Hamilton Pool

Last weekend, I decided to take a trip to Hamilton Pool with a few of my friends. I had heard a lot about it but it was my first time going. It is a perfect place to take a picnic (which we did), and spend time with nature and friends. Its is perfect for those hot summer days and great for swimming. Not to mention the amazing view. 

Picture of Painting from Natasha Mylius 

It is located about 30 miles West of Austin. When you go to Hamilton pool the large emphasis on habitat protection and environmental education is evident. It is also good for hiking. We decided to just go swimming and spend some time on the sun. It was really a very enjoyable day and experience. I now wish I would have gone to Hamilton Pool before being a senior. I truly recommend it to everyone!

Let's End the Sham of Carbon Credits and Create Real Regulations

One of the big lessons we've learned in class when it comes to environmental change seems to be that, "money talks." That's true when it comes to fracking, where it only becomes profitable to remove a well when a natural gas company is being sued from all sides; it's true in radical "eco-terrorism," where a company will really only change when they lose enormous profits from an act; and it's true in greenhouse gas regulations, where companies only have an incentive to change if there is some sort of monetary reason to do so.

Such is the tale of the carbon credits - originally hailed as a good first step in reducing the output of greenhouse gases globally. By offering various chemical and other production plants money (in the form of carbon credits) in exchange for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere, it was thought that global emissions of everything from carbon dioxide to nitrous oxide to harmful refrigerants would decline. And they have, mostly.

Not long after the European Union and the United Nations introduced this plan, companies found ways of exploiting the system, often creating an "income stream that in some years accounted for half [chemical companies'] profits," paid for by yours truly, European taxpayers. How? Companies, primarily in India and China, have realized that by producing large amounts of the highest-compensated greenhouse gases, then destroying them, they could make tens of millions of dollars by being awarded carbon credits for destroying these harmful gases. It's a total scam, since for each ton of HCFC-22, the world's most commonly used coolant, that is destroyed, the company gets 11,700 carbon credits (they get 1 credit for each ton of CO2 that they don't pump into the atmosphere). They then sell these carbon credits to other companies that need to make up their lack of environmental consciousness and make record profits year after year.

Give this article a read: it goes over how the EU and the UN have responded, and how futile it's going to be. Though discouraging, I think it sheds light on the fact that real, enforceable, regulations are the only way to create actual, productive change in the realm of greenhouse gases. What do you think? Are monetary incentives good enough, or should we just insist that India and China bring their environmental standards up to our own?




(New York Times)

Place post: Zilker Park Boat Rentals

Zilker Park is an amazing place to be in touch with nature. The Zilker Park boat rental place allows you to rent out either a canoe or kayak, and set sells down the Lady Bird Lake. It’s an environmentally friendly and family oriented establishment that provides relaxation and liberation from your everyday routines. With over 100 canoes and kayaks and reasonable prices, Zilker Park Boat Rentals is the perfect place to bring friends and family to enjoy a relaxing outing on the water. Though it’s kind of a workout stroking back and forward with the pedals, you capture a great view of wild life and animals all around.

            

I took my camera when I visited and capture allot of moments with friends and surrounding nature. One thing I noticed was the amount of unique birds, turtles, bugs, surrounding wildlife. Coming from Dallas, this was my first time being surrounded by wildlife without any interference from the city. Also if you are easily sun burned, i would suggest buying sun tan lotion, or just get prepared to get toasted in the sun. The photo above is of my two friends relaxing and drifting in the lake and enjoying the outdoors. If you every want to find an interactive place to take your girlfriend/ boyfriend, this would be a great place to go before or after a picnic just to be active and outdoors. 
 I also captured great images of the Downtown skyline and the surrounding landscape. If you are someone who's interested in photography, this could be a unique place to capture different perspectives of the town from the lake. I specifically chose this image because it looks like the couple in the image is walking and sitting in on the water.
My favorite part of the Zilker Park boat rental was seeing the different variety of birds and animals. This is one of my favorite images of a bird I saw.  It seemed as he was prepared to have a photo taken as he flapped his wings and showed off his colors. I probably wouldn't ever see a bird like this anywhere else. I saw several different types of birds with colorful feathers, and they all seemed to be relaxing by the lake just like the humans. I also observed plenty of turtle swimming and floating around and under water. It's fun interaction with friends, animal, and nature all together.
This is and ideal place to free your mind, and to  enjoy the nature sounds without the interference of cars, construction, or any other man made distractions.

