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Showing posts from November, 2009

US gives Shell Green Light for Offshore Oil Drilling in the Arctic

Conservationists say the decision by the Obama administration to allow drilling in the Beaufort Sea repeats Bush era mistakes... Ed Pilkington in Anchorage, Alaska - guardian.co.uk , Tuesday 20 October 2009

Federal Funding for Farmers' Markets

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Winnipeg Free Press - By: Staff Writer - 28/11/2009 The federal government will spend... (l.p. photo)

Going Green Means Having Fewer Kids

By Emily Badger , Miller-McCune.com . Posted Oc. 19'09 - Alternet There are already just too many people on the planet. What are we supposed to do about it?....

Climate Rage

By Naomi Klein - November 11th, 2009 - Published in Rolling Stone One last chance to save the world—for months, that's how the United Nations summit on climate change....

The Story of Stuff (Video)

Watch this amazing video, "The Story of Stuff - How the World Works." It pretty much tells it all. l.p.

Genetically Engineered Crops = Increased Pesticide Use

November 2009 - Charles Benbrook, Ph.D. 
Chief Scientist - 
The Organic Center Genetically-engineered corn, soybeans, and cotton now account for...

Millions of indigenous people continue to farm and raise animals the ancient way, the organic way.

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Nov. 26 -'09 - Organic Consumers' Asn. 4,200 Years of Farming on the Colorado Plateau On the Colorado Plateau farming has been an unbroken cultural tradition for at least 4200 years. The Navajo, Zuni, Apache, Hopi, Paiute and Tewa have cultivated the most diverse annual crop assemblage in the New World north of the Tropic of Cancer. The Wayana's Cultivated Eden The farming system of the Wayana society of French Guyana is based on diverse and flexible cultivation, with characteristically high biodiversity. Organic agriculture and permaculture form a rich, biologically complex system of food production, complimented by wildcrafting, fishing, and hunting. In Wayana, there is no artificial separation between cultivated and wil

Activists Target "World of Coca-Cola"

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Nov.25-'09 - By Matthew Cardinale - IPS ATLANTA, Georgia, Nov 24 (IPS) - Activists from the U.S. and Colombia are targeting the World of Coca-Cola museum, located... www.killercoke.org

Climate Destroyer Shut Down by Activists in Indonesian Rainforest

Nov.25 - '09 - Greenpeace With just 12 days before the critical UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, our activists are taking...

Mankind Using Earth's Resources at Alarming Rate

Nov. 24, 2009 - Agence France Presse WASHINGTON - Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans...

Antarctic Ice Loss Vaster, Faster Than Thought: Study

Monday, 23 November 2009 - the Independent - UK The East Antarctic icesheet, once seen as largely unaffected by global warming, has...

Manitoba Extends Stubble-Burning Permit Requirement

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Staff - MB Co-Operator - 11/19/2009 "Unusually late" autumn weather has led Manitoba's agriculture department to extend the requirement... Photo courtesy of ChrisD.ca

The War on Soy: Why the 'Miracle Food' May Be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare

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By Tara Lohan, AlterNet. Posted No. 21, 2009. Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in just about... Soy fields encroachinig on the Amazon jungle. Courtesy of Mongabay

The Tragedy of Drive-'Thrus'

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A favourite spot for millions of North Americans - the "Drive-thru." Often with their motors running, occupants eat/drink in their vehicles, even tho they could just as quickly (esp. when it's busy) park, actually turn off their motors & be waited on in the comfort of the restaurant. Estimates on the number of tonnes of greenhouse gasses needlessly produced in this way, are not available. l.p.

New Trends Report: Fuel Economy Increases as CO2 Decreases

November 20, 2009 - EPA Report tracks a five-year upswing in fuel efficiency WASHINGTON - For the fifth consecutive year, EPA is reporting an increase in fuel efficiency with a corresponding decrease in average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for new cars and light duty trucks. This marks the first time that data for CO2 emissions are included in the annual report, “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009”. “American drivers are increasingly looking for cars that burn cleaner, burn less gas and won’t burn a hole in their wallets,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re working to help accelerate this trend with strong investments in clean energy technology – particularly for the cars and trucks that account for almost 60 percent of greenhouse gases from transportation sources. Cleaner, more efficient vehicles can help reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, cut harmful pollution, and save people mon

Statisticians Reject Global Cooling

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By SETH BORENSTEIN - The Associated Press - Oc 26-'09 WASHINGTON — Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of.. .

