tagged w/ Groundwater
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Some of Michigan's elected officials - like Governor Jennifer Granholm - are selling out the beautiful streams and lush forests of the Upper Peninsula in exchange for some quick cash.
Many people who once loved our governor - now think Granholm doesn't deserve to be a democrat - because she's acting like a Republican.
Granholm and others - like famous actor/director Jeff Daniels - proclaim their love for the Upper Peninsula but are remaining strangely silent in the fight to stop Kennecott Minerals and other mining companies from building sulfide mines nicknamed "acid" mines.
Granholm, Daniels and others with power should be leading the fight to stop the Eagle Project.
In fact - the governor's top Upper Peninsula aide - her point man on the mine issue - recently quit his job to take a lucrative position with Kennecott''s parent company. That speaks volumes as the gov remains tight-lipped.
The National Wildlife Federation has produced a documentary about the gallant fight to protect the Upper Peninsula.
The public is invited to a free showing of the film om Dec. 5, 2008 in Marquette at Northern Michigan University.Some of Michigan's elected officials - like Governor Jennifer Granholm - are... more
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Above Photo of Lake Superior shoreline © Jim Kruger
Please read the Christian Century Article by Rev. Jon Magnuson on the "Acid Mine" that threatens Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
An ELCA Lutheran pastor, Rev. Magnuson is known across northern Michigan for creating numerous interfaith environment initiatives and other projects projects involving over 150 churches/temples, American Indian tribes, college students, at-risk teens, health care professionals and many others.
If this mine opens along Lake Superior, it could leak sulfuric acid into the Great Lakes.
It's the first of countless sulfide and uranium mines planned for Northern Michigan.
Besides unproven "new" technology, the mine will be open for only seven years - and create only about 150 short-term jobs. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the economic impact of the U.P.'s longstanding iron ore mines.
A lot of greed for a smattering of nickel and other minerals that will be sucked out of our precious soil.
The international mining company that wants to set up shop in Marquette County is Kennecott Minerals - an outfit with a dismal environmental record that has closed other acid mines without proper cleanup apparently finding it cheaper to fight in court than pay for the proper cleanup of the now vacent mine sites.
Photo of Lake Superior shoreline © Jim Kruger
Inland drilling: A debate over mining in Upper Michigan
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=5020
Many fear that the aicd mines - that will be joined by uranium mines - are a death-knell for northern Michigan and its bread-and-butter tourism economy.
Who will want to visit an area dotted by hundreds of acid pits and possibly polluted rivers, lakes and streams.
There are recent swirling rumors that Kennecott took state officials on junkets and other allegations of wrongdoing as their deep pockets wooed local and state leaders.
If true, it would not be the first scandal involving the local operation named the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company - as an important study critical of the mine were not made public by state officials until the information was leaked. Just an innocent oversight - the state claimed.
Do you hear the whirring sound? - it's Marquette's founding fathers are spinning in their graves.
For more information on the effort to stop the mines - visit Save the Wild UP website:
http://www.savethewildup.org
Above Photo of Lake Superior shoreline © Jim Kruger
Please read the Christian... more
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In a response to calls by activist groups and the discovery that leaks found last week might have happened years ago, France has agreed to examine the groundwater near all its nuclear plants. Though the anti-nuclear groups see this as a positive step, they say it still doesn't go far enough.
After tests following a uranium leak in France (more...)revealed that the radiation came from another earlier source, France's environment minister has ordered tests of the groundwater in areas surrounding all of France's nuclear power plants.
The leak was first reported last Tuesday at the Tricastin plant in southwestern France. A tank containing a solution with traces of non-enriched uranium was reportedly being cleaned the evening of July 7, and the reservoir collecting it overflowed, allowing 30,000 liters (7,925 gallons) of solution to seep into the ground and two nearby rivers. Local authorities immediately banned using ground or river water for drinking or irrigation as well as swimming or fishing in the waters.
Read more...In a response to calls by activist groups and the discovery that leaks found last week... more
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The Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program and the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) provide an environmentally and economically sound solution to disposing of household electronic waste.
Residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties may bring their items to e-waste collection sites on the specified collection dates in their area.
The initiative received grants and other assistance from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The collection is part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge involving over 100 projects in eight states across the Great Lakes Basin.
More than a dozen previous collections since 2005 have garnered nearly 48 tons of e-waste from over 850 participants.
