April Showers Bring...February Flowers?

You'd have to agree that it's lovely to smell mountain laurel, see irises blooming, and wear sandals and T-shirts while walking around the neighborhood.

Lantana in our front yard
Photo by me

But is that really what we should be doing in the middle of February? I guess Bee Cave Bob was right in his prediction this year. The armadillo indicated earlier this month that we'd be having an early spring, and it looks like he was right. Or you could consult Alamo, the Texas Longhorn, who also disagreed with Puxatony Phil's prediction of six more weeks of winter.

Unfortunately, the mild winter will likely lead to a tough allergy season, according to the Baylor College of Medicine. The warmer temperatures lead to early pollination of trees such as cedar, a leading cause of allergies. On the other hand, you might think that after last year's drought, a mild winter and early spring would be welcomed by Texas fruit farmers. Actually, it's not good news, says the Dallas Observer. The fruit trees begin to bloom along with the warm weather, but are then susceptible to late frosts.

On the bright side, this weather is great for spending time outdoors, or, in my case, letting my chicks roam around the backyard. I'm just really not looking forward to what our summer's going to look like.

-Cecilia

A Green Apple?

Image from Edible Apple

According to Forbes, Apple is now going "green". The tech giant has started installing solar power plants and bio fuel cells in its facilities. This is definitely a great leap for the company, which sells a ton of devices worldwide. The article says that Apple is lessening the amount of packaging for their famed iPhones by 42 percent, allowing the company to fit 80 percent more phones in each container.
Is Apple just jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon just to attract customers? Absolutely. HP and Dell are ranked 1st and 2nd respectively in Greenpeace's "Guide to Greener Electronics", ahead of Apple, which was ranked 4th. To maintain it's place as a trendy, popular brand, Apple needs to reexamine their environmental policies. And they have made progress. Recently, Apple announced the construction of a 20-megawatt solar array to power their new data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Once completed, the array will be the largest in the nation. Apple is also looking into biofuel systems and is currently using recycled paper for it's gift cards. Apple is trying to do it all. The company hopes to create a net zero energy program for it's corporate facilities. Good luck, Apple.

- John

Ethanol Use

Image from Republic Domain

In her report for the Medill School, Laura Mihelich wrote about a new maize hybrid between temperate maize and tropical maize.  This particular form of maize is being engineered at the University of Illinois for energy purposes and to be converted into ethanol.

This maize hybrid requires less fertilizer because it is less susceptible to disease and more drought resistant.

I do not think that this form of ethanol should be mass produced.  While ethanol is efficient, producing 67 percent more energy than is necessary to grow the crop and convert the corn into ethanol, it decreases biodiversity.

Biodiversity protects plants and animals against disease and extinction, as demonstrated in this National Geographic article.  In 100 years of artificial selection of our food for certain qualities, more than 90 percent of various types of crops.  The number of varieties of corn in 1983 (12) was only four percent of what it was in 1903 (307), according to National Geographic.

I think that, while it is fine to utilize this new hybrid maize, it should not be depended upon because biodiversity should be supported.  In addition, I am against using corn, which is food, for electric energy.  According to Think Quest, 15 million children die from starvation each year.

I believe ethanol use should be limited and support for biodiversity encouraged.


-Frankie