tagged w/ Environmentalism
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over 1200 youth gathered from all over Latin America for the International Conference of the Americas in the Dominican Republic last week.
Part Model UN, part UN conference, the students and guest speakers discuss salient topics in international development, the MDGs and share the challenges and successes associated with global issues.
Most notably, CILA took part in the "Seal the Deal" campaign for climate change - part of the UNs outreach program on climate related issues as they gather momentum for the Copenhagen Climate Change summit in December.
As part of an International Student Journalism program Tyler Batson (UCLA) and Sandra C. Roa (CUNY Journalism Grad School) produced this video to demonstrate how youth at the CILA 2009 conference are dealing with climate change issues.over 1200 youth gathered from all over Latin America for the International Conference... more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J08MqOtAEVs
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"Imagine the cityscape of the future. Forget skyscrapers studded with undimmed lights. Instead, think of crystal whites and luminous blues forging the city’s silhouette. Picture a city that sucks in carbon and uses bacteria harvested from dead fish to light the darkness. The city as a living character will no longer be a literary conceit, but a reality. From metaphor to concrete in one generation.
Dr Rachel Armstrong, an architectural researcher from University College London, wants to transform buildings from being sterile, inert objects into entities that interact and evolve with the natural environment. She sees this as the fulfilment of what architects have always seen as the purpose of their work. “We’ve likened the city to an organism, but so far it has been a symbolic description. In the future, architecture will be literally alive,” she said.
“When dealing with climate change we don’t always have to invent something new, we have to think very cleverly about what we already have,” Armstrong said. “It doesn’t take a massive leap of imagination to envisage how much more useful the surfaces of our buildings could become if covered in bacteria that glow in the dark or remove pollutants from the atmosphere.”
MUCH more at link, very cool stuff!"Imagine the cityscape of the future. Forget skyscrapers studded with undimmed lights.... more
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*This is an excerpt from a report I did based on one of the great Vanguard productions by Laura Ling* - http://current.com/items/76355482_pollution-to-protest.htm
As the production of electronics has increased, so has the amount of electronic waste. One of the biggest problems with e-waste is that much of it is shipped from developed nations to third-world countries. Approximately 50 tons of e-waste is produced globally every year. In towns like Guiyu and Nanyang of Southern China, people work to dispose of electronic waste, not in factories, but near their own homes, earning around $12 a day, these workers, of various ages, often burn the waste, which creates harmful exposure to toxic chemicals.
Assuming that exportation will continue, there are still positive changes that can be made to alleviate the level of health risks faced by e-waste disposers. There still needs to be strict ratification and enforcement of laws regarding the setting and process of disposing, recycling or repairing electronics, if there is expected to be any turnaround in the negative effects of the current process. There needs to be laws requiring that electronics be treated in a factories, rather than in residential areas; and workers should be provided with gear and equipment that will ensure there safety and well being while working.*This is an excerpt from a report I did based on one of the great Vanguard productions... more
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The WWF has been around long enough to have made an inpact in the climate and wildlife crisis, for an organization that sets to the forefront the problems that exist and what needs to be done, with their years of knowledge and financial capabilities, it would be nice to see projects they themselves have sponsered and completed, as would seem to be their function. We've all been working long and hard to correct the wrongs and handle the things we know are immenent for the future but sometimes this retoric can insult ones intelligence, the constant bombardment of how we've contributed to the downfall of the planet, never about the fight we fight hard and continue to do so, we play our part wth honor and conviction, yet are still blamed for this, even with the point having been made and acted on. So maybe it's time to start focusing on the positive efforts in the works, instead of trying to manipulate us with guilt.The WWF has been around long enough to have made an inpact in the climate and wildlife... more
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15 days ago
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at the time of post this just happened...its not even on your 24 hour news yet..this is whole article.. I watch AP site very carefully and its quite possible you heard it hear first
BEIJING (AP) -- A Belgian cargo vessel leaked oil into waters off northern China after a Chinese ship crashed into it at a refueling dock, a state news agency said Sunday.
The Belgian ship, "Lowlands Prosperity," was docked late Saturday at the Caofeidian port, a steelmaking and energy base in northeastern Hebei province, near Beijing, when a Chinese oil supplying ship hit the vessel's stern, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The 290-meter-long (950-foot) Belgian vessel had planned to unload and refuel when the Chinese fuel supplier, "Jinyou No. 1," crashed into it and damaged its hull, causing an oil leak.
The extent of the oil leak was not immediately clear, but Xinhua cited workers as saying it was temporarily under control. The provincial maritime department dispatched workers and ships to the site but a thick fog hindered cleanup operations Sunday, Xinhua said.
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE AT THIS TIMEat the time of post this just happened...its not even on your 24 hour news yet..this... more
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The Center for Constitutional Rights has a great new legal guide for activists called “If An Agent Knocks.”
