Global warming might rid the world of coffee?

Okay, so it probably won’t rid the world of coffee, but it could send the price of coffee sky high. As the National Geographic article says:

“And a new report warns that even a slight increase in temperature could wipe out Uganda’s entire coffee crop, which brings in more than half of the East African country’s revenue.”

According to the ICO website, Uganda exported 2,137,216 bags of coffee from June 2005 to May 2006. Each bag is 60 kilograms. This might seem like a lot until you compare that to the world coffee export market, which exports roughly 84,659,013 bags of coffee. This works out to Uganda accounting for 2.5% of the worlds export crop. If only Uganda has troubles, it won’t be the end of the world. Coffee will still arrive in my intravenous on a daily basis for some time to come.

Please don’t think I am not worried. It is little stories like this that keep reminding me that we need to do whatever we can to help reduce global warming. Speaking of which, my wife and I are going to make a batch of Pesto tonight. The ingredients (Basil) grow right in our garden, so no need to import it from Italy or wherever.

Celebrities who have gone green

On July 7, more than 100 pop stars will perform at nine concerts around the world in a bid to spur governments, corporations and the public to take action on global warming. Live Earth, with events staged on all seven continents, will feature artists including Spinal Tap, the Police, Madonna, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Leonardo Dicaprio, Al Gore, Robert Redford, Daryl Hannah, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and many more... of course.

Wow, Spinal Tap, saving the world. This brings back memories of my room-mate in college, Chris. He would bust a gut laughing about the drummer in Spinal Tap, going poof, and leaving a little green globule on the drum stool. So how fitting that they promote a Green project such as saving the Earth!

If this concert and its purpose is of interest to you, then please visit their website at http://www.liveearth.org/

Live Earth Pledge

• I PLEDGE:
• To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
• To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”
• To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
• To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
• To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
• To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
• To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Bands playing Live Earth July 7th 2007

Here is a basic list of some or all of those who will perform, in a bid to gain attention to the climate crisis:

$25 Million Offered In Climate Challenge

On February 9th 2007, British billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, with former vice president Al Gore at his side, offered a $25 million prize Friday to anyone who can come up with a way to blunt global climate change by removing at least a billion tons of carbon dioxide a year from the Earth’s atmosphere. Branson, saying that the “survival of our species” is imperiled by current environmental trends, said the prize was similar to cash inducements that led to some of history’s most notable achievements in navigation, exploration and industry. A competition launched in the 17th century, he said, resulted in the creation of a method to accurately estimate longitude. You can visit Sir Richard Branson’s new site outlining this contest here. If this contest is anywhere near as successful as the Ansari X Prize, we will be in for quite a ride!

Recycling in the country side

Out here in the country our recycling is picked up every 2 weeks, and by that time our 320 litre bin is full. It doesn’t have to be.

A generation ago you went to the butcher and got a piece of steak and it was wrapped in brown paper. Today that same steak would have a styrofoam backing and one, if not two layers of clear plastic wrapping.

Then there is the sheer amount of packaging that comes with almost any consumer goods these days. Anyone with kids knows the joys of spending Christmas day trying to extricate toys from layers of plastic and carboard, cutting wire ties, plastic tie wraps and rearranging the skin on your fingers in the process.

We all feel better when we throw stuff into the recycle bin. But that’s still stuff being used for no good purpose. Consumers have to start demanding less packaging. Less packaging means less use, less energy used, and a real benefit to the environment. Stop it at the source.

Recycle this

In a letter to the editor in todays The Chronicle, Warren M. from Beaconsfield QC wrote in a rather depressing siting from the Canada Day celebration at Centennial Park. Apparently much to his delight, blue recycling boxes were placed beside most of the trash bins, which in itself should make people a little happier about what our cities are doing for us. That delight then turned to disbelief after the days festivities ended. After a group went around and removed all the aluminum cans so they could most likely be recycled, “I watched the cleanup staff emptying the recycling boxes into the gargabe bags”, wrote Warren.

It would appear that there was no intention of the city of Beaconsfield ever actually recycling the days waste, or was there? Perhaps the city had god intentions and the staff just could care about our cities and our planet? Quite frankly, this makes me question any recycling boxes that city now puts out. What sort of guarantee do we have that the city is not just putting out the blue bins for show?