Biotech Crops Cause Big Jump in Pesticide Use-Report

Tue Nov 17, 2009 - By Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The rapid adoption by U.S. farmers of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton has promoted...

Rising CO2 Could Cause Catastrophic Sea Level Rise Finds Antarctic Study

Telegraph.co.uk - By Louise Gray - 18 Nov. '09 Sea levels could rise by up to six metres if...

Why Bees Vanish

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ISIS Press Release 16/11/09 *************** A film that tries to get to the bottom of the mystery of the disappearing bees with some success Sam Burcher l.p. PinP photo The Vanishing of the Bees [1] is the cinematic equivalent of “Watch with Mother” about the importance to the planet of the honeybee. It patiently unravels the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) implicated in the mass disappearance of honeybees from their hives across the world. Bees have one of the most important jobs in nature. Without their busy pollination of plants and flowers we would lose one in every three bites of the food that we eat (see Box 1). ----------------------------------------------------- Box 1 What you need to know about bees ******************************** The UK bee economy is worth £165 million annually [3]. The British Beekeeping Association (BBKA) estimates that it would require 30 million humans to take over the job of pollinating British crops. DEFRA (The Depart

Transnationals Contribute To HUNGER

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Farmers provide SOLUTIONS Press release - La Via Campesina (Rome, 15 th of No.'09) Nursing a baby in a wellness clinic . (The Nestle corporation has a long and dubious history of discouraging women to breast-feed, so they can peddle their own baby formula and pad their bottom line.) La Via Campesina is appalled by the arrogance of the private sector and especially NestlƩ in pretending to...

APEC Leaders Douse Hopes on Climate Pact

Module body Sun Nov 15 SINGAPORE (AFP) - Asia-Pacific leaders on Sunday buried hopes a key UN meeting next month would forge...

Monsanto Wins Legal Battle, May Lose War

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION - By: Laura Rance - 14/11/2009 A few farmers in Ontario are learning the hard way after being found guilty of infringing on Monsanto's...

Manitoba's Green-Energy Projects are Sucking Wind

Winnipeg Free Press - By: Mary Agnes Welch - 14/11/2009 High hopes for wind die down... .

Links Between Oil Activity, Alberta Quakes Studied

Module body CALGARY (CBC) - Fri Nov 13 - A Calgary scientist is looking for links between oil and gas activity and...

Did Big Oil Win the War in Iraq?

By Antonia Juhasz , AlterNet . Posted November 14, 2009. As U.S. and British oil companies sign contracts with the Iraqi government, is it time to declare Big Oil...

Burying Carbon Dioxide in Underground Saline Aquifers: Political Folly or Climate Change Solution?

TORONTO , Sept. 23 /CNW/ - Multi-billion dollar programs backed by the Alberta and Canadian governments to bury....

Important Forum on GMOs

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Ottawa 7-9 PM The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network Expert Lecture Series presents: Unsafe Genetically Modified Corn? Canada's lack of assessment for Monsanto's "SmartStax" GM corn Come and hear what the experts have to say about the problems with Canada's regulation of GM foods. Featuring preeminent scientists: Dr. Michael Hansen , Consumers Union, US Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher , Federation of German Scientists with Dr. Peter Andree , Carleton University, on Canadian regulation Moderator: Lucy Sharratt , Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network Tuesday, December 1st 7:00 – 9:00 PM Saint Paul University Amphitheatre, Ottawa 223 Main Street (side door off parking lot) Suggested Donation $10. Everyone Welcome. Wheelchair Accessible. This event will be web broadcast at www.cban.ca/corn T

Feds' Biofuel Fund Backs Sask. Ethanol Maker

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MB Co-Operator - N0.11'09 A federal biofuels incentive fund has followed through on... (This will be the largest "wheat-ethanol" plant in North America.) Please also read "Bursting the Ethanol Bubble." Wheatfield photo by l.p.

First Turbine Lowered Into Bay of Fundy

NOVA.SCOTIA (CBC) - Nov. 12'09 A turbine that will test the potential of tidal power was installed...

Shooting Itself in the Foot, Brazil Spreads Concrete Through the Rainforest

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Stephanie Brault - Council on Hemispheric Affairs Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern... Deforested area for agricultural in State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. (flickr photo by leoffreitas)

Earth's Worst Climate Change Laggards. Guess Who?

