ABC asks the bold question: What will the world look like in the year 2100? How will human civilization continue in the face of rising populations, depleting natural resources and changing climates? ABC News is asking for the public's input for Earth 2100, a two-hour broadcast to air in prime time this fall.

The first installment asks about the near future, in the year 2015. Video submissions can be entered until Sunday. So far, prognostications have been made about gasoline being at over $9 a gallon -- at American prices -- and foods becoming at least three to five times more expensive than they are now.

Scenarios are set up for every region in the world. In Africa, global climate change leads to increasing desertification and more Darfur-like violent clashes among tribes.

Deforestation and destruction of natural habitats will be exacerbated in Latin America.

China and India, which each have populations of over 1 billion, will struggle to keep their populations fed.

As for the United States, major population centers on the East Coast will be ravaged by storms and the Southwest will become a dust bowl.

How will the world adapt? Let Earth 2100 know.

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You may not be knee-deep in marine algae like these Olympic workers clearing a Chinese sailing waterway this week, but who do you call when you notice the South Bay shoreline is looking just a bit, well, icky?

Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean, has set up a hotline for South Bay residents and those in surrounding areas to report any pollution they think is adversely affecting the wonderful beaches, water or animal life.

While you may not be sailing in the Olympics, at least you can contribute to keeping our beaches world-class.

Heal the Bay hotline numbers for South Bay cities:

General info / Stormwater and Dumping / Sewage spills

Artesia 562-865-6262 562-865-6262 562-865-6262
El Segundo 310-524-2300 310-524-2742 310-524-2742
Gardena 310-217-9500 310-217-9568 310-217-9568
Hawthorne 310-970-7902 310-970-7955 310-970-7955
Hermosa Beach 310-318-0239 310-318-0214 310-318-0214
Inglewood 310-412-5301 310-412-5333 310-412-5333
Manhattan Beach 310-802-5000 310-802-5363 310-802-5363
Palos Verdes Estates 310-378-0383 310-378-0383 310-378-0383
Rancho Palos Verdes 310-377-0360 310-544-5252 310-544-5252
Redondo Beach 310-372-1171 310-318-0661 310-318-0686
Rolling Hills 310-377-1521 310-377-1521 310-377-1521
Rolling Hills Estates 310-377-1577 800-303-0003 888-253-2652

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Intense smoke is choking Northern California.

And although the particles from the more than 1,000-plus wildfires burning up north have yet to have any noticeable effect on South Bay skies, air quality is always a concern in the congested L.A. area, especially in summer.

Unlike traditional weather reports that give you generic results for the entire day, Air Now gives you up-to-the-minute details on how our air is faring.

The site details air quality for more than 50 California regions. You can check out a map to see how your air compares with what folks up north or down south are breathing in, and compare today's results with those from yesterday, or even from months ago.

If you're planning a trip north, the site can also help you prepare for what may be a smokey journey.

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If not, you're in luck, because it's National Pollinator Week. To celebrate, www.pollinator.org has loaded up its Web site with downloadable handouts to educate the masses on the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem and the plight of honey bees. There is a guide for gardeners, a guide for 4th-6th grade teachers and dozens of others. There is also a menu for chefs who might want to whip up an educational dinner party with specific ingredients that honor the work of a variety of pollinators.

If you really want to get into the spirit of the week (and get some free sunflower seeds for your garden), join the research project at www.greatsunflower.org/. This group looks for volunteers to grow a specific variety of sunflower and then record how many bees visit during a specified amount of time. The results will help a formal academic study about bee populations in the southwest.

Pollinator.org's resource page has many links to other projects to help you become actively involved in helping bees in very simple ways.

RELATED POSTS:
Haagen-dazs' campaign to help the honey bees
L.A. Farm Girl on the South Bay's best produce
Sustainable Seafood Suggestions
Find a farmers' market any day in the South Bay
Help scientists look for signs of global warming in the South Bay

Posted by Daily Link at 6:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you've been rooting for the whales in the ongoing Supreme Court case involving Navy sonars and our mammoth ocean neighbors, you'll want to hear the latest news in the whaling industry.

This week's International Whaling Convention is devoted to hashing out issues in whale hunting, conservation and research. This year, it's being held in Chile, but the news hits much closer to home.

San Pedro is the home of the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles chapter. The ACS is an organization devoted to protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises.

The group has sent Kate Sardi, its national research chair, to the convention, and she's been maintaining a blog covering the event.

