McDonald's grabs a piece of the apple pie

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | McDonald's grabs a piece of the apple pie: "...McDonald's, which launched the Apple Dippers last year, now buys more apples than any other restaurant chain in the United States. And if the product, not to mention a forthcoming McDonald's apple salad, takes off, it has the potential to transform an entire agricultural industry. The chain's influence could alter for ever the method and scale of production, the varieties of apple produced, and the rights of the thousands of workers who pick them, and not necessarily for the better.

'McDonald's makes a huge impact, not because they are deliberately out to screw the food system, but because they are so massive, and because they demand a uniform product,' says Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, a damning critique of the industry.

With 13,700 restaurants in the US, McDonald's is one of the country's biggest employers: roughly one in eight Americans is estimated to have worked for the company at some stage in their lives. It is already the largest buyer of beef, pork and potatoes, and the second-largest buyer of chicken. With volume comes clout: last year, at an apple-marketing conference organised by the US Apple Association, McDonald's director of quality systems announced that if growers wanted to work with the company, they would have to cultivate more of two varieties of apple in particular: cameo and pink lady. Already, the cameo crop in Washington state is 58% larger than it was last year, according to growers in Yakima Valley. [...]"

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up': "The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries - some of them world leaders in their fields - today warns that the almost two-thirds of the natural machinery that supports life on Earth is being degraded by human pressure.

The study contains what its authors call 'a stark warning' for the entire world. The wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries, coastal fisheries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients for all living creatures are being irretrievably damaged. In effect, one species is now a hazard to the other 10 million or so on the planet, and to itself.

'Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted,' it says. [...]"

Rolling Stone on Peak Oil

RollingStone.com: The Long Emergency : Politics: "What's going to happen as we start running out of cheap gas to guzzle? "

GM and Chrysler in fuel cell deals with Department of Energy

GM and Chrysler in fuel cell deals with Department of Energy - Mar. 30, 2005: "General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler Wednesday said they signed multi-million dollar deals with the Department of Energy to build a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and further develop the technology."

The IRC Blog: Banda Aceh - The View from My House

The IRC Blog: "There are certain things that count as 'normal' in Banda Aceh. Devastation is something that unfortunately you see each day. It has become horribly routine. Frequent earthquakes -- as many as three or four a day -- have also taken on an air of normalcy. You are asleep and the ground begins to shake. You are at work and you can hear a window rattle or feel your chair rock back and forth. There comes a moment when you become at once accustomed and highly sensitive to the shaking of the earth. You can feel the slightest tremor. Sometimes you can mistake the beating of your heart for a vibration in the ground.

Since virtually every metaphor we have for stability stems from our relationship with solid ground (think "well grounded" "good foundation" "solid as a rock") we have all tended to approach the quakes with a measure of bravado and humor that attends an unmasking. You are about to brush your teeth at the IRC compound only to see five other staff members flying out of the door as the windows behind you begin to rattle and shimmy. You wonder which would be worse -- braving the possibility of falling debris or violating cultural norms by running out into the middle of the road wearing nothing except for a tangerine-colored towel. You tighten the towel and run outside only to see your neighbors who themselves are wearing their towels. Then someone comes with cigarettes and coffee. You and your neighbors burst out into laughter. How unbecoming these earthquakes are.

In Banda Aceh, last night was different -- but not for the reasons that one would expect. To be sure, the rolling of the ground lasted longer than it had on previous occasions. And perhaps it was a shaking that was even more violent. But to be honest, those details did not define a difference. What was different was the look on people's faces afterwards. I watched them from my porch, entire families on motorbikes, children with parents, truckloads of humanity -- all making their way to higher ground. They trundled into the night, their faces gripped by fear. I looked at one of my Acehnese roommates -- his face was like a child’s. "Greg...earthquake," he said, reduced to tears. "earthquake."

Acehnese are remarkably religious people and I have known them to stop in the middle of virtually any activity simply to pray. Last night, the voices from the muezzin's microphone were telling people to return home. But people were having none of it. The trucks and the motorbikes continued uphill into the darkness and the anonymity of high ground.

