I’m sure I’m not the only one to catch their breath at the news.  Fifty percent chance the North Pole will be ice free for a short time this summer.  No ice.  None.

Scientists say it’s a 50-50 bet that the thin Arctic sea ice will completely melt away at the geographic North Pole.

The CNN video is a must-see if you haven’t already. When I first saw it I felt paralized, then panicked, then paralized again. I had the impulse to act, do something, anything, but nothing felt big enough.  My overflowing recycling bin seemed puny.  My oath to lower our electric bill seemed puny.  Walking to the store almost every time, seemed puny.  But if you took the time to add it all up, they didn’t seem quite as puny anymore.  By doing a slew of little things, we’ve been able to significantly reduce our carbon footprints both at home and in the office.  Some relatively inexpensive ideas are to switch to using energy efficient lightbulbs, walk or bike to work, telecommute and use green resources whenever possible.  Our solar powered web hosting is one green resource but there are many more.  In future blogs I’ll be listing green technology resources so check back often.

Here’s the CNN article that got me going:

North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say

By Alan Duke
CNN

The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.

"We kind of have an informal betting pool going around in our center and that betting pool is ‘does the North Pole melt out this summer?’ and it may well," said the center’s senior research scientist, Mark Serreze.  Read Full Article…