KAKE - Go Green

Green Headlines From KAKE
	China Releases First National Pollution Census 0 Comments China says its pollution levels might peak sooner than expected as it tries to balance economic and green concerns. (Full Story)
	4 Kansas Universities Join On Climate, Energy Work 0 Comments Four universities in Kansas are collaborating on research into climate change and energy use in the state. (Full Story)
	Energy Co. Plans To Generate Electricity From Air 0 Comments An energy company is planning to dig a series of salt caverns in central Utah that could help solve one of the problems holding back more widespread development of wind and solar power. (Full Story)
	Finney County Studying Possibility Of Banning Plastic Bags 2 Comments Finney County Commissioner Larry Jones is tired of finding plastic bags in shelter belts and fences on his property east of Holcomb. (Full Story)
	Federal Agency Denies Protections For Tiny Pika 0 Comments Federal officials have decided not to provide endangered species protections to the American pika, a tiny mountain-dwelling animal thought to be struggling because of climate change. (Full Story)
	Eco Groups Withdraw Support Of Calif. Oil Drilling 0 Comments Nearly two years ago, a broad coalition of environmental groups celebrated a deal with a Texas oil company that promised to eventually end its drilling operations off California's scenic Santa Barbara County coast. (Full Story)
	Activists Want Makers To Reveal Cleaning Product Ingredients 0 Comments It's the mystery under the kitchen sink: What's in floor cleaner? What's stain remover made of? And what effects might they have on human health or the environment? (Full Story)
	President Pushing Clean Coal, Green Jobs 0 Comments President Barack Obama will host a bipartisan group of governors from across the country today at the White House. (Full Story)
	Salazar Says He's 'Bullish' On Wind Energy 0 Comments Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says the future of wind energy in the U.S. does not hang on his decision about a Massachusetts project. (Full Story)
	Environmental Group Sues Over Proposed KC Rail Hub 1 Comment The Natural Resources Defense Council has joined efforts to stop construction of a large rail yard project in southwest Johnson County. (Full Story)
More Headlines

Beer is Good for You (Bones)
Beer is an alcoholic beverage. Obviously too much alcohol makes you drunk which is not too good for your health. Yet beer does have its positive benefits. One, of course, is to reduce stress (at least short term). A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon. Details of this study are available in the February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry.
Beans climb to new heights in Rwanda
Climbing beans suited to rainy high-altitude areas are being distributed in Rwanda after a decade of research. The fifteen varieties, developed by the Rwandan Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), could benefit smallholder farmers in similar areas across Central and East Africa. Unlike the more commonly-planted 'bush beans', the beans are resistant to legume diseases such as anthracnose, root rot and ascochyta, which are found in damp, higher altitude areas.
Wild tigers in China declining - habitat destruction, poaching to blame
China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers left living in the wild, but efforts to stabilize one population in the bleak northeast are starting to pay off, a conservationist said on Monday. Tigers once roamed huge swathes of China, right up to the now booming east coast. Their population has collapsed due to habitat destruction on the back of rapid economic development and poaching for tiger products to use in traditional medicine. About 10 still live in the southwestern province of Yunnan, some 15 in Tibet, and 20 or so in northwestern Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, said Xie Yan, China Country Program Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Sea Level Rises and Falls
The sea level in Israel has been rising and falling over the past 2,500 years, with a one-meter difference between the highest and lowest levels, most of the time below the present-day level. This has been shown in a new study supervised by Dr. Dorit Sivan, Head of the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa. "Rises and falls in sea level over relatively short periods do not testify to a long-term trend. It is early yet to conclude from the short-term increases in sea level that this is a set course that will not take a change in direction," explains Dr. Sivan.
Arctic climate changing fast
Climate change is transforming the Arctic environment faster than expected and accelerating the disappearance of sea ice, scientists said on Friday in giving their early findings from the biggest-ever study of Canada's changing north. The research project involved more than 370 scientists from 27 countries who collectively spent 15 months, starting in June 2007, aboard a research vessel above the Arctic Circle. It marked the first time a ship has stayed mobile in Canada's high Arctic for an entire winter.
Alternative Energy Grows in Europe
Wind and solar technology made up over half of Europe’s new electricity generating capacity in 2009, as the number of new coal and nuclear facilities fell More wind capacity was installed in Europe during 2009 than any other electricity-generating technology, according to statistics released today by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Wind accounted for 39 per cent of increased European energy capacity, ahead of gas (26 per cent) and solar (16 per cent). In contrast, the nuclear and coal power sectors decommissioned more megawatts of capacity than they installed in 2009, with a total of 1,393 MW of nuclear and 3,200 MW of coal decommissioned.
California's global-warming law Under Attack
Republican politicians and conservative activists are launching a ballot campaign to suspend California's landmark global-warming law, in what they hope will serve as a showcase for a national backlash against climate regulations. Supporters say they have "solid commitments" of nearly $600,000 to pay signature gatherers for a November initiative aimed at delaying curbs on the greenhouse gas emissions of power plants and factories until the state's unemployment rate drops.