Sprouts 8 (Kinabalu Residential College): 2013

Monday, 1 April 2013

Share, Like and Win!

HOW TO WIN?

1. Do your own sample regarding the steps.
2. Upload the photo of your sample at Sprouts 8 Facebook Page.
3. Share it and get as many likes as possible.
4. The most like will be the winner.

It's so simple! Don't miss it!

Toxic Land Generates Solar Energy

100 Million Sharks Killed Every Year, Study Shows On Eve of International Conference on Shark Protection

One of the most comprehensive studies ever compiled on illegal shark killing brings new startling statistics. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed every year around the world, a number that far exceeds what many populations need to recover.

The statistical report, compiled by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, crunched numbers of reported shark catches globally and used data from nearly 100 former papers to estimate the number of unreported shark deaths every year. In a moving range, the researchers were able to calculate that between 6.4% and 7.9% of sharks of all species are killed annually.

To put that range in perspective, researchers analyzed life data from 62 shark species and found that only 4.9% of sharks can be killed each year to maintain population stability. Anything more than that threatens long term survival of species like the oceanic white tip, porbeagle and several kinds of hammerheads. What’s worse, sharks are considered uniquely vulnerable because they take long periods to mature and generally produce few young over their lifetimes.

The culprit is the proliferation of illegal shark finning that spiked in the 1990s to feed appetites for shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia on par with fine truffles or expensive caviar. According to some reports, a bowl of shark fin soup can sell for as much as $100.

While some sharks are allowed to be caught, illegal shark finning occurs when fisherman cut fins off live sharks and dump their bodies into the open ocean to avoid declaring the full animal at port and surpassing fishing quotas.

“There’s a staggering number of sharks being caught every year and the number is way too high considering the biology of species,” says Dalhousie biologist Boris Worm, the study’s lead researcher. The 100 million sharks was actually a conservative estimate. Worm’s team found the number could be as high as 273 million sharks killed each year.

To combat such numbers, most countries have authority to regulate around their own coastlines and the catches brought into their ports. But pressure has grown over the past few years for the Conference on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) to regulate international trade of the most imperiled species. As recently as 2010, CITES officials denied meaningful protections to sharks. But after a United Nations panel recommended earlier this year that governments get serious, CITES officials will meet this week in Bangkok to consider finally phasing in protections.

Writer: Dan Stone
Publish date: March 1, 2013
Source: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/01/100-million-sharks-killed-every-year-study-shows-on-eve-of-international-conference-on-shark-protection/

Friday, 22 March 2013

The Green Treasure Hunt!

Fun games that can help you understand more about how to save the earth and GREAT PRIZE are waiting for you then what are you waiting for?

Don't hesitate to join our meaningful event! See you on Sunday (24/3/2013) night! :)

DIY your plastic bottles

Share, Like and Win!

How to Win?

1. Do your own sample regarding the steps.
2. Upload the photo of your sample at Sprouts 8 Facebook Page.
3. Share it and get as many likes as possible.
4. The most like will be the winner.

It's so simple! Don't miss it!

This competition will be opened until 31/3/2013 11.59pm. Prize will be given to the winner.

Monday, 18 March 2013

City Forest, Singapore

Using plants and trees in a unique way, Singapore officials opened Gardens by the Bay this year. The 11 million-square foot (1-million-square-meter) complex-the size of nearly 250 U. S. football fields-aims to curb the heat island effect while bringing botanical bliss to urbanites.

The centerpiece of Gardens by the Bays is a glass atrium that houses approximately 220,000 types of vegetation, or 80 percent of the world's plant species, according to Singapore's National Parks Board.

Outside the menagerie of plants is a grove of 18 "supertrees"-vertical gardens up to 164 feet (50 meters) tall that capture rainwater, filter exhaust, and are capped with solar panels that provide enough energy to light up the trees at night.

The heat island effect occurs in cityspace characterized by pavement, asphalt, and concrete-all materials that can absorb warmth. The annual mean temperature of a city with one million people or more can be up to 5.4˚F (3˚C) warmer than surrounding rural areas, according to the U. S. Environmental Protectation Agency (EPA). The effects cascada as summertime peak energy demands rise along with air conditioning costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The value of vegetation in urban areas goes beyond cooling and shade. City plantings can aslo help improve air and water quality through filtering mechanisms.

A new study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology shows that grass, ivy, and other urban plantings, in addition to trees, can reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter by as much as 40 and 60 percent respectively. Both are pollutants that are potentially harmful to human health.