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Artificial intelligence, testosterone and ship tracking technology probably aren't on many conservation organizations' "top things to think about" lists right now. But they should be, suggests a new report in the scientific journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
"A Horizon Scan of Global Conservation Issues for 2016," authored by University of Cambridge conservation biologist William Sutherland and 23 other researchers, practitioners, professional horizon scanners and journalists, offers a list of 15 emerging trends and developments that are not well known but could have big implications — positive, negative or both — for biodiversity on a global scale.
To come up with the list, team members racked their own brains, monitored social media and consulted more than 400 other individuals to come up with a list of 89 topics that have implications for global conservation and that they rated high in terms of probability of occurring, potential impact and/or likelihood of rapidly emerging.
The top issues identified were:
Artificial Superintelligence
Artificial intelligence can contribute to conservation goals by making it possible to do things like better identify butterflies and boost energy efficiency in buildings. But if machines become smarter than humans, all bets are off as to whether our desired future for ecosystems — or anything else, for that matter — prevails.
Energy Storage and Consumption
Declining battery prices and changes in regulation open the door to rising renewable energy production and consumption. One positive conservation implication is reducing the threat of climate change. On the down side, though, they could contribute to potentially worrisome habitat disruptions due to increased deployment of wind and solar power installations.
Ecological Civilization
China is better known for its environmental challenges — air pollution, desertification, high carbon emissions and more — than for its environmental solutions. In recent years, however, its government has adopted a formal policy of "ecological civilization" — development that respects and protects nature. Specific actions — which could boost the health of China's environment and provide a model for other countries — include establishing model environmentally friendly villages, conserving areas that provide ecosystem services, factoring ecosystem services into economic reports, and investing in reforestation.
Electric Pulse Trawling
A jolt of electricity delivered to the ocean floor can make harvesting seafood species such as shrimp and flatfish easier and more efficient. Use of the practice is on the rise, suggesting it's high time to take a look at the unintended consequences it carries for nontarget species and the marine ecosystem as a whole.
Osmotic Power
Several years ago Norway experimented with producing electricity using the energy released when salt water mixes with freshwater at the intersection of river and sea. The facility turned out to be too expensive to run, however, so it shut down. With growing interest in renewables and technological advances, however, eyes are turning to this electricity source once again. Implications of implementation for biodiversity include disruption of shoreland habitat for power plant construction and operation as well as potential harm from facility wastewater to species unable to tolerate salt.
Bees as Vectors
One strategy for keeping farm crops healthy involves treating them with biological control agents such as bacteria, viruses or fungi that incapacitate pests or diseases. Some producers have begun using bees to help deliver control agents to crops by having them walk through powder containing the agents before heading out on their flower-foraging flights. The extent to which the approach could sicken or kill couriers or nontarget insects and plants is currently largely unknown.
Arctic Fishing
Climate change is opening the door to the central Arctic Ocean for commercial fish species such as Atlantic cod and yellowfin sole. Currently the five countries bordering the Arctic have agreed to prohibit commercial fishing until policies are in place to protect the species from overfishing. But failure to achieve international agreement for the long haul through the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (which is far from out of the question given existing disagreements among the convention's parties) could result in a Wild West of fishing in this changing ocean.
Artificial Islands
Recent years have seen growing interest in construction of artificial islands for purposes such as expanding residential areas or providing sites for military facilities by building up coral reefs with sand and concrete. The process creates major ecosystem disruption in the immediate vicinity and could cause more distant problems by disrupting the ability of corals to thrive, reproduce and spread. Artificial islands also could make currently hard-to-reach natural resources more accessible and therefore more susceptible to depletion.
As guys man up, will fish pay the price? Use of testosterone supplements to boost physical appearance and sexual function is growing rapidly in some affluent parts of the world: In the U.S. alone, the testosterone market went from $18 million to $1.6 billion between 1988 and 2011. We know that many pharmaceuticals are excreted in urine, survive the wastewater treatment process and in some cases disrupt the ability of fish and other living things to function normally. Will testosterone do the same?
Engineered Nanoparticles on Land
Scientists have started assessing possible adverse impacts on aquatic life of nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide, which can end up in wastewater after being used in personal care products or clothing. But what impact might they have elsewhere? Evidence is growing that nanoparticles found in sewage sludge could harm microbes in the soil when the sludge is spread on land for disposal and soil enrichment purposes — with adverse implications that could reverberate throughout the ecosystem.
Ocean Ship Tracking
Advanced technologies and corresponding regulations make it easier than ever to identify, characterize and track the movement of ocean-going vessels. While originally established for safety purposes, the technology holds promise for helping reduce illegal fishing, boost ship compliance with emissions regulations and more accurately calculate environmental footprints of the products we purchase, 90 percent of which spends time on a ship at some point.
Passive Acoustic Monitoring
Innovations in digital recording and transmission now make it possible to monitor sounds from afar. This emerging capability could be applied to the benefit of conservation by making it easier to monitor the presence of species of concern in remote habitats as well as track environmental conditions such as noise pollution. If we can resolve challenges related to managing and analyzing the massive amounts of data produced, it also could be applied to scanning vast areas for audible signs of illegal logging, hunting or fishing.
Synthetic Body Parts
A major threat to many endangered animals is illegal trade in body parts such as horns and bones. Recent advances in 3-D printing and chemical synthesis have combined to make it possible to make synthetic versions of the desired material. Synthetic rhino horn is already a reality, and other permutations such as synthetic tiger bone and synthetic elephant ivory could be just a Kickstarter campaign away. But would flooding the market with synthetic alternatives reduce demand for the real McCoy, or make genuine parts more sought-after than ever? No one knows — but the difference between extinction and survival could hang on the answer.
Artificial Glaciers
In some part of the Himalayas, residents are diverting water into low spots in the mountains to create artificial glaciers that can later produce meltwater needed for irrigating crops. The strategy could make agricultural lands more productive, reducing the need to disrupt habitat for additional cultivation. But it also alters the movement of water across land and into aquifers, raising the potential for altering nearby desert and other ecosystems and the unique species they support.
Invasive Species as Gene Reservoirs
In an ironic twist, some species are now more genetically diverse (and therefore more resilient to environmental change) in regions where they're not native than in places where they are. Should the introduced species be used as a reservoir of genes to diversify decimated populations back home? And what are the implications of seeing them as such for efforts to eradicate or control invasive species that could potentially serve such a function in the future?
"We hope that heightened awareness of these threats and opportunities will encourage researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to consider them, potentially improving the alignment of environmental research and science with policy and practice," the authors of the report concluded. — December 28, 2015
As global population grows, urban population is growing even faster — with 2.5 billion more city dwellers expected by 2050, according to the United Nations. And while urbanization can bring benefits in terms of economies of scale, social cohesion, technological innovation, transportation efficiency and more, cities can also be breeding grounds for poverty, pollution and malaise.
To help inspire cities to make the most of the opportunities and minimize downsides of growth, the World Economic Forum recently published "Top Ten Urban Innovations," showcasing new ideas for boosting urban sustainability. The examples fall into four broad categories: better using underused capacity, evening out demand over time, encouraging small-scale infrastructure, and people-centered design. Each includes a "why" and "what" as well as an assessment of the potential for improving global well-being. Most also include a list of links for more information. Here's a quick summary:
Reprogramming Space
In growing cities, the need for infrastructure can quickly outpace our ability to build it. Vancouver, Glasgow, New York and others are tackling this head-on by repurposing and densifying use of existing urban land rather than building out, and by designing buildings in a way that allows them to switch functions — for example, from a theater to a night club — as needs change.
An Internet of Pipes
Clean, readily available water supplies are a growing concern for growing cities. Efforts to meet future needs include a variety of Internet-based innovations aimed at managing water challenges such as flood control, rainwater management, supply distribution, pipe leakage reduction and sanitation management.
Twitter for Trees
Urban trees help reduce temperature extremes, moderate stormwater surges, sequester carbon and capture nutrients from runoff. Melbourne is boosting interest in and appreciation for urban forests by inviting its residents to adopt and name individual trees and share updates, including carbon offset and other information, via social media.
Augmented Humans
People-powered transit not only helps make cities cleaner and less congested, it also can boost human health and well-being. But bicycling can sometimes seem too demanding for a workday commute. To make it more appealing and accessible, innovators are developing products such as the Copenhagen Wheel, a bike that runs partly on a battery recharged by braking and downhill travel.
Co-heating, Co-cooling, CO2 Capture
Co-generation facilities boost energy efficiency by taking waste heat from electricity generation and using it to heat or cool buildings. For even more benefit, the carbon dioxide generated in the process can be captured and used for horticulture, manufacturing or other applications.
Sharing Spare Capacity
City dwellers around the world are reducing the environmental footprint of consumption through sharing networks. Starting with increasingly common practices such as carpooling, lodging rental and shared ownership, the practice is expanding to include things like co-locating enterprises to allow them to share facilities such as gyms or classrooms.
Mobility on Demand
Computer- and smartphone-assisted traffic management and vehicle routing can reduce time and fuel wasted trying to travel through congested areas. Similarly, self-driving vehicles and car sharing can boost efficiency by maximizing use of vehicles and reducing need for space to park idle ones.
Infrastructure for Social Integration
The Colombian city of Medellin, once considered one of the world's most dangerous cities, has been transformed by a focus on architecture and design. Shared spaces and improved public transit blur economic boundaries and boost a sense of connection and culture.
Smart Street Poles
As cities switch from polluting conventional streetlights to LED-based updates, they have the opportunity to connect light poles to form a web of information sensors that can do everything from gather air quality data to monitor traffic and reduce the risk of crime.
Vertical Vegetables
Cities can help cut food waste by growing perishable produce right in town, boosting individuals' connections to food and reducing spoilage-promoting lengthy transit distance and time. With water-based gardening and LED-lighting, walls, roofs and other structures that serve one function can be taught to multitask as a food-producing garden, too.
UPDATED 12.10.18: The spelling of Medellin was corrected. — December 16, 2015
These two words might make you sleepy: stormwater management. But they should make you scared.
Or, if a new study can help shake things up, hopeful.
Runoff carrying oil, salt, fertilizer, sediment and other pollutants is a top threat to lakes across the U.S., and several factors — including rising population, growing cities and changing climate — are loading the future's dice in favor of even more trouble. With this challenge in mind, a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research paves the way to fight flooding and enhance water quality with plans geared toward individual watersheds.
In the first multi-factor analysis of land cover and climate for watersheds across the entire continental U.S., researchers from University of Massachusetts Amherst concluded that professionals — think land use experts, city planners and water quality managers — need to remember that myriad factors affect stormwater runoff. Not only that, the factors vary based on space and place: Different watersheds have different temperatures, rainfall, land use, evaporation, plant characteristics, and more. The new paper estimates statistical relationships among these variables for watersheds in all lower 48 states and quantifies relationships in a way that could help decision-makers on the ground make smart choices that allow them to minimize adverse impacts of runoff.