From CCR:
Federal law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have a dark history of targeting radical and progressive movements. Some of the dirty tricks they use against these movements include: the infiltration of organizations to discredit and disrupt their operations; campaigns of misinformation and false stories in the media; forgery of correspondence; fabrication of evidence; and the use of grand jury subpoenas to intimidate activists. Today’s activist must know and understand the threat posed by federal law enforcement agents and their tactics as well as several key security practices that offer the best protection.
Federal agents have many tools at their disposal to target activists. While it is important to know and understand these tools and tactics, it is of critical importance that you resist any paranoia of government surveillance or fear of infiltration, which will only serve to paralyze you or your organization in your quest for social change. If fear of government repression prevents you from organizing, the agents of repression will have won without even trying.
I think it is worth noting that in the recent appellate ruling in the SHAC 7 case, the court argued that educational materials on the SHAC website were relevant to the “terrorism” charges against them. Specifically, the court noted that the SHAC website had “a series of links dedicated to educating activists on how to evade investigators. These links were entitled, ‘Ears and Eyes Everywhere,’ ‘Dealing with Interrogation,’ ‘When an Agent Knocks,’ and ‘Illegal Activity.’”
Clearly, knowing your rights is perceived as a dangerous, dangerous thing. So get to it.
Thanks to Matthew for the link, and the excellent work on this publication.The Center for Constitutional Rights has a great new legal guide for activists called... more
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The Tres Amigas Project would act as a hub to connect the three major electricity grids in the U.S. and a conduit for solar and wind power, according to a press release. New Mexico governor and former energy secretary Bill Richardson is expected to lay out the details of the plan at a press event in Alburquerque, N.M.
The U.S. has substantial renewable energy potential, such as wind power from the Midwest and solar in the southwest, but the bulk of electricity demand is far away from those resources. To take full advantage of the available renewable energy, more transmission lines need to be built, said Tres Amigas CEO Phil Harris, who used to head PJM Interconnection, the largest grid operator in the U.S.The Tres Amigas Project would act as a hub to connect the three major electricity... more
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ScottP
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25 days ago
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Finding fierce shoes that DO NOT use animal byproducts like leather or suede and aren’t TOTALLY FUGLY takes research. Tucking my Minnetonka fringe boots away this fall will be tough, but as you will see, there are a plethora of fabulous options for the ethical fashionista!Finding fierce shoes that DO NOT use animal byproducts like leather or suede and... more
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Buying organic produce can be costly and nowadays, we have to question whether our "organic" foods are even organic at all.
It doesn't get much more organic or LOCAL than making compost in your very own backyard. Compost is the result of decomposed organic materials, yielding a rich fertilizer for your soil. I'm Melissa--a green vegan in Long Island, New York, and I'll show you how to get started!Buying organic produce can be costly and nowadays, we have to question whether our... more
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Most plastics are recyclable," says Keith Christman, senior director of packaging at the American Chemistry Council Plastics Division, in Arlington, Virginia.
The problem is, not all plastics are recyclable everywhere.Most plastics are recyclable," says Keith Christman, senior director of packaging at... more
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In Australia there's a little city who banned mineral water to fight the heavy production of greenhouse gases. Italy, instead, is the third country in the world in using mineral water. Thanks only to advertising, not to quality.In Australia there's a little city who banned mineral water to fight the heavy... more
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Sting, The brazilian Rainforest, lots of other celeb. and Charles, Prince of Wales come out with their annual voice just before Copenhagen in DecemberSting, The brazilian Rainforest, lots of other celeb. and Charles, Prince of Wales... more
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What have they done to our food. scientists at Monsanto and Syngenta have quietly altered our food, inserting genes from viruses, bacteria, plants and animals into corn, soybeans, potatoes, tomatoes, squash and papaya. In 10 years they plan to "genetically engineer" !00% of our food. Ternimater genes will create plants that will sterilize their own seeds, forcing farmers to purchase Gmo seeds, This threatens subsistence farming in developing countries, where farmers have been saving and trading seeds for thousands of years. It also threatens the worlds ecosystems if the genes for sterility are transferred to wild plants.What have they done to our food. scientists at Monsanto and Syngenta have quietly... more
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Join us today, Wednesday, September 23 at 12 Noon eastern (www.grittv.org):
World leaders from Hu Jintao to Barack Obama have pledged to take action on climate change. But there seems to be little faith that an agreement of substance will be reached in Copenhagen later this year. So what are the politics of global climate change? And what's at stake? Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya on the UN deliberations and what can be expected at the climate summit in December.
Post your comments and questions at www.grittv.org.Join us today, Wednesday, September 23 at 12 Noon eastern (www.grittv.org):
World... more
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GRITtv
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1 month ago
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I don't get it. Are we for renewable energy or not? Or is the real goal of the hardcore environmental movement to fight any expansion of our power supply, from whatever the source. If that's the case, they need to just come out and say so and stop hiding behind this renewable energy propaganda.