USA Coal VS Canada Tar Sands? - America's dirty little secret http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/americas-dirty-little-secret/article1331242/ Influence wielded by coal-producing states - 25 of them - is the big reason the U.S. is a climate-change laggard Jeffrey Sachs - Sachs is a professor of economics and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. ======================================= TAR SANDS - Canada's Mordor - Council of Canadians http://www.canadians.org/energy/issues/tarsands/index.html “To me, the tar sands are Canada’s Mordor. The air is foul, the water is being drained and poisoned and giant tailings ponds line the Athabasca river” – Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians Chairperson and Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the UN General Assembly ======================================= Canada's Sorry Climate Change Policies - Sierra Club Canada http://www.one-blue-marble.com/canada-and-clima

The US Blows Up its Clean Energy Future

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By Nell Greenberg, AlterNet. Posted November 5, 2009. Coal River Mountain can be a wind farm that provides 85,000 households with electricity, creates 700 long-term green jobs but inside it is being... Mountaintop Removal site (Wikipedia)

Plan for Bhopal Tours Causes Outrage

By Sonma Laxmi, in Bhopal 11 Nov 2009 - Telegraph.uk.com Survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster in India's Bhopal city are astonished by plans to throw the site open...

Conservatives Set to Spin Copenhagen Climate Conference

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 06:02 PM PST Ottawa - Sierra Club Canada has learned that Minister Jim Prentice has established a Climate Change War Room.....

Why We Need More Organic Beekeepers

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By Makenna Goodman, Chelsea Green Publishing. Posted November 6, 2009. Bees teach us how to live our life in... l.p. photo

EPA Study Reveals Widespread Contamination of Fish in U.S. Lakes and Reservoirs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 10, 2009 WASHINGTON – A new EPA study shows concentrations of toxic chemicals in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50 U.S. states. For the first time, EPA is able to estimate the percentage of lakes and reservoirs nationwide that have fish containing potentially harmful levels of chemicals such as mercury and PCBs. “These results reinforce Administrator Jackson’s strong call for revitalized protection of our nation’s waterways and long-overdue action to protect the American people,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “EPA is aggressively tackling the issues the report highlights. Before the results were even finalized, the agency initiated efforts to further reduce toxic mercury pollution and strengthen enforcement of the Clean Water Act – all part of a renewed effort to protect the nation’s health and environment.” The data showed mercury c

US Pressure Distorts Key Oil Figures - Whistleblower

Published on Tu. No. 10, 2009 by The Guardian/UK - by Terry Macalister The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the...

Koalas 'Could Face Extinction' - Researchers

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BBC - Oct. 10 - '09 - Australia's koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is... photograph by koala.net

Oil Spill Contaminates N.S. River

CBC - Sun Nov 8 An oil spill in Nova Scotia on Sunday has contaminated the Little Sackville River...

Snows Of Kilimanjaro Shrinking Rapidly

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ScienceDaily Nov. 3 '09 The remaining ice fields atop famed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania could be gone within.... Africa Travel Resource

Ecojustice applauds proposed Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights

Shared by: R. Turgano - Ecojustice - November 5, 2009 OTTAWA - Private members bill will address ‘civil rights issue of our generation’...

Mould, Slime Found at Listeria-Stricken Meat Plant

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Sun Nov 8 - By Steve Rennie, CP OTTAWA - A top-to-bottom scrubbing after a deadly listeriosis outbreak apparently didn't fully... A woman works to sterilize meat processing and packaging equipment at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto. Photograph by: Mark Blinch, Reuters

Crimson Crime in Denmark

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Want to stop this animal genocide? Click here to sign a petition (At bottom, please also read emails I sent regarding this issue. l.p.) (Narrative source, below, unknown) Denmark is a big shame. The sea is stained in red and in the mean while it's not because of the climate effects of nature. It's because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent Calderon dolphins. This happens every year in Feroe iland in Denmark. In this slaughter the main participants are young teens. WHY? To show that they are adults and mature.... BULLLLsh In this big celebration, nothing is missing for the fun. Everyone is participating in one way or the other, killing or looking at the cruelty "supporting like a spectator" Is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, it's near instinction and they get near

NDP says Tories balk at backing CWB at WTO

Manitoba Co-Operator - Nov '09 The federal NDP's international trade critic says the Conservatives' refusal to back a motion of support for supply management and the Canadian...

