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Ecopinions:  Take Eco-Action!  |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 09 2007 : 2:21:46 PM
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Signatures needed for the "Ocean Noise Petition" online at www.HawaiiONC.org THIS WEEKEND.
There is no age or residency requirement.
Just scroll down on the home page about 75% & click on Ocean Noise Petition.
A meeting is scheduled with Hawaii State Officials beginning of next week, and the more signatures Hawaii Ocean Noise Coalition can produce, the more effective we can be.
Please ask everyone you know wherever they live to take a moment to sign up.
Mahalo,
Hawaii Ocean Noise Coalition
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Edited by - Jen on Oct 10 2007 12:20:59 PM |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2007 : 12:24:16 PM
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TAKE ACTION: Rare mountain caribou threatened by further closed-door forest negotiations; survival depends upon ending logging in the full range of their temperate rainforest habitat.
http://www.ecoearth.info/alerts/send.asp?id=mountain_caribou
If you did not like the negotiations that signed away two-thirds of British Columbia's (BC) Great Bear Rainforest for first time industrial logging of priceless ancient temperate rainforests, you will want to know that something even worse is happening in BC, Canada's Inland Temperate Rainforest, home of the world's only mountain caribou. These special
caribou are totally dependent upon large areas of intact old-growth forest for their survival. But they are critically endangered and declining rapidly, with only about 1,800
animals left. The reason is that there has been too much logging and road building in their habitat... The caribou spend most of the year at high elevations, but twice each
year they must descend to the valley bottoms to find shelter and food in the lush inland temperate rainforest. It is critical to their survival. This forest type contains ancient
cedar trees commonly over 500 years old, and a spectacular array of rare and endangered lichens and plants. The cedar trees are storing huge amounts of carbon... The agency is now conducting backroom negotiations between the timber industry,
winter recreationists and businesses, and environmental
groups ForestEthics and Wildsight... If the past is any
guide, the likely outcome will be unrepresentative,
foundation based environmental organizations compromising
away vast areas of intact ancient temperate rainforest for
vague promises that industrial logging will be "ecosystem
based" or some other such nonsense. Prompt global citizen
response is needed to continue advocating to end ancient
forest logging.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.ecoearth.info/alerts/send.asp?id=mountain_caribou
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2007 : 06:44:13 AM
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Protest Failed World Bank Congo Rainforest Policy and
Proposed Ill-Conceived Forest Carbon Payments
Rainforest Portal & Climate Ark, projects of Ecological Internet
http://www.rainforestportal.org/ & http://www.climateark.org/
TAKE ACTION
Given revelations of misconduct in Democratic Republic of
Congo's rainforests by the World Bank and UK aid agencies,
the World Bank's desire to administer global carbon payments
for rainforest protection as a means to address climate
change is suspect
http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=world_bank_forest_policy
The World Bank's independent inspection panel has found
serious violations of the Bank's own rules as foreign
companies were encouraged to destructively log the Democratic
Republic of Congo's (DRC) rainforests, endangering the lives
of thousands of Congolese Pygmies. Along with the British
government, the Bank has since 2002 sought to "create a
favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo by
rushing through new forestry laws and dividing the country's
massive rainforests into logging zones. This is the World
Bank's most recent failure to promote "sustainable" ancient
rainforest logging, and comes as they position themselves to
administer international carbon market funds meant to protect
ancient rainforests for their climate benefits... The concept
of "avoided deforestation" -- whereby countries are paid to
protect forests -- has the potential to maintain standing
rainforests in an intact, fully functioning condition; while
meeting reasonable local development needs... Many crucial
details regarding how avoided deforestation payments would
work remain undefined... To be maximally effective, avoided
deforestation climate payments should only support strict
preservation of ancient forests; and not their "sustainable"
selective logging, certified or otherwise... Industrial
ancient forest logging must be rejected and replaced with an
emphasis upon community development based upon standing,
intact rainforests. This requires abandoning subsidizing of
DRC's industrial forestry, fully protecting Pygmy rights,
and ensuring carbon payments are made only for strict
rainforest preservation.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=world_bank_forest_policy
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2007 : 07:31:37 AM
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ALERT VICTORY
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RAINFOREST NEWS TODAY
Uganda Government Finally Scraps Mabira Rainforest Giveaway
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Rainforest Portal a project of Ecological Internet, Inc.
