Blog Archives

Radiation found in Japan’s food exceeds safety levels

Tests performed Saturday food supply found radiation in spinach from farms six 60-75 miles south of Japan’s stricken reactors. Radioactive iodine in the spinach exceeded government safety levels three to seven times, reported food-safety officials. High levels of radioactive iodine

Posted in Cancer, Contamination in milk, Dairy, earthquake, Food, Health, Japan, Nuclear energy, Radiation in food, Safety, stricken reactors, Tsumani Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Radioactive isotope from Japanese reactors detected in Sacramento

The EPA reported Friday afternoon that a small amount of radiation from Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors has been detected in Sacramento.  Experts have been expecting small amounts of radioactive isotopes to blow over the ocean to California beginning as early

Posted in earthquake, Nuclear energy, stricken reactors, Tsumani Tagged with: , , , , ,

Christmas trees: are fake or real more sustainable?

Readers, a woman who works for the Nature Conservancy asked me to post this article debating fake vs. real Christmas trees, by the Conservancy’s Frank Lowenstein. It’s also posted on the Nature Conservancy website. The debate is worth thinking about

Posted in Agriculture, Borneo, Climate change, Deforestation, Indonesia, Malaysia, Overconsumption, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Sustainable choices for your home, Sustainable Living, Tree plantations, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

For orangutans, hunting may trump habitat loss as biggest threat

Most people are surprised to learn that unlawful traffic in wildlife and wildlife parts is the third biggest criminal activity in the world, after drugs and arms. The illegal hunting of great apes is so pervasive that it may threaten

Posted in Africa, Animal welfare / animal rights, Borneo, Bushmeat, Deforestation, Endangered species, Human behavior, Indonesia, Jakarta, Malaysia, Primates, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Review of “The Cove,” an A+ documentary of Japan’s dolphin slaughter

Ric O’Barry, star of “The Cove” Crazy I heard Bruce Springsteen say once that the people we remember are the people who care enough to be crazy.  I thought about that when I saw the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.”  It’s

Posted in Animal welfare / animal rights, Cancer, Film review, Food, Going Green (co-authored with Sadie Kneidel), Going Green: A Wise Consumer's Guide to a Shrinking Planet, Health, Health effects of eating meat, Japan, Marine mammals, Southeast Asia, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Why use toilet paper? No need to flush our forests

This post now on the syndicated BasilandSpice and on Google News We’re facing mass wildlife extinctions this century.  One big reason: the human population explosion and resulting habitat loss. You might be surprised to learn how our personal hygiene choices

Posted in Agriculture, Deforestation, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Indonesia, Malaysia, Overconsumption, Resources, Southeast Asia, Sustainable choices for your home, Sustainable Living, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Wild tigers are in trouble

This post now on Google News and on the syndicated BasilandSpice This past August 22, a hot story popped up in headlines around the world. A 2-month-old tiger cub was spotted by x-ray in a suitcase at a Bangkok airport.

Posted in Asia, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Thailand, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Wildlife trade rivals drug trade in profits

Text and photos by Sally Kneidel, PhD This post is also published on the syndicated BasilandSpice I recently wrote a post about Indonesia’s illegal trade in wildlife, focusing on orangutans. As one of our closest relatives, orangutans look and act

Posted in Animal welfare / animal rights, Indonesia, Jakarta, Primates, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

My review of the documentary “Dirt! The Movie”

I was asked to write a review of “Dirt! The Movie,” a documentary about our worldwide destruction of soil versus our absolute dependence on soil for our survival. The movie is an inspiring blend of interviews with scientists, farmers, and

Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Climate change, Deforestation, Desertification, Film review, Food, Food, Gardening, Health, Livestock, Southeast Asia, Sustainable Living, Wildlife Tagged with: , , , , ,

Tiny new frog discovered on Borneo – can it survive deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade?

Photo by scientist Indraneil Das of newly-discovered frog species A new pea-sized frog species has been discovered on Borneo!  Scientists from the University of Malaysia Sarawak found the tiny frogs living in and around tubular carnivorous plants called pitcher plants.

Posted in Borneo, Frogs, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , ,

What’s this blog about?

These days, I blog mostly about nature and wildlife. Even the tiniest creatures make me happy! You'll also find here lots of posts about plant-based foods, health, and ecotourism. Ecotourism can support local people who make a living through sustainable use of wildlife, habitat, and natural resources.

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Link to our other blog, Veggie Revolution

Our other blog, Veggie Revolution, focuses more on food than this one does, especially the environmental, health and humane aspects of our food choices. That blog was started in 2005 and continues today, while the blog you're reading now began in 2009. Some of the newer posts are on both blogs, but Veggie Rev has at least 260 more posts than this blog, including Sadie's travels to Morocco. In the sidebar of Veggie Rev, you'll see links to each year that can take you back to all the posts for a particular year.

Veggie Revolution blog