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2012 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins In Florida

Today, May 1st,  marks the first day of sea turtle nesting season in Florida. Sea turtles are such majestic creatures, reptiles who can trace their lineage back to prehistoric times. They have survived the test of time, but today, all seven species of sea turtles are endangered.  Three of these species-  the hawksbill, the kemp's ridley (the tiniest and rarest sea turtle), and the leatherback ( at up to 1500 pounds, the world's largest and fastest sea turtle) -are critically endangered. ...

Endangered Baby Sea Turtles Die Because Fort Lauderdale Fails to Enforce Lighting Ordinance

Close to 90% of sea turtle nesting in the US occurs in Florida. The City of Fort Lauderdale advertises sea turtle nesting season (March-October) on its website.  Yet, Fort Lauderdale is also a city that prides itself as an international tourist destination. Humans can create many perils for sea turtles during nesting season. These include plastic and other litter left on the beach that can entangle or block the sea turtle's way and beach furniture that can entrap turtles. But, by far the worst ...

Students Heading Back To School Go Green

Image via Wikipedia Students Heading Back To School Go Green- Click This Link to See a Recent Channel 10 Interview with Ian and Maria Its wonderful to see so many 'green' back-to-school products this year out in stores. All companies want to be green  and some are greener than others, so make sure you do your homework before making those purchases. Look for products made from post-consumer recycled materials and products bearing the Forest Stewardship Council logo. Products bearing th...

Florida’s Great Senator- The Oldest Cypress Tree in North America

Every young student can tell you what are the biggest theme-park attractions in Orlando.  But probably very few can tell you about Big Tree Park, home Florida's oldest and most distinguished resident, the Senator bald cypress tree. Located in Longwood, FL , the Senator majestically looms high as if he could touch the clouds, above a land blanketed with way too many strip malls and concrete. Big Tree Park, part of the Spring Hammock Preserve is a nice reprieve from the modernized world and als...

Vegetable Planting Guide by Month for South Florida Gardeners

Gardens can be planted year-round in Florida, but fall is the preferred seed-planting season. Below is a planting guide published by the University of Florida/IFAS with recommendations for vegetable planting by month. Many factors influence the productivity of a garden -including; soil quality, water, drainage, amount of available sunlight, nutrients and integrated pest management. We'll explore some of these in later posts. Happy Planting! January February March April...

Living Beyond Earth’s Budget & Happiness

Thanksgiving is a recognizable holiday to most Americans but can anyone remember the event that fell on September 25th of this year? September 25th was Earth Overshoot Day and marked the day when humanity begins living beyond its ecological means. According to the Global Footprint Network, collectively at the present time, humanity is using 1.4 planets worth of resources. Many people in western countries like the US  are using four to five planets worth of resources. Since we only have one...