by TRC_Admin | Sep 1, 2018 | Trees
Photo: WGCU Pixabay
“We’re looking at a preemptive approach to reducing the possibility of harmful algae blooms by reducing the amount of nutrients from stormwater runoff that wind up in the water in the first place — by planting trees. A local nonprofit called OneTree, whose mission is to plant one new tree, per person, per year, is turning its sights on our water crisis through what’s called riparian restoration.
That means planting native trees in natural lower lying terrain, where water flows during rainfall, in order to slow runoff and capture freshwater pollutants. They planted 500 trees a few weeks ago, and have plans to plant more. We’re joined by Wil Revehl, Advancement Director for One Tree; and Kraig Hankins, Environmental Biologist for the City of Cape Coral.”
— Mike Kiniry and Julie Glenn, WGCU
Listen to program here
by TRC_Admin | Sep 1, 2018 | Trees
Photo: Abc-7.com
“More than fifty people spent the morning planting hundreds of trees in Cape Coral to help with the water crisis in Southwest Florida.
The event was originally intended to help with deforestation, but more roots in the ground could help prevent future water problems.
Trees work as filtration systems, soaking up fertilizers, metals, pesticides and other dangerous chemicals we don’t want in our waterways.
‘This water crisis is so heartbreaking we want to make sure Floridian’s are aware of the filtration services that trees provide,’explained Wil Revehl, the Advancement Director of the Future Forestry Foundation.
Five hundred trees were planted in Cape Coral along Veterans Memorial Parkway on Saturday.
FGCU professors said that the algae crisis impacting the water is caused by an excessive amount of nutrients polluting our water. They said while planting trees won’t solve the issue, it’ll definitely help.
‘If we all just get more trees into the ground, whether they’re on the watershed or not, they will make a difference,” said Revehl.
Jason Pim is a volunteer ranger with the Calusa Waterkeeper. He said trees naturally soak up nitrogen and phosphorous pollution.
‘The sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are from our watershed and Lake Okeechobee upriver, but we still need to do a lot here locally to keep fertilizers, pesticides, and sprays out of our water,’ said Pim
Members of the future forestry foundation said more than 10 million trees are chopped down every year in Lee County for new development projects and construction.
‘The sheer volume of deforestation in Lee County from development is so astronomical,’said Revehl.
On Earth Day, the Future Forestry Foundation initiated a new project to help with deforestation. It’s called ‘1 million trees for Lee County.’ So far, they’ve planted more than 10,000 trees. Their goal is to repair, restore, and replenish.
Revehl explained, ‘Putting trees where the water is flowing so we can have these trees do a lot more work to protect our waterways.”
‘I’m very solely focused on this water issue if we can’ get that corrected we stand to lose our way of life,’says Pim.
You don’t have to be part of an organization to help out the environment; you can plant a tree anywhere.”
— Ashley Dyer, ABC-7.com
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Sep 1, 2018 | Complete Streets
Photo: Jessica Saggio Wochit, Florida Today
“Hopkins Avenue in Titusville has long served as a hub for the city’s small businesses and a main thoroughfare for motorists.
It’s also an aging road that’s been neglected for decades, peppered with patched potholes, without bike lanes and lined with uneven sidewalks.
‘Whoever patched this road must work for Disney, because it’s a pretty good ride coming down here,’ said Gary Hall, who is the ‘sauce boss’ at Smokin’ Oaks BBQ on Hopkins.
But that may all change in the coming months as the city moves forward with major plans to overhaul the road, repaving it from State Road 50 to where it intersects with US 1 near downtown.
The $7.4-million Hopkins Avenue Complete Streets Project will also add bike lanes, improve pedestrian and bus stop areas, add a marked center lane, upgrade traffic signals and add landscaping, among other additions…
Complete Streets projects are funded through the Florida Department of Transportation…
Once the Complete Streets project is completed, lanes may feel a bit more narrow, he said, due to the addition of the bike lane, but ‘the corridor will feel comfortable for everyone to travel (regardless of their mode of transportation).’…”
— Jessica Saggio Wochit, Florida Today
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Sep 1, 2018 | Advertising Industry, Technology
Photo: Bloomberg Opinion
“Google may be about to pair all that data it has on users’ web browsing with the ads displayed on public billboards. Creepy? Maybe. Inevitable? Almost certainly.
The Alphabet Inc. unit is in talks in Germany about pushing into out-of-home advertising – billboards in stations, shopping centers and shop windows – according to WirtschaftsWoche. The move would be a precursor to similar expansion in the U.S. and the U.K., the magazine said.
That’s unlikely to mean that a Google search for underwear as a gift for your partner will pop Calvin Klein ads on the digital billboard when you sit down at a bus stop. You can leave your copy of 1984 on the bookshelf for now.
But it could mean that, when a train full of Borussia Dortmund fans arrives at Munich’s main station ahead of the Bayern Munich fixture, the advertising hoarding changes to show soccer cleats or beer, while on a Monday morning at rush hour it displays BMW ads for well-to-do commuters.
Google has been testing programmatic ad technology (in which trading algorithms bid against each other to secure digital space based on the target audience) for billboards since at least 2015. The technology is currently restricted mainly to web ads: Because Google, Facebook Inc. and others are able to track users’ browsing behavior, they are better able to target publicity at them.
Because of Google’s dominant position in mobile operating systems – Android runs on three-quarters of all the phones in Europe – it is also able to track users’ locations. Privacy concerns mean it’s unlikely to be able to target out-of-home ads at individuals, but it can pull demographic data on what kinds of people are in a given place at a given time…”
— Alex Webb, Bloomberg Opinion
Read entire article