2Over-training. - Natural Awakenings Magazine Charlotte

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12 Greater Charlotte AwakeningCharlotte.com
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together
in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
November is Native American Heritage Month
NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.gov lists celebrations.
Reef Requiem
World’s Coral in Dire Peril
The world’s coral reefs are dying. It doesn’t
take a trained eye to see the draining of
color that results when the corals, stressed
by heat due to global warming, expel the
algae they rely upon for food that also provides
their signature hues. It’s a death knell
as well for reef fish.
Reefs have always grappled with
destructive fishing practices, sediment and
nutrient runoff, coral mining, tourism and
coastal development. Scientists say the
bleaching process is now accelerating. The World Resources Institute reports that
nearly three-quarters of all ocean reefs are at risk of extreme degradation, on top of
the 20 percent already lost or damaged beyond repair. Oceanographers think that
all reefs will be at risk by 2050 because of increasingly acidified seas, the result of
increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Coral reefs, covering less than 1 percent of the ocean floor, harbor 25 percent
of the ocean’s biodiversity and are home to more than 4,000 species of fish. In developing
countries, reefs account for nearly 25 percent of all fishing areas, feeding
millions of people.
Scientists stress that it is more important than ever to control manmade factors
such as overfishing and pollution to aid in corals’ survival.
Sources: The New York Times and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
sOccket to Me
A Powerful Plaything
Two Harvard undergraduate students, Julia Silverman
and Jessica Matthews, have come up with a way
to harness the kinetic energy of a moving soccer
ball and store it as electric current in a battery
inside the ball. The invention, called sOccket,
collects enough energy in 15 minutes of play
to power a typical LED lamp for three hours.
The device sports its own power outlet to
retrieve the juice inside. Today’s sOccket is
designed to last for a year or longer; researchers
are studying its larger potential.
Source: CleanTechnica.com
Honor World Kindness Day on November 13