7 Signs That the Market for Green Transport Is Exploding in the US

By Tara Lohan, AlterNet. Posted September 30, 2009. More and more Americans are finding other ways to get around in greener...

Timor Spill Creates 'Sea of Oil' - Compared to Exxon-Valdez!

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By Najad Abdullahi in Kuala Lumpur - Aljazeera As specialist teams extinguished a blaze on an oil rig in the Timor Sea, the 610,000sqkm expanse of water is now, according to campaigners, home to one of the worst environmental... Thousands of species feared at risk . Aljazeera

Conservationists Fight Proposed Amazon Road

by Ben Block on October 29, 2009 - Worldwatch Institute Leaders of conservation groups from the United States and South America are requesting that international donors end their support for...

Farmers Set Fire to Imported Sugar in Uttar Pradesh

Sun Nov 1, 2009 LUCKNOW (Reuters) - Farmers in India's biggest cane-producing state set fire to part of a goods train...

The Tar Sands - the Dirty New Gold Rush That is Blackening Canada’s Name

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November 4, 2009 - Ben Webster - TimesOnline A giant mechanical digger gouges out a chunk of topsoil... Editor's note: Aerial photos of the tar sands like this one are now being touted as works of art! Our callousness toward the natural world is surely now complete. l.p.

Worldwatch Report: Global Environmental Change: The Threat to Human Health

Global Environmental Change: The Threat to Human Health Author: Samuel S. Myers, MD, MPH

Climate Negotiators Grow Impatient at Lack of Leadership From America (& Canada,too?l.p.)

UN and EU pile pressure on US to set ambitious carbon cuts... John Vidal in Barcelona guardian.co.uk , Monday 2 November 2009

Radio Program (Podcast) on Family Farms

Listen to a one-hour program on CBC Radio's, "The Current" about the assault on Canada's family farmers by agribusiness. Go to: http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/ scroll down & click on "Pt.2 - War in the Country." Thanks! l.p.

Reforming Our Food Production Can Start With Curbing Antibiotic Use

Rep. Louise Slaughter - U.S. Congresswoman from New York's 28th District November 3, 2009 Huffington Post Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, "Eating Animals ," has inspired a lively discussion here at HuffPo about how we produce the food...

Lizards, Rodent and Tree Frog Join Over 17,000 Others on Endangered Species List

By: Frank Jordans, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - 3/11/2009 GENEVA - A rare Panamanian tree frog, a rodent from Madagascar and two lizards found only in the Philippines are among...

Our Degrading Landscape - by Larry Powell

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Man's mark on Planet Earth can now be seen at every turn. Not only does an increasing human population put greater demand on finite natural resources, each one of us seems to need, or want ever-more of what we already have. Jul.'04 - A wildflower field in western MB . Photo by Graham Powell (l.p. photos-click to enlarge.) Nov.'09 - Five years later, the trees in the background of the same field (above) are being logged. T he future of the field itself, where wild crocuses bloom in profusion each spring, is unknown. For some time now, more and more landowners throughout southwestern MB (not necessarily this one) have been signing agreements with Louisiana Pacific, a foreign-owned multinational corporations to supply it with logs. The company lied to authorities when it was first granted its license in the '90s, saying there were enough trees in its initial license area in the Duck and Porcupine Mountains to last "for a hundred years." If this were the case,

Toxic Contaminants: The Other Scourge

By Neena Bhandari SYDNEY, Nov 2 (IPS) - As the world focuses on the impact of climate change, little attention is being paid to yet another...

Stop the Crisis, Change the Food System!

Mon, November 2, 2009 - La Via Campesina From November 13th to 17th, more than 400 delegates (number determined by available funding*) from 70 different countries representing small scale food producers....

How Foraging Albatrosses Put Plastic On The Menu in an Ocean of Plastic

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2009) — The North Pacific Ocean is now commonly referred to as the world's largest garbage...

What Lies Beneath the Rainforest?

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The Independent - UK - Saturday, 31 October 2009 You want the Amazon to survive? Then pay us not to pump the oil, says Ecuador. Huw Hennessy in Quito reports on a bold initiative... Terragalleria

Activist's Message: End Needless Waste of Food

The Herald-News - October 31, 2009 JOLIET -- Vandana Shiva is giving new meaning to the old metaphor, "You reap what you...

Global Warming Cycles Threaten Endangered Primate Species

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2009) Two Penn State University researchers have carried out one of the first-ever analyses of the effects of...