Floods in Garissa (Photo credit: Abdikadir Aden Hassan)

All over the news, from radios to the internet to mobile updates, climate change and its anticipated impacts are all you hear. Though much of the impact is caused by human activities, less is done to address the climate issues.

More than thousands people have been affected by flooding during the past two weeks [in April] in most parts of Kenya from the heavy rains. Northeastern Kenya has been greatly affected, especially settlements along River Tana which is the major source of water. Due to high water pressure, the river has broken its bank leading to the displacement of people and animals.

Heavy rains in these areas have left households displaced as well as caused destruction of property and livelihoods. The heavy floods have been experienced in the area for the past two weeks. Small children keep on playing games, understanding little of the disaster that has displaced them from their original homes, while sleeping in emergency tents. Will this become their permanent home?

The story of food security has now become the story of food insecurity. The local farmers are crying for the mass losses of their crops caused by the heavy floods. They have been made to sleep in hunger while the food they produced cannot be accessed. The deep waters are not reliable, and the river is infested with African crocodiles. No one can risk his or her life. Most of the communities had to be camped and are being fed by different organizations such as the Kenya Red Cross Society and other governmental departments.

Much more suffering is yet to be expected, especially if there are prolonged floods. The critical needs for flood-affected populations include safe water and sanitation, as people’s health is put at risk through use of contaminated water sources and poor sanitation practices and facilities.

To avoid similar incidents happening in the future, there is a need for early warning systems. Though the current government has taken immediate actions to address the emergency issues, the meteorological departments should be able to inform communities earlier, especially when heavy rains and floods will be expected.

There should be promotion of improved hygiene practices and the distribution of hygiene kits which enable people to safely transport, store, and treat their drinking water. Such interventions provide communities in these affected areas with improved access to safe water, therefore mitigating the risk of the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

By Abdikadir Aden Hassan, Volunteer Youth Blogger

to learn how you can contribute to Earth Day 2013!

Earth Day flyer made by Volunteer Youth Blogger Brianna Moore. 

In Alberta, Canada, the solution appears to have been found in tar sands. Mines the size of England dominate the landscape in an attempt to remove oil, but is this highly processed and mechanised method of extraction of oil really the answer, or should we be focusing on seeking alternatives to oil?

Tar sands (AKA oil sands) are a combination of sand, clay, water, and dense black vicious oil known as bitumen. This mixture can be mined through open cast or strip methods, processed and the bitumen refined further to produce oil. Unlike other methods of oil extraction (e.g. deep sea oil rigs), the bitumen oil does not come up from the ground under its own pressure, nor is it pumped; intensive mining processes are required to access the tar sands and remove the bitumen oil, involving vast amounts of water and energy, and producing even larger amounts of waste gases and pollution.

Strip or open cast mining causes intense damage to the natural landscape, such as the removal of trees, loss of habitat, visual and noise pollution, and water contamination. Although the processes are professionally monitored to ensure a minimal impact, it is impossible for this type of mining to leave any positive impressions on wildlife or public health.

The 24/7 processing and refinement of the tar sands and bitumen releases unimaginable quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. Although, monitoring of air quality within these regions since 1995 shows improved or no change in long term air quality for the five key air quality pollutants – carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, fine particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.

Within Alberta alone, more than one million barrels of synthetic oil are produced per day to supply the oil requirements of consumers, mainly the U.S. (and Canada itself), where around 20% of crude oil and products come from Canada, and a considerable amount of this amount is from tar sands. The ever-increasing price for oil means it is now economically viable for tar sands to be processed for the production of oil.

New methods of open cast mining introduced in 1990 mean that around 75% of the bitumen can be removed from the sands, but approximately two tons of tar sands are required to produce one barrel of oil. Tar sands extraction and processing require several barrels of water to produce a single barrel of oil, and although some of the water can be recycled, much of the used and contaminated water can leak into nearby waterways, lakes, the water table, and tailing ponds situated around the sites. In 2007, tailing ponds in Canada covered an area of approximately 50 square kilometers (19 sq mi).