Follow Sardi's blog all week. Information on ACS' local marine mammal lectures and whale-watching trips is available at the Los Angeles chapter Web site. They've got a few whale-watching excursions coming up in July and August, so sign up now before all the spaces are filled up!

RELATED POSTS:
Get beach water quality conditions via text message
Sustainable seafood guide
Orcas in Redondo Beach

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Heal the Bay has a new initiative to raise awareness of water quality conditions. Ads went up on South Bay lifeguard stations to inform beachgoers to text their location and find out the Heal the Bay grade for the water. To receive text messages about South Bay beach water quality, send a text message to 23907 and type the following codes for these specific locations.
For Marina del Rey, Mothers' Beach, text mdrmothers
For Dockweiler State Beach at Ballona Creek, text ballona
For Manhattan Beach at 40th Street, text mb40
For Hermosa Beach Pier, text hermosapier
For Herondo Street storm drain, text herondo
For Redondo Beach at Avenue I drain, text avenuei
For Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, text malagad
For Palos Verdes Estates, text bluffcove
For Rancho Palos Verdes, text longpoint
For Cabrillo Beach's harborside at lifeguard tower. text cabrillo

More locations are available at the Heal the Bay website.

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Los Angeles-based and world-renowned architect Frank Gehry plans to move his office to El Segundo, so you might want to read up on him in case you happen to meet at the coffee shop.

Worldwide, his impossible-to-ignore work (even more amazing considering that he is well known for sticking to his budgets) has made him a "starchitect."

But he's been criticized for his buildings' functionless forms and possible environmental hazards (the metallic Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles was reflecting and concentrating sunlight and heat onto the surrounding streets, creating glare and causing sunburns).

A resident of Santa Monica, Gehry's architectural fingerprints are visible all over the L.A. area, including the former Santa Monica Place (the site is currently being renovated), the Venice Beach House and the Loyola University Law School. The school will take you on a virtual tour of that gem.

Another of Gehry's most well-known (and cutest -- thanks to that floral pup outside) landmarks is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. And you don't have to shell out airfare to see that one, either. Take a guided virtual tour of the "emblematic" site.

Posted by Daily Link at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spices feeling a little flat?

Worried your containers aren't eco-friendly?

The Daily Green offers six steps to clear the clutter and the chemicals from your cabinets.

It's not just about tidying up your shelves. The solutions also focus on cleaning up your diet and your shopping choices.

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If you're not aware by now, Bike to Work Week is May 12 through May 16. If the two-wheeler has been sitting in the garage throughout this week, there's no excuse not to bring it out today: Bike to Work Day.

This morning is when bicyclists are feted for using human-powered propulsion and the most energy efficient mode of transportation on Earth. Of Two Minds blogger Charles Hugh Smith estimates that a bicyclist can get and MPG of 900 -- yes nine hundred.

Pit stops are set up this morning to give thanks and free swag to bicyclists. In the South Bay, pit stops will be at the Aviation and El Segundo/Nash Metro Green Line stations and at Torrance City Hall, at Torrance Boulevard and Madrona Avenue. All of Los Angeles County's pit stops are plotted out on a Google Map.

Another freebie bicyclists might consider: free transit rides. South Bay bus and rail carriers offering free rides today are Metro, Beach Cities Transit, Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Torrance Transit. Gardena Municipal Bus Lines is also offering free rides, but its buses cannot accommodate bicycles.

Posted by Daily Link at 4:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We gave you a primer on using public transportation in the South Bay on Tuesday. We introduced you to the services provided by Metro, Torrance and Gardena. These are the three services with the largest buses and the routes on the most important streets.

Meet the South Bay's other, smaller bus services. These systems use smaller buses or only offer service for rush-hour commuters.

First is Beach Cities Transit, the South Bay's youngest bus system. The fixed-route system emerged from a dial-a-ride service provided to the beach cities. The most fun is Route 109, which parallels the coast between El Segundo and Redondo Beach. Route 102 connects the Green Line with the South Bay Galleria and the Redondo Beach Pier. Route 104 connects Riviera Village with the Del Amo Fashion Center.

The Lawndale Beat is a two-route bus system connecting Lawndale with the Green Line and the South Bay Galleria. The residential route runs along Firmona, Osage and Prairie avenues. The express route runs along Hawthorne Boulevard.

Even the cities on The Hill have a bus service: the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority. There are six routes, designated by color: green, gold, orange, blue, silver and white. The routes are tailored to senior citizens and school children, so the service coverage is very limited.

