tagged w/ Environmental Conservation
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Even with the unrelenting snow pack, migrating birds returned to The Valley. An early spring delight is the return of the eastern bluebird.
http://www.tastekulcha.com/bluebirds-birds-happiness/Even with the unrelenting snow pack, migrating birds returned to The Valley. An early... more
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Our Nobel prize-winning former vice president has a must-read 7000-word essay in Rolling Stone, “Climate of Denial: Can science and the truth withstand the merchants of poison?”
Gore discusses climate science and the link to recent record-smashing extreme weather events, of course. And he makes clear the stakes are too high to become disillusioned by our flawed political system, “What hangs in the balance is the future of civilization as we know it.”
What I will focus on here are his blistering critique of Obama, his even tougher take on the media, and the “five basic ways” individuals can make a difference. Let’s start with the president:
President Obama has thus far failed to use the bully pulpit to make the case for bold action on climate change. After successfully passing his green stimulus package, he did nothing to defend it when Congress decimated its funding. After the House passed cap and trade, he did little to make passage in the Senate a priority. Senate advocates — including one Republican — felt abandoned when the president made concessions to oil and coal companies without asking for anything in return. He has also called for a massive expansion of oil drilling in the United States….
During the final years of the Bush-Cheney administration, the rest of the world was waiting for a new president who would aggressively tackle the climate crisis — and when it became clear that there would be no real change from the Bush era, the agenda at Copenhagen changed from “How do we complete this historic breakthrough?” to “How can we paper over this embarrassing disappointment?”
… Yet without presidential leadership that focuses intensely on making the public aware of the reality we face, nothing will change. The real power of any president, as Richard Neustadt wrote, is “the power to persuade.” Yet President Obama has never presented to the American people the magnitude of the climate crisis. He has simply not made the case for action. He has not defended the science against the ongoing, withering and dishonest attacks. Nor has he provided a presidential venue for the scientific community — including our own National Academy — to bring the reality of the science before the public.
No argument here (see The failed presidency of Barack Obama, Part 2). Gore continues:
Here is the core of it: we are destroying the climate balance that is essential to the survival of our civilization. This is not a distant or abstract threat; it is happening now. The United States is the only nation that can rally a global effort to save our future. And the president is the only person who can rally the United States…
The truth is this: What we are doing is functionally insane. If we do not change this pattern, we will condemn our children and all future generations to struggle with ecological curses for several millennia to come.
Predictably, the media has jumped on Gore’s criticism of Obama.
ABC News Politics has run the AP story with its headline, “Gore Faults Obama on Global Warming.” The lede: “Former Vice President Al Gore is going where few environmentalists — and fellow Democrats — have gone before: criticizing President Barack Obama’s record on global warming.”
Memo to ABC News and the AP: Obama has been widely criticized by environmentalists.
But what is particularly absurd about this story is that it never mentions that Gore launches an even more blistering and detailed attack on the media! In fact, that’s how Gore’s essay begins — by comparing the mainstream media today to the referees of professional wrestling (!!):
The first time I remember hearing the question “is it real?” was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show put on by “professional wrestlers” one summer evening in the gym of the Forks River Elementary School in Elmwood, Tennessee.
Read more:
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/06/22/250926/al-gore-slams-obama-media-merchants-of-poison-pro-wrestling-referees/Our Nobel prize-winning former vice president has a must-read 7000-word essay in... more
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Supreme Court ruling means no Lake Fastrill reservoir for Dallas
The ever-thirstier cities of North Texas will have to look somewhere other than the Neches River in East Texas for their future water supplies.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday drained the last bit of life from the city of Dallas and Texas Water Development Board plan to build a massive reservoir called Lake Fastrill along the Neches.
Instead, that land will become a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The city and the state board had requested that the Supreme Court hear an appeal of a lower court's decision that favored Fish and Wildlife's plan. The court declined.
Fastrill was not intended to become a water source until 2060, but it was a significant piece of the plan to keep North Texas with adequate water this century.
Now, planning will have to shift, although how and where isn't clear.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/022310dnmetnolake.449c72a.html?plckFindCommentKey=CommentKey:ad1fb78b-89d9-4103-904b-662a02dd5b39
http://joshhoke.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/mallard-duck-1024-768.jpgSupreme Court ruling means no Lake Fastrill reservoir for Dallas
The ever-thirstier... more
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It doesn't rain that much in Tucson, Ariz., but when it does, Brad Lancaster makes use of every drop. Lancaster has perfected the art of capturing and saving rainwater.
