tagged w/ soil contamination
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Spectacle received a response today from L&Q and NHH to a letter sent out on July 9th, seeking answers to questions that weren’t included in Higgin’s FAQ sheet to residents. The good news is that there seems to be no health related threats to residents who have eaten produce from the contaminated soil. To quote the letter: “The marginal nature of the soil classification does not pose a threat to health from eating produce grown in the soil. It is key to note that soil in any garden would have a degree of ‘contamination’ and that the issue is about present day classification.”
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/silwood-video-group/lq-and-nhh-no-health-threats-to-eating-produce-from-contaminated-soil/Spectacle received a response today from L&Q and NHH to a letter sent out on July... more
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Based on residents’ concerns about the mysterious and unspecified “soil contamination” of the back gardens of dwellings in phase 3A of the Silwood estate we put together our own “Frequently asked Questions” and put them to Higgins, the contractor.
At first there was silence, we sent the letter again and then we got a phone call from Keith Briggs Director for Preconstruction at Higgins Construction PLC. He wanted to know if we were an “elected representative body ” because if the Silwood Video Group were not elected Higgins did not need to answer our questions.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/silwood-video-group/silwood-soil-contamination-higgins-response/Based on residents’ concerns about the mysterious and unspecified “soil... more
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Prior to having their gardens dug up and the topsoil replaced, residents of Silwood were sent a sheet of “Frequently Asked Questions” as an attachment to a letter from L&Q. The FAQ sheet covers matters such as whether the residents’ houses will be entered during the works, what will happen to sheds and garden furniture, and if any fences will be moved. As various conversations with the residents suggest, (along with common sense, of course), the questions covered are not even close to the ones really requiring answers.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/silwood-video-group/silwood-residents-frequently-asked-questions/Prior to having their gardens dug up and the topsoil replaced, residents of Silwood... more
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Yet another twist in the tale of regenerating the Silwood estate as around 50 residents are having their back gardens dug up because of ‘contaminated’ topsoil. [...]
The gardens affected were previously filled with topsoil bought in from elsewhere. And it’s unclear whether the soil has been contaminated right from the start. Some residents suspect as much, saying that plants seeded in the soil haven’t grown easily. One pointed out a rose bush planted five years ago – still barely more than a few shoots.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/silwood-video-group/digging-down-deeper-at-silwood/Yet another twist in the tale of regenerating the Silwood estate as around 50... more
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Washington, DC-- While the U.S. Supreme Court hears its first-ever case involving a genetically modified organism, alarms are sounding over the proposed planting of more than a quarter of a million genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees in the U.S., and transgenic trees are being globally condemned.
On April 27, the Supreme Court began to hear a case challenging a ban on the planting of a genetically engineered perennial alfalfa. The ban was implemented due to concerns about escape and contamination, and the inability of U.S. regulators to protect the public. [1]
In April, Reuters released a report exposing the fact that U.S. regulating agencies have "dropped the ball" when it comes to evaluating the potential risks of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). [2]
Reuters highlighted concerns that, "the U.S. government conducts no independent testing of these biotech crops before they are approved, and does little to track their consequences after." The report even went so far as to state, "Indeed, many experts say the U.S. government does more to promote global acceptance of biotech crops than to protect the public from possible harmful consequences."
This is a particular concern since the USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), one of the named agencies in the report, is considering approving a request by ArborGen to plant 260,000 GE trees across seven states even though researchers admit some of these trees produce viable pollen and some seedlings are assured to escape.
Referring to the questionable efficacy of the altered fertility technology in these GE trees, researcher Steve Strauss said, "There does not seem to have been any serious field studies, in any crop, sufficient to estimate the operational effectiveness of containment genes." Adding, "Until many such studies are published, it would be unwise to assume that genes can be fully and safely contained in the near future." [3]
Additionally, MSNBC [4], NPR [5] and PLoS Pathogens [6] recently reported that a new strain of a deadly pathogenic fungus, Cryptococcus gattii, has been causing fatal human illnesses throughout the Pacific Northwest. The fungus, which is known to grow on some species of eucalyptus trees, has killed one on four people in Oregon, and 40 out of 220 people infected throughout the region. While it is not known whether genetically engineered eucalyptus plantations would be a host for the fungus, the fact that some of the GE eucalyptus would have reduced lignin has raised concerns that they could be more susceptible to fungal infection.
Another study by researcher Claire Williams, recently published in the American Journal of Botany, found that pollen from trees remains viable over long distances. [7] This raises concerns about the potential for pollen from genetically engineered versions of native tree species like pines to travel large distances and contaminate forests. Williams' study found that, "GM pine plantings have the potential to disperse viable pollen at least 41 kilometers from the source."
On April 22, during the World Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change in Cochabamba, Bolivia, a broad gathering of Indigenous Peoples, social movements and organizations from around the world, issued a consensus condemnation of transgenic trees (GMO trees) and monoculture plantations. [8]
"Given all of this evidence, the USDA should not even consider approving the release of any genetically engineered trees," insisted Anne Petermann of Global Justice Ecology Project and the STOP GE Trees Campaign. [9] "The fact that there are so many unknowns and no independent studies evaluating the risks of GE trees--which include human health risks and damage to forests and wildlife--is a major reason why the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2006 and 2008 urged countries to use the Precautionary Principle with regard to GE trees. The Precautionary Principle would require GE trees to be proven safe before they are released." [10]Washington, DC-- While the U.S. Supreme Court hears its first-ever case involving a... more
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We are the Organic movement!