Finally, we arrive at the commuter bus options. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation runs the rush-hour Commuter Express services from the Beach Cities and the Peninsula and Harbor areas to downtown Los Angeles. A smaller commuter service, the Municipal Area Express, operates within the South Bay to take workers to and from the aerospace jobs in and around El Segundo.

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Did you know that a well-intended scattering of seeds or breadcrumbs may not be the best things for our flying friends? With the 12th International Migratory Bird Day falling on the second Saturday in May, the City of Hermosa Beach, which sees more than its share of migrating birds, points out on its Web site a list of interesting facts that may ruffle a few feathers among ornithologists, but should ensure a safer spring migratory passage for birds including terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows:

1) Southern California provides an abundant, natural, year-round food supply for birds to survive without supplementation. If humans don't feed the birds, they will not starve; they will forage for food in other places, thus dispersing their environmental impact over a wider area.

2) When supplementary food is readily available year-round the natural cycles of migration (which are largely determined by seasonal food supplies) may also be disrupted. If birds become dependent on an artificial food source, young birds may not be taught how to forage for natural foods and so risk starvation.

3) Feeding birds can lead to the spread of infectious diseases that can be fatal to certain species of birds. Veterinarians say that without easy access to bird feeders and bird baths, infected animals will die and not infect other healthy birds in the process. Bird feeders also present potential risks to birds, such as window collisions and predators.

4) Feeding birds can attract unwanted guests, like rats.

So what's a bird-lover to do? The answer: Plant native plants that provide food, cover, nesting sites or a combination of resources. Native plants provide food at different times of the year to birds in the form of seeds, fruit or as invertebrate host sites. To access a comprehensive, regionally referenced database of plants that are particularly valuable to specific birds and other beneficial organisms, visit the Audubon Society's Posted by Daily Link at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the rare chance to see the Erythrina lysistemon, also known as the Common Coral Tree, in bloom, head to the South Coast Botanic Garden, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The group’s Web site gives more information about the decorative tree, such as the fact that the trees used be planted on the graves of Zulu chiefs because of the spectacular color of its flowers. You can also find out information about the garden’s location, membership program and special events.

Posted by Daily Link at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent report from NBC's "Today Show" this week has people scrambling to check their water bottles and plastic containers because of concerns that a harmful chemical, bisphenol A, or BPA, may leach into your water or food if the plastic is exposed to heat (via microwave or dishwasher) or excessive wear (causing cracking, peels and chips). Studies have shown that BPA is linked to fertility problems, and behavioral issues among children. A final government study will be released in a few weeks.

How do you know what bottle the chemical is in? The key is to turn it over. Inside the triangular recycling symbol is a number from 1 to 7. If it has a number 1 on it, that means use it once. Then, throw it away in a recycling bin. A 2, 4 or 5 is fine to keep refilling until you see wear or cracking, then discard. But the numbers 3, 6 and 7 pose the most danger, including cancer risks.

On the "Today Show," Dr. Nancy Snyderman said, "The reality of it is that nobody knows. There's been no long-term studies. After you repeatedly beat-up plastic and hurt the integrity of the outside, do chemicals leach out into your food and water? Common sense would say, probably yes."

Check out video of the "Today Show" report for yourself.

You can also go to the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy Web site for details about the numbers on the plastic bottles. Read up on recent news reports about the bisphenol A controversy.

Posted by Daily Link at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the Daily Breeze's gardening columnist, Meredith Grenier, the South Coast Botanic Garden is at its peak this month. Check out their website to see what's blooming and what is going on in the garden community. You can also take a virtual tour on the Web site.

If you have a green thumb, now is a good time to start seedlings so you'll have plenty of fresh veggies and pretty flowers throughout the summer. Visit the Garden Guide for tips on getting things going.

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There's a global rolling black-out heading are way and it'll arrive at at 8 p.m. today.
The Earth Hour is a voluntary effort to step off the grid for just a single hour. Individuals, communities and businesses are signing up to show their support of need to be a little greener.

It started in Sydney, Australia at 8 p.m. their time ( 3 a.m. PDT). And cities and people around the world are turning off and tuning into the need to use less power.
For instance in Pasadena, at 8 p.m. today, the city has organized several no/low light events that many Pasadenans can walk to in under 20 minutes. And the City Hall dome and façade lights will be shut off for an hour as a gesture of support for the event.

Check out the Earth Hour Web site to see how individuals, communities and businesses are showing their support. It also offers ways to make a difference every day of the year.

