Ride This Dark Universe

We all get that the earth revolves on its axis. It rotates around the sun. The stars appear to move, though the earth is moving faster. Some understand that the sun also moves. Some comprehend multiple moving galaxies. But when most people think of universe, they visualize a container in which everything moves. A cosmic milkshake, but one which has already been poured. What they don't see is the milkshake - glass and all - sliding across the counter. Alexander Kashlinsky, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, studied more than 1,000 galaxy clusters to see how radiation from the Big Bang has scattered throughout the universe. What he found is shocking. The entire universe is moving... at a speed of one million miles per hour. This cause of this phenomenon, affectionately termed "the dark flow" has not yet been determined. Does another universe lurk nearby, or are we racing toward a seam in the fabric of space and time? This Earth Day, learn a little more about this container we ride in. But hold on tight. It's moving fast.

Garbage Patch Twins?

Sail the Gulf Stream from Bermuda to the Azores and what do you think you'll find? Miles and iles of plastic pieces suspended near the water's surface stuck in wads of seaweed and ocean debris. You've stumbled onto The Great Pacific Garbage Patch's eastern twin: The North Atlantic Subtropical Convergence Zone. Otherwise known as the Great ATLANTIC Garbage Patch.

Though the dimensions have not yet been determined, the area is known to be vast, centered in the Sargasso Sea, which is bounded by ocean currents. The highest concentrations of plastics are found between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude. Due to the stormier nature of the Eastern Seaboard and Atlantic, the garbage there is thought to be more diverse. Charles Moore, the ocean researcher credited with discovering the Pacific Patch, agrees that with the higher population on the East Coast and more rivers flowing south, comparable amounts of plastic can be expected. "Humanity's plastic footprint is probably more dangerous than our carbon footprint," he said.

Earth Day Every Day

Throwing away those little plastic bottle caps is so much better than throwing away the whole bottle; there's an almost-gratifying feeling tossing the tiny lid in the garbage knowing the rest will be properly recycled. But thanks to the efforts of Anna Chan (aka The Lemon Lady), NONE of that bottle need be landfill-bound.

Her new campaign, "Earth Day Every Day. Recycle Plastic Caps and Lids," gives new momentum to the push for recycling plastic bottle caps. SF Bay Area residents are particularly fortunate to have several drop-off spots available at nearby Whole Foods and Aveda locations. Aveda accepts any rigid plastic bottle caps that must be removed for recycling as well as other caps with a threaded neck: caps on shampoo, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter. Whole Foods accepts bottle caps and other plastic #5 containers such as yogurt cups, hummus tubs and Brita water filters. They work with the organization Preserve who turns the recycled plastic into toothbrushes and razors.

See the Lemon Lady's site for more on recycling caps in Central and East Contra Costa Counties, or for a link to search recyclers near you.