Saturday, 25 May, 2013

Most water pollution originates in polluted runoff. After a near-record number of beach closures, could green infrastructure convert stormwater from liability to asset? Rain gardens, rain barrels, infiltration ponds, green roofs, buffer strips all trap sediments and nutrients while reducing the load on sewer systems. Is green infrastructure oversold?

Classroom Activity Page Without soil, we starve. Unfortunately, throughout the world, human activities have degraded dirt, endangering our ability to feed a growing population. How can we save our soil and get ourselves out of a food crisis?

Constant fire-fighting has made fire the remaining fires more intense, but controlled burns have their own hazards. Are we already seeing the effect of climate change on forest fires?

Could soil help? One-third of soils are degraded. In fighting desertification, erosion and nutrient loss, some soil-restoring techniques solve multiple problems.

It’s a fact of life: Hurricanes and floods happen. So why are people rebuilding in the path of storms and floods? Is there a smarter way to plan development?

Could something as simple, cheap and natural as a forest protect a coastline from a tsunami’s titanic wave? It’s looking that way…

As New Orleans sinks and the seas rise, hurricanes are getting worse. Does it make sense to start restoring marshes and barrier islands that dampen the hurricanes? Could wetlands moderate the next Katrina?

How do tsunami warning systems work? How quickly could one be built in the Indian Ocean?

History shows societies collapse without soil. What can the world cando to keep our dirt clean?

What causes beach erosion, and what can we do about it? Do groins and jetties help or hurt? How will shorelines change as the sea continues to rise due to global warming?