The rumbling of the earth had ripped away a patina of normalcy and revealed a trembling red wound. Looking at the crowds I wondered what might be happening in other parts of Sumatra. They too would experience the "normalcy" of devastation and death."

MTV.com - Onair - Trippin

Tonight was the season premier of Trippin, an MTV special series. The idea seems to be if meaningful environmental experiences for the youth are the key to developing an environmentally sensitive cultural base, then MTV will bring environmentally meaningful experiences to the masses, via Redman, DMX, Cameron Diaz, and other pop idols. This year's neuro-research that demonstrated television experiences are nearly indistinguishable in brain activity from actual experiences supports MTV's big idea.

Watch for replays of tonight's show as well as new episodes. One or the other will air nearly every day for the next week.

MTV.com - Onair - Trippin: "Cameron Diaz and a group of her close, personal friends think globally and act globally too as they travel to unlikely getaways...from Chile to Yellowstone, on a quest to safeguard the environment. The travelers will not have the benefit of any luxury."

E.P.A. Report Finds Lag in Monitoring Attacks

The New York Times > Washington > E.P.A. Report Finds Lag in Monitoring Attacks: "The effort for quick detection of a biological attack in major cities is faltering because of shortcomings in the Environmental Protection Agency's management of the program, its inspector general said in a report released on Thursday.

Under the program, BioWatch, air monitors have been set up over the last three years in at least 30 metropolitan regions in an effort to detect within 36 hours the release of deadly pathogens like anthrax, smallpox or plague.

More than $200 million has been spent, including the cost of installing the monitors in cities like Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington. [...]"

clashing agendas

In Dr. Klineberg's lectures he's focused on success stories of limiting or even stopping population growth. But this NY Times article paints those successes as social failures.

The New York Times > National > Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: Children: "...In that sense, the United States is following Europe and the rest of the industrial world, where birthrates now rarely exceed the rate needed to replace the population.

'If you took immigrants out of the equation, the United States would be like the rest of Europe,' said Phillip Longman, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a public policy research organization in Washington. He is the author of 'The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birth Rates Threaten World Prosperity and What To Do About It.'

Mr. Longman said a decline in children not only takes away 'human capital' needed to sustain an aging population, but 'having fewer children really diminishes the quality of life in a city.'

Most city leaders seem to agree. Even in San Francisco, where officials are preparing for another round of school closings amid a projected decline of 4,000 students in the next five years, city officials are aggressively marketing the city and its schools to young families. [...]"

Damning verdict on GM crop

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Damning verdict on GM crop: "Final report on world's most comprehensive field trials says oil seed rape varieties would harm wildlife and environment."

Worldwatch Institute Jobs

Worldwatch Institute Jobs: "Intern to assist the Director of Publications and Marketing.

The length of internship is flexible but need someone who is available at least 20 hours per week. Unfortunately, this is an unpaid internship.

Worldwatch Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides information and advice to policy makers and the public on a broad range of global environmental and development issues. Our publications appear in over 30 languages. Research areas include agriculture, biological diversity, energy and climate change, international economics and institutions, and population."

Rocket Fuel in our Food

World Watch Magazine: November/ December 2003: "Chemicals long used to power missiles now threaten the health of the very people those missiles were supposed to protect."

CLEAN - Citizens League for Environmental Action Now!

CLEAN - Citizens League for Environmental Action Now! - Home Page: "Clean air- we need it. Climate change- we’re concerned. Environmental education- we're doing something about it.

The Citizens League for Environmental Action Now provides Houstonians with scientific evidence on the health effects of air pollution. We offer solutions to improve Houston's air quality that will benefit Houston socially and economically. We encourage the public to speak out on these issues."

Houston World Affairs Council

Houston World Affairs Council: "The Houston World Affairs Council is seeking an intern for its Education Outreach Program.  The intern should be currently enrolled in a secondary social studies education program at an accredited Houston university.

The pre-service teacher will gain valuable experience working for a non-profit whose mission is the promotion of international education in Houston area secondary schools, colleges, and universities. The intern’s work will expand his/her knowledge of international issues and American foreign policy, while also cultivating important education skills such as curriculum development, grant writing, and research."