Managers can use the study's statistical conclusions to target variables that most greatly affect runoff in their watershed. For example, the researchers write, "[i]n watersheds where runoff is strongly influenced by evaporation, one could develop policy toward green infrastructure by incorporating infiltration enhancing components into urban structures like roads, buildings, and parking lots." — November 27, 2015
With the Paris climate negotiations just two weeks away, we'll soon see if the world can agree on a plan for slashing greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change. To get insight into the upcoming conference, a research team from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, built a simplified (read: not completely real-world) mathematical model that reached two conclusions about climate talks: First, the more countries that are involved, the harder it is to settle on a deal. Second — counterintuitively — when negotiators think more strategically, they impede their chance of reaching consensus.
To improve on past studies exploring the theory behind negotiation outcomes, the researchers, whose work was reported recently in the journal Nature Climate Change, modeled negotiators with talent for thinking strategically. Under this scenario — which aligns with surveys showing that high-level policy-makers use a degree of strategic reasoning that's higher than that of the average person — negotiators each want to get the best deal possible for their country: They don't want to offer any more emission cuts than they have to. Negotiators with high strategic reasoning are marked by a skill for predicting other negotiators' behavior.
Compared with the real thing, this model of climate talks was super simple. That's because, instead of actual nations and real back-and-forth haggling, the model abstracted to equal-size countries that started with an initial offer of how much they'd cut their greenhouse gas emissions, then gave them a chance to negotiate over a number of turns, either raising or lowering their offers depending on what other countries did. A series of equations shaped how negotiators would react.
The team set up several scenarios, some with more strategic negotiators than others. They also varied the number of negotiating countries in each scenario.
After running each scenario 100,000 times, the researchers found that the more countries involved, the lower the chance of agreeing to emissions terms that could avoid catastrophic climate change. Likewise, situations with more negotiators who strategically thought through things succeeded less often than scenarios in which fewer participants had high levels of strategic reasoning. "[S]trategic reasoning," the authors write, "typically increases the risk of climate catastrophe in our model."
With more than 190 nations and some of the world's best negotiators on hand for the Paris talks later this month, the paper's conclusions are stark. But there's room for hope: Because the model is much more simple than the real world — and because humans don't always act with model rationality — actual outcomes could still bode well for our planet. — November 20, 2015
Groundwater has long been an important resource for irrigation, drinking water, energy production and more, but getting a clear picture of how much is available and being recharged over time has been a challenge.
Now an international group of hydrologists led by Tom Gleeson, engineering professor at the University of Victoria, with fellow researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Calgary and the University of Göttingen, say they've produced the first data-driven estimate of Earth's total supply of groundwater — with a focus on "modern" groundwater.
Writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers estimate the total volume of groundwater in the upper 2 kilometers (1.2 mile) of Earth's crust to be 22.6 million cubic kilometers (5.4 million cubic miles) — an amount that if extracted and spread evenly across Earth's land surface would be 180 meters (590 feet) deep.
Perhaps most interesting was the study's focus on "modern" groundwater, or groundwater that is less than 50 years old.
Using geochemical, geologic, hydrologic and geospatial data sets, the researchers estimated this newer groundwater accounts for at most 6 percent of all groundwater in Earth's uppermost layers. This number is important because it represents roughly the amount of groundwater that can recharged in little less than a human lifetime.
Furthermore, the study provides an important differentiation between older and more modern groundwater. Older, deeper groundwater is what we typically use for agriculture and industry and may be brackish, saline or low quality, whereas newer, higher quality groundwater closer to the surface is critical to overall aquifer health and recharge, yet may be more susceptible to contamination and climate change.
According to Gleeson, this new research differs from GRACE and other technologies previously used to assess global groundwater resources.
"GRACE measures the change in the mass of the earth, which is often interpreted to be due to the depletion of groundwater, but it cannot estimate the total groundwater or the fraction of young groundwater as we have," says Gleeson. "Additionally, our results are more based on measured groundwater data such as tritium concentrations and water levels, and recent global maps of permeability and porosity."
This new research builds on Gleeson's earlier work pinpointing global hot spots where groundwater pumping — primarily for agriculture — is exceeding recharge rates. — November 16, 2015
Whether people have the water they need depends on how much water there is and how much demand there is for it, right? Wrong.
According to a recent study published in Environmental Research Letters, governance, not pure supply and demand, is the most prevalent factor determining "water vulnerability" — the degree to which access to water is susceptible to disruption — in low-income nations.
Focusing on 119 countries and territories with per capita gross domestic product less than $10,725, researchers from Washington State University and Stanford University identified four basic categories of characteristics important to water supply vulnerability: demand, endowment (a mashup of quantity, quality and variability), infrastructure and institutions (the presence of government regulations and the likelihood they'll be effective). They then used publicly available data to assess 19 traits representative of those categories, such as access to improved sanitation, dependence on groundwater, virtual water imported and exported, and government corruption.
All of the countries were found to be vulnerable in at least one of the four categories, and 23 of them were vulnerable in all four. The category characterizing the highest number of countries — 44 — was that of institutional vulnerability — suggesting that social and political factors are important areas of focus for initiatives aiming to boost water security.
Noting that access to water is a fast-growing challenge, with extractive use tripling over the past half century while population doubled, lead author Julie Padowski, a member of the water resources faculty at the University of Washington, suggested in a news release summarizing the paper's findings that the results could be valuable in helping identify and target strategies for boosting water security.
"The common occurrence of institutional vulnerability," she said, "adds weight to the argument that it's not just how much water we have, it's how we manage it that's really important." — November 6, 2015
According to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the number of new and reactivated coal mines in the U.S. hit a 10-year low in 2013 — down nearly 67 percent from 2008.
Total coal production in the U.S. was also down during the same time period. The drop was driven by a number of factors, including regulatory pressure, reduced investment, shifting demand toward natural gas and renewables and weak exports.
Overall, the total number of coal mines in the U.S. also declined, dropping by nearly 400 sites from 2008 to 2013. The report doesn't distinguish between high- and low-output mines, which is an important distinction. According to the EIA, "in 2013, 877 Appalachian mines produced 270 million short tons [245 million metric tons] of coal compared with 52 Western region mines that produced 530 million short tons [480 million metric tons]."
Why does this matter? At the end of 2014, the U.S. had 262 billion tons (237 billion metric tons) worth of coal reserves, or about 27 percent of the global total. Following the U.S., the next five countries for coal reserves are Russia, China, Australia, India and Germany. Together these countries account for 77 percent of known global reserves.
The decline in domestic coal mining and use may help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the EPA's Clean Power Plan.
Despite decreased U.S. production and consumption, global demand for coal is projected to continue increasing. The report "Global Coal Mining to 2020" prepared by Timetric outlines India's plans to ramp up domestic coal production and consumption while Russia has set a target of increasing in-country use for power generation from 25 percent in 2014 to 27 percent by 2020. Overall, global demand is projected to continue increasing by 2.1 percent annually through 2019, according to IEA. — October 23, 2015
Human population is expected to soar to between 9 and 10 billion by 2050, with a growing number of people moving into the middle class and requiring more energy, natural resources and animal products. This combination of population growth and resource demand will put increased pressure on the planet's resources, a fact that has interested parties from academia, nonprofits, government, industry and more scrambling to find ways to improve living conditions for billions of people while staying within the planet's ecological boundaries.
But that's just the starting point of a recent study led by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Department of Geography at McGill University and the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (which, full disclosure, provides support for Ensia). The researchers analyzed global development drivers, including urbanization, agriculture, energy and mining, to see how future development is likely to affect what's left of the planet's remaining natural lands. Their conclusion: 20 percent of all natural lands are at risk from future development.
Although the three regions currently with the most developed land — Central America, Europe and South Asia — are projected to remain the most developed, the researchers note that Africa and South America, currently relatively undeveloped, have the greatest amount of land at risk. The researchers estimate that the amount of land developed on those continents in coming decades could be about twice as much as it is today in South America and three times as much in Africa. Meanwhile, only about 5 percent of the lands that face development risk are currently under "strict protection" (many "protected areas" allow some forms of development).
The goal of the research wasn't just to point out where nature is going to be converted to farms, cities and other signs of modern life; it's meant to offer insights that can be used to balance conservation strategies alongside ongoing development.
As Joseph Kiesecker, a lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Lands Team, says in this video, "The study's not intended to be a doom-and-gloom story. It's really intended to be hopefully inspiring. Armed with the knowledge of where future development risk may occur, we can get ahead of the curve. We can get into those landscapes, we can proactively plan for development and find solutions that will strike that balance [between development and conservation]." — October 14, 2015
Earlier today Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced the formation of Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park — the largest marine protected area in the Americas. Located more than 850 kilometers (530 miles) northwest of Santiago in the Pacific Ocean, the reserve encompasses a surface area of 297,518 square kilometers (114,872 square miles). All told, Chile has now protected 12 percent of its entire marine surface area.
The news comes on the heels of an announcement last week that New Zealand was establishing an even larger 620,000-square-kilometer (385,000-square-mile) preserve called the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.
The timing of both new reserves couldn't be better. In early September, WWF's bi-annual Living Blue Planet Report outlined the dire state of the world's oceans, reporting that marine vertebrate populations have declined 52 percent since 1970. The report notes that "the fish that constitute up to 60 per cent of protein intake in coastal countries, supporting millions of small-scale fishers as well as a global multibillion-dollar industry," are declining precipitously.
The new Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park may be a step toward reversing this trend.
According to a joint press release from Oceana and National Geographic announcing the reserve, the area is home to "undulating kelp forests; abundant fish populations, including enormous amberjacks, yellowtail jacks and deep sea sharks; and fragile deep corals."
Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer in residence and head of the Society's Pristine Seas project, went on to say, "The new Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park is a gift from Chile to the world. It contains pristine underwater environments like nothing else in the ocean, including deep underwater mountains with species new to science, abundant giant lobster and a relict population of the once-thought-extinct Juan Fernández fur seal." — October 5, 2015
Note to anyone who thinks planting trees is the bees' knees: Grasslands are important, too.
With forests disappearing at record rates and the carbon sequestration and other benefits of vegetation getting increasing visibility, tree-planting has become almost an iconic "environmentally friendly" activity. But in some cases it could do more harm than good, according to Iowa State University ecologist Joseph Veldman and colleagues.
In a paper published in the October 2015 issue of the journal BioScience, the researchers point out that the current emphasis on trees as tools for sequestering atmospheric carbon has led to a number of initiatives that encourage planting trees on grasslands or allowing forests to expand into grasslands. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change's Clean Development Mechanism, for example, offers carbon credits for foresting grasslands, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations does not distinguish for policy purposes between closed-canopy forests and grassy biomes with trees, and carbon valuation systems such as CDM and REDD+ favor forests over other types of land cover.
