environment

Lutherans Help Urban Farm Take Root In Fort Lauderdale

Daniel Hicks — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:51:38 +0000

Like many young professionals, 30-year-old Chad Scott had second thoughts about his job.

He was a CPA with accounting giant Ernest & Young for more than six years before becoming an internal auditor with Miami-based Burger King International. But something was missing.

"I wanted a life I could live without anxiety," said the Pembroke Pines native, recalling all the times he was chained to a desk during tax season and wouldn't see the sun for days.

Broward County Mayor Leads Local Response To Sea Level Rise

Phil Latzman — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Even before last year's coastal calamity caused by superstorm Sandy, Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs was trying to get everyone's attention about sea-level rise and it's impact on South Florida.

Why The 'World's Weirdest Bird' Is Ditching South Florida And Heading North

Tricia Woolfenden — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:16:04 +0000

The roseate spoonbill -- often mistaken by confused tourists for the non-native flamingo -- is one of Florida's great iconic species. Dubbed "one of the most breathtaking of the world's weirdest birds" by naturalist Roger Tory Peterson, the gangly creatures are an increasingly rare sight in South Florida.

According to a feature in the May-June issue of Audubon Magazine, spoonbills have been vacating South Florida in droves, heading north to more hospitable (read: often less developed) lands.

Going The Distance To Test Those Feel-Good Coffee Labels

Dan Charles — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:34:42 +0000

What does it take to find guilt-free coffee?

Much of our coffee comes from places where the environment is endangered and workers earn very little — sometimes, just a few dollars for a whole day's work. Coffee farmers have helped cut down tropical forests, and most of them use pesticides.

It doesn't take much effort, though, to find bags of coffee with labels that promise social and environmental improvements.

Earth Day At The Restaurant: Miami Chefs Weigh In On How Pro Kitchens Can Go Green

Trina Sargalski — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:13:13 +0000

As today is Earth Day, a few Miami chefs chimed in on how they try to reduce waste or recycle at their restaurants.

Jen Chaefsky, owner and general manager of Macchialina:

“Our water glasses are made out of recycled wine bottles. It’s something small, but every little bit helps; plus it’s a cool element that guests love to learn about.”

Sam Gorenstein, chef and owner of My Ceviche:

Student Eco Film Comes Full Circle Via Miami Nature Center

Andrea Richard — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:30:31 +0000

“When you contaminate the water, you contaminate yourself,” explains science teacher Bertha Vazquez to her students at Miami’s George Washington Carver Middle School. “You’re part of an ecosystem.”

Since 1991, Vazquez has taught students what they can do to save the planet through an integrated curriculum that weaves together science, human behavior and facts about climate change.

Environment Back On The Table This Legislative Session, Says Senate Majority Leader

Tricia Woolfenden — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:07:47 +0000

Tough economic times put environmental issues on the Florida Legislature's back burner in recent years, but this session should be different, according to Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater), who sat on the panel at Monday night's Town Hall Session 2013 hosted by WLRN and the Miami Herald.

Three Miami Thinkers Take On Beavers At The End Of The World

Nathaniel Sandler — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

In 1946, a bizarre cargo shipment stopped over at the Pan American Airlines headquarters in Miami. En route to Tierra del Fuego, the southern most tip of South America, fifty North American Beavers were temporarily housed in a walk-in refrigerator maintained by the airline. The door of the fridge, however, was made of wood.

This is oversight at its worst; Beavers in a prison made of wood.

Fearing Underwater 'Silent Spring,' NOAA Seeks Public Comment On Coral Decline

Christine DiMattei — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:47:57 +0000

Corals are not as visible as panthers, manatees or dolphins. But scientists say they deserve just as much protection -- and respect -- as other animals beloved by Floridians.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed extending federal protection to 66 species of coral, including seven local species that scientists say are nearing extinction.

Bird Photos That Defy Time And Space

Claire O'Neill — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:28:53 +0000

According to legend, when asked "Why birds?" photographer Eliot Porter replied as if it were obvious: "Because they fly."

But wait! Don't dismiss these as "bird photos." First, it helps to know just how difficult it is to capture a bird in flight — especially on film. It's also good to know how special it was to be photographing in color in the 1940s, and how onerous it is to make one's own dye-transfer prints.

Considered an artist by his contemporaries, Porter's photographs have been a bit pigeonholed, if you'll pardon the pun, into the genre of naturalist photography.

Why Wading Birds Are Getting A Little Less Busy In The Everglades

Arianna Prothero — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Breeding numbers were down for some bird species for the third straight year in a row in the Everglades.