TexPIRG Environmental Leadership Program

TexPIRG: "The Texas Environmental Leadership Program (TELP) works to train college students, community members and environmental professionals to give them the skills they need to lead effective campaigns to protect Texas' environment and public health. The project works to identify promising leaders and provides basic and advanced training in how to be effective organizers.

TELP coordinates three main efforts: A Fellowship Program for college students, a Continuing Education program for environmental professionals, and the annual Texas Environmental Leadership Conference. The program is possible thanks to the generous support of the Houston Endowment and the Jacob and Therese Hershey Foundation."

in honor of Dr. Klineberg's spring break hybrid purchase

Here are a few hot debates online regarding the most efficient of the fuel efficent auto choices:

Treehugger: Which is better for the environment- a Prius or an Echo?
(spoiler: a Prius, but only after 12,000 miles of driving)


On hybrids vs. biodiesel | Grist Magazine | Ask Umbra | 14 Mar 2005
(spoiler: biodiesel is judged more sustainable b/c gas is gas--evil petroleum--even at lower levels of usage)

Dramatizing the "death" of environmentalism doesn't help urban people of color, or anyone else

Dramatizing the "death" of environmentalism doesn't help urban people of color, or anyone else | By Adrienne Maree Brown | Grist Magazine | Soapbox | 15 Mar 2005: "...If you work on environmental issues, chances are you don't know me. I represent the other other side. The one outside the greenhouse. I'm young, I'm colored, I'm female, I'm urban -- and environmentalism isn't reaching me like it needs to. [...]

"At the end of that day, I may not separate the glass from the paper, the plastic from the cans. I may not carry my own water bottle everywhere I go. For a lot of young people right now, the environment is an issue for the privileged or the issueless. People who feel they are becoming extinct care less about the extinction of owls and oak trees. We sit on buses that pump nasty black smoke into our air, dreaming of owning SUVs. Many of us don't see real, unfenced trees anymore. We don't see stars -- the blue of our skies is unreal. The natural world is becoming a place to visit or dream of, a privilege for those who can find work outside cities, or a trap for those in the migrant worker population who lack fair wages and work situations.

Overall, too many young people see the struggles of humans as separate from the struggles for a healthy environment. It isn't because we have bad intentions -- it's because a generation that does not care about the impact of its lifestyle on the environment can be easily manipulated for corporate greed. We are getting played out. And unfortunately, the environmental movement has actually helped enforce that disconnect by seeming to draw divisions between the natural world and its human inhabitants -- and by seeming to worry more about the former than the latter. [...]"

video clip: Peter Matthiessen

Orion > Current Wisdom > Peter Matthiessen: "Bestselling author and environmentalist Peter Matthiessen no longer believes we can afford to separate politics from the environment. In Our Political Environment: Environmental Policy, Corporate Ethics, and Global Warming, the outspoken author pillories those whom he believes are looting our nation -- from the top down."

CHIEF SEATTLE: 1855

CHIEF SEATTLE: 1855: "...How can you buy or sell the sky - the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. Yet we do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us? We will decide in our time. Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know that the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother, but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on. He leaves his father's graves and his children's birthright is forgotten. The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the redman. But perhaps it is because the redman is a savage and does not understand. [...]

"One thing we know that the white man may one day discover. Our God is the same God. You may think that you own him as you wish to own our land, but you cannot. He is the Body of man, and his compassion is equal for the redman and the white. This earth is precious to him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites, too, shall pass - perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by the talking wires, where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is it to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. [...]"

Economics, Ecology, And Us

Robert Gilman - Economics, Ecology, And Us: "This kind of lifestyle is often referred to as 'voluntary simplicity.' We used to chuckle at that because, compared to the simplicity of having one job and handling everything else by paying someone else to do it for you, ours was definitely a life of voluntary complexity! It was both enormously stimulating and enormously challenging.

On the minus side, we naturally found that we could not replace all expenses with our own labor. More problematic, we found that the paid-labor world was often downright hostile to anyone who was not devoted to it full-time. It was hard to find a middle ground that combined sophisticated paid work with substantial personal time.

We were never truly poor, but we did get tight enough at times to appreciate the desperation that being without resources (not only financial but social and otherwise) can bring. Yet in our case, whenever we got to the 'end of our rope,' new rope always seemed to grow out of the old end. There were always new opportunities coming up over the horizon - often just in time.