"Despite overwhelming evidence of their antiquity and richness, the misperception persists that grassy biomes are degraded ecosystems formed as a result of human-caused deforestation," the researchers write. The result, they note, are "alarming rates" of loss of grasslands. That in turn leads to loss of unique flora and fauna that depend on grassland biomes, the authors note, and compromises grasslands' capacity for sequestering carbon below ground in root systems and providing other ecosystem services.
To illustrate what they call "the tyranny of trees," Veldman and colleagues took locations mapped as opportunities for forestation in the Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities, published by the World Resources Institute and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and cross-mapped them with maps of grassy biomes around the world. They found that the atlas identified 9 million square kilometers (3 million square miles) of "ancient grassy biomes" as having potential for foresting.
Veldman and colleagues concluded by encouraging policy makers to acknowledge the value of these ecosystems in their own right and to integrate efforts to conserve forests and grasslands around the world in a way that takes into account the many services grasslands provide. Specifically, they recommended creating vegetation maps that include grasslands and savannas, assigning appropriate value to diverse vegetation types, and revising carbon valuation systems as well as widely accepted definitions of forest to formally recognize the importance of other types of land cover. — October 2, 2015
Recently journalist Elizabeth Grossman wrote about a troubling trend of pharmaceuticals being found pretty much everywhere scientists look in our environment, especially in our water. Potential impacts are concerning, Grossman writes, with among other things, "fish and birds responding with altered behavior and reproductive systems to antidepressants, diabetes medication, and other psychoactive or hormonally active drugs at concentrations found in the environment."
While about 90 percent of these pharmaceuticals turn up in the environment after being excreted, at least some show up when medication is improperly discarded. In an effort "to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs," the U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration are holding their annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, September 26, 2015.
In addition to the environmental benefits of properly disposing of unused medications, Environmental News Bits points out that misuse of prescription drugs is a big public health crisis, noting, "In 2010, 22,134 people died from overdoses involving prescription drugs. Additionally, in 2012, 69 percent of people who abused prescription pain relievers obtained the prescription drugs through friends or relatives, or from raiding the family medicine cabinet."
Photo by Ajay Suresh (Flickr | Creative Commons) — September 18, 2015
The combination of legal and illegal logging in southwest Ghana's tropical forests is having a devastating impact on bird populations in the region, according to new research published recently in the journal Biological Conservation.
Between 1995 and 2010, logging in the Upper Guinea rain forest — one of the world's biodiversity hot spots — increased by over 600 percent. Researchers sampling bird communities in the same forest region discovered that the number of understory birds counted in 2008–2010 was more than 50 percent less than in 1993–1995 .
Globally, 50-90 percent of the timber harvested in tropical countries can be attributed to illegal logging. In Ghana, where the study took place, illegal logging accounts for an estimated 80 percent of timber extraction. Overall, the researchers noted, the rate of deforestation in Ghana is six times the maximum sustainable rate.
Understory birds are being particularly hard hit. For instance, the yellow-whiskered greenbul declined by 73 percent between 1995 and 2010, while the icterine greenbul plummeted by 90 percent.
"Our most disturbing finding was that more than half of all understory birds had vanished in only 15 years," said lead author Nicole Arcilla, a researcher with Drexel University and the Zoological Society of London, in a press release accompanying the study. "If things continue as they are, in a few decades, these incredibly beautiful forests and their unique wildlife will be largely depleted, which would be a huge loss to Ghana, Africa and the world."
Arcilla spent two years in Ghana studying understory birds as part of her research. At first her focus was on legal logging activities, but she soon found it impossible to ignore illegal activities.
"No one has looked at this issue in the past, to my knowledge, because illegal logging is an underworld issue, so it's hard to quantify," Arcilla said. In Ghana, she said, "it's like the Wild West."
The solution lies in beefed up forest management by the Ghanaian government — a daunting challenge in the face of such widespread illegal activity. The researchers point to a suite of urgently needed measures such as "increasing forest ranger patrols, increasing forest law enforcement and increasing implementation of measures to prevent illegal logging." — September 10, 2015
With cities poised to add 2.5 billion more people by 2050, now is a perfect time to get strategic about urban design. One of the big questions planners face is the best way to accommodate both built environments and natural settings, which provide important services such as making oxygen, cleansing water, absorbing noise, moderating summer heat, adding beauty and providing habitat for animals and plants. Can we get the biggest overall benefit by interweaving buildings and roadways with small, dispersed patches of nature — "land sharing" — or by setting aside large expanses of green space surrounded by intensive development — "land sparing"?
To find an answer, researchers from the United Kingdom and Japan looked at how well cities with a range of development strategies were able to provide each of nine urban ecosystem services — carbon storage, water infiltration, human well-being, agricultural production, pollination, pest control, noise reduction, air purification and temperature regulation. They then categorized these ecosystem services as "winners" or "losers" under various points along the compact-development-to-suburban-sprawl continuum.
Their results, reported in the latest issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, indicate that large, contiguous stretches of natural land are critical for maintaining most of the ecosystem services. However, they also showed that interspersing nature with homes, businesses and roadways has some value, particularly for maintaining the sense of personal well-being associated with exposure to nature. The researchers observed in addition that the built environment can be modified in ways that make it function more like open space in its ability to provide ecosystem services — by incorporating green roofs and permeable pavement, for instance.
"Land sparing is clearly necessary if ecosystem services are to be adequately represented in urban landscapes," they wrote. "That said, when considering the flow of ecosystem services, arguably some land sharing is required if people are to see the health and well-being benefits provided by urban green space."
The researchers noted that more work is needed to identify optimal size for green spaces. They also recommended top-down, policy-led planning as the best way to maximize the benefits of green spaces as cities grow. — September 8, 2015
Too often we humans consider things individually, as though anything in life happens in a vacuum, all alone, with no influence from its surroundings or something else happening at the same time. Take chemicals, for example: Some chemical or another is deemed to be safe because it was studied in isolation, ignoring the potential effects of that chemical when combined with the many others on the market and in various products we encounter each day. Only recently are we beginning to fully explore and understand these combinations. In many such cases, the horse has already left the stable.
A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, attempts to leave the silos behind when it comes to the consequences of a changing climate, starting with the premise that, "Climatic extremes cause significant damage to the environment and society, and can cause even more damage when multiple extremes occur simultaneously." Focusing on data from 1960 to 2010, the authors looked at droughts and heat waves and found that concurrence of the two "shows statistically significant increases across the United States."
"Heat waves can kill people and crops while worsening air quality, and droughts exacerbate those serious impacts," said senior author Amir AghaKouchak, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, in a press release related to the study. "With these two extremes happening at the same time, the threat is far more significant." Such systems thinking is critical, as the authors state, in order to prepare for and assuage, as much as possible, the negative consequences of increasing climate extremes.
Photo by Al Jazeera English (Flickr | Creative Commons) — September 4, 2015
If you have a houseplant in your kitchen, a rock on your desk or a fountain in your workplace, you know the basic principle of biophilic design: inviting nature into our everyday lives as a way to boost health, productivity and overall sense of well-being.
Now, planners, interior designers and others interested in making the most of the opportunities biophilia has to offer have a new resource for doing so. In collaboration with Terrapin Bright Green, the American Society of Interior Designers has released an on-demand online course titled "Biophilic Design: Improving Health and Well-Being in the Built Environment."
The hour-long course introduces the concept of biophilia and the 14 principles of biophilic design, then offers concrete suggestions on how designers can apply them to enrich interior environments as well as several case studies as examples. Participants may earn continuing education credits.
"ASID has a commitment to keeping designers up-to-date on new research that supports the impact of design on human health and wellness," said Karol Kaiser, ASID vice president for education and engagement. "We are enthusiastic for ASID members and industry professionals to take advantage of this extraordinary course." — August 31, 2015
Food waste carries massive environmental, social and economic costs — so much that you'd think one of the first lessons we'd want to pass along to our kids would be the old saw, "Take what you want, but eat what you take."
A U.S. law intended to boost consumption of healthful foods by requiring school lunches eligible for federal funding to include a fruit or vegetable serving appears to be doing the exact opposite.
Observing elementary students' lunchroom behavior in two elementary schools before and after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 took effect, researchers from the University of Vermont and the University of California, Davis, reported that not only was fruit and vegetable waste more than 50 percent higher after the requirement kicked in, but fruit and vegetable consumption was down.
The researchers noted that the law, which governs a program that feeds 31 million children each school day, is coming up for reauthorization this fall — potentially opening opportunities to modify it in a way that reduces these adverse unintended consequences. Meanwhile, they encourage lunch providers to boost the appeal of the fruits and vegetables they're required to serve by cutting large items such as apples and oranges into pieces, enhancing lunch offerings with fresh produce from school gardens or other local sources, and, of course, using that age-old trick of disguising good-for-you food as something else. — August 28, 2015
Excess phosphorus runoff and emissions from urban areas and croplands, animal feedlots, sewage treatment plants, and combustion of fossil fuels has been blamed for the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and problems in numerous other lakes and rivers around the world.
For years unwanted nutrients were also choking the Florida Everglades, but in a surprising reversal, phosphorus levels have been reduced 79 percent this year — more than three times the state requirement — compared to the annual average runoff in the 1980s, according to an announcement from University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences. The average decrease in recent years has been around 50 percent annually.
The reductions have been achieved through a combination of best management practices targeting agriculture, including soil testing before fertilizer is applied, regulation of when and how much water can be pumped off of farms and into local waterways, and clearing sediment from canals that lead to the Everglades. All told, farmers have spent nearly $US200 million on improvements, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
Some think the reductions haven't gone far enough, though. As the South Florida newspaper the Sun Sentinel reported earlier this month, representatives of Audubon Florida and the Sierra Club say phosphorus runoff needs to be reduced even further to comply with federal water quality standards.
Still, phosphorus levels are heading in the right direction. This year they are down to 94 parts per billion, compared with 500 parts per billion in 1986. — August 27, 2015
Plants are far better than humans at turning sunlight into food. But they're not nearly as good as they could be: Thanks to quirks in the systems that have evolved to capture solar energy and use it to build sugars from carbon dioxide and water, the conversion efficiency of photosynthesis is but a few percent at best.
With the need to produce more crops growing even faster than human population, it's no surprise that scientists have been brainstorming ways to help plants do a better job of using sunlight.
In a recent issue of the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, more than two dozen researchers from the U.S., France, Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., Australia and China shared the results of a workshop in which they put their heads together and came up with a spectrum of suggestions for how genetic engineers might modify crop plants to boost their photosynthetic prowess. Among them: alter the apparatus that captures sunlight so it doesn't take in more than it can use, borrow photosynthetic machinery from a purple microbe to expand the range of wavelengths plants can use, improve the ability of leaves to suck CO2 from the air, and create "smart canopies" in which plants fine-tune their photosynthetic capabilities to different lighting conditions at different distances from the ground.