Many environmental experts express their concerns over contamination of fresh water supplies, as numerous species that live both in and out of the water can be affected. Monitoring of aquatic life in 2007 showed an increase in deformity rates in fish embryos exposed to chemicals leaked out from the mines; local settlements may even be using such water, but effects are not yet known.

The issues with tar sands have barely been touched within this article, and clearly our never-satisfied hunger for oil is causing mass destruction of the fragile Canadian ecosystem, which, not matter what anyone says, cannot be fixed to its former wonder and beauty. Understandably, we rely heavily on oil to fuel our current life-styles, and tar sands seem a suitable solution to the falling oil reserves, in fact, more than 2 trillion barrels of oil is in the form of tar sands, although it is not all recoverable. Regardless of our desire to continually use this resource, it will eventually run out. We will have to seek alternatives. Hopefully, such materials will become known soon, before the surface of the earth is torn up in our rush for this ‘black gold’.

By Abbie Barnes, Volunteer Youth Blogger 

Beijing, China

Young People Hold Green Leaves That Symbolize Their Environmental Change.

(c) Diandian.com/Zhang Jiawei/WWF-China

Find out how YOU can participate here: 
http://www.earthhour.org/page/about/about-earth-hour

(Photo credit: G. Posard)

Congratulations to 2012 Eco-Hero Gabrielle Posard, whose organization Donate Don’t Dump has teamed with the White House to become a Certifying Organization for the PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD, a national program recognizing Americans who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to volunteer service.

Gabrielle writes, “We are now rescuing 20,000 pounds of donated food every month from grocery stores and food companies and distributing to struggling families every week. We just got recognized by the White House! Since we started, the Food bank has seen a marked increase in rescued food donations from grocers etc. They credit us with getting 800,000 pounds of food diverted from becoming landfill waste and instead to struggling families.”

Keep up your inspiring work Gabrielle; we are very proud of you!

Check out the official press release here:

President Award Press Release PDF

I came upon an interesting video on YouTube.

The capital city of Peru, Lima, has only two inches of rainfall a year which makes people build wells to search for water underground. But Peru’s atmospheric humidity is roughly 98%, indicating that the air is filled with water.

The students from UTEC (Universidad de Ingenieria & Technologia) came up with the cool idea of making a billboard which extracts moisture out of the humid air and turns it into potable drinking water.

I think it is really important to use locally available resources to keep one’s community green. The technology behind this is in the video:                                                                                                                http://youtu.be/35yeVwigQcc

How cool it would be to fill up your tumbler from the billboard post on the street!

By Alberta Yoo, Volunteer Youth Blogger

(Photo credits: Google images)

I had originally arranged a small family beach clean-up as a film shoot for my entry into the 2013 EcoTales film competition, but as my knowledge and understanding of plastics in the ocean and the sheer scale of the problem grew, the event quickly turned into a community effort in an attempt to help clean up Somerset’s coastline.

The night before the clean-up I was concerned due to the snow and weather warnings forecast, but on the following morning, after a successful journey to the coast, I was rewarded by having a fantastic crew of 25 well-wrapped-up supporters ready for action.

After a brief introduction, we worked from 11 AM until just past 12 PM. The initial plan was to work until 1 PM, but we had to call everyone in early as it would have been impossible to transport all of the rubbish collected – there was so much! A Greggs basket, a pair of wellies [rubber boots], traffic cone, piping, nets, a fold-away seat, a sledge, boxes, and more – we were astonished by the huge amount that we found, after only scouring a 500 meter area.

It was heartbreaking to know that although we were removing a great deal of rubbish, the next tide to come in would inevitably bring in similar quantities, and that this was only one single location in the whole world; nevertheless, we collected all we could.
During this time, as the snow sought to halt us in our efforts, I interviewed many willing participants about why the coastline is important to them, and what they know or feel about the issue of plastics in our oceans. They were all correct in saying “We need change and we need it now.”

