h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is 50 million dollars in our Budget (came federal taxes)for the creation of an enclosed Rain Forrest Display in Iowa.

The Iowa tax payers are being told it will create jobs (likely minimum wage-no benefits jobs)and it will not cost them a penny!
Just how stupid do they think the voters are?

It will be "the worlds premier stage for environmental issues"

Why don't they put the 50 million towards saving the real rainforrest?

It happens to be planned to be built over a toxic site.
Irony.
The regulations for cleaning up toxic land for are more lax and cheaper depending on the land use. It is not hard to figure how this big deal came about and who it benefits.

These polititions must think that all the voters are "Buttoned up at the Back" Abbi

Ive just had a funny thought there Abbi,
Does that mean if they plant these trees over an old toxic waste dump, that the trees will Glow in the Dark
Smudger.

Hmmm, "enclosed Rain Forest Display"...reminds me somewhat of the Joni Mitchell song "Big Yellow Taxi" "they paved paradise, put up a parking lot!"

sounds like Edenproject in Cornwell

http://www.edenproject.com/

I think it is

http://www.edenproject.com/484_5731.htm

now only hope that makers of James Bond want use it in a movie.
Eden project is used in James Bond's Die Another Day.

Well, if we keep destroying the ozone layer, the will be effectively living under a bubble, so then we won't need to build them.

Are they going to put some nice, friendly, glow-in-the dark, genetically modified animals in there too?

*sigh*

zdt

Just thought I'd mention everybody, that we've got something similar on a smaller scale...check:

http://www.aaa.ab.ca/pages/public/csaa/csaa-26.htm

http://www.math.concordia.ab.ca/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album15

(helps us get through our northern winters! )

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Exactly!

I'll second that!!

Can I get an "AMEN"?

They have a large indoor park in Minnesota
It helps the winter blues for many, paying back to the community. They have everything you would have in a summer park which is useful to many people and inexpensive. Baseball and grass and swiming and play grounds, duck lakes, bicycle paths. User friendly makes more sense than an exhibit for return trips.

What is the Canadian one is like jaZZ?

It reminds me of an aquarium built here. It was very expensive and did not survive long once people had been 1-4 times they did not go back. They expected people to go 6 times a year at 25$ for decades. They act as though the world will come see it in Iowa I doubt it! There is intact rain forrests to visit! One close by in Washington State (US). In fact these days you can fly to many rain forrests cheaper than you can fly from one quiet corner to another within the US.

Better yet-
If they could build a park like the above in Minnesota that naturally cleansed the polluted area (Iowa)for a few years before people began to use it that would be wise reclamation dollars and future park revenues. Educate in a practical way the local farmers about the pollution is from previous pig farms. If that were part of a local "ecological wonder" they could brag about it more. I suppose that would be a logical wonder!

It's nice abbi, you should check the photos of some of the plants on that 2nd site. But it's just 4 glass (greenhouse type) wheelchair accessable pyramids, containing over 700 different species of plants in tropical, temperate & arrid climates/environments - the one pyramid is changeable, for various displays, like our local Orchid Society's annual show.

We have a botanical gardens that is a nice place to wheel around. They have a bubble for the tropical plants and then beautiful gardens outside. I cannot wait to go this year

Maybe it is no different.
I'll have a look, now that I can navigate properly

This is in the river valley - so more-or-less in the center of the city, & then there's a botanical garden just south of the city, in one of the surrounding communities.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0422/p01s02-woam.html

140m needed for the Brazilian Rain Forrest project.
Come on Iowa give it up, 50 m for the real thing!