Emphasizing that the convergence of advances in computer modeling, computer power and our ability to reproduce genetic material are opening the door to new abilities to refine processes within living organisms, the researchers encouraged colleagues to take a closer look at the opportunities.
"If we can double or triple the efficiency of photosynthesis — and I think that's feasible," study coauthor and Washington University biologist Robert Blankenship noted in a related news release, "the impact on agricultural productivity could be huge."
Photo © iStockphoto.com/AlinaMD — August 14, 2015
States hoping to increase their share of renewable energy to achieve the emissions reduction goals set forth in the President's recently-announced Clean Power Plan may have just received an unexpected boost from wind energy.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy's "2014 Wind Technologies Market Report" released earlier this week, the prices offered by wind projects to utility purchasers in the U.S. dropped below 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first time in history.
Costs are being driven down by technological advancements, including the production and installation of turbines with greater generating capacity, an increase in turbine hub height up to 272 feet (83 meters) and an increase in average rotor diameter. Taken together, these changes are not only driving down the cost of wind energy in blustery locations, but also making it more economical in low-wind areas.
Overall, US$8.3 billion was invested in 4.9 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2014. At present, wind power meets nearly 5 percent of the total U.S. electricity demand. Employment in the wind energy sector also saw a bump up in 2014 to 73,000 workers, compared to 50,500 in 2013.
Further bolstering wind energy's prospects, an announcement from researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — the research center that prepared the report — noted that 2014 wind energy contracts "compare very favorably to a range of projections of the fuel costs of gas-fired generation extending out through 2040."
Photo by Steve p2008 (Flickr | Creative Commons) — August 12, 2015
In July 2014 we published a photo essay that highlighted the ecological and economic importance of the world's deltas, pointing out that they are home to nearly half a billion people and provide critical habitat for innumerable plant and animal species. That photo essay also pointed out the danger deltas face: Sea-level rise and human alterations to river systems are threatening to turn the world's deltas over to the sea.
One threat we didn't explicitly address, though, was land subsidence. In a new study in the journal Science, researchers explore how sinking land — caused by less sediment reaching deltas along with human activities such as development and resource extraction — combined with sea-level rise will affect coastal delta communities. This combination of sinking land and rising sea, known as relative sea-level rise or RSLR, makes the challenges facing these communities even more daunting because increased RSLR means an increase risk of flooding.
The researchers found that some deltas, such as the Krishna and Brahmani in India and the Ganges-Brahmaputra in Bangladesh, are particularly vulnerable due to a combination of high RSLR, high chance of a hazardous event taking place and low capacity to respond to such an event. But even deltas in places that are less vulnerable, such as the Mississippi in the U.S. and the Rhine in the Netherlands, won't have an easy path forward. The study points out that strategies to lower risk in these countries often come by way of expensive infrastructure, meaning that the people who call them home will have to make the ongoing decision of whether to spend more money keeping the deltas relatively safe from disaster or freeze spending, making the deltas less secure.
Writing in The Conversation, Zachary Tessler, one of the study's authors, says that while stemming sea-level rise will require global action to combat climate change, land subsidence can be addressed in part through local and regional efforts. Tessler points to technologies that reduce buildup of sediment at dams, dike breaches, and coastal wetlands restoration as ways to deliver more sediment to deltas and increase retention. The authors also warn in the study, "The current emphasis on short-term solutions for the world's deltas will greatly constrain options for designing sustainable solutions in the long term."
Photo by FEMA/Jocelyn Augustino — August 7, 2015
The ability to anticipate floods and mobilize a timely response — increasingly a life-and-death matter as extreme weather events become more common — depends to a sobering extent on 10 satellites that measure precipitation and beam data to Earth, where governments and emergency response teams use them to guide efforts to protect people and property.
Even more sobering: Four of the 10 satellites have already exceeded their anticipated functional lifespan, with no plans in place to deploy replacements, according to a research article published earlier this year in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The article reports on research by Cornell University engineering professor Patrick Reed and colleagues from Princeton University and the Aerospace Corporation. The researchers used information on the distribution and movement of water around the planet along with modeling to calculate the extent to which the current satellites are able to provide data needed for flood forecasting. They also calculated the coverage that would remain should all four aging satellites stop functioning, and explored what arrangement of satellites would be needed to optimally do the job. They found that even the current set of 10 satellites fails to provide sufficient coverage — with the biggest gaps, ironically, in South America, central and eastern Africa, and Asia, where populations are particularly vulnerable to floods. Not surprisingly, loss of the four antiquated satellites would make things even worse, with far less of the globe covered adequately over space and time.
The good news? Addition of just two new satellites with sufficient international collaboration would boost flood forecasting capability even beyond that of the current fleet.
Noting that their results demonstrate that improvements in this rain-monitoring system could have huge benefits for humanity, the authors call for an international conversation aimed at resolving the current and anticipated satellite rainfall data deficit "to ensure that the global portfolio of space-based Earth rainfall observations are sufficient to manage the potential increased flood risks posed by climate change."
Thanks to Science for Environment Policy for alerting us to this study. Photo © iStockphoto.com/kasto80 — July 31, 2015
More and more people are starting to get the message that the massive amount of food we waste in the U.S. is a social issue, not just an environmental one. Even HBO comedian John Oliver took nearly 20 minutes recently on his satire news show, "Last Week Tonight," to tackle the issue.
It seems an easy fix: Instead of throwing food out, set up a new supply chain to move it from businesses that aren't going to use it to people who need it. But that process involves additional costs businesses have little financial incentive to take on as well as fear of lawsuits over someone getting sick from spoiled food (something that the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act actually protects against).
This week, ClimateWire has a story about how Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut are trying to deal with these problems: by regulating the amount of food businesses can toss in the trash and encouraging them to donate it instead. The article examines progress to date (the regulations have been in place for some time) as well as the marketplace that is emerging as a result, such as the emergence of companies working to make sure more of the food goes to people in need and less to the compost heap. Composting is an easier option for compliance because not as much infrastructure such as cold storage is needed, but, as the article mentions, businesses such as Food for Free collect unwanted food and deliver it to more than 100 programs in and around Boston working to get food to hungry people.
There's an interesting and important lesson here, as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy points out in the piece. Reducing food waste by using it to feed people who really need it is "a great reminder that solutions to environmental challenges can double as solutions to social challenges."
Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture (Flickr | Creative Commons) — July 24, 2015
Think organic farming is climate friendly? You might want to think again. A study published recently in the journal Agriculture and Human Values suggests that as organic agriculture emulates conventional industrial agriculture, the environmental benefits may not be the slam-dunk that Earth-loving proponents might like them to be.
It's well known that organic practices offer climate benefits in terms of management practices that help sequester carbon in soils and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertilizer production. What's less clear is the extent to which other variables, such as lower per-acre productivity and more intensive use of machinery in fields, counteract these savings.
Analyzing preexisting data on agriculture greenhouse gas emissions and amount of certified organic farmland across 49 states and eight years, sociology doctoral student Julius McGee from the University of Oregon discovered that the amount of farmland in organic production and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture were positively correlated, even when adjusted for population, GDP and total amount of agricultural land.
"What these findings ultimately suggest is that organic farming is not working as a counterforce to greenhouse gas emissions stimulated by agricultural production, and is currently positively correlated with the problem," he concluded.
Noting recent trends toward "conventionalization" of organic agriculture, McGee called for the organic food system to be more deliberate in its efforts to adopt sustainable practices and for additional oversight to make sure that production of certified organic foods is as environmentally friendly as consumers hope — and often assume — it is.
— July 17, 2015
In case you somehow missed it, Shark Week has once again descended upon us. The annual summer tradition created by the Discovery Channel in 1988 to raise awareness of sharks through its programming has in recent years seen its hashtag, #SharkWeek, explode across social media. Although some of the fictional content on Discovery has led to backlash from the scientific community, it's hard to point to another publicity scheme that has garnered so much attention for one species and for conservation, with organizations like Oceana, WildAid and Conservation International deploying the hashtag on Twitter to shine a light on their causes and other media outlets coopting it to promote their own content.
Amid all the noise it's important to remember why everyone's looking at sharks anyway. Besides being magnificent physical specimens around for hundreds of millions of years, sharks are often the apex predators in oceans, and top predators maintain balance in their ecosystems. Despite their importance, sharks have moved from predator to prey as humans catch them for their fins and their numbers have decreased due to other factors, such as degrading habitat and falling victim to bycatch. They have also been vilified through media and, as a result, their attacks on humans send ripples of fear through us, especially those living in coastal areas, despite the relatively few attacks that actually take place.
That's the point of a recent study from researchers at Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which shows that although the overall number of shark bites has increased in the last 60 years, individual risk of being bitten or attacked by a shark along the California coast has actually decreased significantly due to the fact that the population of coastal cities in California and the numbers of people partaking in ocean activities in the state has exploded over the same time. The authors of the study, which will be published later this month in the Ecological Society of America's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, conclude that conservation efforts for sharks and safety for humans don't have to be at odds. By gaining more information about shark activity and behavior, the two can coexist. "Doing this kind of analyses can inform us on hot spots and cold spots for shark activity in time and space that we can use to make informed decisions and give people a way to stay safe while they are enjoying the ocean," said Francesco Ferretti of Stanford, first author of the study, in a press release. Knowing that sharks migrate to Hawaii in the spring, for example, means that California waters will have fewer sharks and therefore may be more appealing to people for recreational activities. In fact, surfers who choose to surf the waters off Mendocino County in March are 24 times safer than surfing in October and November.
Although culling sharks is not a practice in California, it has taken place in other parts of the world and the study's authors say that increased knowledge and data of both shark and human activity is a better way to minimize shark attacks on humans. "Our results indicate that the seemingly conflicting goals of protecting large predators and people can be reconciled," study co-author Fiorenza Micheli told Stanford News.
Photo by Elias Levy (Flickr | Creative Commons) — July 10, 2015
You've probably noticed how being around trees, grass and flowers can make you feel better. Now, evidence is mounting that the presence of green and growing things is associated with being healthier, too.
Reporting at Journalist's Resource, Justin Feldman summarized the findings of a number of recent scientific studies exploring the relationship between urban green space and human health. One study of schoolchildren in Barcelona, Spain, showed a positive association between cognitive development and "greenness index" (amount of vegetation the students encountered at home and school and over the course of their commute). A survey of adult twins in a U.S. data base, adjusted for income, activity and neighborhood traits, revealed that individuals with more access to green space tended to exhibit less stress, depression and anxiety than other study participants. And an assessment of birth outcomes in Vancouver, Canada, found that the more green cover pregnant women had in the vicinity of their homes, the higher the birth weight of full-term babies and the lower the likelihood of preterm births, even after taking other environmental factors such as air pollution, noise and proximity to parks into account.
Read more results and check out links to the original reports here.
— July 3, 2015


