The oil spill in Gulf of Mexico five times worse than thought originally. The explosion happened April 20 and has been leaking ever since. It’s an awful tragedy for the BP workers on the drilling rig. And now the oil is threatening to cause havoc to the Louisiana shore. We can only imagine how much it has hurt the critters in the ocean already.

For more on this story:
http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/04/29/oil-spill-gulf-of-mexico-2/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/us/30gulf.html
http://www.bp.com/

Green and clean energy is not without debate. It seems that we want everything to be magically green without impact to anything else. That’s simply not possible. Case in point, the first U.S. offshore wind farm off Cape Cod, Mass.

We might have to compromise sunrises for energy independence and easier breathing. Take pictures of the horizon while you still can.

WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday approved the nation’s first offshore wind farm, the 130-turbine Cape Wind project off Cape Cod, Mass. , and said that the power of strong winds over the Atlantic Ocean would be an important part of the U.S. drive to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Other places that might see wind farms

Offshore wind farms have been proposed in proposed off Rehoboth Beach, Del. ; Boston ; Atlantic Beach , Atlantic City and Avalon in New Jersey , in North Carolina’s Eastern Pamlico Sound; in Lake Erie off Cleveland ; off Block Island and Sakonnet in Rhode Island , and off Galveston, Texas .

More from the Yahoo! Article

Here are some Earth Day tips from Nature.org.

Top 5 Earth Day Actions (includes Tweets / Status Updates):

1. Use Reusable Bags http://earthday.nature.org/reuse/

a. Hundreds of thousands of marine animals die every year from ingesting plastic bags #EarthDay http://bit.ly/cCww8r

2. Eat Sustainably http://earthday.nature.org/sustain/

a. You eat fish even when you don’t: 36% of world’s fisheries catch is used to feed farm animals #EarthDay http://bit.ly/asiJjO

3. Green Your Gardening http://earthday.nature.org/garden/

a. Plant native species – they require less fertilizer, which can seep into oceans! #EarthDay http://bit.ly/aSwOhb

4. Adopt A Coral Reef http://adopt.nature.org/coralreef/bahamas/

a. 70% of all Earth’s coral reefs will be destroyed by 2050, act now! #EarthDay http://bit.ly/bs7Sp4

5. See Oceans, Save Oceans http://nature.org/disney

a. See OCEANS (4/22-4/28) & a portion of ticket sales benefits Conservancy’s work on coral reefs #EarthDay http://bit.ly/cYENDQ

6. *Bonus – General Earth Day messaging http://earthday.nature.org/

a. It’s time to celebrate Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, we’re asking you to help protect oceans #EarthDay http://bit.ly/aPZPWY

Earth Day is turning 40 this year, and we probably need it more than we ever have.

A quick look at the article on Yahoo!

On April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day will be celebrated from coast-to-coast; a day which was first realized by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson who wanted to find a way to increase environmental awareness and to promote urgently needed federal legislation to deal with an alarming ecological crisis.

And the link to the remainder of the article. History of Earth Day and how you can get involved.

Looks like there might be more pressure building up in the Earth’s core….

Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano could trigger an even more dangerous eruption at the nearby Katla volcano — creating a worst-case scenario for the airline industry and travelers around the globe.

A Katla eruption would be 10 times stronger and shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air than its smaller neighbor, which has already brought European air travel to a standstill for five days and promises severe travel delays for days more.

The two volcanoes are side by side in southern Iceland, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) apart and thought to be connected by a network of magma channels.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_volcano_science

Let me begin by saying that I am by no means an Earth Scientist. The extent of my Earth science skills include the following:

• Studying rocks as an undergrad (Fools gold anyone?)
• Visiting Kilauea Volcano located on the Big Island of Hawaii
• Watching Planet Earth on DVD (over and over again)

Like I said, I’m not qualified even a little. But I have some thoughts on the recent Icelandic volcano, which grounded air traffic all over Europe and is still erupting and the recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chili, China and California that I would like to share.

I’ve been hearing that there is no connection between the string of earthquakes and the volcano. How is that possible? From where I’m sitting it looks like the insides of the earth are wrestling with itself and the winner is blowing ash out of a volcano in Iceland.

I don’t want to start walking down the “the sky is falling” path. I’m feeling too optimistic this morning to do so and I don’t think that is happening anyway. But I do think we are seeing the results of stress on the Earth and the results of our ways of living as well as our attitudes towards how we live despite any science or opinions that says this is all a natural occurrence that we are merely observing. It’s a natural occurrence alright that we (humans) a helping along at a very unnatural pace.

You don’t need to looks any further than the below to see the trending of frequency and severity of earthquakes. If you want to look further, by all means, and if you have comments, please leave them. I will get to them eventually.

Frequency and severity of earthquakes
http://research.dlindquist.com/quake/historical/?mag=6&type=num&freq=year&style=raw

Where earthquakes are happening. They are happening all the time. Many are no big deal.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Earthquake trends (one view) from http://research.dlindquist.com

Again, I don’t think the sky is falling, but I do think we are seeing result of our actions. Earth Day is tomorrow. Some people view this as a day to do your inconsequential part for the environment (It was also a headline from The Onion in 2006).

