
Waterkeeper Alliance
As the Clean Water Act (CWA) turns 39 years old Oct. 18, it has never been in such great peril. Big polluters and some in Congress are waging attacks against the CWA that are eroding the foundation of this landmark legislation that has, since 1972, cleaned up numerous waterways and provided a framework for citizens to protect their waterways.
Take some time to sign this petition to tell those in Congress to protect the CWA from big polluters and to protect our communities from these attacks.
Click here to tell Congress that you stand for clean water.
Join Waterkeeper Alliance in Celebrating Clean Water During the Clean Water Act 40 Campaign
Waterkeeper Alliance is officially launching its CWA 40 campaign. The goal of CWA 40 is to celebrate, activate and advocate for the CWA during the 40th anniversary of this landmark legislation. Throughout 2012, Waterkeeper Alliance will be working to engage communities across the nation to stand up for their basic right to swimmable, drinkable and fishable water.
Join us as we work to take back the Clean Water Act from those are working to destroy your right to clean water and healthy communities.
Sign-up here to receive updates on CWA 40.
CWA 40 Campaign
Every Waterkeeper in the U.S. has used the CWA to prevent degradation of their neighborhood waterways and to force polluters to clean up their mess. When government has not been able or willing to take on the tough fight to enforce the law, Waterkeepers have stepped in using the citizens' suit provision in the CWA to protect and restore waterways across America. Our international Waterkeepers have also looked to this act as a model for their battles in their communities. The CWA is the foundation of Waterkeeper Alliance's work and Waterkeeper is the only national organization with over 130 organizations working to protect clean water in their communities.
Waterkeeper Alliance is the fastest-growing environmental movement in the world, uniting Waterkeepers who patrol and protect rivers, bays, lakes and streams in 21 countries on six continents—more than 1.5 million square miles of watersheds—in boats ranging in size from kayaks to research vessels. We are the leading voice for the world's waters with roots dating back to 1966, when a concerned group of commercial and recreational fishermen mobilized to reclaim the Hudson River from polluters.
Under CWA 40, Waterkeeper Alliance will work to celebrate the success of the Clean Water Act, activate communities to protect their right to swimmable, drinkable and fishable waters, and advocate to draw attention to the fact that the act is under assault by big polluters and their indentured servants on Capitol Hill. The CWA is the cornerstone of Waterkeeper Alliance's work, but this landmark legislation is currently under attack and in danger of being significantly weakened, which could undermine the clean water protections that our streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries have been afforded over the past 40 years.
In 2012, Waterkeeper Alliance will remind Americans, and the world, that we have indeed come a long way from 1969 when the Cuyahoga River was burning. But we still have a long way to go to protect all of our waterways.
Congress' 1972 goal was to have eliminated all discharges of pollutants into navigable waters by 1985. Almost two decades later, in 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mournfully acknowledged that water quality in many parts of the country was in steady decline. Waterkeeper Alliance is committed to fulfilling this mission and leaves Waterkeepers as the last line of defense to meet the goals of the CWA.
The CWA's 40th anniversary provides an important opportunity for Waterkeeper Alliance to help mobilize, advise and assist our coalition of local Waterkeepers across the country to implement a coordinated series of clean water enforcement and advocacy efforts.
For more information, click here.
Butterflies across the U.S. West are disappearing, and now researchers say the climate crisis is largely to blame.
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
California faces another "critically dry year" according to state officials, and a destructive wildfire season looms on its horizon. But in a state that welcomes innovation, water efficacy approaches and drought management could replenish California, increasingly threatened by the climate's new extremes.
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Wisdom the mōlī, or Laysan albatross, is the oldest wild bird known to science at the age of at least 70. She is also, as of February 1, a new mother.
<div id="dadb2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aa2ad8cb566c9b4b6d2df2693669f6f9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1357796504740761602" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨Cute baby alert! Wisdom's chick has hatched!!! 🐣😍 Wisdom, a mōlī (Laysan albatross) and world’s oldest known, ban… https://t.co/Nco050ztBA</div> — USFWS Pacific Region (@USFWS Pacific Region)<a href="https://twitter.com/USFWSPacific/statuses/1357796504740761602">1612558888.0</a></blockquote></div>
The Science Behind Frozen Wind Turbines – and How to Keep Them Spinning Through the Winter
By Hui Hu
Winter is supposed to be the best season for wind power – the winds are stronger, and since air density increases as the temperature drops, more force is pushing on the blades. But winter also comes with a problem: freezing weather.