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© PHI Design I Architecture
James Farquharson
With over twenty years experience in interior design and architecture displays
a multi-disciplinary design knowledge to a diverse client base in several fields including: commercial offices, residential buildings, retail outlets and sound recording studios. Environmentally sustainable design, logical, practical solutions, flexibility, proportion and respect
of materials are principal factors of his designs.
Producing a timeless style
that outlasts trends and fashion influenced by extensive travels here and abroad where
the search for both harmony
and reactive design produce
an outcome.
Strong conceptual design development skills and 'a hands on' approach to documentation and site administration ensure that each project is carefully handled with respect for the client brief and budget.

subset: commoncrawl


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New talents: Welcome to Lille Region!
19 Sep 2013 | A region on the move, Promotion
Schools that shine drive international appeal—students speak up
Lille Region is hosting an International Week for the fifth consecutive year that will run from October 7 to 11. Organized by the Regional Council, this global event brings together business partners and other key players to highlight the many resources in Northern France and promote networking. Nord France Invest will be on hand with a special session entitled "Schools that shine—and drive our region's international appeal" on October 11.
Behind the event is NFI's conviction that local authorities and businesses in Northern France can draw on a full range of resources—often overlooked—to expand their operations. Among them: a host of foreign students and the international presence of schools and universities in the region.
To define areas for future cooperation between "schools that shine" and regional entities, Nord France Invest and the regional council of Northern France are thus staging a "lab éphémère" or collective brainstorming session.
Coordinated by prominent schools and universities (Lille 1, EDHEC Business School, IEP Lille, ENSIAME Valenciennes and RUBIKA), this interactive morning event will bring new ideas into the spotlight: how can we make foreign students in our region feel more welcome—and help them fit in? How can we maintain long-term connections to them? How can we help businesses hire more candidates with international profiles? What can students do to help promote Northern France abroad? And finally, how can our region help expand the international reach of its schools and universities?
COVID: Hauts-de-France is mobilising #2
The wave of solidarity continues in Hauts-de-France. Companies such as Roquette, Lemahieu and even OVH are joining the fight against the coronavirus.
COVID: Hauts-de-France is mobilising
Switching production in favour of masks and disinfectant gel, material donations to fight isolation... here we focus on regional companies that are taking part in the "war effort".


