World Without Fish: A Review

World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky is a young adult book about the destruction that is happening in our oceans and the depletion of fish on a global scale. I grabbed this book on a whim one day as I passed by it at the library. One of the environmental science courses I teach talks a lot about the decline of ecosystems, including oceans, and the problem of overfishing in general. And, as a vegetarian who eats fish, I know that I am contributing to this overfishing problem. So, I thought it couldn't hurt to learn a few more of the details on this subject.
The book is interesting as the author is an ex-fisherman, and so he knows the topic from a point of view that most scientists don't. And, as an ex-fisherman, he doesn't think that stopping fishing is the solution to the overfishing problem.. instead he focuses on a more sustainable, monitored approach to fishing.
Being a young adult book, it was easy and quick reading. The author did a great job of breaking up the book into topics... like the beginning of the fishing industry, the politics behind fishing, sustainable fishing, pollution and global warming. Each chapter was long enough to explain the topic in depth, without boring the (assumed to be young) reader with too many details. Excellent for the young budding scientist!
Despite the fact that this is a book for young readers, and I was already quite familiar with the subject, I still learned quite a bit from this book. Until reading World Without Fish I hadn't really made the connection on how overfishing is also messing up the lives of other non-oceanic species (like certain birds who depend on fish being forced to the ocean surface by predatory fish) and even the within-ocean connections, like the fact that dolphins depend on blue-fin tuna to find food. Everything on our planet is connected, and you can't simply exterminate one species without it having a cascade effect through the food chain.
This is a great informative book for youngsters who are ready to get involved with environmental issues, or a great easy read for adults who want to learn more about the decline of our fisheries. Pin It Now!

Get the Lead Out. Seriously.

Lead is a metal found commonly throughout the environment... it is found in pre-1978 paint, household dust, soil, plumbing, cosmetics, pottery, and all of those lovely "made in china" toys that we keep hearing about. Lead poses the highest risk for young children and pregnant ladies. Lead exposure is linked to lowered IQ and mental retardation, as well as kidney problems. Lead can also be stored in your bones and released throughout your life! Yuck.
So, how to reduce you and your family's lead exposure? Here are a few tips:

• Run the water from your tap until it becomes noticeable colder (usually about 30 seconds) before drinking. Also this is contrary to my save-water preaching, it will reduce your chance of lead exposure.
• Use cold water for cooking (never consume the hot water out of your tap as this is where the lead will lurk).
• Boiling water will not remove lead. However, there are water filtration systems that will. We use the New Wave Enviro 10 Stage filter and love it.
• Get your water tested for lead. Many cities, like Portland, will test it for free. Check to see if your city does.
• Don't let your child eat paint, soil with paint chips, and use all painted toys with caution. Seriously, it is a scary lead-world out there. It's nearly impossible to keep up with all of the recalls, but try to avoid toys made it China and do some research (if you can find the time!)

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What's in Your Dishwasher Detergent?

You may have heard the term phosphates before, especially in relation to your laundry detergent (which is hopefully phosphate-free). Phosphates used to be very common in laundry detergents, until the word got out that they were messing up our lakes and ponds through a little thing called eutrophication.
Water bodies are typically extremely nutrient-limited and phosphates (from phosphorous) are nutrients. So, when you suddenly dump a bunch of nutrients into a nutrient-limited system, you are going to stimulate a bunch of growth. On land, this is oftentimes a good thing, but in water... not so much. In short, these nutrients cause big blooms of algae, which shades out plants at the bottom who need light to photosynthesize. Then, as some of the algae starts to die, decomposers break it down. Decomposers are our friends, but when they break down organic matter in water systems, they can use up all of the available oxygen in the process. This dissolved oxygen is vital to fish and other aquatic organisms, and without it, they die. So, in short, these nutrients result in dead zones where nothing can grow. This happens from nitrogen inputs as well, which has created a ginormous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Yuck-o.
So anyways, most laundry detergent no longer contains phosphates but it is still lurking in many dishwasher detergents. So look for brands labeled as phosphate-free (trader joe's brand is inexpensive and does not contain phosphate or chlorine). Or try making your own. In Green Housekeeping, Sandbeck gives a recipe for equal parts borax and washing soda that can be a substitute for store bought detergent. However do not wash aluminum or teflon with this detergent.
Also, you may be pleased to know that according to Ellen Sandbeck (Green Housekeeping) dishwashers are actually more efficient and use less water than washing dishes by hand (as long as your dishwasher is relatively new and you only run it when it is full).

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