http://www.rainforestportal.org/-- Rainforest Portal
http://www.rainforestportal.org/news/ -- Rainforest Newsfeed
October 17, 2007
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
In a major victory for Uganda's people, rainforests,
environment and ecologically sustainable development
aspirations; the Ugandan government has finally scrapped
controversial plans to allow Mabira rainforest, one of the
country's largest and most important protected area, to be
partially cleared for sugar production for biofuels. This
may sound slightly familiar, as on a previous occasion it
was reported the plan was dead but it came back to haunt
us. Statements by the government this time are from the
Minister of Finance, other numerous sources and are more
firm. Mabira rainforest will remain protected, and a
precedent has been set that protected rainforests must not
be cleared for biofuel production. This is huge!
The "Save Mabira Rainforest Crusade" represents a
historical moment in Africa's modern environmental
movement; as Ugandans used cell phones and Internet
technologies to organize street protests. Ecological
Internet has been extremely pleased to lead an
international support campaign for Mabira protestors, as
nearly two million protest emails were sent by 11,000
network participants (YOU!) from 111 countries. This was
the most participation and total messages ever.
Sadly, perhaps the biggest factor in the victory was the
recent severe flooding throughout Uganda and neighboring
countries which were widely reported to have been
exacerbated by deforestation. We at Ecological Internet
very much desire that seeds from the Mabira rainforest go
forth to restore rainforests, development opportunities and
peoples' hope. Please continue to take action and to
forward messages to grow our reach and effectiveness.
Current alerts can be found at
http://www.ecoearth.info/alerts/
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2007 : 08:20:10 AM
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Full Senate Voting on Farm Bill Soon:
Tell Your Senators to Support Organics and
the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limits Amendment!
http://ofrf.org/action/ofan/071031_alert.html
The Senate Agriculture Committee marked up the Farm Bill on Wednesday and Thursday, October 25 and 26 and will be taken up by the full Senate next week (beginning November 5th). Our organic agenda is largely intact so far, thanks to your calls and letters. However, the bill makes only small cuts to commodity payment programs, which means that some key sustainable agriculture, organic, specialty crop, anti-hunger, and food security programs still remain underfunded. We need to continue to protect the organic provisions in the Farm Bill, and also ensure that these other important programs get the funding they need.
Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are introducing an amendment that will cap extravagant commodity payments and shift the savings to sustainable agriculture and food security programs. This amendment will help to ensure that all of these programs will get the funding they need, while also helping to protect the gains that have been made for organic agriculture (see background below for more info.)
Please call your Senators TODAY and urge them to support:
• The Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitation Reform Amendment.
• Funding and programs that promote organic agriculture.
Read our Farm Bill goals below for more detailed talking points. The vote on Dorgan-Grassley amendment will be extremely close and every single vote will count – your call can make a difference.
When you call, ask to speak to the legislative aide on agriculture. To find your Senators’ contact info, visit the Senate website.
Farm Bill Goals
• Passage of the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitation Reform Amendment,
• $25 million/year in mandatory funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).
• $25 million over 5 years for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program.
• An Organic Conversion Program to help farmers switch to organic production with at least 50% of funding going to technical assistance.
• $2 billion in new funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which includes support for organic production.
Background
The 2007 Farm Bill has many strong provisions for organic agriculture, but lacks in funding for critical programs that promote sustainable agriculture and help small farmers. These programs include the Value Added Producer Grant Program and two programs that assist Beginning Farmer and Ranchers. Meanwhile there are no meaningful limits for commodity payments, which currently receive a large portion of Farm Bill dollars. Negative consequences of these policies include farm consolidation and the disappearance of mid-sized family farms, land prices rising well beyond market levels, reduced farming opportunities for a new generation of farmers, and the growth of industrial farming practices.
How is Organic Farming Affected?
