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WVPE is your gateway to green and sustainable resources in Michiana. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is accomplished by finding a balance between businesses, the environment, and our society (people, planet, and profit).State, National and International resources on sustainability include:The Environmental Protection AgencyThe Natural StepSustainability Dictionary45 Sustainability Resources You Need to Know Explore ways to support sustainability in the Michiana area through the Green Links Directory.Sept. 17, 2019 from 2-3:30pm"Global Warming: A Hot Topic"Sept. 17, 19, 24, and 26All sessions are from 2-3:30pmGreencroft Goshen Community Center in the Jennings Auditorium1820 Greencroft Blvd.Goshen, IN 46526The event will look at possible solutions and suffering as well as consequences beyond warmer weather. The event will examine what other civilizations have or haven’t done when faced with environmental problems. Plus there will be an exploration of the biggest unknown in the climate system: What will the humans do? Paul Meyer Reimer teaches physics, math and climate change at Goshen College. The events are presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute. The Institute can be reached at: (574) 536-8244lifelonglearning@live.comhttp://life-learn.org/

Dozens Of False Killer Whales Mysteriously Strand Themselves In Florida

By Merrit Kennedy

Published January 18, 2017 at 5:46 PM EST

A group of false killer whales is stranded near the Florida Everglades.

Scientists are trying to determine why a group of at least 95 false killer whales stranded themselves on a remote coast in Florida's Everglades National Park. At least 82 of the animals have died, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"This is the largest mass stranding ever for this species in the United States," NOAA Marine Biologist Erin Fougères said, "And one of the largest mass strandings we've ever had in the southeast."

The event was first reported on Saturday and rescue efforts to herd the animals to safety have seen "minimal success," she said in a Facebook Live video with the Weather Channel on Wednesday. The remote location, along Hog Key in the Everglades, is difficult for biologists to reach and dense with mangroves.

False killer whales are members of the dolphin family and adult males can grow to a length of almost 20 feet.

The members of this species that live in the Gulf of Mexico is not overall considered endangered, Fougères added, though another population of the species near Hawaii is.

Scientists have taken tissue samples from some of the dead animals, hoping that it might shed light on what caused the stranding.

The animals live in groups, and are "known to 'strand' in large groups as well," according to NOAA. Fougères said in the Weather Channel video that the strong bonds between the whales may have contributed to the large number that were stranded:

"They live in kind of a constant social group, so when one or two individuals become sick, it's thought that when they head towards shore the rest of the group will follow because they are so closely knit. We don't know that that's what happened in this particular situation but it is one of the common theories that is considered when there is a mass stranding of animals."

The stranding may never be explained. As National Geographic writes, "Of the 62 'unusual mortality events' tracked by NOAA since 1991, causes have been found for just 30, ranging from toxic algal blooms to run-ins with humans, such as collisions with shipping vessels."