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8+ lebenslauf machen
Try to recall, you're not required to add your motive behind resigning in your correspondence. So it's essential that you write a high-quality resignation letter before leaving work.
Your resignation letter should be properly formatted. The resignation letter is simply used once an employee wishes to exit the company. Still, it's important to write a great resignation letter for many different explanations.
The next portion of your letter must speak about the hand-off. Writing a resignation letter is not simple. A fundamental resignation letter must incorporate the simple actuality that you're resigning and the former day you may perform the job.
If you're going to say a reason in your correspondence, you might elect to write a vague one. Using a resignation letter is your best way of letting your employers know that you are planning to leave the business soon. Make sure you submit a formal resignation letter to your existing employer until you depart out of your work.
If you are going to provide a resignation letter particularly if your resignation is not immediate, there'll be opportunities that the company can have more time to screen applicants that can replace you. Writing a resignation letter might resemble a challenging job. A letter of resignation is an issue of formality. It is generally the appropriate means to make work. Besides using references such as templates and examples, there are still other things which can help you build an extremely simple resignation letter that is going to do the job best for your benefit.
As stated before, the correspondence has quite a simple letter and it's written just like any other correspondence. You are able to begin the resignation letter by fixing your recipient politely and saying that you would like to resign from the present job. When you get started writing your resignation letter, then you ought to be direct and right to the stage. A normal resignation letter is an easy resignation letter that's written to alert to the management the intentions of a worker to resign from their current position in a company or an organization.
There are many reasons why it is vital for you to generate a resignation letter. It is a way to adopt the new and allow the previous ideas and options. A letter of resignation is a practical record that might be used in several exit situations. The resignation letter must include a succinct explanation of why you are leaving the firm. Before you commence writing your resignation letters, there are just a few things which you should consider as a way to produce your resignation process a smooth one. If you're still unsure on whether to compose a simple resignation letter or not, believe us when we say that we've a good deal of benefits which are waiting for you whether you will choose to own one.
The correspondence contains your information on the ideal top corner that is followed by the information about the manager. When it's to do with writing a resignation letter, you need to make sure you pick the correct words to prevent any mistakes and erroneous impressions. Even though resignation letters are typically the last official communication you've obtained with the business, it is crucial not to burn any bridges. A well-written resignation letter provides enough info to produce the employer feel great about the guy resigning.
Resignation letters ought to be edited to match your own personal circumstance. It is vital to be aware that resignation letters are not rants on why you're leaving your job or why you're miserable by it. A resignation letter part of suitable resignation etiquette. An official record, it should follow the following format. The form of sample resignation letter you will follow depends largely on your personal situation, and also the sum of notice you are in a position to devote before leaving your current location of employment.
You just need to abide by some of our hints on how best to resign, and a few things that you need to remember when creating a resignation letter. Letters of resignation shouldn't be utilized to solicit a counteroffer. A resignation letter could be used for many different circumstances. It may seem unnecessary once you're moving on from a job, but you shouldn't ever walk off without submitting a formal letter of resignation to your manager.
Open the word processing applications you are using to compose your essay. The excellent thing about arranging a biography essay is an established arrangement, not just in MLA format style, but in addition in the effortless business of the content. It supplies a liberty from research that other types of writing do not. State that the most crucial information you need your visitors to learn from the own essay, but don't introduce any new info on your decision. Be descriptive and you'll draw the reader to the experience and allow it to be more believable.
Even though your autobiography has to be professional, it shouldn't be dry and excessively formal. Writing an autobiography may be an intimidating task, but if broken down into measures, the procedure is much more manageable. Keep the focus on such facet of your autobiography which made you want to compose it to start with. A brief formal autobiography is a chance to provide readers a capsule overview of who you are and everything you have accomplished.
You may want to reorder the biography as you collaborate. Christian biographies are composed to meet a large selection of needs. Obtaining your biography published on Google is simpler than you could think. Depending on what precisely the biography is used for, though, a professional fulltime teacher's bio can be as short as a paragraph. If you are writing a biography to your very first time, then speaking to a writing template can enable you to conserve time.
In the event you opt to get the last version of your biography interpreted, take the opportunity to find a great translator having experience in similar sorts of translation, to provide the most natural, eloquent translation. APA format involves a running head centered in addition to the page with a page number.
Review the right format prior to working on your own bibliography so that you will be aware of what information to record from each source you locate. Make sure you have sufficient information from the interview in order to write a complete paper about the topic you've chosen. Try not to include information you don't need other people to know or that may be considered offensive. Decide what you're likely to include and the way you are going to arrange the info. You're likely to want several types of advice for each and every kind of source.
Decide where you wish to get the book bar. Famous is, clearly, relative. Therefore, producers of audio books have a tendency to choose professionals whose voice matches a specific job (though in certain instances they may use unique individuals, such as the author himself in case of an autobiography). MLA only recommends you don't. MLA and APA writing styles are just two of the most ordinary writing styles for all types of academic papers. APA writing style is most commonly utilised in humanities newspapers.
Find out the way you need to present your life's information. Regardless of how the spiritual life was restrictive in several ways, it opened many career options to women. Writing a short autobiography might also be therapeutic as it will be a chance to examine your life and accomplishments. Though you have to present your complete life experience, but it does not mean that you can't play with various styles of presentation.
You're in a position to tell a valid story, word-for-word, or when you'd rather, you can base your story on an event that really happened and spice this up a tad with contrived events. Obtain a legal release from anyone you will need to have on your narrative whose title or actions are easily recognizable to the public, especially in the event the role they'll play at the telling of your authentic story is an issue of opinion rather than a subject of public document. Decide how you are going to choose novels. Consider who's very likely to read the book, since that's the audience for the foreword. If you are using more than one book in your essay, don't forget to alphabetize your resources. There are a lot of aspiring and accomplished writers out there which firmly believe once they've written their book it'll sell itself.
Such sort of letter includes a number of perks, nevertheless there are also some dangers involved in it. Salary request letter can similarly be identified as letter of fixing salary requirements even at the commencement of your job, during job and if you're thinking of changing organization for the issue of non salary package. Hence, it must be achieved in the same professional way just like other significant documentation of business organizations is completed.
Second, the letter must accurately describe the details of the vehicle. It's also used for insurance and health care explanations. A letter requesting the conclusion of an insurance policy policy is called an insurance policy cancellation letter.
There are various kinds of approval letter. Authorization letters are extremely straightforward to write but you must format them correctly. It could be addressed to whomsoever it may concern in relation to the public attention as a notice. An authorization letter is issued by somebody, company or company concern as a way to commit the receiver with certain powers which could be anything from withdrawing money from a bank account to creating a business agreement.
Authorization letters have to be verified carefully. They are often used in banks for a number of factors. Authorization correspondence is used for lots of functions, i.e. it may be used for various professional along with private purposes if you'd like someone perform a particular job for you. To find information about writing authorization letters first you must learn the fundamental ideas to write authorization letter of expert quality.
State the function of the letter and be clear about what you want from the recipient. Sample Authorization Letter Authorization letters are legal technique to be certain an individual is allowed to access possessions of a different individual, or as a means of awarding the facility to do some work on other individual's behalf. At some stage or another, you might end up needing to compose an authorization letter to give someone permission to execute a specific activity or to attain something on your benefit. In instances such as this, you have to write an authorization letter in order to publish the info. An authorization letter is a significant document and you are going to want to ensure that it's a closely worded document that cannot be negotiated or misconstrued in any manner. Bank authorization letters are created in your behalf that you would need to perform in order to delegate to an assistant, worker or a relative that will represent you in the event you're unable to undertake such job yourself.
The main reason for writing a consent letter will be to seek an individu approval for some task that you must undertake. Also once you write a permission letter, be sure that you sign it and also maintain a replica of the correspondence with to steer clear of any type of misunderstanding later on. Sometimes, the term consent letter is also utilized to be a sign of a letter that's being written to allow someone permission to perform a particular job, as an example, deciding on a field excursion.
Try to recall the aim of the letter is to join all the details on the subject accessible, to ensure that more letters won't have to get written back and forth. It is very important that before you draft the letter and you also get in touch with somebody who has done passport work before, who will be able to aid you with the procedure. Please note that the differing details that were given in the letter are untrue. Authorization letters are needed for authorizing a person to execute your legal, business, health, and other applicable transactions for your benefit. In case of any misdoing, an authorization letter could be applied as legal evidence. A touch authorization letter has to be kept business oriented since it is utilized in a professional setting.
As soon as a letter as such will offer an authority to the man or woman to do the task for you, it must be composed with extra care and attention. If you believe writing an official letter will wear out you, then you are not alone. Finally, you need to keep in mind that writing a formal letter isn't difficult if you understand and stick to the fundamental rules and the arrangement of this letter. Thus, it's vital to learn how to compose an official letter efficiently. Composing an official correspondence can be considered an intimidating task by individuals. Last, such formal letters have to get written in a transparent way, for its complete efficacy.