Place Post: Dottie Jordan Park

Dottie Jordan Park is located at 2803 Loyola Lane. I just moved across the street from it and spent my weekend there. It is a beautiful neighborhood park which has two tennis courts, two basketball courts, three barbeque pits a covered picnic area, an a swimming pool. The space also provides an almost half mile long trail for anyone who wishes to take a walk among nature. The park is eleven acres in size and is a fantastic area for families to visit. It also seems to be a wonderful spot for outdoor recreation for the residents of the neighborhood. Everyday there is an abundance of children at the park playing basketball, swimming, or playing on the play structure. The community surrounding the park is of a wonderful predominately black community and the park serves the community well in that it offers the opportunity for the residents to connect with nature and gives the neighborhood children a place to play and stay active. My time at the park afforded me the opportunity to make some neighborhood friends and to appreciate the community in which I am now lucky enough to be a part of. I recommend Dottie Jordan Park to anyone who is looking for a nice place to experience nature without having to pay a nominal fee for entry or parking.

http://austinparks.org/apfweb/images/DottieJordan.jpg

Place Post: Ft. Davis, Texas

I visited Ft. Davis State Park with my friend this summer. The west Texas environment is very different from the greater Houston area I grew up in. While driving the 7 hours from Austin, west on I-10, you begin to see the landscape change drastically before your eyes. Along the way we saw rock formations that you would never encounter in the flat gulf areas of Texas. We passed by colonies of spinning wind turbines storing renewable energy and drove through man-made carved out hills, making way for the straight line of the highway. Ft. Davis State Park is a beautiful almost untouched place that I encourage everyone who has never been to west Texas to go see. Once in the state park we drove down winding roads on rugged hills leading us to our campsite.

We hiked through the trails and looked out to the distant hills and mountains. There aren't very many tall trees there so you can really see the vastness of the land. Its practically the dessert out there so it gets very cool at night (even in the summer) and it is almost constantly windy. It was a wonderful experience to spend so much time in wild nature, almost completely isolated from man-made world. We spent most of our time walking around, lounging on cliffs and taking photographs and drawing (we are both art students).

I'd really like to spend more time out there, maybe even a year. It was a refreshing experience and one that made me appreciate our state park's natural wonder and beauty. I will definitely be back someday soon.

NRDC 'Toxic 20' List Reveals States With Worst Power Plant Polluters

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report this week addressing toxic air pollution in the U.S. With the report, they created a "Toxic 20" list of states "where residents are at a higher risk of numerous health problems just by breathing," the NRDC explains.
According to a press release, the report "found that coal- and oil-fired power plantsstill contribute nearly half (44 percent) of all the toxic air pollution reported to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)."
NRDC's Pete Altman blogs, "Both senators from eight states of the 'Toxic 20' states -- Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi -- supported a resolution by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to repeal the health-protective mercury and air toxics standard."

The NRDC said toxic emissions overall decreased 19 percent primarily due to installation of controls and increased use of natural gas.John Walke, the NRDC's clean air director, said falling natural gas prices have been the "single most influential factor" in the decision to convert to natural gas or retire coal-burning units.

According to the article, Texas is ranked number 10 for worst power plant polluters. Do you think Texas will ever be able to get off this list and stop major pollution from power plants?  

The War on Coal?

Political blame game plays out after Ohio coal mine operation shuts down

Photo courtesy of  Duane Lester at allamericanblogger.com

Robert Murray, founder of Ohio American Energy, is closing his coal mining operation 5 years earlier than expected. He blames the Obama administration for it. They claimed the "regulatory actions by President Barack Obama and his appointees and followers (are) the entire reason" for the closure. In fact, they predicted more layoffs to come unless there is a major shift in the political landscape. The white house defends itself with the usual “oh no, that’s not what we are doing” routine that we have heard since the time of Nixon. While White House representatives assure the media that “coal production is on the upswing,” some people believe that the president is planning on bankrupting the coal industry. Many of the coal-related regulations being enforced now were passed in some form, in 1990 as part of the Clean Air Act. So is this just coal mining paranoia?...or is it all part of the plan?