Nesting numbers for wading birds fell by 38 percent compared to the past decade. That's according to an annual survey compiled by the South Florida Water Management District.

Why The Everglades National Park Is Handing Out Anti-Vulture Kits

Arianna Prothero — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Next time you go to the Everglades you'll have the option to pick up an anti-vulture kit.

The park is offering the kits so people can protect their cars against vultures during the winter months. The black vultures sometimes rip the rubber and vinyl parts--such as windshield wipers and sunroof seals--off of cars.

A Snowball's Chance in Hell: What Are The Odds Of A White Christmas In Miami?

Kenny Malone — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, snow fell in Miami.

Seems whenever the weather gets even moderately cold, someone somewhere in South Florida invokes Jan. 19, 1977 -- the day it snowed in Miami.

Not only did the snow make front page news in The Miami Herald, the front page about snow made The Miami Herald Front Pages book.

Arnold Markowitz wrote the day's story, the beginning of which reads as follows:

Snow fell Wednesday on Miami.

Why The Woodstork Is Leaving The Everglades

Elaine Chen — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:05:19 +0000

Florida’s only wading bird on the endangered species list, the wood stork, is on the mend. From a low of about 2,500 nesting pairs in most of South and Central Florida in 1984, the bird has since grown to around 7,000 to 9,000 nesting pairs.

But it doesn't mean all is well with the Everglades.

Old Boynton Beach School Hopes 'Green' Design Wins Gold Star

Christine DiMattei — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

One of Palm Beach County's oldest public schools is hoping to become one of Florida's greenest.

Film: Why You Can't Just Live In Cities Anymore, Now You Have To Think About Them

Arianna Prothero — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:05:28 +0000

According to the World Health Organization, as of 2010, over half the world’s population lived in cities.

By 2050, that percentage is expected to increase to 70 percent.

Health Officials: No Cancer Cluster In Miami-Dade

Kenny Malone — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:06:51 +0000

The Florida Department of Health said today there is not a cancer cluster just east of Hialeah, in a neighborhood often referred to as Broadmoor.

On July 19th, 2012 a resident from the Broadmoor area, Vanessa Shelton, went before the Miami-Dade County Commission during a public hearing about a nearby metal recycling facility.

Florida Supreme Court Will Rule On Nuclear Cost Recovery Fees

Gina Jordan — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:21:10 +0000

Utility companies in Florida are allowed to charge customers for power plants that may never be built.

It’s allowed under a law passed in 2006, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy wants the law overturned.

A legal challenge is now before the Florida Supreme Court.

Proposed Windfarm Becomes A Debate Over Creating Jobs And Protecting Wildlife

Patricia Sagastume — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:54:45 +0000

When it comes to clean energy projects like wind farms, where people stand on a proposal sometimes depends on where they sit. Take the case of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, certainly a champion of green causes — until someone proposed building a wind farm off Cape Cod, where the liberal lion liked to do his sailing.

He fought the wind farm until he died.

Air: The Restless Shaper Of The World

Paul Leary — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:00:00 +0000

09/24/12 - Monday’s Topical Currents is with writer and naturalist William Bryant Logan.

Jenny Brown, Founder Of The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Paul Leary — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:00:00 +0000

09/10/12 - Monday’s Topical CurrentsThe whitewall rubber tires, which until recently had been on the bottom of the ocean floor off the coast of Broward County, now look like deflated, salt-encrusted life preservers, and reek of the decayed smell of barnacles mixed with sea spray.

Readers Share Green Flash Photos

WLRN Staff — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:40:41 +0000

Songs Of Seduction Under The Sea

Dan Grech — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:05:35 +0000

Green Flashes, Rainbows And Other Atmospheric Mirages

Sammy Mack — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:46:39 +0000

Have you ever seen a green flash? It is said to happen as the sun dips below the horizon, creating an elusive green light that appears in the sky for a fleeting moment and then disappears. Many people believe the green flash is a myth, repeated for the benefit of tourists. Others swear by its existence. So is it real?

Viewing Key West From The Front Porch

Sammy Mack — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:20:49 +0000

Journalist Frank Deford spends every winter in Key West with his wife. They rent a house, take long walks and breathe in the island air. Under the Sun producer Sammy Mack listens to Deford marvel at the view from his front porch, a relic of a bygone era. He loves the lushness of the island, so green and beautiful. To him, Key West is soft and peaceful. But above all, it is a warm escape.