Article Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Written by - Sara Miller Llana - November 12th, 2008

A new Brazilian program, run by a private foundation, illustrates a new way of thinking about saving forests - the economy drives conservation.

Costa do Arara, Brazil - Deep in the Amazonian rainforest, communities like this one, where 300 families spread out along the banks of the river in wooden huts on stilts, have been at the center of the world's greatest environmental debate: how to save the Amazon. But these communities, and their local officials, have long been left out of negotiations.

Now, leaders in Brazil's state of Amazonas are starting an incentive program that pays residents not to cut down trees.

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Article Source: Worldwatch Institute

Written by - Gary Gardner - November 12th, 2008

Bicycle production was up 3.2 percent in 2007 to 130 million units, a continuation of the upward trend that has characterized production for most of this decade. Global output continued to be largely a Chinese affair, as China produced two of every three bikes made worldwide. India, the European Union, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Brazil were the next five largest producers, accounting together for about a quarter of the total. Cycling is potentially an important mode of sustainable transport: it is non-polluting, inexpensive, and good for users' health and the quality of urban life. But the amount of cycling in most cities worldwide remains well below its potential.

The share of all trips made by bike varies greatly among countries. Chinese cities still register some of the highest cycling rates in the world, despite growing consumer interest in private automobiles. In the most cycled cities, such as Tianjin, Xi'an, and Shijiazhuang, the bicycle accounts for more than half of all trips. In the west, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have the highest rates of cycling, ranging from 10 to 27 percent of all trips. This compares with about 1 percent of trips in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

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Article Source: Worldwatch Institute

Written by - Ben Block - Novemeber 5th, 2008

Renewable energy is on the rise worldwide as governments attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create domestic energy sources. Despite a variety of international organizations that are helping with the clean energy transition, IRENA's leaders said no single agency addresses the local, national, and international needs of both developed and developing nations.

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Article Source: The Daily Camera

Written by - Daniel Zantzinger - November 7th, 2008

Accessing November’s night sky is as easy as glancing upward with the naked eye, but a cornucopia of celestial treats awaits skywatchers who make the effort to dig a little deeper.

Two bright lights in the southwestern sky, planets Venus and Jupiter, are eye-catching at dusk. Early in the month, it’s easy to tell them apart when one remembers that the brighter one, Venus shining at a magnitude of minus-4.0, is lower to the right, and Jupiter, magnitude minus-2.1, is much higher to the left. Venus shifts to the lower left of Jupiter by month’s end.

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