Above that level there was, and is, a broad income territory where wealth and poverty are clearly states of mind and not measured by our bank account. In this territory, our sense of fulfillment depends almost entirely on the degree to which we are able to express our values and have reasonable control over how we spend our time. [...]"

The peak of Mt Kilimanjaro as it has not been seen for 11,000 years

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The peak of Mt Kilimanjaro as it has not been seen for 11,000 years: "Africa's tallest mountain, with its white peak, is one of the most instantly recognisable sights in the world. But as this aerial photograph shows, Kilimanjaro's trademark snowy cap, at 5,895 metres (1,934ft), is now all but gone - 15 years beforescientists predicted it would melt through global warming, writes Paul Brown.

In Swahili Kilima Njaro means shining mountain, but the glaciers and snow cap that kept the summit white, probably for 11,000 years - despite the location, in Tanzania, 200 miles south of the equator - have almost disappeared.

Tomorrow the 34 ministers at the G8 energy and environment summit, meeting in London, will receive a book - published by The Climate Group, and entitled Northsoutheastwest: a 360 view of climate change - that includes this picture among others depicting global warming. The book's text describes the devastating speed of climate change documented by 10 of the world's top photographers from Magnum Photos.
"

Journalistic Balance as Global Warming Bias

Journalistic Balance as Global Warming Bias: "A new study has found that when it comes to U.S. media coverage of global warming , superficial balance—telling 'both' sides of the story—can actually be a form of informational bias. Despite the consistent assertions of the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that human activities have had a 'discernible' influence on the global climate and that global warming is a serious problem that must be addressed immediately, 'he said/she said' reporting has allowed a small group of global warming skeptics to have their views greatly amplified. [...]"

Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming

The New York Times > National > Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming: "...The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group of 51 church denominations, said he had become passionate about global warming because of his experience scuba diving and observing the effects of rising ocean temperatures and pollution on coral reefs.

'The question is, will evangelicals make a difference?' Mr. Haggard said. 'And the answer is, the Senate thinks so. We do represent 30 million people, and we can mobilize them if we have to.'

In October the association paved the way for broad-based advocacy on the environment when it adopted 'For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility,' a platform that included a plank on 'creation care' that many evangelical leaders say was unprecedented. [...]"

The True Cost of Flying

The True Cost of Flying: "The European boom in ''low-cost'' airlines, fueled by tax incentives, is increasing the level of toxic gases in the atmosphere and displacing less polluting and more efficient means of transportation for shorter distances, like trains. [...]

"The burning of jet fuel -- a petroleum product -- releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and the process of climate change. Air traffic worldwide produces emissions of more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide -- the leading greenhouse gas -- each year.

In addition, it releases nitrates, ash, sulfates and water vapor. Some of these substances deplete ozone in the atmosphere -- this layer of ozone gas is crucial for protecting life on Earth from the Sun's harmful rays.

The Britain-based environmental group Tourism Concern predicts that by 2015 half of the annual destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by commercial air traffic. [...]"

ABCs of Water Privatization

Public Citizen | Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program | Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program - ABCs of Water Privatization: "The World Bank has predicted that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will run short of fresh drinking water. As supplies become scarce, water will take on unprecedented market value. Fortune magazine dubbed water the “oil of the 21st century,” but, unlike gasoline, its real value is incalculable. No living being can survive without water, an immutable fact of life that multinational corporations are seeking to parlay into profits.

Thus was born the water privatization movement, which, though in its infancy, arguably looms as the greatest threat to the protection of this irreplaceable public resource.

National and local governments, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and multinational utility companies are jumping onto the privatization bandwagon with nary a second thought. While the full story of water privatization is decades away from being told, early reports reveal that these schemes in the United States and throughout the world have gone terribly wrong with prices increasing, quality suffering and accountability falling by the wayside. [...]"

Amazon Forest - Destruction and Hope

Amazon Forest - Destruction and Hope: "...An estimated 45 percent of the logging in the Amazon is illegal, but ''taking into account the illegal logging on invaded public lands, the percentage reaches 97.5 percent,'' although a good part of that is ''legalized'' by undue official authorizations, says Smeraldi.

