Author: Andrew Thaler

Marine science and conservation. Deep-sea ecology. Population genetics. Underwater robots. Open-source instrumentation. The deep sea is Earth's last great wilderness.

A rig by any other name, could it be an artificial reef?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on A rig by any other name, could it be an artificial reef?
Conservation, Science

There are currently more than 7,500 offshore oil platforms actively probing the earth’s crust for black gold. Their relatively minimal appearance at the surface belies the shear magnitude of human construction beneath the waves. Oil platforms are among the world’s tallest man-made structures. Compliant tower platforms reach up to 900 meters in depth (in contrast, the tallest building is 828 meters). these rigs are not permanent structures. As the wells run dry and sea water corrodes steel jackets, the wells are capped and rigs decommissioned. At least 6500 offshore platforms are slated for decommission by 2025, which begs the question, what do we do with inactive oil platforms?

Read More “A rig by any other name, could it be an artificial reef?” »

Spanning the Bordeaux Belt – what does local mean in a global economy

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 8 Comments on Spanning the Bordeaux Belt – what does local mean in a global economy
Uncategorized

A small news article from Science has been taped above my desk for the last few years. I don’t remember who originally gave it to me, or why I even hung it up, but there it is, nestled between a couple XKCD cartoons. The article is titled “The Wine Divide” and it raises many questions about sustainability, inherent biases in conventional wisdom, and what the term “local” means in a global economy. And it’s about wine.

Read More “Spanning the Bordeaux Belt – what does local mean in a global economy” »

What steps have you taken to lead a more sustainable life?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 3 Comments on What steps have you taken to lead a more sustainable life?
Uncategorized

It’s the second week of Science and Sustainability month, and this time we want to know what you have done to lead a more sustainable life. Be as specific or as general as you want. Do you reuse items that you’d normally throw away, bike instead of drive, compost your trash? Have you made dramatic … Read More “What steps have you taken to lead a more sustainable life?” »

Science and Sustainability Comment of the Week

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Science and Sustainability Comment of the Week
Uncategorized

We launched Science and Sustainability month with an open thread, asking our readers “What does sustainability mean to you?” We received several truly stellar comments, but can, unfortunately, only choose one to be our comment of the week. Congratulations to Mark Gibson, who said:

Read More “Science and Sustainability Comment of the Week” »

Is it time for a sustainable pet movement?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 37 Comments on Is it time for a sustainable pet movement?
Conservation

The world is rapidly approaching 7 billion people and the challenges of food supply, security, and sustainability will, along with climate change, be the defining issues of the 21st century. While the issues of the wealthiest nations revolve around the quality of our food, the environmental impact or our farming practices, and the value we place on a perceived degree of “naturalness”, the rest of the world is simply concerned with having enough to eat. What we chose to value in our society affects the rest of the world, and perhaps the most visible, and most dramatic difference between the developing and developed world is the ways in which we treat our pets.

Read More “Is it time for a sustainable pet movement?” »

Donate to Bonehenge!

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

As part of our month of Sustainability and Science, we’re raising money to help complete Bonehenge. Bonehenge is the skeleton of a Sperm Whale that stranded on Cape Lookout several years ago. Over the last three years, Keith Rittmaster and an army of volunteers from the North Carolina Maritime Museum have been working to re-articulate the skeleton for a display at their Gallants Channel campus.

The protect is a shining example of outreach and community engagement. School groups tour the assembly facility regularly and get a first hand look at the process of reconstructing a full sized whale. Over the course of the project, several new discoveries about sperm whale physiology have been made, including the extreme degree of asymmetry that results in one side of the whale have fewer and smaller bones than the other.

During this month we will match all donations up to $250. There is a widget to your left to make donation through paypal. Even a couple of dollars goes a long way towards making this exhibit a reality.

Read More “Donate to Bonehenge!” »

Winners of the 2011 Flat Grok Contest

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Winners of the 2011 Flat Grok Contest
Popular Culture

Last month the Nicholas School of the Environment held its annual Green in 3 video competition. This year they asked participants to submit a 30 second clip that illuminates their personal sustainable practices. Six winner were selected. You may recognize some of you favorite Fry-entists (and their flock of now much larger chickens) among the … Read More “Winners of the 2011 Flat Grok Contest” »