Future Plans:
What should we be doing?
Image 1:
(http://sailorsforthesea.org/resources/ocean-watch-essays/nonpoint-source-pollution#overlay-context=resources/ocean-watch-essays/ocean-dead-zones)
This image teaches us the action that we as citizens can take to help make a difference to dead zones.
Further Action:
(http://sailorsforthesea.org/resources/ocean-watch-essays/ocean-dead-zones)
-Reduce fertilizer application to your lawn
-Take care of your backyard in an ocean friendly manner, see: Save The Bays Bay-Friendly Yard Care Tips
-Ensure that your septic system is regularly inspected and working properly
-Try to buy foods grown with minimal fertilizer usage
-Conserve wetlands and floodplains, as these act as natural filters, taking up nutrients, and filtering runoff
(http://sailorsforthesea.org/resources/ocean-watch-essays/nonpoint-source-pollution#overlay-context=resources/ocean-watch-essays/ocean-dead-zones)
This image teaches us the action that we as citizens can take to help make a difference to dead zones.
Further Action:
(http://sailorsforthesea.org/resources/ocean-watch-essays/ocean-dead-zones)
-Reduce fertilizer application to your lawn
-Take care of your backyard in an ocean friendly manner, see: Save The Bays Bay-Friendly Yard Care Tips
-Ensure that your septic system is regularly inspected and working properly
-Try to buy foods grown with minimal fertilizer usage
-Conserve wetlands and floodplains, as these act as natural filters, taking up nutrients, and filtering runoff
Nutrient Trading:
Voluntary Nutrient Trading is a new approach to solving dead zones that is discussed by environmental experts from all across United States. Nutrient Trading involves exchanging nutrient reduction credits. These credits have a monetary value that may be paid to the seller for installing Best Management Practices (BMPs) and this act as financial incentives to incorporate conservation strategies while maintaining
farm and forest land uses. This idea is rising in popularity because of the cost-effective way it manages to mitigate dead zones.
'Most watersheds contain two types of polluters - point sources and non-point sources. Point sources are industrial enterprises that emit nutrients (i.e. pollutants) directly into a watershed from a single pipe or point. Non-point sources, on the other hand, are agricultural or municipal polluters whose pollution washes into a watershed over a diffuse area. For a variety of political, social, economic, and logistic reasons, point sources usually are regulated, while non-point sources are not.' (Amanda Hawn)
Studies in the United States show:
-non-point sources(in particular agricultural polluters) account for more than 80% of the country's nitrogen and phosphorous discharges. --point source reductions can be up to 65 times more expensive than non-point source reductions.
Factory owners have already invested enough in the reduction of pollution but if they were to further their efforts to reduce their discharges, they would need to invest huge amounts of money, whereas farmers can easily reduce their discharge by changing tiling, planting and fertilization practices.
'Nutrient trading schemes capitalize on this cost discrepancy by setting discharge limits for point sources without stipulating how the limits must be met. This parallels the cap and trade system which aims to act as a alternative to carbon tax. 'The result is that industrial polluters often opt to pay farmers to reduce their pollution emissions rather than invest in expensive technology to further limit their own discharges. This system allows industrial factories to operate within the watershed's overall discharge caps at a lower cost. In effect, the factories are purchasing pollution permits from farmers at a market price that is amenable to both parties.'(Amanda Hawn)
(http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=607§ion=home)
Triple Win Nutrient Trading Solution:
-Progress is made toward achieving the trading program’s water quality goal
-credit buyers spend less on credits than they would spend on costly technological upgrades
-credit sellers make a profit for their extra pollution-reduction efforts
Learn More: http://pdf.wri.org/nutrient_trading_in_mrb_feasibility_study.pdf
farm and forest land uses. This idea is rising in popularity because of the cost-effective way it manages to mitigate dead zones.
'Most watersheds contain two types of polluters - point sources and non-point sources. Point sources are industrial enterprises that emit nutrients (i.e. pollutants) directly into a watershed from a single pipe or point. Non-point sources, on the other hand, are agricultural or municipal polluters whose pollution washes into a watershed over a diffuse area. For a variety of political, social, economic, and logistic reasons, point sources usually are regulated, while non-point sources are not.' (Amanda Hawn)
Studies in the United States show:
-non-point sources(in particular agricultural polluters) account for more than 80% of the country's nitrogen and phosphorous discharges. --point source reductions can be up to 65 times more expensive than non-point source reductions.
Factory owners have already invested enough in the reduction of pollution but if they were to further their efforts to reduce their discharges, they would need to invest huge amounts of money, whereas farmers can easily reduce their discharge by changing tiling, planting and fertilization practices.
'Nutrient trading schemes capitalize on this cost discrepancy by setting discharge limits for point sources without stipulating how the limits must be met. This parallels the cap and trade system which aims to act as a alternative to carbon tax. 'The result is that industrial polluters often opt to pay farmers to reduce their pollution emissions rather than invest in expensive technology to further limit their own discharges. This system allows industrial factories to operate within the watershed's overall discharge caps at a lower cost. In effect, the factories are purchasing pollution permits from farmers at a market price that is amenable to both parties.'(Amanda Hawn)
(http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=607§ion=home)
Triple Win Nutrient Trading Solution:
-Progress is made toward achieving the trading program’s water quality goal
-credit buyers spend less on credits than they would spend on costly technological upgrades
-credit sellers make a profit for their extra pollution-reduction efforts
Learn More: http://pdf.wri.org/nutrient_trading_in_mrb_feasibility_study.pdf
Tulane University:
On February 17th 2014 Tulane University has announced:
NEW ORLEANS, LA (WVUE) - Tulane University will offer $1 million to anyone, anywhere in the world, who can find a workable solution to "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico and other spots around the globe.' This prize money hopes to encourage researchers and people to investigate better solutions and raise awareness of the issue.
The grand prize is funded by Phyllis Taylor, president of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. Tulane Prize partners include Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in the upper basin of the Mississippi River and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain at its mouth. (https://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_02172014.cfm)
Find out more about this 1 million Grand Challenger Prize here: https://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_02172014.cfm
NEW ORLEANS, LA (WVUE) - Tulane University will offer $1 million to anyone, anywhere in the world, who can find a workable solution to "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico and other spots around the globe.' This prize money hopes to encourage researchers and people to investigate better solutions and raise awareness of the issue.
The grand prize is funded by Phyllis Taylor, president of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. Tulane Prize partners include Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in the upper basin of the Mississippi River and Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain at its mouth. (https://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_02172014.cfm)
Find out more about this 1 million Grand Challenger Prize here: https://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_02172014.cfm