Monday, March 25, 2013

MyEnvironment

Once you've watched the weather report and found out the temperature and humidity, that's about all you need to know about your local environment, right?  Wrong!  It's also useful to stay informed about the quality of the air, land, and water in your neighborhood.  The MyEnvironment site from the EPA will tell you all that, plus give you information about energy consumption in your area, and allow you to share good news about the environment in your town by giving a MyCommunity "shout out:" 

http://www.epa.gov/myenvironment/

At the moment, the good news about my environment is that I smell coffee, so I'm going to go investigate the source. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

SaferProducts.gov

Has your microwave ever started all by itself?  Has your electric toothbrush ever shocked you?  Has your string-trimmer left big balls of string all over your yard?  If so, you may want to report these problems to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's SaferProducts.gov web site:

http://www.saferproducts.gov/Default.aspx 

Your reports, and those of other consumers, can also be searched before you purchase a consumer product.  Knowing about the experiences of those who were sorry rather than safe may help you be safe rather than sorry.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

United States Government Manual

The United States Government Manual is the official handbook of the Federal Government.  It's maintained by the Federal Register Office of the National Archives and Records Administration:

http://www.usgovernmentmanual.gov/Home.aspx

The Manual provides the text of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and a description of Federal agencies, boards, commissions, and so on, in all three branches of the government.  It could be considered the "owner's manual" for the U.S. Government.  In fact, if the U.S. was a car, this manual would probably be kept in the glove compartment.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Sinkholes

Do you ever get that sinking feeling?  If so, pay attention because you could actually be sinking.  Roughly 35 to 40% of the ground in the United States is susceptible to developing sinkholes.  The page below from the U.S. Geological Survey explains how sinkholes form and includes a map showing which areas of the country are more prone to sinkhole formation: 

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sinkholes.html 

All things considered, it's somewhat surprising that no one has written "Chicken Little II:  The Ground is Falling!  The Ground is Falling!"