In the News

Students with an interest in nature can attend environmentally themed classes from kindergarten through graduation in the Lafayette Parish School System’s environmental science academies.

The system has three schools of choice which focus on the environment, with environmental science academies at L. Leo Judice Elementary, Lafayette Middle and Northside High.

E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the U.S. In 2007, Americans got rid of 27 million TVs, 205 million computer products and more than 100 million cellphones and PDAs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Just 16% of that was recycled.

"America’s Hottest Species," a report produced by the Endangered Species Coalition, provides information on 10 of the top endangered wildlife, fish and plants experiencing the impacts of climate change.

The newly developed CityCenter community in Las Vegas, Nev. recently added a piece of environmental art to its fine art collection. The 87-foot long, 3,700 pound sculpture hangs horizontally from steel cables above a registration desk. The sculpture depicts the Colorado River, complete with its meanders and swells at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The sculpture was also made with environmentally conscious materials, being cast in reclaimed silver. It is aptly named "Silver River."

This summer, Maryland tried to address a growing problem in the Chesapeake Bay: there are too few blue crabs and too many licensed watermen. Efforts were directed to a particular set of watermen, the 3,676 individuals holding "limited crab catcher" licenses. A little more than half of the watermen in Maryland hold this kind of license.

Glowing clouds were spotted recently across the night skies of the United States. The striking display is the result of noctilucent or "night shining" clouds 50 miles above the earth’s surface at the boundary between the earth’s atmosphere and space.

For the past 3 years, California has been struggling to find a solution to their shrinking water supply. With the population in California growing, the state must quickly find solutions. In February, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that there must be a 20% reduction on per capita use of water; something simple to strive to, but challenging to implement.

Bill Deutsch of Auburn University’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures is the co-founder of the Alabama Water Watch program. This program, funded by the EPA, enlists middle and high school students in the area to perform water quality tests to evaluate farm run-off leading to the Gulf of Mexico.

The World Conservation Society, based in New York, recently discovered a new pod of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Bengal coast. Before this find, numbers were expected to be fewer than 150 individuals. WCS announced on March 30th that their find contained an estimated 6,000 dolphins.

Minnesota is one of the first states to offer a true state-run recycling program for citizens and is constantly upgrading its facilities to improve quality. Their current focus is on food waste recycling and composting.