Several weeks ago I told you that
a group of astronomers was going to meet and probably decertify Pluto as a real planet. Well,
it has happened.
Here is the
official release on the vote.
And, just as you might suspect, a lot of save Pluto efforts have begun. They even have
a tee shirt. See this
chat board discussion. People get pretty emotional.
This is a boon for makers and sellers of
Solar System models who will now, finally, have something new to sell. I bet planetariums, this weekend, will have new things to say. Maybe this has sparked some new interest in such things. Are school teachers changing the way they explain the solar system? Tons of
space websites, books, maps and models will have to be redone.
Will solar system maps showing Pluto as a planet become valuable? What’s the controversy about? Here is a
nice backgrounder.
I like this site, which enables you to build a scale of the Solar System. Enter, say, two inches, as the diameter of the sun and see the scale of other heavenly bodies.
I really like this one -- it is
a demonstration of how big the Solar System is. It shows you how to mark it off in a schoolyard, for example. It could be a wonderful online interactive, photo spread or television demonstration.
No doubt you learned the planets as I did and my kids did, by using learning aids: sentences that contain the first letter of each planet. The ones we used until yesterday were: "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles" or "Mother Very Easily Made Jane Stop Using Nail Polish," or "My Very Enormous Monster Just Sucked Up Nine Planets."
Maybe you could start a contest or webchat with viewers to suggest a new sentence without Pluto.
Water from the WellForty-five million Americans, about 15 percent of our population, get drinking water from private wells. Until now, there has been no national study on the quality of the water that people drink from private wells. EPA points out that these supplies are not subject to EPA standards, although some state and local governments do set rules to protect users of these wells. Unlike public drinking water systems serving many people, they do not have experts regularly checking the water's source and its quality before it is sent to the tap.
Now the US Geological Survey has released such a peek at a national study of what's in people's well water and it is worth a look. The total data release won't be out until next year but the initial summary says an awful lot of these wells have high levels of pollutants:
Inorganic compounds arsenic (11 percent) and nitrate (8 percent) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water standards in well water most often, of those wells sampled, while uranium, mercury, and fluoride also exceeded standards at a smaller percentage.
Organic compounds rarely exceeded drinking water standards; however, atrazine, metolochlor, simazine, MTBE and chloroform were all detected in more than 5 percent of the wells sampled.
Click here for a listing of your state's Groundwater Association.
Additional resources from EPA:
- Basic Information -- Learn about the types of drinking water wells and guidelines for proper construction.
- Where You Live -- Find information about private drinking water wells in your region or state.
- Frequent Questions -- This page answers questions you may have about your well water.
- Human Health -- Learn about health risks associated with drinking water wells.
- Partnerships -- Several organizations are working to keep private drinking water wells safe.
- What You Can Do -- Learn how to do your part in keeping your drinking water well safe.
- Publications -- Download or order copies of brochures, booklets, posters, reports and multimedia publications.
- Related Links -- Link to Web sites with additional information on private drinking water wells.
- Glossary -- Look up unfamiliar terms in EPA's electronic glossary.
Factory Farms Try To Clean up Image
One of the main suspects in groundwater pollution is factory farming operations that produce tons of manure sludge. Now, these huge operations that can involve thousands of animals are trying to find ways to turn waste into energy (sounds like Mad Max plot doesn't it?) The Traverse City (MI) Record-Eagle has a look.
A Dozen Ways to Cover the Environment
Vince Patton, a fine reporter (and Poynter graduate) from KGW-TV in Portland dug up a dozen story ideas and posted them on the Society of Environmental Journalists Web site.
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD: Which restaurants are selling Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, wild shrimp, swordfish, beluga caviar, etc.? And which chefs have made the decision not to offer unsustainable seafood? Provides a great venue to examine overfishing issues in any city. See "Sustainable Seafood Casts a Wider Net," via USATODAY.com
Quick Tip: Consult restaurant suppliers and chefs. Check out Seafood Watch to download the latest version of their Sustainable Seafood Guide. These are also available as wallet/pocket cards and make a great resource to make available directly to viewers through your website.
CHEMICAL COCKTAIL: What's in your garage or under your sink? Regulators require tests of all chemical products. But no one knows the result of infinite combinations of these chemicals. The scientific concern continues to rise. What could manifest itself in 20 years, or in your future offspring? There's no better way to get 'endocrine disruptors' onto a local newscast.
Quick Tip: Consult researchers at your nearest teaching hospital or medical research center. Poison control centers have basic information on single products.
WILDLIFE OFFICERS: These guys are starving for media attention. Build trust and they'll take you out on stakeouts and undercover assignments busting illegal fishermen, hunters, poachers, polluters, etc. Caviar poaching in Oregon/KGW-TV.
Quick Tip: Check with your state Fish and Wildlife agency as well as State Police. Both may have game wardens and undercover wildlife crime investigators.
