Open To Interpretation!

BEWARE by pheezy
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Sometimes the old adage, "Take this advice with a grain of salt!", screams out for renewal, especially in the area of "green" advice. Just because you use a chemical substance at home for one job, don't try to repurpose it in some novel way just to try to be green. When reading advice, make sure it's NOT OPEN TO INTERPRETATION. If you're not sure what is being said, ask for clarification or don't use it.

The advice given by green advocates is definitely well-intentioned, even if it may be unclear at times. Sometimes, they may give advice or information that is open to interpretation. Writers must include the necessary caveats, subject nouns, or explanations that bring accuracy to the sustainability party, the green revolution or whatever you are calling your ecological epiphany.

A case in point comes to us from the Exchange For Green: Green Living, Better Living network website via their advice that they mention comes via the Real Simple website.

Before explaining, I'll mention a few caveats of my own. First, I love Real Simple, and their work is very helpful for thrifty people everywhere. Second, I am very impressed with the Exchange For Green Network. Third, I share this story, because the information can help you be a critical thinker and live sustainably in a healthy way.

When I read the Green Advicespotlight, I notice it listed a decanter, hot water, vinegar and dishwashing soap. The directions stated,

Swirl the rice around for a few minutes to remove the residue, rinse with hot water, and air-dry.

There was no clear information as to which was being cleaned, the rice or decanter. Therefore, I inferred from their directions that the advice was about cleaning 1 cup of rice, enough rice for meal preparation. Not knowing what they maaaay have been talking of cleaning, I became alarmed...don't use dishwashing soap to clean your rice.

So, as the effective consumer I try to be, I decided to find the reference link on the Real Simple website. There was no link to the the Real Simple article at the Exchange for Green Advice, so I had to search the Real Simple website. Using the following key words (tags) alone and in various combinations: rice, clean, decanter, dish soap, I never found the reference.

Next, I did a browser search and found an article called "How to Clean The Inside of a Glass Bottle" (aka decanter), at TipNuts. This was a great advice article. It was very clear in its meaning and directions. The author mentions using rice to clean glass bottles, but only suggests using 1 teaspoon of rice. This makes sense, so there maaaay be a misprint: 1 cup of rice on the Green Network website maaay have been mistakenly substituted for the recommended 1 teaspoon of rice.

It is NOT sustainable to use 1 Cup of Rice. If you need to use that much rice that will be destroyed, you are not living sustainably...therefore NOT GREEN. If you need that much of an abrasive substance, you would be better served in using some sterilized, cleaned, fine-grained sand. The sand can be cleaned using solar heat or other simple, sustainable methods. You can reclean this light abrasive, store in a repurposed container and save for use another time.

Personally, I would use a long bottle brush and other substances, that are sustainable or low/nonpolluting, to clean a decanter. Since the bottle brush may not be readily available, a long spoon and a dishcloth can be substituted for the bottle brush.

My suggestion is that you should comment if you notice or perceive problems on a person's blog or advice blurb. Ask questions if something they've written doesn't seem correct and sustainable. That's what I do, and I'm on my way to their website. To comment, I had to sign up to be in the network, and I'm waiting for a login.

Enjoy working towards a sustainable life and always ask questions!

Designs on DaVinci

Doing DaVinci, a new interactive website with a companion weekly show, contains historical and scientific information about Leonardo DaVinci, as well as games and surveys. There are also video clips and information and interviews about the expert builders who brought DaVinci's machines to life, from his notes and diagrams.

One of the more interesting web applications on this site is Leonardo DaVinci's Personality Quiz. Several colleagues in our PLN, professional learning network, tried it out. We found it enlightening, as well as entertaining. This quiz would definitely capture the interest of students and teachers. It could be used as a lesson starter, sometimes called the anticipatory set.

This website contains timelines, samples of DaVinci's machines and a host of other applications that could be used by teachers of any subject.

The draw to DaVinci, as the ultimate Renaissance Man, remain his great and varied interests. Try out the website, quizzes, model-building and dramatizations. The companion television show will air each Monday throughout the month of April.



Image Credits:

Wikimedia.org
DaVinci Notes of Geometry of Flower
The Babe in the Womb

Earth System Science: What is it?

Since World War II, the explosion in scientific knowledge naturally led many scientists and educators, to specialize in one discipline or another. Even within a scientific discipline, such as ecology, now called environmental studies, there were many specializations. Some include water ecology, habitat studies, population studies, etc. After a half century, the over-emphasis on specialization became so pronounced, that many believed that integration among various scientific disciplines must be established anew.

