Norm Benson

Unintended Consequences – risks and rewards of needing energy

In this video, Matt Palmer, filmmaker and photographer, raises good points about how we produce our energy and its consequences–intended and otherwise. Energy is important to everyone and every process on earth. We want energy to power our lives. So, as Robert Bryce, author of Power Hungry, reminds us, “We put energy in a conversionContinue reading “Unintended Consequences – risks and rewards of needing energy”

Postcard from upstate New York

These pictures were snapped in August of this year as we were working our way toward Washington, D.C. We were impressed by the lushness of upstate (northern) New York. Delightful sights. Nice people. Can anything compete with the fun of a county fair,the freshness of just-picked corn, the susurrus of a slate-bottomed stream, or shaftsContinue reading “Postcard from upstate New York”

Preserving California’s old growth

On Wednesday you read that private landowners conduct the majority of timber harvesting in California. This is due to the de facto moratorium placed on timber harvesting within national forests (state and national parks do not allow harvesting except for reasons of public safety). And, perhaps you wondered if old-growth timber could be removed. Well,Continue reading “Preserving California’s old growth”

Working landscapes, environmental correctness

According to a 2001 agricultural economic report, “urban expansion claimed more than 1 million acres per year between 1960 and 1990″ in the United States, and that expansion follows one of two two routes: 1. expansion of urban areas or 2. large-lot development (greater than 1 acre per house). (Heimlich 2001) Land trusts throughoutContinue reading “Working landscapes, environmental correctness”

If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?

Lands owned by state and federal government now contribute little to California’s wood supply (see the graphic below). Private landowners (the green area) now carry nearly all the burden for California’s timber harvesting and its wood demand. (Source: California Forestry Association CA Timber Harvest Statistics 1978-2009.) As previously noted on this site: Our California forestsContinue reading “If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?”

Toxic chemicals in our environment

As we know from a previous post, Dose Doth Make the Poison. Brian Dunning explains why chemicals, natural and synthetic, end up being incorporated into our bodies; it’s something all life does.

Weekend Postcard from Yosemite

Here is a picture of Yosemite with its iconic Half Dome in the background.

The Hunger Games

The world is not perfect, and 925 million people face malnutrition every day. Yet, we have made progress. Instead of more and hungrier people we (through the green revolution and other advancements) have forced the trend down.

7 Billion Reasons to be Thankful

Last month, the world welcomed the birth of Danica Camacho of the Philippines.[i] The United Nations chose her to represent the arrival of the seven billionth person on Earth. And, even though the UN picked Halloween, this event is more in keeping with Thanksgiving. Danica has inherited a better world than her mother. She hasContinue reading “7 Billion Reasons to be Thankful”

Postcard from the Earth: What a Wonderful World

I hear babies cry. I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know. And I think to myself: what a wonderful world. What a Wonderful World by G. Weiss, G. Douglas, and B. Thiele It’s photos such as these, time Lapse views of Earth from space, that makes one grateful to beContinue reading “Postcard from the Earth: What a Wonderful World”