Comparing rime ice and glaze ice shows how each changes the texture of the blade. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
Ice buildup changes air flow around the turbine blade, which can slow it down. The top photos show ice forming after 10 minutes at different temperatures in the Wind Research Tunnel. The lower measurements show airflow separation as ice accumulates. Icing Research Tunnel of Iowa State University, CC BY-ND
How ice builds up on the tips of turbine blades. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
While traditional investment in the ocean technology sector has been tentative, growth in Israeli maritime innovations has been exponential in the last few years, and environmental concern has come to the forefront.
theDOCK aims to innovate the Israeli maritime sector. Pexels
<p>The UN hopes that new investments in ocean science and technology will help turn the tide for the oceans. As such, this year kicked off the <a href="https://www.oceandecade.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)</a> to galvanize massive support for the blue economy.</p><p>According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem," <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019338255#b0245" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Science Direct</a> reported. It represents this new sector for investments and innovations that work in tandem with the oceans rather than in exploitation of them.</p><p>As recently as Aug. 2020, <a href="https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/esg-investors-slow-make-waves-25tn-ocean-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> noted that ESG Investors, those looking to invest in opportunities that have a positive impact in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, have been interested in "blue finance" but slow to invest.</p><p>"It is a hugely under-invested economic opportunity that is crucial to the way we have to address living on one planet," Simon Dent, director of blue investments at Mirova Natural Capital, told Reuters.</p><p>Even with slow investment, the blue economy is still expected to expand at twice the rate of the mainstream economy by 2030, Reuters reported. It already contributes $2.5tn a year in economic output, the report noted.</p><p>Current, upward <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/-innovation-blue-economy-2646147405.html" target="_self">shifts in blue economy investments are being driven by innovation</a>, a trend the UN hopes will continue globally for the benefit of all oceans and people.</p><p>In Israel, this push has successfully translated into investment in and innovation of global ports, shipping, logistics and offshore sectors. The "Startup Nation," as Israel is often called, has seen its maritime tech ecosystem grow "significantly" in recent years and expects that growth to "accelerate dramatically," <a href="https://itrade.gov.il/belgium-english/how-israel-is-becoming-a-port-of-call-for-maritime-innovation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iTrade</a> reported.</p><p>Driving this wave of momentum has been rising Israeli venture capital hub <a href="https://www.thedockinnovation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">theDOCK</a>. Founded by Israeli Navy veterans in 2017, theDOCK works with early-stage companies in the maritime space to bring their solutions to market. The hub's pioneering efforts ignited Israel's maritime technology sector, and now, with their new fund, theDOCK is motivating these high-tech solutions to also address ESG criteria.</p><p>"While ESG has always been on theDOCK's agenda, this theme has become even more of a priority," Nir Gartzman, theDOCK's managing partner, told EcoWatch. "80 percent of the startups in our portfolio (for theDOCK's Navigator II fund) will have a primary or secondary contribution to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria."</p><p>In a company presentation, theDOCK called contribution to the ESG agenda a "hot discussion topic" for traditional players in the space and their boards, many of whom are looking to adopt new technologies with a positive impact on the planet. The focus is on reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment, the presentation outlines. As such, theDOCK also explicitly screens candidate investments by ESG criteria as well.</p><p>Within the maritime space, environmental innovations could include measures like increased fuel and energy efficiency, better monitoring of potential pollution sources, improved waste and air emissions management and processing of marine debris/trash into reusable materials, theDOCK's presentation noted.</p>theDOCK team includes (left to right) Michal Hendel-Sufa, Head of Alliances, Noa Schuman, CMO, Nir Gartzman, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, and Hannan Carmeli, Co-Founder & Managing Partner. Dudu Koren
<p>theDOCK's own portfolio includes companies like Orca AI, which uses an intelligent collision avoidance system to reduce the probability of oil or fuel spills, AiDock, which eliminates the use of paper by automating the customs clearance process, and DockTech, which uses depth "crowdsourcing" data to map riverbeds in real-time and optimize cargo loading, thereby reducing trips and fuel usage while also avoiding groundings.</p><p>"Oceans are a big opportunity primarily because they are just that – big!" theDOCK's Chief Marketing Officer Noa Schuman summarized. "As such, the magnitude of their criticality to the global ecosystem, the magnitude of pollution risk and the steps needed to overcome those challenges – are all huge."</p><p>There is hope that this wave of interest and investment in environmentally-positive maritime technologies will accelerate the blue economy and ESG investing even further, in Israel and beyond.</p>- 14 Countries Commit to Ocean Sustainability Initiative - EcoWatch ›
- These 11 Innovations Are Protecting Ocean Life - EcoWatch ›
- How Innovation Is Driving the Blue Economy - EcoWatch ›