This integration is most pronounced in the scientific disciplines representing any part of studies of the Earth, namely Geology, hydrology, meteorology, biology and others. A new integrated Earth Science discipline, referred to as Earth System Science, was created. The push for this integration with Earth Science was promoted most actively by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA).

In most scientific and education quarters, it is now recognized that people can understand how the Earth works and how we interact with the Earth, if we teach the subject in a more project based manner. Earth Science teachers are encouraged to include all the systems of the Earth in their classes. If Earth Science teachers have a greater understanding of the various spheres of the living and nonliving parts of the Earth as a system, they can effectively explain and teach Earth System Science.

To encourage you to have a basic understanding of the Earth System Science as a scientific discipline, I have included an Earth System Science WebSlide.

Diigo a WORDLE!

Interested in learning more or sharing your WORDLES? Now, you can access the Diigo WORDLE Group.

If you haven't yet used Diigo, the social bookmarking site, now would be a great time to join. While you're at it, consider joining the Diigo for Educators site that is protected, so you can use it with your students.

Here is a slide show of many of our group's bookmarks, to date.

Peak Oil: View from Hubbert's Peak

Peak Oil is a common concern and a scientific theory that would be an excellent topic for science teachers from middle school and up to discuss or teach about in the science class. It is especially fitting to use in Earth Science, Environmental Studies, or History of Science areas.


I created a WORDLE from the preface text of Kenneth S. Deffeyes 2005 book, Beyond Oil: A View from Hubbert's Peak.

Science Heroes to End Poverty

Photo by fotodesign-luetke
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Robert Rodale, the son of J.I. Rodale, founder of Rodale Institute, looked poverty right in the eye and decided that returning to traditional agricultural practices of the various areas around the world could end poverty and protect people from families.

To learn more about his practical views based on sound science, read Save Three Lives. Rodale lays out the statistics of the costs and range of deaths from famine. He specifically discusses the uselessness of food relief as a solution and proposes traditional farming practices that can stabilize the land and produce farm products meant to be used in a local environment...instead of importing farm crops from the industrialized temperate farming communities.

From Publisher's Weekly review of Robert Rodale's book, Save Three Lives, we learn the practical message of the author after year's of research in more tropical or dry regions of the world.

Prior to his death in 1990, publisher Rodale had worked through the Rodale Institute to improve agriculture in Third World countries, particularly Africa. Temperate-zone farming practices have been disastrous in the tropics, he writes, and famine relief is not the answer; he notes that 90% of all people who die from hunger do so outside of famine areas. Rodale proposes a return to traditional agriculture with special efforts to rebuild the land. He advocates alley cropping, in which food crops are planted between rows of fast-growing leguminous trees. The trees are cut back for firewood, while branches and leaves are used for mulch, fertilizer or livestock feed. Mixed crops, local species and nutritious plants such as amaranth and winged bean offer promising answers to hunger and famine. Rodale discusses water-harvesting, fish farms and salt-water tolerance in plants. Urging the reader to act to support sustainable agriculture and help prevent famine, Rodale offers a workable solution.

From the Library Journal, we can read a bit more of his ideas about returning these third world areas to more sustainable, traditional farming practices:

Rodale advocates an action strategy involving a return to sustainable indigenous farming systems, alley cropping with leguminous trees to save the dwindling wood supply, biological pest control, sensible use of available water, control of populations, and eliminating exploitation of women, who do most of the agricultural work. His clear descriptions of the problem and practical solutions should motivate all readers to action. Highly recommended.-- Irwin Weintraub, Rutgers Univ. Libs., Piscataway, N.J.

Learn more about this American Science Hero and his righteous indignation about why poverty still exists in our modern world and the Rodale Institute that pursues his vision of a world where famine, exploitation and poverty are eliminated.

BEWARE the Tomato

This is the primary source for reporting all the cases of Salmonella saintpaul infections beginning in April of 2008. There are maps, earlier reports and tips for consumers.

clipped from www.cdc.gov Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul Click Here for Advice to Consumers CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections. An epidemiologic investigation conducted by the New Mexico and Texas Departments of Health and the Indian Health Service using interviews comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses in those states. The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation; however, the data suggest that large tomatoes, including Roma and round red, are the source. Since mid-April, 167 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 17 states: it is likely many more illnesses have occurred than those reported not on today’s map