Cutting commodity payments, which primarily go to large scale industrial farms, will provide less incentive for this method of farming. The savings gained from capping commodity payments can be invested in programs that support more organic and sustainable production, as well as conservation and food security programs. Currently, the limited funding available makes it challenging for all of these programs to get the money they need, forcing them to compete with each other for federal dollars. Moreover, organic practices are far more suited to local food systems and sustainable agriculture than are industrial methods, thus supporting those programs will likely lead to more organic agriculture overall.
What does the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitation Reform Amendment do?
The Dorgan-Grassley amendment would limit total annual per farm commodity subsidy payments to $250,000, close loopholes that allow payment recipients to evade limits, and ensure that payments flow to working farmers. The amendment would ensure that the savings it creates is re-invested in programs to support minority and beginning farmers, rural economic development, conservation, and nutrition and anti-hunger efforts.
For more information on the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitation Reform amendment, visit the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition website.
Organic Provisions in the Senate Farm Bill
Below is a quick summary of the Senate Farm Bill organic provisions so far. Thanks to your calls and letters, we were able to achieve most of the goals in our platform, but we must continue to keep the pressure on lawmakers as the bill heads to the Senate. Our Farm Bill update has more details, and the Senate Farm Bill draft is available on the Senate Agriculture Committee website. Read our Farm Bill News Roundup below for more Farm Bill info.
Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)
OREI, USDA’s flagship organic agriculture research program, has $16 million per year in mandatory funding, totaling $80 million over the life of the Farm Bill. This comes a long way towards our goal of $25 million per year and far exceeds the $5 million per year that the House gave to OREI.
Organic Production and Market Data Initiative
This provision requires USDA to collect and publish data specific to the organic sector, which helps farmers plan their production, access markets, and apply for crop insurance. This initiative has $5 million in one-time funding in the Senate draft to help USDA catch up on collecting organic data – the last Farm Bill provided no funding for this program. This funding level matches our ask. The House funds this initiative at $3 million over five years.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
The Conservation Stewardship Program, formerly known as the Conservation Security Program and included as part of the Conservation Stewardship Incentive Program, has language that makes organic practices eligible criteria for the program and makes it easier for organic producers to apply for CSP. CSP funding was also increased by $2 billion over 5 years. This language matches our asks for this program. The House bill has similar language on organic practices for CSP, but cuts this program by $4 billion.
Organic Certification Cost Share Program
This program, which defrays 75% of the cost of organic certification up to $750, is funded at $22 million over the next five years, just $3 million short of our ask for $25 million. The House bill also funds this program at $22 million.
Risk Management (Crop Insurance Program)
Our ask for this program was to remove the 5% surcharge for organic growers and pay them out at the higher organic price should they face a disaster. The Senate draft removes the 5% surcharge for organic growers, unless it can be proven necessary on a crop by crop basis. It also requires development and implementation of procedures to allow for pay-outs to growers at organic prices The weaker House language directs USDA to conduct studies on the need for an organic surcharge.
Organic Conversion Program
The Senate Farm Bill includes assistance for organic conversion as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), but without separate funding. Also the Senate draft does not require any funding for this program to be put towards technical assistance for transitioning growers. Our ask is for at least 50% of funding for organic conversion to go towards technical assistance for growers who are converting to organic and we continue to push for that. In the House bill, organic conversion assistance was a stand-alone program with no mandatory funding, and $10 million per year in discretionary authorization.
Other Organic Research Measures
The Senate draft included two other measures related to organic agriculture research. The first is inclusion of language prioritizing classical plant and animal breeding research within the National Research Initiative. This research is important for organic agriculture as it focuses on breeding varieties of seeds and animals uniquely suited to different ecosystems and utilizes classical breeding techniques as opposed to genetic engineering. The Senate draft includes language that prioritizes this research, which matches our ask. Also, the Specialty Crops Research Initiative includes “optimizing organic specialty crop production” as one of it’s purposes
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2007 : 11:49:25 AM
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From Patagonia News:
On the northeastern edge of Alaska, stretching from the peaks of the
Brooks Range across a vast expanse of tundra to the Beaufort Sea,
lies the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. An American Serengeti, the Refuge is the last
vestige of the American frontier that helped shape and define our
national identity. It sits today at the crossroads between our
short-sighted reliance on oil and a lasting conservation legacy for
our children. We believe that permanent protection of the Coastal
Plain as Wilderness is a defining environmental issue of our time.