WATER THEFT: One of the SEJ award-winners last year was a Denver TV station that staked out trucks that made nightly, post-midnight raids on municipal fire hydrants, stealing tens of thousands of gallons of water. Water Thieves in Denver/KCNC-TV.
Quick Tip: Check with your local water, fire and police authorities on similar investigations.
DYING TO BREATHE: WTAE in Pittsburgh investigated the fine particle air pollution often thrown off by power plants. Particulate matter pollution can be found in many parts of the country. Dying to Breathe in Pittsburgh/WTAE-TV.
Quick Tip: Check with your state environmental quality commission's air office. Consult the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory for air emissions in your region. Consult local universities who might have scientists investigating these local issues.
ENCROACHMENT AT SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER: As populations grow, many cities are finding development getting closer to the source of municipal drinking water. This is especially compelling with sole source communities. How have the analyses of your local drinking water changed over the decades? Has additional filtration been added as a result of encroachment? How much do these expensive additions cost taxpayers? Are cities considering alternative sources, such as deeper aquifers or desalinization plants?
Quick Tip: Consult local planning & zoning officials, water bureaus and advocacy groups who champion clean water.
EARLIER SPRING/LATER FALL: Use local data to show when ponds freeze over, when the dogwoods bloom, when hummingbirds arrive, when the maple syrup starts to run. This is one that either a reporter or an on-air meteorologist can do.
Quick Tip: Check with the local Audubon Society, University Extension offices or state Departments of Agriculture.
TAPWATER TEST: Using proper protocols, collect dozens of tap water samples in various water treatment areas and have a lab test them (they have standard lists of 12 and 42 tests for different elements). If budget allows, do the same test weeks later to have more than a snapshot. While you're at it, have several bottled waters tested to see how they compare to local tap water. We found bottled water was 4,266 times more expensive than tap water. (Be prepared to run a story that finds that tap water is perfectly fine. Don't nuke the story if you don't find "bad" results. It can be just as illuminating when you find the opposite.) Water Testing in Miami/NBC-6.
Quick Tip: Contract with a local food analysis laboratory.
ZOO ANIMALS: Which animals from your local zoo are taken from the wild? Is there a depletion issue for that species? Is there a moral distinction between a captive-bred zoo animal and a zoo animal taken from the wild?
Quick Tip: Consult conservation experts in local universities.
WHAT DOES YOUR FIRE DEPARTMENT KNOW? Does it know enough to fight a chemical fire at the big factory? The chemical industry clamored for years to roll back disclosure laws, and after 9/11, they've largely gotten their wish. Oh, and then there's the evacuation thing.
Quick Tip: Consult state and local departments of emergency management. Look for private security consultants based in your area. Plus, look for retired FBI agents with security expertise; these sources can become a gold mine for the long term.
SALT WATER INTRUSION: Coastal communities are seeing rapid growth, and stress on water supplies. Many places, particularly in the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, run the risk of sucking salt water into the aquifers they depend on.
Quick Tip: Consult local water bureaus and state departments who regulate aquifers or water quality. This may be the state health department in addition to environmental quality commissions.
HOUSEHOLD POLLUTION: Spread some fertilizer on the lawn and water immediately. Wash a car in the driveway. Take samples of the runoff hitting the gutter and have it analyzed for phosphorous, nitrogen and sediment. Odds are you'll get spikes and it'll illustrate what we do daily at home that then runs directly into storm drains and into rivers, often untreated. Pollution at home/KGW-TV.
Quick Tip: Consult your state's environmental quality commission; they might even offer you a lab to do the testing. Or hire a water analysis lab locally.
RECYCLING: Where do the plastic grocery bags, the newspapers, and the other stuff that's hauled off for recycling really go? When the market sags for newsprint or plastics, there's a chance it goes straight back to the landfill.
Quick Tip: Consult city recycling programs and regional or state environmental quality commissions. Track down the companies that receive your local recyclables to learn about their supply cycles. Examine contracts between cities and waste haulers. Do they allow them to dump recyclables when market rates dip?
SEPTIC TANKS: EPA estimates that 25 percent of all residential septic fields leak. Many find their way into drinking water supplies, but in most jurisdictions, there's little ability for monitoring or enforcement.
Quick Tip: Consult EPA in your region. Find local inspection results through state DEQ or health departments.
SPRAWL FROM SPACE: Google Earth is everywhere. And the ill-kept secret of the satellite/high altitude photography business is that its biggest clientele is the real estate industry, which uses the photos to help select the next location for a Wal-Mart, a Wendy's or a subdivision. As a result, a lot of cities have a 30-year set of data, via satellite shots, of how the cities have sprawled. Use the before-and-after pics to see the trees disappear, the houses expand, and more. "How Does Your City Grow? A View of Urban Sprawl From Outer Space," University of Toronto.
Quick Tip: Consult local planning and zoning officials and major developers. Also track down your local arbor society or "Friends of Trees" advocates.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas,
edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites,
as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes
directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be
provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends
upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors
and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
