Deborah Adams's Blog, page 30

Bottle Caps Too Small For Recycling

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that you shouldn’t put plastic bottle caps that are less than three inches wide in diameter into the recycling bin? — Bill S., Grafton, VT

Yes! It is true that you shouldn’t recycle plastic bottle caps that are less than three inches in diameter; in fact, you shouldn’t recycle anything that is less than three inches in diameter. 

Why is this? During the recycling process, plastics are sorted...

Erasure poetry

Image by cromaconceptovisual from Pixabay

From the Poets.org website:

“Erasure poetry, also known as blackout poetry, is a form of found poetry wherein a poet takes an existing text and erases, blacks out, or otherwise obscures a large portion of the text, creating a wholly new work from what remains.”

There are new poetry forms invented every day, it seems, and rules seldom apply. Found poetry is a category unto itself, and erasure poems are particularly entertaining. Think of it...

Saving the planet: a guest post by Nancy Carlisle

Our children are going to inherit the mess we’ve made, so it’s no wonder that young people are starting early to protect the natural resources we have left. Nancy Carlisle, author of Saving the Seas for the Purple and Green, has written a marvelous book to encourage their enthusiasm and activism. Today she’s kindly answering a question that I had about the whole thing. Thank you, Nancy!

P.S. There’s a Giveaway:​

Keep reading to find out how you can win a signed copy of Saving the...

Topsoil Erosion Wreaks Havoc On Biodiversity & Ag Productivity

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

EarthTalk®

Dear EarthTalk: Is there any way to counter the epidemic of topsoil erosion that is plaguing farmers here in the U.S. and around the world? — Mary. R., Sarasota, FL

Topsoil holds a balance of organic matter, air, water and minerals and as such is the layer that facilitates life in the soil. Researchers think we have already lost upwards of a third of the topsoil that once blanketed the fertile American Midw...

Carbon Capture & Storage: Pie In The Sky?

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

EarthTalk®

Dear EarthTalk: Are carbon capture technologies pie in the sky or really feasible as a global warming mitigation technique? — Paul C., Scranton, PA

The short answer is … we’ll see. To understand how to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from our atmosphere, it is important to first look at how it gets there and why it’s a problem in the first place.

Human activities are the dominant contributor to CO2 emissions...

Dissection of a Novel: Moral Fibre by Helena P Schrader

No matter how many books I’ve written, each new one seems overwhelming to me. You, too? Well, this is our lucky day, because Helena P. Schrader has broken it down for us in this guest post. Thanks, Helena!

It has always seemed to me that a novel, like the human body, has different parts all of which contribute to its ability to function and survive. For a novel to stand out in the flood of new books, each of these essential elements must function effectively, that is: the plot, characters (pr...

Energy Efficiency Upgrades = Higher Resale Value

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

EarthTalk®

From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I know that upgrading the energy efficiency of my home will make it less expensive to heat or cool, but will it also raise its market value significantly? – J.B.M., St. Louis, MO

That depends on your definition of “significant!” According to a study published in the Journal of Urban Economics, with every 10 per cent increase in energy...

Macrogrid Or Microgrid? Environmentalists Wonder…

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental MagazineDear EarthTalk: What on Earth is a “macrogrid” and how do proponents of the concept think it will improve energy efficiency? — T. McGraw, Houston, TX

The term macrogrid simply refers to a power distribution network that spans many regions and connects smaller producers together to maximize efficiencies of scale. Macrogrids transmitting power produced cheaply in remote rural areas to electricity-hungry users in population...

A Few Tips on Writing Poetry – a craft post from Lisa Dordal

Reading is fundamental.

My number one piece of advice about writing poetry is to read poetry, lots of poetry. Writing is one part of a conversation—the speaking or sharing part; reading is the listening or receiving part. When I first started writing poetry (back in high school and college), I was reluctant to read poetry because I thought (erroneously) that doing so might cause me to lose touch with my own voice. In reality, though, it was only by reading other poets that I was able to ...

A review of Water Lessons by Lisa Dordal

Everything we are is memory….

Lisa Dordal’s newest poetry collection, Water Lessons, is a haunting treatment of patriarchal and racist culture in which the poet is at times a victim and at times a perpetrator. That doesn’t sound like something I’d normally read, but I trust Dordal, and rightly so. She is one of the rare poets today with the skill, creativity, and sensitivity to create such poems as these with unpretentious finesse.

Water Lessons is presented in five parts, each...