This Congress presents the first opportunity in over a decade to pass
legislation that permanently protects the Refuge. Legislation has
just been introduced in the Senate to make the Arctic coastal plain a
Wilderness area, finally affording the area permanent protection from
drilling.
Our thanks go out to the thousands of you who contacted your
Representatives through our last Arctic email. Please take the next
step and contact your Senator today. Urge your Senator to cosponsor
S.2316, a bill that would permanently protect the Coastal Plain of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - one of America's last wild places.
Urge your Senator to permanantly protect the Arctic Refuge
http://news.patagonia.com/cgi-bin23/DM/y/eb4n0FiLBa0FNr0PiC0GL
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2007 : 09:17:41 AM
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MILK FROM CLONES TO HIT U.S. MARKET SOON
The Senate is still wrangling over the 2007-2012 Farm Bill. One new consumer-friendly amendment, vehemently opposed by the biotech industry, would force the FDA to reverse its current controversial regulations on milk from cloned animals. Despite widespread opposition from the OCA and other consumer groups, the FDA has approved the commercialization of milk from cloned animals as "safe" and will not require labels. The newly proposed Mikulski amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill would require the FDA to place a temporary moratorium on cloned milk and examine its potential health hazards for animals and humans. We have updated our Farm Bill alert to address this issue. Contact your Senators here:
Take action here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7765.cfm
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2007 : 7:02:07 PM
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USDA SEEKS COMMENTS ON REGULATIONS FOR HANDLING LEAFY GREENS
California group alarmed by impact on small growers, organics and the environment
In the wake of recent outbreaks of food-borne illness from bagged produce the USDA is seeking comments on the possibility of a Federal Marketing Agreement for handlers of leafy green vegetables According to the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) in Davis, CA, this one-size-fits-all agreement could have negative impacts on small and midsize growers and may prohibit organic farming practices that help preserve wildlife habitat on farms. Scroll down for more background information.
The USDA published the request for information on October 1, and is accepting comments until December 3, 2007. It is vital that organic and small-scale producers speak out on this issue!
Comments can be submitted easiest by fax to (202) 720-8938. Comments can also be submitted online at www.regulations.gov. (Scroll down to get detailed instructions on how to do this.) Comments should include the following:
Reference Docket number AMS–FV–07–0090; FV07–962–1 AN.
Reference Pages: 56678 - 56680, Federal Register/Vol. 72, No. 192/Thursday, October 4, 2007/Proposed Rules.
Your full name and address and the name of your farm or relevant business (if applicable.)
You can view a sample letter at the CAFF campaign website. We encourage you to write original letters as they are given more weight than form letters. If you have any questions or need guidance in submitting comments, please contact Tracy Lerman at tracy@ofrf.org or (831) 426-6606 x 108.
Background
(This information is condensed from material provided by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.)
In the wake of several devastating food-borne illness outbreaks, the US Department of Agriculture is considering creation of a Federal Marketing Agreement for leafy greens that is similar to one already in play in California. Handlers who sign onto a marketing agreement must require all of their suppliers to adhere to a certain set of growing practices. While joining the Marketing Agreement is not mandatory, it is likely that most handlers will sign on to the agreement (as has happened in California), forcing all farmers, big and small to comply with these onerous measures that do little to protect the public from food-borne illness.
The 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that was traced back to bagged spinach grown in California was one in a string of several food-borne illness outbreaks from bagged pre-cut leafy greens. These events prompted the pre-cut vegetable industry, under the auspices of the California Department of Food and Agriculture to create the Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA). The LGMA has adopted a set of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and handlers who sign onto the LGMA impose these practices on the growers supplying them this product. Virtually every handler in CA has signed on to the LGMA, meaning that, outside of direct marketing to consumers, growers have no choice but to comply with the LGMA practices if they want to sell their product. Moreover, the LGMA is controlled by the largest grower-shippers and processors, and small distributors and growers have no representation.