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Michelle B Michelle joined the peak 24 community in May of 2016. Recently, she joined our 9 week body transformation challenge. Michelle has lost an amazing 37 cm along with 6.5% of her body weight. Her wall sit time and beep test push ups increased by over 100%. Her success came from combining personal training sessions with Chloe, a structured nutrition plan and small group training sessions each week. She admits "I hate cardio", "But I really enjoy the group classes". Each week her confidence grows and we couldn't be prouder to have her as a part of the peak community. " I wouldn't of been able to do this without the support of Chloe and Cameron and would love to thank them for their support, "- -Michelle Rebecca B "Congratulations to one of our challenge winners Bek on these amazing results! In just...Read More
It's icy. It's cold. It's windy. It's winter. But you shouldn't let all of that slow you down. Inevitably, when winter kicks in, we tend to lose...Read More
Why bother with bland, powdery store-bought pancake mix, when this carrot and banana pancake recipe only requires a few ingredients? Combine superfoods and flip the healthiest pancakes you've ever served...Read More
This Super Green Detox Drink is the perfect beverage to whip up after a week of indulging. From the infinite spectrum of green juices to green smoothies, green-based drinks...Read More
Grapes and avocado are a match made in salad heaven! Crisp juiciness from the grapes deliciously complements the avocado's smooth, buttery texture. Paired with bright celery, sweet apple slices,...Read More
We love clean desserts! Thankfully, you don't have to miss out on the sweet things in life in order to be healthy. So, the next time your sweet tooth...Read More
How fit are you, really? There is no one universal way of measuring someone's fitness level. Nonetheless, many of us are interested to know how fit we are, or how...Read More
When you're craving a less-than-healthy snack, quinoa protein bars are a great way to satisfy that craving while maintaining your healthy diet. This delectable snack combines quinoa and dark chocolate, as well as...Read More
Have you been looking for a light, healthy, and tasty Thai dish that is quick and easy to make? Here is a yummy recipe that you can make in...Read More
Looking for a refreshing, healthy dessert? Believe it or not, you don't have to dive into a tub of sugary, store bought ice cream! Make your own creamy, soft-serve...Read More


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Sleek yet protective !
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This was one of the best cases I have ever purchased. From now on this is my phone case provider.
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This is my second supcase and I absolutely love it. I love the thin design and that it protects very well when my phone has been dropped.
A Perfect Pick For Your Iphone6
I fell in love with this case the moment I laid my eyes on it. Its clear covering that do not hide the beauty of any iphone. In fact, this even makes your phone more elegant yet not compromising the safety of your unit in case of an accidental drop. I hope this will be available to Philippines soon. Thus, a perfect pick for your Iphone6.
I ordered this case because it was a complete enclosure for my phone. Little did I know that I had bought a very good case. I have dropped my phone twice in the case, once on ceramic tile...on the corner of the phone and not a scratch, crack or ding. Love it. Not to mention it is completely clear and I can show my phone's colors...


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"Lose It," a leak off of the forthcoming Mac And Cheese: The Album, is vintage French Montanain that is absolutely stacked with A-list rappers — Lil Wayne and Rick Ross on the feature, Kanye Westx The Mekanics on the production. Add this one to the laundry list of #FreeGuwop tracks out there right now. This track is good to Lil Wayne as his deft, agile rhymes appear favorably in contrast to the density of Rick Ross' voice and French's labored flow.
Download, Listen To This Dope Track And Tell Us What You Think!!
Download, Listen To This Dope Track And Tell Us What You Think!!
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Lose It (Gucci Mane) Ft Rick Ross & Lil Wayne (Prod. By Kanye West) by French Montana ( 0 Bytes )


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John Doerrer, the former head of Mayor Richard Daley's office of intergovernmental affairs, allegedly helped engineer the hiring of an unqualified teenage building inspector in 2004, according to court documents and statements Monday in the City Hall corruption trial.
Doerrer was among several city officials pressured by a high-ranking union leader to hire his 19-year-old son, lawyer Patrick Deady said in his opening statement. Deady represents defendant Timothy McCarthy, who once worked for Doerrer.
Monday was the first time that Doerrer's name surfaced in the hiring probe. Prosecutors had previously described in court filings "a top IGA official" who played a key role in the hiring of the teenager, but authorities had not identified Doerrer by name.
Doerrer, who has not been charged, left City Hall last July amid accusations that a massive hiring scheme was centered in the office of intergovernmental affairs. Doerrer and his lawyer have declined to comment.
The hiring of the building inspector, Andrew Ryan, embarrassed Daley because it occurred the year after a nightclub stampede and a porch collapse. After Ryan's job made headlines, the city forced him to resign for allegedly falsifying his application.
At the time, administration officials said Ryan wasn't hired because of clout. His father, Thomas Ryan, is secretary-treasurer of Carpenters Union Local 13, a Daley ally.
When Andrew Ryan was found unqualified for the job, Doerrer allegedly told Thomas Ryan how his son could appeal to the Personnel Department. The son submitted an embellished application so that he appeared qualified.
Doerrer allegedly held up Andrew Ryan's hiring until the teenager completed a home-inspection course. Andrew Ryan was hired after Doerrer cleared him and a top Buildings Department inflated the teenager's interview score, prosecutors contend.
Deady said his client "had little or nothing to do with what Tommy Ryan did for his son." The elder Ryan "went right to the decision makers," Deady said.


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How do I log in to my BBVA Account?
What details do you need to access the global position of your account and how do your username and password work? BBVA lets you log in to your account from any device with an internet connection. Access all your BBVA Account information quickly and easily without needing to wait in line at a branch.
In the home screen of your Private Area, you can access the following sections with a single click:
- My month: list of your monthly income and expenses
- Accounts: view your movements, available balance and other advanced options.
- Cards: information about your BBVA credit and debit card activity
- Other: information about investment plans, savings plans, insurance, etc.
What login information is required?
To log in to your BBVA Account on any device, you must provide the following information: username and password.
The login username has the following characteristics:
- It will always be your DNI (Spanish ID) or NIF/NIE/passport (if you are a foreigner) with the uppercase letters and no spaces or hyphens. For example: 52367863D.
- Important: never use your email, telephone number, or any other personal details.
A BBVA Account login password must meet the following requirements:
- Maximum length of 6 characters (letters and numbers).
- No spaces.
- No symbols ($, %, &, /, etc.).
When creating a password, consider the following tips to increase security:
- Do not disclose your password to anyone.
- Your BBVA Account login password must be different to your card PIN number.
- If you suspect that a third party has gained access to your password, change it immediately.
- Never disclose your password by telephone, email or SMS. BBVA will never ask you to provide your password in any of these ways.
If you are not sure what your password is, you need to remember where you signed up in your BBVA Account.
Whatever method you used to sign up, if you forget your password, you can retrieve it by following this link.
What options are there for logging in?
- At the top right of the website, there is a blue "Customer Login" button. Click on this button and a drop-down box will open asking you to enter your login information.
- Enter your login information (your username and password).
- Click on the blue "Log in" button below.
Please remember that BBVA recommends using Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 (or later versions) to log in through the website.
If you are browsing the bbva.es website on your cell phone, open the side menu (top right) and press "Log in".
You must first download the App:
- Android: available in the Play Store. We recommend using an Android 5.2.0 operating system or later. Some recently added shortcuts require Android 7.1 or later.
- iOS: For the app to work properly, we recommend using an iOS 9.0 operating system or later.
Enter your login information (your username and password) and then press the blue "Log in" button below.
- If you use a tablet to log in to your BBVA Account, simply follow the same instructions as for cell phones.
- Log in to bbva.es from a web browser
- Download the BBVA app.


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Ravaged by flood waters, WV businesses work to rebuild economy
GREENBRIER COUNTY (WSLS 10) - FEMA approved more than $28 million in aid to help parts of West Virginia after a number of counties were ravaged by flood waters.
It's not just the area that needs rebuilding, but the economy as well.
On a normal day at Cook's Country Kitchen, you hear and smell the kitchen at work. Management says on average, they serve up to 220 people. But because of the floodwaters, the restaurant remains empty.
"We actually went to the other side of the building because the propane tanks kept hitting over here," recalled Dana Payne, owner of Cook's Country Kitchen.
Now, that's the least of Payne's concerns.
"Well I've been closed since the 23rd and my business operates on a daily basis on how many people come in," explained Payne. "So, I've had absolutely zero income since the 23rd."
That also goes for Payne's 17 employees are volunteering to help mop up the mess.
"Tuesday, we actually went through and repainted the tables because we scrubbed them so hard we got the paint off and had to repaint them," said Payne. "We have to wash every dish, every piece of silverware, every plastic tub, and everything that food could come possibly close to being in."
In some areas Payne said she had close to 5 feet of water inside her business. Waterlogged drywall and cabinetry had to come out.
Since her doors shut, she's lost nearly $50,000 in revenue and that's not all.
"Financially I lost everything in my walk-in and freezer," Payne told us. "I just got an order in that Tuesday. In just those two areas about $7,000 and that doesn't count any dry goods I've had to throw away."
She's not alone. The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security states nearly 125 businesses were lost.
"If we're not able to get our businesses back up and running, if we have a very slow, dry tourist season and go into the winter when those months are sparse anyways, it will be very difficult for these small business owners to stay in business," said Heather Falls, the executive director of the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce.
The Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce said the county has lost thousands of dollars in revenue. Many business owners are left trying to work at the task ahead, cleaning up.
Cook's Country Kitchen is working to reopen July 22.
Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved


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V o t e d B e s t D a n c e S t u d i o !
C e l e b r a t i n g 4 0 Y e a r s !
January - February 2020
Miss Cindy, the teachers and staff wish to thank all of you for your generosity and thoughtfulness during the holiday season. We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all the best for the New Year.
Our school closes when Quakertown School district closes due to inclement weather. Dancers, please attend your scheduled makeup class for any classes missed. Gymnasts, please call 215-257-4121 or 215-536-6755 and schedule a makeup class.
Tentative Recital Dates – June 18, 19, & 20 – We close each school year with our recitals. This is the highlight of
your child's dance year. It requires the purchase of a costume. All final payments for costumes were due by
December 20. Please check to make sure you are up to date. Final payments must be paid by Jan. 11 to avoid a
late charge. A $5.00 charge will be added to each costume after Jan. 11.
REMINDER – February tuition is due the first week of January. A 10% service fee will be added to all outstanding tuition starting JANUARY 15, 2020. No exceptions. Please make sure your February tuition is paid and that your costume is paid in full by January 11. This is necessary to order costumes and receive them in time for photos, competition etc. All costume payments were due by December 20.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES: Celebrate your birthday at Miss Cindy's with a dance or a gymnastics party. We set up, clean up and entertain the children at the party. If interested in scheduling a party, please call the studio at 215-536-6755. Dates are filling up.
All company dance classes and the gymnastic teams are preparing for the competition. You must attend your classes unless you are sick. PARENTS, please notify the studio when your child is absent, so we know where your child is.
Solos, duos, and trios will be billed if 24 hours cancellation notice is not given.
REMINDER: ALL CHRISTMAS SHOW CAST MEMBERS: Costumes must be cleaned and returned next week – Jan. 6, 7, and 8 in Studio I from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Thank You!!!!
The studio hallways in Quakertown are impossible to keep warm because of the doors opening continually throughout the day. Please feel free to use the waiting rooms and the back rooms on each floor. They have extra heat that can be turned on if necessary.
Dance news: We have a few openings in our tot, pre-schoool and kindergarten classes. Please let us know if you are interested.


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TOP 10 most delicious soups
The taste and color, as we know, no friends. But, there are dishes famous all over the world, and is undeservedly neglected by the General public. Talk about Ukrainian borscht, a thankless task, there is the authority priznan wherever possible, but many other soups. little-known, and it's not their fault, and our fault. Well, we will try to correct this unfortunate misunderstanding and will make a rating of the most delicious soups in our, naturally, taste.
And you can vote for or against, or add recepty their favorite soups, we will only be grateful.the cabbage soup. soup, soup, recipe, food, first, hash. food, soup .
Soup Fergana
For cooking you will need: 500g of chicken, 5 pieces medium carrots, root parsley, 3 medium potatoes, 2 tables. spoon of sunflower oil, 1-1,5 teaspoon chopped dill, salt and pepper to taste.
Now start cooking: cut the meat in small pieces, parsley root shinkuem thin slices, potato slices, carrot slices in half. Meat spread on a frying pan and gently fry in vegetable oil for about 10-13 minutes. Add carrots, sliced parsley root and fry for another 5-7 minutes. Put it all in an enamel saucepan, add salt, pepper. Pour 1,5 l of boiled hot water, add the potatoes and cook for 20-25minutes.
To prepare:100g interior pork fat, a small head of cabbage, 2 pickled cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 3 medium carrots, 200g ground beef, 4-5 potatoes, oil, salt, 1 Bay leaf, sour cream. Continue reading
The best dishes from around the world
If you love to eat out and find a dish that will decorate your Christmas table, then you've come to the right place, because Ilive is the continuation of the article "Top 50 dishes around the world." Today we will introduce you to dishes and products which gained the love of people and are very popular all over the world.
25. Crab in butter, India
To get to the people taste and aesthetic pleasure, the crab will have to suffer and, as in the fairy tale "the little humpbacked Horse", to swim in a VAT, not only with milk and water, and boiling oil. Each piece of crab is soaked with garlic-butter sauce, the aroma of Indian herbs gives a perfect flavor. But the main thing is that the crab can be eaten whole, without brushing. His armor is very delicate and creates a fantastic range of flavors.
24. Champ, Ireland
Irish national dish Champ is destroyed faster than the first pint on Friday. Oh! By the way, Champ is mashed potatoes with scallions, butter, salt and pepper. The perfect addition to any meat or fish. Or maybe meats and fish – the addition to Champa? However, in order to understand this, better check yourself, for example, in any Irish pub. Continue reading
Salad with tongue and vegetables and the pomegranate
Surprise guests at the Banquet table with an exquisite tasting salad with language and pomegranate
Beef tongue – the product is actually very tasty and almost universal. No wonder in many cuisines it is considered a delicacy. From the language it is possible to prepare a variety of dishes, ranging from soups and ending with a boiled piece of meat, thinly sliced and served under a favorite sauce.
Today I offer to your attention a salad, vegetables and pomegranate. The exquisite combination of products makes it a rich and hearty enough, and ruby pomegranate seeds give the salad a noble language, and very spectacular view.
You can serve it on a festive birthday table, treat favorite guy on Valentine's Day or to treat my friends on 8 March.
for the broth:
1 white root (parsley, parsnips, celery), Continue reading


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Gold Supplier
ISO Certification
Sci-Tech Research and Development
DSMAC Wear-Resistant Materials Allied Institute, attached to DSMAC and founded in 2000, is the earliest and most powerful institute for comprehensive technology development of mining machinery and wear-resistant materials in China. It focuses for a long time on the fundamental research for the heavy machinery wear-resistant materials, the outfit research of key projects and process, and the development and research of engineering equipments, national key technology equipments and new products.
Our institute has established technology cooperation and academic communication with over ten universities and designing institutes, including Xi'an Jiaotong University, Materials and Technology School of Zhengzhou University, Henan University of Technology, Harbin Materials Institute, etc.
Xi'an Jiaotong University and DSMAC Wear-Resistant Materials Allied Institute
DSMAC is a high-tech enterprise which specializes in researching and manufacturing wear-resistant materials and crushing engineering technology equipments. While Wear-Resistan Materials Institute of Xi'an Jiaotong University embodies the supreme level of wear-resistant materials in China and the advanced standard worldwide.
3d百位振幅遗漏走势图Through our cooperation, the new wear-resistant materials research result of Xi'an Jiaotong University has continuously been entering our company, which is not only the most important participant of scientific research project, but also the perfect production base of the new research result.


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So when she dropped by the Howard Stern show this morning and the conversation rolled around to her ill-fated relationship with 50 Centshe wasted no time in getting right to the heart of what caused this already unlikely couple to go their separate ways. Chelsea handler dating 50 Monday january 25, he could rapper 50 cent while now. Discussion in ' Celebrity News and Gossip ' started by pimp1big1Oct 31, By Tashara Jones. Register to update information, save favorites, post photos, news stories and comments.
By Cassie Carpenter for MailOnline.
She may be happily married now, but Ciara was definitely singing an entirely different tune only a few years ago. Online fuel management is provided through the use of web portals to provide detailed fueling data, usually vis a vis the back end of an automated Did hercules and xena hook up fuel-management system. Click HERE to refresh your memory. Who is 50 Cent dating? All Rights Reserved.
2019 © websiteexplorer.info. All Rigths Reserved. All models were 0ver 18 y.o.


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Footage from last month's 9th Wonder TRUE SCHOOL event, KAZE performing Jeru the Damaja's "Come Clean."
co hosted by Kyle Santillian of 102Jamz. Music by The Remix Project.
Archive for January, 2010
KAZE @ 9th WONDER's PETE ROCK/PRIMO TRIBUTE 12/12/09Friday, January 29th, 2010
Footage from last month's 9th Wonder TRUE SCHOOL event, KAZE performing Jeru the Damaja's "Come Clean."
VOTE for KAZE! 2010 NCUMA Nominee for "BEST NEW ARTIST."Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
KAZE on the MIDDLE EAST MICFEST TOUR 2010!Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Im joining forces with some of the dopest up and coming talent in the Southeast for the MIDDLE EAST MICFEST TOUR 2010.  Coming to a city near you! For more info, go to WWW.MICFEST2010.COM
Jan 22 2010 9:00P
Somewhere Else Tavern – Â Greensboro, North Carolina
Jan 23 2010 9:00P
Rana Loca – Â Winson Salem, North Carolina
Feb 20 2010 9:30P
Jammin Java – Â Vienna, Virginia
Feb 26 2010 8:00P
Lenny's Bar & Grill –  Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 13 2010 9:00P
The Camel – Â Richmond, Virginia
Mar 24 2010 7:30P
The 8×10 – Â Baltimore, Maryland
Mar 27 2010 9:00P
Ruckus Pizza & Bar – Â Raleigh, North Carolina
Apr 2 2010 9:00P
The Half Shell – Â Virginia Beach, Virginia
Apr 9 2010 9:00P
Awful Arthur's Towers –  Roanoke, Virginia
More dates to be added, stay tuned!
HAPPY NEW YEAR !Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Kaze and his team from kazemusic.com wish you all a happy new year 2010!
Watch out for more material from Kaze, new music, new videos and lots of entertainment for the fans of course.
Thanks for the support and love in the past year, let's keep it moving in 2010!


text: Story Real Estate: Key Lime Pie at the StackName: Story Real Estate: Key Lime Pie at the StackDate: September 11, 2019Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDTEvent Description:Story Real Estate wants your thoughts! Help them decide what the unique brick stack on the corner of A and Almon Street (The Stack) should become! A bakery? A brunch spot? A boutique? Tell Story Real Estate for a chance to win a $50 Moscow Food Co-op gift card AND $50 Tapped- Taphouse & Kitchen gift card! The Story Real Estate team, alongside Thompson Development LLC, will be serving homemade key lime pie with local, greenhouse grown key limes. Come share your opinion, and eat the best pie of your life!