NY Times
A proposed solar-energy project in the California desert that caused intense friction between environmentalists and the developers of renewable energy has been shelved.
BrightSource Energy had planned a 5,130-acre solar power farm in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, on land previously intended for conservation. The company, based in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday said it was instead seeking an alternative site for the project.
BrightSource Energy's demonstration facility in Israel's Negev Desert where an array of heliostats, or moving mirrors, concentrate light onto a tower to make steam.
(Credit: BrightSource Energy)
The Wildlands Conservancy, a California environmental group, had tried to block the solar development, as had Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who proposed that the area become a national monument.
The land was donated by Wildlands to the Interior Department during the Clinton administration, with assurances from President Bill Clinton himself, the group says, that it would be protected in perpetuity. But the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a Bush administration initiative, opened the land to the development of solar projects.
?We salute BrightSource for their responsible behavior,? said David Myers, executive director of Wildlands. ?A major conflict between the environment and renewable energy is over.?
The plant would have been ?at the heart of a signature valley? filled with bighorn sheep and other natural treasures, said Myers, who added that he hoped BrightSource would now find a ?more appropriate site.?
Representatives of the company did not return calls for comment.
BrightSource, a high-profile company with investors like Google and advisers like the environmental campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr., builds large-scale, sophisticated solar plants in the United States, Israel, and Australia. It is developing more than 4 gigawatts of solar power in the southwestern United States, according to its Web site.
The company uses a technique in which hundreds of small mirrors redirect desert sunlight onto a single central tower, where the heat generates steam.
Entire contents, Copyright © 2009 The New York Times. All rights reserved.I don't get it. Are we for renewable energy or not? Or is the real goal of the... more
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In the 1970s, just after the first Earth Day and in the midst of oil shortages, recessions, and uprisings by restless youth, politicians were suddenly expected to show concern for the environment. President Jimmy Carter went above and beyond by installing solar panels on the White House in 1979. Solar panels on the White House!
Seven years later, President Ronald Reagan took them down.
This mind-bogglingly idiotic reversal is chronicled in Robert Stone’s new documentary Earth Days, about the history of the environmental movement. Seeing “history” and “environmental” in the same sentence probably makes you want to curl up for a 100-minute nap. But Earth Days, though it moves at a contemplative pace and contains less radical-protest/crunchy-commune footage than the hippie in me had hoped for, gives an absorbing overview of how the green movement got started, and why it ended up where it is today.
Featuring interviews with a who’s who of influential environmentalists, Earth Days starts in postwar suburbia and describes the creeping sense of discontent some Americans began to feel in the midst of the nation’s rapid economic growth. In this same era, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring to national acclaim, JFK assembled a panel of experts who confirmed that her science was sound, and, aided by the progressive policies of Kennedy and Johnson’s Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall (interviewed in the film), the environmental movement began to take shape. It meshed well with the idealism of nature-loving hippies. Stewart Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, a sort of Bible for early enviros, recounts in the film how his idea for the catalog came from an acid trip. The first image of the Earth from outer space became the icon of the catalog, and of the environmental movement as a whole.
Earth Days chronicles how groundbreaking, controversial writings like Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 book The Population Bomb, which inspired Stephanie Mills’ famous commencement address “The Future Is a Cruel Hoax,” put environmental issues in the mainstream public’s consciousness. The first Earth Day in 1970 was the largest national demonstration in United States history, with 20 million people across the nation voicing their concern for the environment. After that, environmentalists got seriously organized, taking their message into the political arena. In the span of just a few years, they helped push through the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other cornerstone environmental laws.
This burst of widespread concern and political action, as depicted in the film, is truly inspiring—and what followed, a string of missed opportunities, is truly devastating.
end of excerptIn the 1970s, just after the first Earth Day and in the midst of oil shortages,... more
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The mainstream media has lots of ideas on how to live sustainably, but most of those ideas involve buying new appliances or expensive solar arrays. How can you live green without spending any money? Kevin and Nicole have it figured out, and are living ethically, happily, and artfully in Louisville, Kentucky. Here's how you can do it too.The mainstream media has lots of ideas on how to live sustainably, but most of those... more
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So many interesting concepts to be discussed from this five part series. I came across this Times Picayune multimedia series while looking up the current rehabilitation projects that are taking place along the miles and miles of Louisiana coastline that is being rebuilt after Katrina. This part is the most interesting to me: http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/. It shows how Southern Louisiana's coastline has changed in the past 400 years and how dramatically is has changed since the 1930's. Stuff I'm sure many of you already know, but great for those who don't know, or need it spelled out for them in an interactive map.
What I found most startling was in the audio sideshow: http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/audioslideshow/. It's astonishing to me that the NOAA is still spending millions of dollars building barrier islands 60 miles south of New Orleans. Why not just move inward?
Some astonishing facts that many may not know, that I found interesting - and I hope is sparks some discussion. A great multimedia watch; check it out!So many interesting concepts to be discussed from this five part series. I came across... more
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