Is it crazy to sail across the entire Pacific Ocean on a boat made of plastic bottles? Well, David de Rothschild (a wealthy heir to a banking fortune, an author, and an explorer) is going to do it anyway when he sets off from San Francisco in March 2009 en route to Sydney, Australia. To read more about this exciting journey and why he's doing it (Hint: it's very relevant to Project Niu!), please take a look at the article from National Geographic Adventure.

A student recently posted a question about whether or not devices that generate large electric fields could be used to deter sharks, and if so why weren't they being employed at swimming areas and other places where we humans do not want sharks to go?

Let's face it, we all each need to do our own part to help protect the environment for future generations. Here are some things that I do on a regular basis. You'll notice that a lot of these also save me money... what a great combination!

Please let everyone know, what do you do?

- I replaced my old light bulbs in my house with low-energy compact fluorescent light bulbs. This also saves me money on my electric bill!

- I carpool to work on a regular basis, which reduces carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It also saves me a lot of money on gas!

I just recently read "Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur" by Carl Safina. If you would like to learn about sea turtles and the challenges they're facing around the world for survival, I can't imagine a better book exists on the subject.

The author's style of writing is one of the best I've ever seen. I often sat in shear amazement as to how well he uses words to relay his stories. I am really looking forward to reading his other books (also listed below).

•  Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur
•  Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas
•  Eye of the Albatross: Views of the Endangered Sea