Organic agriculture and beyond can combat deforestation, soil, water and air contamination,water scarcity,hunger, poverty,energy consumption,economic injustice,illnesses,desertification,climate change,species extinction and the subjugation of human rights.
No GMO, no toxicity.
One with our beautiful blue planet, we advocate justice,respect for our Health and Nature, hoping to restore its harmonious balance and biodiversity.
Discuss, create solutions and take action.
Thank you from my heart to all that did join and will.
Thanks to Current.com
Watch the video below.
Join ORGANIC:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/We are the Organic movement!
Organic agriculture and beyond can combat deforestation,... more
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"Twenty-five years after the Bhopal gas leak killed thousands, there has been no cleanup of the site – and Indians continue to die horribly."
"We all know what the world's worst industrial disaster was: the gas leak from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal in central India. On the night of 2 December 1984, the creaky pesticides plant, which was lacking a number of basic safeguards, released a cloud of methyl isocyanate, phosgene and other gases over a densely populated city. This poison gas killed thousands of people – some immediately, many others in the years that followed. The death toll so far appears to be around 25,000. Hundreds of thousands of others were harmed, in many cases permanently. The 25th anniversary falls in just over two months."
One more excerpt:
"You might have imagined that after the global outrage this disaster caused, and the way in which Bhopal has become shorthand for corporate malfeasance and insouciance, that the site of this great crime would have been cleaned up and sorted out as quickly as possible. That the plant, which was closed after the gas leak, would either have been demolished and removed or cleaned up and turned into a memorial for the victims. You'd be wrong.
As the Bhopal Medical Appeal reminds us, the plant has instead simply been abandoned. Hundreds of tonnes of deadly chemicals have been left there – in open pits or just piled on the ground – to leach into the water supply, where they continue to poison people to this day, causing cancer and foetal malformations, among other horrible effects. The chemicals include deadly pesticides and their even deadlier precursors.
After drinking half a glass of water that the people of the city drink every day, the author Dominique Lapierre reported that "my mouth, my throat, my tongue instantly got on fire, while my arms and legs suffered an immediate skin rash. This was the simple manifestation of what men, women and children have to endure daily, some 18 years after the tragedy." Seven years on, nothing has changed. There has been no cleanup, no attempt to prevent the leakage from the site that takes place during every monsoon."
Why has this been ignored for so many years?
The contamination continues bringing deaths, illnesses and nature's catastrophe."Twenty-five years after the Bhopal gas leak killed thousands, there has been no... more
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"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in a sorry a state as the souls who live under tyrrany."
By Thomas Jefferson ( Founding Father and third President of the United States).
Excerpts:
"Unsuspecting consumers by the tens of millions are being allowed to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically engineered foods, despite findings by FDA scientists that these foods could pose serious risks. New genetically engineered crops are being approved by federal agencies despite admissions that they will contaminate native and conventional plants and pose other significant new environmental threats. In short, there has been a complete abdication of any responsible legislative or regulatory oversight of genetically engineered foods. Clearly, now is a critical time to challenge the government’s lack of regulatory oversight on this technology, and demand labeling of all GE foods so that consumers have a choice in the marketplace.
At the site you'll briefly read what Prince Charles and a few others had to say about Genetically engineered food.
Here is what Pope John Paul II said to 50,000 farmers:
" 'resist the temptation of high productivity and profit that work to the detriment of the respect of nature.' The pontiff added that "when (farmers) forget this basic principle and become tyrants of the earth rather than its custodians ... sooner or later the earth rebels."
"if modern farming techniques don't reconcile themselves with the simple language of nature in a healthy balance, the life of man will run ever greater risks, of which already we are seeing worrying signs."
Sign the petition at the site and stand up for the right to be informed, fight gmo and corporate greed that is destroying our NATURE.
Join Organic:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they... more
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Growth Through Energy and Community Health (GTECH) is a newly formed non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, PA. GTECH Strategies is unique in every way; the innovative company was started as a graduate project for two students attending Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy.
Chris Koch and Andrew Butcher have found a way to create a biofuel commodity by harvesting plants like Sunflowers and Canola that are grown on contaminated sites (brown fields) across Pittsburgh. These sites have become dilapidated over years as populations have dwindled. The houses that once stood on many of the 14,000 vacant lots in and around the city, are now contaminated with asbestos and heavy metals and cannot be built on until the soil is clear of chemical pollutants. The plants that GTECH Strategies harvests, leech the soil of its toxins, giving a rebirth to these sites and allowing for a development horizon timeline, usually 3-5 years. Additionally, GTECH Strategies provides 'Green' job training to young adults living in these marginalized communities. What GTECH Strategies is doing is nothing short of inspiring and phenomenal.Growth Through Energy and Community Health (GTECH) is a newly formed non-profit... more
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