Climate change could flood Facebook, Google by 2050
Facebook can’t be brought down by angry fans irritated with its privacy policy and data mining tendencies, but it could be swept away by climate change- induced sea level rise, reports Climate Wire. Though much of the California coastline is at risk, Silicon Valley is especially vulnerable since the land it sits on is between 3 and 10 feet below sea level. According to a draft study from the Army Corps of Engineers, an extreme storm coupled with higher seas could put the valley, along with nearby homes and businesses, under water. Despite the dire predictions, for now Silicon Valley inhabitants seem content with delaying any climate change action, a sentiment that world leaders are mimicking. Unfortunately, a recent study has found that delaying carbon cuts until 2020 will make dealing with climate change far more expensive than tackling it now, reports Reuters. And, delaying action also significantly reduces the chance of meeting an U.N. agreed-upon limit of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, which is the limit many scientists agree we must adhere to in order to avoid the most damaging effects of catastrophic climate change. So far, temperatures have risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius since we first started emitting carbon in massive quantities. While governments and industries dawdle, find out how Earthjustice is taking action to stop climate change, before it’s too late.

 
Farmers spice up livestock immunity with oregano
An ingredient typically relegated to the tops of pastas and pizzas is also being used to fight off common bacterial diseases on a chicken farm, reports the New York Times. Over the last few years, Scott Sechler of the Bell & Evans farm has used a special chicken feed spiced with oregano oil and a touch of cinnamon to successfully keep his birds bacteria-free. The farm, based in Pennsylvania, is helping to fill the orders for antibiotic-free meat, fish and poultry that consumers and some restaurants are increasingly demanding due to a growing interest in healthier diets, as well as a growing concern over antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria found in meat. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 80 percent of all antibiotics are used in animals, not necessarily to treat infections, but instead to spur growth or prevent infections from spreading in crowded conditions. In addition to keeping birds healthy, oregano, a member of the mint family, is also a rich natural source of vitamin K and is loaded with potent antioxidants. Oh, and using it doesn’t create antibiotic resistance. 
 
Study finds that women recycle more than men
A recent study of more than 2,000 single men and women and 3,000 couples found that women are more likely to recycle than men and couples are more likely to recycle than people who are single, reports the UK Guardian. The study’s authors posit that even though there’s a lot less housework these days with the invention of time-saving machines like dishwashers, vacuums and the like, women are still probably doing more than half their share of the housework, which includes tasks like sorting and cleaning waste for recycling. Though the study was limited to men and women living in the United Kingdom, its results may also have implications for the U.S., which currently recycles and composts only 34 percent of its waste, according to the U.S. EPA. Then again, San Francisco, which has the highest recycling rate in the nation—a whopping 72 percent—actually has more men than women (49.2 percent female), which suggests that other factors like education, background and recycling ordinances also play a role in recycling rates.
 
Obama bans oil drilling along northern California coast
A 50-mile stretch of coastline in northern California is now off-limits to oil and gas drilling thanks to the Obama administration’s expansion of a national marine sanctuary in California, reports the Mercury News. The newly protected area, a “national treasure” filled with steep cliffs and sandy beaches, is also home to dozens of marine mammals, almost 100 species of seabirds and more than 300 species of fish. Currently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration system of 14 marine protected areas encompasses more than 150,000 square miles of America’s oceans.