. Atrazine is banned or being phased out in forty-four countries around the world.
—Linda Greene
Heat waves are bad not only for people but also for wildlife. Last summer’s record-breaking heat on the West Coast caused baby hawks to throw themselves out of their nests in a frantic effort to cool off. Fish are also suffering. Species that have evolved over thousands of years to live in cool water have died in huge numbers in recent years.
—Linda Greene
According to the New York Times, in a twist of fate, Congress is suddenly poised to pass the most ambitious climate bill in United States history, largely written by a senator from a coal state who became a millionaire from his family coal business and who has taken more campaign cash from the oil and gas industry than any of his colleagues have.
—Norm Holy
Surreptitiously deflating SUV tires at night as a protest against the large vehicles’ oversized contribution to the climate crisis has spread from the U-K to the U-S. The activists call themselves Tyre Extinguishers, work in wealthy neighborhoods and do their job by jamming a lentil into a tire valve to release the air slowly overnight.
—Linda Greene
Inside Climate News reports that despite the risks of building on barrier islands, developers kept constructing homes on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Now, as sea level rises and storms become more frequent and powerful, the famed vacation spot is fighting an increasingly difficult battle to keep from washing away.
—Norm Holy
Pembroke, Maine, population about 900, has shot down the Canadian company Wolfden Resources’ plan to open a silver mine in the community. The mine was to be uphill from the wells residents rely on for water and just two miles from the estuary of Cobscook Bay.
—Linda Greene
Last year EcoReport reported over 1,000 deaths of manatees in Florida. Unfortunately, another 631 have died so far this year. A dwindling food supply and malnutrition are pushing these iconic sea creatures to the brink.
—Norm Holy
Extinction Rebellion, the international climate action group, has broken two windows at the entrance to the News UK building in London to protest the British media’s dangerous and misleading coverage of the current climate-change-induced heat wave in Britain.
—Linda Greene
CALENDAR
| Take the Full Sturgeon Moon Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Friday, August 12th, from 10 to 11:30 pm. Anthony will meet you at the Donaldson Cave parking lot for this summertime night hike. Learn the history and lore of the Full Sturgeon Moon. |
| Take a Beginner Kayaking class at the Paynetown State Recreation Area at Monroe Lake on Sunday, August 14th, from 10 am to Noon. The class is designed for people who have little or no paddling experience. You will learn basic paddling and safety skills in a quiet water area. Sign up at bit.ly/begkayak-aug14-2022. |
| Learn Composting Basics at Winslow Woods Park on Sunday, August 14th, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Learn how to prepare your garden for the fall, how to incorporate composting in your yard, and why composting is important. Meet in the shelter and register at bloomington.IN.gov/parks. |
| Cave River Valley Day will take place at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, August 20th. Events begin at 10 am. There are no restrooms in the Cave River Valley Area of Spring Mill State Park. Bring water, snacks, bug spray and a change of shoes. You will be walking through creek beds. For a list of all the events for the day, go to the Spring Mill State Park website. |
| See an Eastern Box Turtle during Turtle Time at Brown County State Park on Sunday, August 21st from 11 am to 4:30 pm. You will get to see it get fed and then take it on a walk. Learn about the unique adaptation these creatures have, what issues they face and how you can help. Meet on the lawn near the Friends Picnic Shelter. |