The GAP imposed by the LGMA place the entire burden of food safety on growers and none on the processors. Many of the practices include measures to “sterilize” farms that prohibit important conservation practices. For example, farmers have been required to install chain-link fences around their farms and remove any habitat that supports wildlife. Further, the GAP includes vegetables like chard or kale that are usually cooked and have never been the source of an outbreak. As well, it doesn’t distinguish between pre-cut (processed and bagged) greens and whole greens, even though the overwhelming majority of E. coli illnesses from California produce (98.5% since 1996) have been linked to pre-cut greens. The GAP is designed for large-scale suppliers of the fresh-cut processing industry, not small and midsize intensified farming operations.
For more information, visit CAFF’s Food Safety Campaign webpage or read the Federal Register notice.
How to Submit Comments Electronically
1) Go to www.regulations.gov.
2) Under “Search Documents” Step 1, choose “Documents with an Open Comment Period.”
3) Under Step 2, choose “Department of Agriculture – All”
4) Under Step 3, choose “Proposed Rules.”
5) Under Step 4, choose “Docket ID” and then type in “AMS-FV-07-0090” and then click “Submit.”
6) On the next screen, click on the tiny yellow button on the left side of the page, under the column “Comments Add/Due By.”
7) Follow the instructions on the next page, and remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page to fully submit your comments.
If you have any questions or need assistance in submitting comments electronically, please contact Tracy Lerman at tracy@ofrf.org or (831) 426-6606.
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2007 : 8:51:25 PM
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GE SUGAR IN THOUSANDS OF NON-ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN 2008
A new article in the New York Times calls attention to the pending controversy of unlabeled, under-tested, genetically engineered sugar being laced into breakfast cereals, chocolates, and a wide variety of non-organic processed foods and beverages next year. In September, OCA posted an alert to pressure major buyers of sugar beets to boycott Monsanto's latest herbicide-resistant crop. The American Crystal company, the #1 white sugar provider in the U.S., along with Kellogg, have brazenly announced they will welcome the biotech sweetener in early 2008. The New York Times notes that American Crystal's CEO responded to the deluge of consumer emails stemming from OCA's alert in September by turning off his email. If American Crystal won't listen, perhaps some of its major customers will. Please send a letter to Hershey's, Mars, and Kellogg demanding they keep their sugar additives GE-free. And of course keep in mind that your only real protection against GE sugar or any Genetically Modified Organism is to buy organic.
Take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7031.cfm
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2007 : 9:20:34 PM
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Help the OCA and its allies pressure congress to pass the School Environmental Protection Act (SEPA)
The Bill would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require local educational agencies and schools to implement integrated pest management systems to minimize the use of pesticides in schools and to provide parents, guardians, and employees with notice of the use of pesticides in schools, and for other purposes.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/sepa.cfm
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2007 : 2:44:56 PM
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Call to Action:
International Day of Action January 26, 2008
Join Via Campesina and other organizations worldwide in demanding Food
Sovereignty and an end to the corporate control of our food system by
global agribusiness
On January 26 self-organized groups from all around the world will take
creative action in their community. This will manifest in many ways,
from nonviolent direct action, civil disobedience, street theater,
convergences, teach-ins and other activities and events. Grassroots
movements around the world are making their voices heard and saying
“Another World is Possible” in coordination with the World Social Forum.
In solidarity with global farmer’s movement Via Campesina who has called
for action on this day, Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide North
America, and the Student Trade Justice Campaign are calling for
individuals and grassroots groups to take action to demand food
sovereignty by rejecting the industrialized food system controlled by
international institutions and global agribusinesses and promoting the
transition to sustainable, small-scale, decentralized local food systems.
Why are we calling for this? Because people’s lives depend on it. Our
globalized food system, and the increasing push for industrial-scale
agrofuels are pushing people off their lands around the world and
depriving small farmers, Indigenous communities, and millions of people
everywhere from access to land and resources to grow their own food.
While this may seem archaic to many people in the US who buy their food
at the supermarket, 70% of the world population make a living though
producing food.
Transitioning to local food systems is a direct response to fighting
climate change, preserving forests, and other ecosystems that are
critical to the earth’s carbon cycling capacity as well as standing in
solidarity with farmers, Indigenous communities and landless people
worldwide.
This transition is necessary to prepare ourselves for the changing
climate by taking back control and local ownership of land, seeds,
biodiversity, water and where and how we produce our food.