2005: 8 collections, 26.5 tons
2006: 4 collections, 15 tons
2007: 1 collection, 6.25 tons
Called e-waste, electronics waste includes old /broken computers, cell phones, and TVs.
The collection for Houghton and Keweenaw counties will be June 21 from 9 a.m. to noon at the health department in Hancock.
An e-waste collection will be held in Baraga County on July 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at a site to be announced.
Collection events for other Copper Country counties will be announced in the future.
The cost to drop off e-waste is 10 cents per pound.
The collection will accept a wide range of e-waste including cell phones, computer and related equipment like laptops, monitors, towers aka central processing units, printers, scanners, keyboards and computer mice
Other e-waste accepted includes stereo equipment, televisions, VCR and DVD players, copiers, cordless telephones, fax machines, fluorescent light bulbs that are 4 to 8 feet in length, microwave ovens and batteries including alkaline, nickel cadmium, lead acid, lithium, mercury.
It's estimate that between 1997 and 2007, nearly 500 million personal computers became obsolete. That's almost 2 computers for every person in the United States.
TV's and computer monitors contain an average of 4 pounds of lead and other toxins.
According to Closing the Circle News, the manufacture of one computer consumes 529 pounds of fossil fuels, 49 pounds of chemicals, and 3,307 pounds of water.
The EPA says nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete nationwide in the next five years.
For additional info contact the Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program or RSVP at 906-482-7382.
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills. The goals were exceeded by 500 percent.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers with interfaith liaisons to volunteer and encourage members of local churches/temples to participate in the Earth Day events in their area.
This video on the projects in the EPA Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency; the EPA's Region 5 office and the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office in Chicago, with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment.
I’m Greg Peterson, Earth Healing TV
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Western U.P. District Health Department
http://www.wupdhd.org/rsvp/e-waste.html
RSVP
http://www.wupdhd.org/rsvp/index.html
EPA Region 5 Office Chicago
http://www.epa.gov/region5
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Baha'i) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
1-800-326-1197
1-847-733-3559The Western Upper Peninsula Electronics Recycling Program and the Retired & Senior... more
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EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge removed a huge amount of electronic waste and pharmaceuticals from eight states.
The goal of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was the collecting and recycling of one million pounds of electronics (e-Waste) plus the collection and proper disposal of one million pills.
These goals were exceeded many times over.
A few examples:
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In Milwaukee, WI: 32 tons of electronic waste and 3.5 tons of pharmaceuticals were turned in.
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At the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin near Green Bay: Approx. 4 tons of e-waste was collected plus thousands of pounds of other trash cleaned from reservation Tribal members turned in over 23 pounds of medicines including 100 bottles of pills, more than 25 computers and dozens of related components like hard drives, printers, keyboards and speakers; televisions, radios, DVD players, 12 cell phones and over 100 small batteries.
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In Traverse City, MI: Over 28,750 pounds (over 12.5 tons) of computers and other e-waste was collected.
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The electronic waste is recycled, and the pharmaceuticals are incinerated in state-of-the-art EPA -license facilities.
So why is this important?
The old and broken electronics - like computers, cell phones and TVs - contain heavy metals that can leach into the groundwater if dumped into landfills.
The unused pharmaceuticals can end up in your drinking water if they are flushed or poured down the drain.
That’s because most wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove chemicals from these pharmaceuticals including hormones, narcotics, seizure medication and many more - that end up back in your drinking water.
In an April 2008 press conference in Milwaukee, EPA and other officials explained why the Great Lakes Challenge and similar projects are important to protect the environment and your health.
Pharmaceutical chemicals are sent back out into the Great Lakes, rivers and other places were people recreate and are the intakes for drinking water.
Studies show that the chemicals are appearing in the nation’s drinking water in small amounts - the long term effects are not known - however they have been linked to mutations in fish and other wildlife.
Also - these medicines can be stolen, diverted or accidentally ingested by children - if they languish in your medicine cabinet.
Around the country many e-waste and pharmaceutical take back programs have been developed by governments and local businesses.
Please check with your local officials to find out details for your area.
Because every day should be Earth Day.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office also in Chicago in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, Michigan.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and "a coalition of churches synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal protect and defend the environment" said EHI founder Rev Jon Magnuson of Marquette.
I’m Greg Peterson and you’re watching Earth Healing TVEPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge removed a huge amount of electronic waste and... more
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