Actually two stories on this npr site, one written the 17th of Sept and the other in January. The January story is Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste, a way to recycle used water from the dishwasher, washing machine and other places other than the toilet, since it has too much bacteria.
A key to Peace is to help developing nations by giving them the tools to succeed, not just give them the food and money. People are out there doing just that and more of 'that' needs to be done by organizations and people.
Image from: http://www.tradenote.net/keyword/recycling/
It doesn't rain that much in Tucson, Ariz., but when it does, Brad Lancaster... more
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Rainwater harvesting is taking America by storm. A San Francisco woman built her own 1,250-gallon rainwater catchment system with parts from a hardware store for $200. Web traffic has tripled at HarvestH2O.com, which provides information on harvesting rainwater. More idea houses now incorporate rainwater collectors as a green design feature.Rainwater harvesting is taking America by storm. A San Francisco woman built her own... more
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"I am giving up plastic for the whole of August.
By this I mean not buying or accepting anything which contains plastic or is packaged in plastic.
So, no take-away coffees, bottles of water or pre-packed sandwiches.
I'll be forsaking punnets of strawberries and packs of chicken, supermarket milk and bottled cleaning products, and switching to reusable nappies for my toddler.
No longer will my other half and I be able to slump in front of the telly of an evening with the latest DVD, a takeaway curry and a bottle of wine (the cork could be plastic).
Plums in punnets
It's no to any fruit packaged like this
I am, if you like, donning a polyester-free hairshirt - with the aim of seeing how possible it is to live without new plastic. "
I think this is an awesome feat and can't wait to check up on her progress at the end of the month."I am giving up plastic for the whole of August.
By this I mean not buying or... more
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Western Shoshone leader, Corbin Harney talks about his prophetic conversation with the waterWestern Shoshone leader, Corbin Harney talks about his prophetic conversation with the... more
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EPA's Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: a prescription for healthy Great Lakes
Release date: 03/13/2008
Contact Information: Phillippa Cannon 312 353-6218, cannon.phillippa@epa.gov
Chicago (March 12, 2008) -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes region invites the public to join the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge to collect at least 1 million pounds of electronic waste and 1 million pills.
EPA is encouraging organizations, businesses and communities in the Great Lakes region to protect the environment by sponsoring collections of unwanted medicines and electronic waste around Earth Day, April 22.
The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable treasure.
They are the largest source of fresh drinking water on earth and are vital to commerce and recreation in the upper Midwest.
Responsible recycling and disposal of unwanted electronics and medicines will prevent contaminants from polluting the Great Lakes basin.
"Last summer, there was an outpouring of support from thousands of people in the Great Lakes area to protect this national treasure," said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Mary A. Gade.
"Participating in the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge is a simple way for individuals to take action to protect the lakes. I'm asking people to clear out their desk drawers, medicine cabinets and basements and properly recycle or dispose of their old and unwanted cellphones, computers, TVs, and medicines at a local collection."
EPA has partnered with the nonprofit group Earth 911 to launch an online clearinghouse of collection events that will be held between April 19 and 27.
As dates and locations for events are confirmed they will be added to the clearinghouse at:
http://www.earth911.org
"EPA is pleased that Earth 911 volunteered to work with us on this important project and we welcome other organizations that may wish to join us by sponsoring or publicizing collection events," said Gade.
Participating organizations should register their events at:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/earthday2008
The Web site includes a "Plug-In to E-cycling" tool kit to help plan collection events.
For more information or technical assistance on planning an event, call EPA's toll-free Earth Day Challenge Hotline at 866-575-8543.