There are many ways our actions can manifest: by targeting agribusiness
giants like Cargill, Monsanto and ADM that are headquartered in the US
we can act in solidarity with people in the global south (and here in
the U.S.) where these agribusinesses are wreaking havoc on people’s food
sovereignty.
You can take action in a variety of ways, some ideas include: organizing
a demonstration at a supermarket chain, or a large-scale agrofuels
refinery that isn’t community based, or finding out what agribusiness
facilities are located in your town and take action against them using
non-violent direct action, civil disobedience, banner hangs, flyering,
and creative street theater. If action isn’t your cup of tea you can
organize a local foods dinner to bring farmers and eaters together in
your community and facilitate a discussion about what food sovereignty
looks like in your community.
For example, the Student Trade Justice Campaign is coordinating students
to organize actions outside key supermarkets chains in their community.
They will be passing out flyers with information about why we should
demand food sovereignty and challenge the corporate control over our
food system as well as promote the transition to sustainable,
small-scale, decentralized local food networks. On the same flyer, there
will be information about local farmers’ markets and community owned
local stores etc... To find out more contact Hilda@tradejusticecampaign.org
We are still in the process of designing and planning our actions and
would like to include other organizations and individuals as much as
possible. We have a phone conference call scheduled for Monday December
17 at 5pm Eastern/ 2pm Pacific. Please spread the word far and wide, we
strongly desire your feedback and suggestions. The call in number will
be 1-800-220-9875 and access code is: 53705125#
For more information and action ideas and resources go to
www.risingtidenorthamerica.org
Have an action planned? Email jessie@risingtidnorthamerica.org
And please post your action on the World Social Forum website:
www.wsf2008.net
Another World is Possible!
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2007 : 9:19:17 PM
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Papua New Guinea's Woodlark Island Rainforests to Be Cleared for Oil Palm Agrofuels
December 27, 2007
TAKE ACTION
The PNG government continues to approve rainforest destruction
and diminishment even as they vocally seek to be paid with
carbon market funds for their "protection"
http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=png_woodlark
The oil palm biofuel industry -- the scourge of Asia and the
world's rainforests -- is continuing to expand into Papua New
Guinea (PNG). Malaysian company Vitroplant has been granted
necessary permits by the PNG government to begin clearing 70%
of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some
60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive plantation of
oil palm trees. Expansion of oil palm plantations at the
expense of primary rainforests runs contrary to PNG's
government public support for preserving rainforests for
climate and other benefits. An oil palm plantation on Woodlark
Island will endanger the island's flora and fauna, cause
environmental upheaval, and result in drastic cultural change.
The islanders of Woodlark have worked hard to draw
international attention to this issue, and have issued an
appeal for the support of international NGOs and citizens to
pressure the government to withdraw the project.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=png_woodlark
DISCUSS ALERT:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2007/12/alert_papua_new_guineas_woodla.asp
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2008 : 4:51:03 PM
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Just Say No to Oil Shale, Leave the Carbon in the Ground
TAKE ACTION
Oil shale production in Western U.S. with Department of Energy
subsidies will prolong dependence upon filthy fossil fuels
while destroying the climate, water and land
http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=oil_shale
Oil shale deposits across 17,000 square miles of Colorado,
Utah and Wyoming hold an estimated 800 billion barrels of oil,
more than three times Saudi Arabia's stated reserves. Mining,
processing and final use of oil shale involve a variety of
environmental impacts. The process produces four times the
amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to normal oil
production. Vast amounts of water are required in the mining
process, up to 4 barrels of water for every barrel of oil. It
would be a reckless and short-sighted to allow full-scale
commercial production of synthetic crude oils from oil shale
and other non-conventional sources. Wide scale use of such oil
will result in decades of further carbon emissions from
dependence upon fossil fuels, making it impossible to stop
climate change. Please send a message today to the U.S.
Department of Energy noting that a sustainable energy future
does not include oil shale.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=oil_shale
DISCUSS ALERT:
http://www.climateark.org/blog/2008/01/alert_just_say_no_to_oil_shale.asp
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Ecopinions: Take Eco-Action! |
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Take Eco-Action!