The morning was concluded by the end shot for my film, with everyone gathered around the masses of rubbish, shouting, “Save our oceans, recycle your plastic.” Despite the freezing weather conditions and bitter wind, we kept a cheery smile on and left knowing that we were helping to make a positive impact on our planet. Thank you to everyone who aided me in speaking out for our oceans, and I strongly encourage that others follow the example set by this hardy bunch.

By Abbie Barnes, Volunteer Youth Blogger

Photos from the Beach Clean-Up Abbie organized. (Photo credits: A. Barnes)

1. Abdikadir receiving the African Young Achiever Award from one of the organizers.

2. Abdikadir (centre) with Kenyan Wildlife Service Staff Madam Mary (left) and Madam Christine (right), who joined him for the Awards ceremony.

3. Abdikadir (right) with other young environmentalists who joined him for the celebration.

4. Abdikadir holding his African Young Achiever Award.

(Photo credits: A. Aden)

Young Kenyan Environmentalist Abdikadir Aden Hassan was awarded the African Young Achiever Award by the African Achievers Awards for the year 2013. The colourful event is celebrated each year to recognize and honour Africans who through different activities in their daily lives, contribute to the development of Africa.

Abdikadir Aden Hassan; the young man from Garissa County in the North Eastern Province of Kenya was honoured for his contributions to the protection of Mother Nature. Speaking during the ceremony, Abdikadir appreciated his recognition as a Young Kenyan and also an African son. “They say the future is Africa but I say the future of Africa is in the hands of the young people,” Abdikadir said.

The African Achievers Awards is an annual event aimed at recognizing individuals and groups that have distinguished themselves in their area of expertise to building a greater Africa. The work being celebrated cuts across different spheres of life and inspires and motivates future generations.

The young Kenyan has been on the frontline in addressing environmental issues in his community while giving back to the society and to the people of Kenya. Abdikadir is from the youth age bracket and is affected by many issues including social, economic and political concerns. He feels that instead of young people just partying at a young age, they should give back to the community and become youth leaders who will bring change to their society.

“The climatic conditions in the region I come from are not pleasing. Yet we need clean air and to participate in carbon trading in the years to come. The members of the community need to be well informed and live a green lifestyle,” says Abdikadir.

The African Young Achiever Award marks his third award recognizing his tireless efforts and the passion he has for the environment and giving back to society. At the age of 22, he was recognized by East Africa Community Service. Abdikadir was also awarded the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award in 2010 for having sacrificed his time and resources for community service by Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) and the Ufadhili Trust, Nairobi.

Some of the activities that led the young Kenyan to the red carpet include his environmental protection and conservation, environmental education, solid waste management, participation in “Clean up the World” weeks and the greening of learning institutions, tree-planting in the community, engaging in inspiration talks, promotion of a green economy and agroforestry in learning institutions, and the rehabilitation of dumpsites in the community.

“I am proud to be a Kenyan youth. The young people have a lot of potential and they need to use that potential to exact change in the different societies where they live,” Abdikadir adds.

Several individuals and organizations were awarded in categories representing their different activities and support to African nations. The event took place at the Hilton Hotel on the 23rd day of February, 2013 at a cocktail gala ceremony attended by different dignitaries.

By Abdikadir Aden, Volunteer Guest Blogger

Insects are attracted to white, which is the usual color of windmills.  Birds and bats are attracted to the insects.  The bird’s problem is they do not see the blades on the wind mills, and get hit by them when they are trying to catch their meal.  Bats have a different problem.  They do see the blades and go right between them.  Unfortunately, the sudden change in air-pressure makes their lungs and/or intestines explode.

My favorite color is purple, but it turns out most insects don’t like it at all. I found this one recent study that showed if you paint the wind mills purple, they will attract fewer insects than if left white.  I personally think that they should put screening around the blades, and paint them purple.  That way, if anything is attracted to purple, then hopefully it won’t get through the screen!

So, I still need to learn a bunch more about windmills, but I like what I have found so far.  I hope more wind-farms paint their wind mills purple, as it would really be pretty and save animals.  If you want to learn more about the experiment with the colors with windmills please visit   http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9067000/9067721.stm