Containing deforestation requires developing economic alternatives that maintain the forests intact and are competitive with the agricultural businesses that fill in the deforested lands, agree environmentalists and researchers.

Legal and sustainable logging is one of the most viable ways, says Veríssimo.

That option is gaining ground even amongst logging businesses. ''The informal, illegal practices undermine the economy with unfair competition,'' Ivan Tomaselli, vice-president of ABIMCI, a Brazilian processed lumber industry association, told Tierramérica.

The disorder in land titles means ''legal insecurity and high risks,'' such that investment is only justified if profits are going to be very high, he said.

Illegally harvested lumber in the Amazon, according to Tomaselli, today represents just 20 percent of the total, compared to 80 percent in the past. The proportion of wood certified under best forestry practices is growing, said the businessman, because it has a ''competitive advantage'' in major markets like Europe and the United States. [...]"

The Green Guide: A Money-Saving, Stylish Green Kitchen

The Green Guide: A Money-Saving, Stylish Green Kitchen: "...As Claudia's experience shows, green homes are gaining ground in the United States: 13,224 were built in 2002 alone compared with 18,884 for the entire decade of the 1990s. The trend is attracting a broader economic spectrum of homeowners thanks to public awareness, new technologies and a growing market in environmentally sounder materials. As defined by Daniel Chiras, author of The New Ecological Home (Chelsea Green, 2004, $35), building green means minimizing the negative impact on the natural world while creating a healthy living environment. The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has developed standards that encompass a building's use of natural resources, healthy materials, recycling and more. (Currently available for commercial properties, schools and apartment buildings, LEED certification for houses is scheduled to debut in early 2006.)


Building green is equal parts science and ethics, but mostly it's just common sense, says Bob Chew, the owner of Earth-Friendly Homes and Claudia's building contractor. In 2001, when she had her construction loan in place, Claudia teamed up with Chew to design and build the house, giving special consideration to the safety and comfort of her 80-year-old mother, Claire. 'I wanted to build a house that was familiar,' Claudia says. In the end, she based the design on her childhood home, a two-story, Cape-style house built by her uncle. She kept what she loved about that house, such as the sink in a sunny corner of the kitchen, while adding a walk-in pantry, a canning station in the basement and grab bars for Claire. [...]"

Earthwatch Institute: Research. Conservation. Education. Volunteer.

More internship opportunities:

Earthwatch Institute: Research. Conservation. Education. Volunteer.: "Earthwatch Institute engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment."

spend your summer helping Bono save the world!

Contact Us - DATA, Debt AIDS Trade Africa: "From time to time we have unpaid internship openings in our Washington, DC office. Please submit applications within the following deadlines:

Summer Internships: April 20th
Fall Internships: September 10th
Spring Internships: December 1st

If you are interested in an internship at DATA please send the following by email to data@data.org or by mail to 1317 F St, NW Washington, DC 20004:
A resume;
A one page statement explaining why you are interested in interning at DATA, any relevant experiences you have had, how you think you can contribute to our efforts, how an internship might contribute to your education, any special skills you have and the dates, days and times you anticipate being available;
A brief writing sample (maximum four pages, shorter is better); and,
Three references with phone numbers, email addresses and professional title.

No phone calls please."

Another World Is Here: Green Homes

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Green Homes: "Want to buy a solar-powered condo? Developer Clarum Homes has just completed the 'Vista Montana' community in Watsonville, California (in central California, east of Monterey). Vista Montana has the nation's largest building-integrated solar electric system in an apartment complex, a 60 kW system projected to produce over 90 megawatt-hours annually. The units were constructed to use 40 percent less energy than would otherwise be typical. [...]"

China legislature passes renewable energy bill

Legislature passes renewable energy bill: "Non-fossil energy sources, including wind, solar power and thermal power, will make up a bigger share of China's energy resources under a new bill passed yesterday encouraging use of renewable energy."

(found via DailyKos)

enviro grad program in Australia

About Biohumanities - Biohumanities at The University of Queensland

As Green as a Neocon - Why Iraq hawks are driving Priuses. By Robert Bryce

You can also listen to this story on NPR.