Posted by Daily Link at 5:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stingrays are getting a lot of bad press lately. This week, we ran a brief about a girl in Fresno whose fingers were sucked up by a ray in a zoo touch tank. Last week, we had one about a woman on a boat in Florida who was killed by an eagle ray that flew out of the water and hit her in the head causing massive head trauma. A couple of years ago, Steve Irwin's death by stingray was all over the news.

So just how much should you worry about being killed by a stingray? The consensus seems to be not very much, although no one really knows how deadly they are, because no one is keeping track.

Stings are common, especially in Southern California, where about 300 people a year are stung at Seal Beach alone. In fact, more people are stung by rays than by any other kind of fish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Most often a swimmer is stung after accidentally stepping on one of the fish. But fatal damage seems to come from the barb rather than the poison, so try not to get stung in the heart or the carotid artery. If you're stung in the leg or the foot, which is where most victims get hit, you'll likely live.

Here's NOAA'S list of how not to get stung:

• Look, but do not touch or handle marine creatures.


• When walking in shallow water, shuffle your feet to alert creatures hiding on the sea floor to retreat before you step on them accidentally.


• Wear shoes and protective clothing to avoid and/or minimize getting stung or scratched.


• Be observant and look carefully where you are going.


• Skin divers, snorkelers and divers should maintain good buoyancy control at all times to avoid contact with reefs or the bottom.

Continue reading "When stingrays attack: How not to get killed by a fish" »

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Seafood Watch, a program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium helps consumers help the ocean by educating them about how to buy seafood from sustainable sources. The program writes annual regional "pocket guides" you can download and carry with you. The guides break the most common types of seafood into three categories: "Best Choices" (abundant and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways), "Good Alternatives" and "Avoid" (overfished or fished in a way that harms other marine life).

Download a printable guide for the West Coast.

Download the lists into your phone.

Sign up for a monthly Seafood Watch newsletter.

Learn how different types of seafood are fished and farmed.

RELATED LINKS:
Make a splash for World Water Week
Orcas in Redondo Beach
Find a Farmer's Market

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Despite its kitschy name, Cap'n Bob & the Damsel is a no-nonsense blog written by a South Bay couple about their life and perspectives. Full of fine photography of flowers and firearms, the site has posts about politics, science and the South Bay scene.

The bloggers, a Navy veteran who works locally as an aerospace engineer and his shutterbug wife, describe themselves in their bios as patriotic, politically active news junkies who post as a conservative counterpoint to mainstream media. Their homepage features a 9-11 Tribute that has been viewed more than 37 million times.

The duo also writes a second, more personal, South Bay-centric blog. On it, you'll find many more photos, including this one of an Easter Lily. It also has a list of the Damsel's favorite recipes, including Savory Sweet Potatoes, that sounds like it might be good with Easter ham. For his part, Cap'n Bob has has posted a "Universal Triangle Solutions Solver." The couple also posts a lot of local videos including a B-17 Bomber at Zamperini Field and a helicopter flight to Catalina Island.

We've added the sites to our blogroll.

Read on for a Q&A with Cap'n Bob about his blogging habits, thoughts on the South Bay and where he got the blog name.

Continue reading "Local bloggers on South Bay's beauty and national politics" »

Posted by Daily Link at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If one fertile female rabbit is left at the county's Alondra Park within a year's time there could be a colony of 3,500 rabbits.
This is just one of the fun facts you can find here. The Web site is run by Linda Baley from Redondo Beach, who created the rabbit adoption and information site.
The rabbits that she offers for adoption are neutered and healthy. This makes them better pets if you just have to get a bunny for Easter.
Baley's site also stresses that like all pets getting a rabbit is a commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly. Because abandoning rabbits in public parks isn't fair to them or good for the environment.

Posted by Daily Link at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just in time for the first day of spring, a story in Thursday's Breeze details the effect of global warming on season's flora and fauna. A group of scientists is hoping to create a network of "citizen scientists" to help document the changes. You can help by tracking bud bursts in your own backyard. Here's how from The Associated Press:

The National Phenology Network is enlisting volunteers to help track early spring blooms and eventually changes in animals caused by global warming. It’s called Project BudBurst. When it debuted last year, thousands of people participated in 26 states.
“All people can contribute to it by tracking the timing of flowering events or leaf-out events for plants and animals in their back yard,” said phenology network director Jake Weltzin. He calls the volunteers “citizen-scientists.”
The idea is that tracking flowers blooming — especially lilacs which everyday people have helped track for decades — is fairly simple. The Web site gives directions on what to look for in different parts of the country.