I agree with the sentiment to a degree. It’s one day. And who cares that you recycled your one can of Pepsi (ok Coke, easy Coka Cola drinkers)? But the day is a chance to renew values and change habits. From where I’m (still) sitting, that’s one of the big benefits of Earth Day.

But back to my initial thought that started this whole rant. These earthquakes and erupting volcanoes have NOTHING to do with each other?? Really. So, the Earth isn’t one big ball connected by oceans and tectonic plates anymore? Apparently my Earth science knowledge is worse than I thought.

It’s all connected. All systems are connected one way or another. Just because we don’t have the evidence to link everything together in some type of linear diagram doesn’t mean they are not connected. You don’t have to be a Rocket (or Earth) Scientist to figure that out.

I wish I knew about this one early. This is probably the best ocean and marine blog on the web – http://www.thereeftank.com/blog/.

I hate getting burnt. It has happened on too many occasion, especially this time of year when it’s just getting nice outside and you don’t expect to get burnt. It just happened again last weekend when I surfed for about an hour.

Anyway, I thought I’d share natural sunscreen and lip balm that I have used in the past, that when I remember to put on, has worked pretty darn well. Especially the sunscreen.

All Terrain Sunblock TerraSport Spf 30 – 3 oz

All Terrain Performance Sunblock Lip Balm – SPF 25, 0.15 oz

Don’t get burnt.

I’m not a big fan of the old copy/paste of press releases. I get quite a few and most of them don’t make it here. This one I thought was worth sharing just as I received it. Here you go:

Emmy-Award Winning Musician and Philanthropist Peter Buffett follows in father Warren Buffett’s footsteps by passing the baton of social action project with Akon to DoSomething.org

New York, NY (March 30, 2010)—Like father, like son. In 2006, philanthropist Warren Buffett pledged 85% of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying “what can be more logical, in whatever you want done, than finding someone better equipped than you are to do it?” In 2010, his son, Emmy-award winning musician and philanthropist Peter Buffett, will do the same.

Peter Buffett has chosen DoSomething.org as the authority for online social activism, granting the not-for-profit organization the reins over his charity project with Akon entitled IsThereSomethingICanDo.org. Their website will now redirect to DoSomething.org, encouraging visitors to use the resources there to take action.

DoSomething.org is an established community for young social activists, providing the tools and resources necessary to help young people rock causes they care about and impact a positive difference upon the world. The organization is currently on track to activate two million young people around those causes by 2011.

“DoSomething.org has proven themselves to be at the forefront in driving social action through online interaction,” said Buffett, “I feel the best thing Akon and I can do for IsThereSomethingICanDo.org is to utilize this resource to motivate our fans to do the same.”

Beginning April 1st, IsThereSomethingICanDo.org will live as a fully-integrated microsite on DoSomething.org, featuring a history on the project and bios of its co-founders Peter Buffett and Akon. The website will then direct users to DoSomething.org’s homepage to explore additional content and ways they can take action around causes they care about.

“We were so impressed by Peter and Akon’s passion, energy, and commitment to music and social causes,” says Nancy Lublin, CEO and Chief Old Person at DoSomething.org. “We couldn’t be happier that they chose us to help motivate and inspire their fans to make a difference.”

IsThereSomethingICanDo.org was launched in June 2008 to promote social action through social networking. Buffett had previously teamed up with Akon on the song “Anything” as a response to the post-war conditions in Sierra Leone and Liberia. After the collaboration, the pair expanded their charitable efforts by developing IsThereSomethingICanDo.org and producing the track “Blood Into Gold” to again inspire the public to action against human trafficking.

About DoSomething.org
DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. A driving force in creating a culture of volunteerism, DoSomething.org is on track to activate two million young people in 2011. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, and pop culture, DoSomething.org inspires, empowers and celebrates a generation of doers: teenagers who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. Plug in at www.DoSomething.org.

About Peter Buffett
Peter Buffett is an Emmy Award-winning composer, producer and philanthropist. His tireless work with numerous non-profit organizations has made him a well-known activist for social concerns. Buffett has launched his own social network community, www.peterbuffett.com/ning, to release new material to his exclusive network of fans on a monthly basis. His first book, Life Is What You Make It, is slated for release in April 2010 through Harmony Books. The book takes on themes of following passions over conventions, and how part of life’s journey can be found in the process of giving back.

About Akon
An internationally recognized multi-platinum selling artist, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Akon is one of the most influential voices in music today. In addition to having two multi-platinum albums and 23 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, Akon has over 150 guest appearances with artists such as Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Gwen Stefani to his credit. His multifaceted sensibilities and popular club anthems have launched him to international.

If you live green and organic and have a baby, this one is for you. Get 40% off clearance sale and free shipping for orders over $99 on organic baby products from babyearth.com (an organic baby store).

Earthbaby.com has a host of organic baby products including:

• organic baby washcloths
• organic cotton baby clothes
• and toys for your organic baby

Ideas for giving these organic gifts
Eco friendly organic baby gifts for someone for mother’s day, for your organic baby or because green living is your choice for you and your baby choice.

If you do buy from earthbaby.com, let us know what you think by leaving a comment.