As Green as a Neocon - Why Iraq hawks are driving Priuses. By Robert Bryce: "...But a curious transformation is occurring in Washington, D.C., a split of foreign policy and energy policy: Many of the leading neoconservatives who pushed hard for the Iraq war are going green. James Woolsey, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and staunch backer of the Iraq war, now drives a 58-miles-per-gallon Toyota Prius and has two more hybrid vehicles on order. Frank Gaffney, the president of the Center for Security Policy and another neocon who championed the war, has been speaking regularly in Washington about fuel efficiency and plant-based bio-fuels.

The alliance of hawks and environmentalists is new but not entirely surprising. The environmentalists are worried about global warming and air pollution. But Woolsey and Gaffney—both members of the Project for the New American Century, which began advocating military action against Saddam Hussein back in 1998—are going green for geopolitical reasons, not environmental ones. They seek to reduce the flow of American dollars to oil-rich Islamic theocracies, Saudi Arabia in particular. Petrodollars have made Saudi Arabia too rich a source of terrorist funding and Islamic radicals. Last month, Gaffney told a conference in Washington that America has become dependent on oil that is imported from countries that, 'by and large, are hostile to us.' This fact, he said, makes reducing oil imports 'a national security imperative.' [...]"

Animated Guide to Climate Change Forcasts

BBC NEWS

Climate change: Uncharted waters?

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Climate change: Uncharted waters?: "As part of Planet Under Pressure, a BBC News series looking at some of the biggest environmental problems facing humanity, Alex Kirby explores the implications of climate change."

are any of these organizations at Rice?

Can you help change that?

Second Nature | Education For Sustainability: "Education For Sustainability Organizations

The following list of non-profit organizations represents only some of the dozens of organizations actively working toward the goals of Education for Sustainability.

* Aldo Leopold Foundation
* Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
* Association of Governing Boards
* Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
* Campus Ecology Program of the National Wildlife Federation
* Center for Environmental Citizenship
* Center for Respect of Life and the Environment
* International Association of Universities
* International Institute for Sustainable Development
* Management Institute for Environment and Business Program of the World Resources Institute
* National Association of Educational Buyers
* National Council for Science and the Environment
* North American Alliance for Green Education
* Society for College and University Planning
* Student Environmental Action Coalition
* The Natural Step
* University Leaders for a Sustainable Future"

Spider Venom Could Yield Eco-Friendly Insecticides

US NSF - Discoveries - Spider Venom Could Yield Eco-Friendly Insecticides: "You could call Glenn King "The Spider Man." The University of Connecticut research scientist is mapping spider toxins at the molecular level. His work may result in an insecticide that takes out agricultural pests without harming other insects. [...]

"Insect pests destroy about 25 percent of the world's crops each year, despite the extensive application of chemical insecticides since World War II. The initial effectiveness of DDT in agricultural use and malaria eradication programs led many to view chemical insecticides as a panacea. But widespread use of the chemicals has boosted insects' resistance, even to increased dosages, while the environmental damage and human health risks associated with the chemicals have increased, according to King.

'We have a very good reason to look for a safer, nontoxic, and more efficient pesticide. More than a billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed in the U.S. every year. That's four pounds per person. A millionth of a pound can sometimes be deadly. And the chemical toxins that currently end up in the food and water supply pose a serious threat to animals, fish, and birds,' says King, a research scientist at the University of Connecticut Health Center."

UN environmental agency steps up battle against marine pollution

Biology News: Environment - UN environmental agency steps up battle against marine pollution: "Coastal pollution, including plastic waste, discarded lead-acid batteries and used oils and lubricants, will come under renewed attack under a new agreement signed by the United Nations environmental agency and an international treaty body controlling hazardous wastes. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed last week in Nairobi, Kenya, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Seas Programme and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, seeks to raise awareness on hazardous waste and marine pollution.

The main area of cooperation is the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes in order to prevent coastal and marine pollution and the two organizations will support each other with technical and legal training. [...]"

Organic & Local Key to Food Sustainability

Organic & Local Key to Food Sustainability: "Local food is usually more "green" than organic food, according to a report published in Food Policy journal.

