Chatham Conservation Partnership (CCP) Meeting on April 20, 2017

Save the date on April 20 from 9:00 am - Noon to join the members in Hall C at the new Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center (1192 US64 West) to learn about nature-based economic development.

The conservation of natural resources provides our communities with many benefits such as areas to play, beautiful vistas to contemplate, and clean water. Did you know that conserving natural resources also supports our economy? The upcoming Chatham Conservation Partnership (CCP) meeting will discuss some of the ways that protecting nature supports economic development in Chatham County. 

The packed agenda will bring together local perspectives from the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and a small business owner, as well as an academic evaluation of the benefits of a nature-based economy. and information on how medical professionals are using the benefits of nature to treat their patients. 

A detailed agenda for the meeting is available on the CCP wikisite at https://chathamconservation.wikispaces.com/Upcoming+Meetings.
.

View Historic and Future Climate Data for Chatham County, NC (and search other locations)

Location data for Pittsboro, NC

Graphs and maps below show observed and modeled data for the county of your selected location. Adjust the displays to focus on times or regions of interest. Dots on the map show weather stations in the Global Historical Climatology Network-Daily (GHCN-D) database.

NOAA's Climate Explorer has undergone a major upgrade, and suddenly, the information is a lot more meaningful to the average citizen. Searching by zipcode or city, users can now view historic climate data and future projections for each individual county in the contiguous United States, generate classy, presentation-worthy graphs, and peer into the hotter, drier tomorrow their kids and grandkids will probably not thank them for.

MAPS: How Americans Think About Climate Change

How Americans Think About Climate Change, in Six Maps

Americans want to restrict carbon emissions from coal power plants. The White House and Congress may do the opposite. In every congressional district, a majority of adults supports limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants.

Japanese Company Develops Solar Cell with 26+ Percent Efficiency

Japanese company develops a solar cell with record-breaking 26%+ efficiency

Solar panels are cheaper than ever these days, but installation costs can still be considerable for homeowners. More efficient solar panels can recapture the cost of their installation more quickly, so making panels that are better at converting sunlight into electricity is a key focus of solar research and development.

How YOU Can Start Mitigating Climate Change By Yourself (Yup, One Person Can Make a [Small] Difference)

How You (Yes You, By Yourself) Can Start Mitigating Climate Change

Perhaps you've heard about this climate change? A buildup of greenhouse gases - largely produced by us - in our atmosphere over the past century is warming the atmosphere. This warming will result in all kinds of fun consequences such as increased precipitation, regular heat waves and drought, stronger hurricanes and sea level rise on the order of at least a foot.

Genius Way to Soak Up Oil Spills

New Technology for Soaking Up Massive Oil Spills

Seat cushion material used for oil spill cleanup
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal researchers have created a new tool to clean up oil spills by tinkering with the kind of foam found in seat cushions.

The modified foam can soak up oil floating on water and lurking below the surface, and then can be repeatedly wrung out and reused, the researchers say.

It "just bounces back like a kitchen sponge," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago.

Other oil spill sponges are already on the market, and modifying polyurethane foam for this purpose is not a new idea. But the Argonne researchers used a new procedure to coat the foam with a material that attracts oil but not water.

Darling and colleagues recently published a preliminary description of the foam's performance in a laboratory. Experts who examined that paper said it's hard to tell how well it would work in real-world settings, but that it appears suitable for making it in large quantities.

Argonne is looking for a commercial partner to develop what it calls the "Oleo Sponge."