Posted by Daily Link at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's easy for Americans to take water for granted. Just turn on any tap, and it's right there for drinking. Yet UNICEF estimates that more than one billion people worldwide have little or no access to safe water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies of thirst or a water-related disease — that's nearly 6,000 children every day.

All this week (through Saturday, March 22nd) restaurants participating in The Tap Project will be offering their tap water for a minimum $1 donation. For every dollar raised, UNICEF will make sure a child has clean drinking water for 40 days.

South Bay restaurants participating in the program include the Bluewater Grill, 655 N. Harbor Dr. in Redondo Beach; the Daily Grill, 2121 Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo; BT Cafe, 2160 E Grand Ave. in El Segundo, and more. Check the Tap Project's search page for more.

Last year's event was in New York only, and it was such a success the project expanded to cities across the country. So make a difference this week: treat yourself to dinner, and some children to a precious natural resource.

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My daughter and I staked out the seascape near the Point Vicente Interpretive Center after a field trip with her preschool class on Wednesday. The volunteers who track the whale migration for the American Cetacean Society were abuzz with tales of what they saw the day before: A group of orcas heading for Redondo Beach. So we waited. And watched. And waited. But my disappointed 4-year-old pouted the whole way home because we didn't see a thing.

Turns out we should have stuck around a little longer. According to the ACS Daily Log, Wednesday was the first big day for spotting the whales' northbound return trip

Log notes for March 12:

Our first big northbound count day featured pulses of gray whales throughout the day. One whale milled nearshore for over thirty minutes. One whale BREACHED two times within 1/4 mile offshore. The three whales in our final sighting milled nearshore, and one lunged. We also saw common and bottlenose dolphin.

The log also tracks the totals for the season and has charts comparing this year to last year. Check here foroverview of the project.

Posted by Daily Link at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wild about wildflowers?

The combination of winter rains and warm weather conspire for what may be Southern California’s most vibrant spring blooms in many years, according to an LA.Com story by Breeze staff writer Jim Farber.

Want to see them?

Try George F Canyon's nature trail on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

If you want to re-create the wildflower experience in your own backyard, try this list of native plants of the Peninsula that are suitable for gardening.

If you want to get out of the South Bay, spring grasses, flowers and trees are sprouting on the Santa Monica Mountains. Annuals are in bloom at the Joshua Tree National Park in Twentynine Palms, near Palm Springs.

In Los Angeles County, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve outside Lancaster is predicting an abundant blossom of the state flower, known by its scientific name as Eschscholzia californica.

For the specifics on visiting the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, consult our Ask Us column from Feb. 12.

For links to other wildflower destinations in addition to Antelope Valley, visit the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants. It includes links to more than 90 wildflower locations, an extensive catalog of native plants and the California Wildflower Hotline, which information about what's blooming where, updated weekly .

Posted by Daily Link at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The U.S. Geological Survey released maps Wednesday showing that Burmese pythons, already present in Florida, could find hospitable climates throughout the southern and southwestern United States within the next 100 years. That's right -- 20-foot, 250-pound snakes slithering through the South Bay and Harbor Area.
USA Today reports:

"One of the USGS maps shows where the pythons could live today, an area that expands when scientists use global warming models for 2100.
'We were surprised by the map. It was bigger than we thought it was going to be,' says Gordon Rodda, a USGS zoologist and lead researcher on the project. 'They are moving northward; there’s no question.'
Burmese pythons were introduced to this country as part of the pet trade. The first specimens in the wild were discovered in the mid-1990s in the Florida
Everglades, released by owners who no longer wanted them, says Skip Snow, a wildlife biologist with the National Parks Service in the Everglades. By 2003, there was evidence that the snakes had established breeding colonies in the wild."

Posted by Daily Link at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You no doubt saw the story in Thursday's Daily Breeze about honey bees, their troubles and the troubles those troubles are causing for food businesses. If not, here's what you missed. But what you'll really be interested in is Haagen-Dazs' campaign to help the honey bees. They're donating a certain amount of their proceeds to research that will help determine what's wrong with the honey bees. And the ice-cream maker's Web site for the campaign is a real joy. Cute little bees buzz around while you learn about efforts to solve what's ailing the pollinators. (The Web site's a little sluggish, so be patient.) What we at the Breeze have been enjoying is the feature to e-mail, or bee-mail, your friends (or co-workers) about the campaign. You can even create your own bee to accompany the bee-mail. So get buzzing.

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