EPA's Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge: a prescription for healthy Great... more
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The Pascua River, in Chilean Patagonia, is one of the most pristine and unknown regions on the planet. International Rivers wants the world to know the Pascua—and to keep it wild—unlike the huge companies that want to dam it. Chile’s Matte Group and Italian company Enel want to construct three dams on the Pascua and ship the power 1500 miles north to Santiago. What’s at stake if this ferociously wild river is dammed: Losing the planet’s purest water, never knowing wildlife that already hangs by a thread, and irreversibly trading natural treasures which took eons to produce for maybe 50 years of unsustainable energy.The Pascua River, in Chilean Patagonia, is one of the most pristine and unknown... more
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This is a longish article about Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd organization. He was featured in the recent film Sharkwater (Which I highly recommend!!). Considered by some to be an ecoterrorist, Paul's story is a fascinating read that provokes troubling thoughts about the state of the environment.This is a longish article about Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd organization. He was... more
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Searching the web is something we all do (obviously). But reports have indicated that if Google, being as popular as it is, were to switch to a black or dark ground color there would be significant savings in energy. The debate continues as to if this theory is actual, but Blackle has put the hypothesis to the test with its new site.
Blackle uses Google to search the web, but does so with a black ground to save watts used by your computer. Also, the results are energy conservation focused. And, if nothing else it reminds you that every little bit helps in conserving energy - whether you are trying to prevent global warming, or just don't want to see your electric bill this month be greater than your paycheck, again.Searching the web is something we all do (obviously). But reports have indicated that... more
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Sierra Club has picked its list of the "ten greenest colleges."
Personal Favorite: "Students at the College of New Jersey in Ewing get dinged a nickel a sheet for exceeding their per-semester allocation of 600 pages in the school computer lab, a policy that has decreased paper use by 41 percent."Sierra Club has picked its list of the "ten greenest colleges."
Personal... more
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Learn from this Athens, OH man what it is like to run your car off of others people's garbage. That's right, they used to have to pay people to haul away their cooking grease and now he takes it for free. Not only that, after some straining, he can run his car on the waste cooking oil. Wouldn't it be nice to say the last time you stopped at a gas station was several THOUSAND miles ago? Well he can.
This pod was created by:
STEVEN COLLIER
BRANDON FLAYLER
NORA RYE
BRIAN ROBERTS
JK WILSON
Learn from this Athens, OH man what it is like to run your car off of others... more
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A new LA based fashion line has made a move towards social responsibility to be more environmentally conscious via the production of their ONE line (eco-friendly) and the commitment of ALL employees to utilize alternate forms of transportation to and from work one day a month.
Read up, it is amazing what a little effort by many people can actually accomplish.A new LA based fashion line has made a move towards social responsibility to be more... more
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Tired of the rampant commercialism that Christmas has come to symbolize in this country? Sick of the mainstream media urging all of us to consume our way to happiness? Stressed out from the pressures of the holiday season? Dreading the traffic snarls and long lines of ravenous shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving?
Then celebrate Buy Nothing Day. The 15th annual, 24-hour consumer-fast is a day to relax and not spend a dime, or to engage in some anti-consumption activism. Hang out with family and friends, eat some leftovers and think about the impact our consumer culture has on all of us, as individuals and as a global community.
While your at it, you can share "Toxic Villages" the fantastic Vanguard pod that looks at the consequences of out-of-control consumption with your relatives:
http://current.com/items/76355482_toxic_villages
Or, you can venture out and risk being trampled at Target because they just put 32 inch LCD TVs on sale.Tired of the rampant commercialism that Christmas has come to symbolize in this... more
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International Rivers - a California based non-profit working around the globe to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them - comes up with a hilarious take on Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues"International Rivers - a California based non-profit working around the globe to... more
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International Rivers - a California based environmental/human rights organization working globally to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them - put out this great slideshow explaining why they do what they do.International Rivers - a California based environmental/human rights organization... more
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Attention all you multitaskers. this one will not be on lifehacker. With this great list you can sleep your way to the top and help save Mother Earth at the same time. Attention all you multitaskers. this one will not be on lifehacker. With this great... more
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In the age of bottled water, how much further damage can we do to our earth's most precious resource. There are several mines operating in Idaho and two out-of-state mining companies have plans of re-opening mines north of the Boise River. Consequently, groups like the Idaho Conservation League and the Sierra Club have stalled the efforts of one of these mines - the proposed Atlanta Gold Mine. Here's proof that mines are very destructive to something that covers 3/4 of the earth and sustains all its life.In the age of bottled water, how much further damage can we do to our earth's... more
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Al Gore is to become a partner of a US private equity firm with a history of supporting "green technology". The ex vice-president and environmental activist is to join the board of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers. Al Gore is to become a partner of a US private equity firm with a history of... more
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