The authors say people can help protect the environment by buying food produced within a 20km radius.[...]

"'The price of food is disguising externalised costs - damage to the environment, damage to climate, damage to infrastructure and the cost of transporting food on roads,' Professor Lang told the BBC News website.

The authors calculated that if all foods were sourced from within 20km of where it is was consumed, environmental and congestion costs would fall from more than £2.3bn to under £230m - an 'environmental saving' of £2.1bn annually.

They pointed out that organic methods can also make an important contribution. If all farms in the UK were to turn organic, then the country would save £1.1bn of environmental costs each year. [...]"

Municipal Solid Waste - Milestones in Garbage

Municipal Solid Waste - Milestones in Garbage: "A historical timeline of municipal solid waste management"

New Poll Finds Bush Priorities Are Out of Step With Americans

The New York Times > Washington > New Poll Finds Bush Priorities Are Out of Step With Americans: "Americans say President Bush does not share the priorities of most of the country on either domestic or foreign issues, are increasingly resistant to his proposal to revamp Social Security and say they are uneasy with Mr. Bush's ability to make the right decisions about the retirement program, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. [...]

'There are so many other things that seem to me to be more critical and immediate: I think the national debt is absolutely an immediate thing to address,' said Irv Packer, 66, a Missouri Republican. He added, 'Another one that I'd really like to see people working on is the environment.'

Lisa Delaune, 37, a student from Houston and a member of the Green Party, said in a follow-up interview, 'My opinion is that the president favors big business over the health and well-being and overall stability of the entire American population.' [...]"

Hollywood was sweating global climate destabilization last Sunday night

Variety.com - Tents moments: "With Oscars coming on Sunday, this is the most stressful week of the year in Hollywood. No, not over who's going to win or lose: The big question on everyone's lips is 'How many parties am I going to get invited to?' The calendar is chockablock with pre-Academy Awards events. Nobody could possibly attend all of them; nobody really wants to. They just want to make sure they're invited -- to feel, you know, loved and important.

But if the potential partygoers are stressed out, that's nothing compared to the planners. Aside from the usual stress that goes into working out details for a major Hollywood event, they have to contend with one more horrifying factor: wet ground.

The punishing rains of the last few weeks have left virtually every area in town filled with potholes and puddles, which do not easily mix with formal wear. Now, aside from flowers, candles and tiki torches on the walkway to the parties, the planners have to make sure the red carpet is dry.

Sure, the Oscars have survived rainy days before, but the last time was when the show was held at the Music Center downtown. The mixture of Hollywood Boulevard and rain hasn't been tested. Though rain's not forecast for the weekend, the planners go pale at the mere mention of more showers.

Still, Hollywood is putting on a brave face. The show must go on, and so must the party. [...]"

Environmental law resource

Environmental Integrity Project: "Environmental laws that guarantee clean air and water, protect human exposure to toxic waste, and preserve natural resources are viewed as a birthright by most Americans. On paper, these laws are impressive in scope; in practice, they are often ignored. The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) works closely with local communities to protect the public's health and resources by promoting better enforcement of federal environmental laws. EIP also seeks to protect these laws from political interference."

Ozone Decline Stuns Scientists

Denver Post: Ozone Decline Stuns Scientists: "Solar flares and frigid temperatures are believed to be working with human chemicals to eat away at the protective ozone layer above the North Pole, surprising scientists who have been looking for evidence that the planet's ozone layer is healing.

The ozone layer protects Earth from dangerous ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer.

Last winter, Arctic ozone declined more precipitously than ever in the upper atmosphere, probably because of violent storms on the sun's surface, one team reports today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

And in recent days, a lower layer of ozone has undergone an extraordinary thinning because of a level of bitter cold (about minus-110 degrees Fahrenheit) rarely seen in the Arctic and manmade chemicals, researchers said. One Colorado scientist has raced north to document the event, expected to sputter out within days.

The two unusual findings have experts worried that they don't fully understand the dynamics of ozone depletion.

'I don't think we can be confident about whether or not we're seeing an ozone recovery or if we're attributing recovery to the correct causes,' said Cora Randall, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado. [...]"