India's Rice (Potato and Wheat) Revolution

John Vidal - The Guardian

Organic Canadian potatoes. PLT photo

In a village in India's poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice, potatoes and wheat with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages? Details here.

PLT: These breakthroughs need to be shouted from the rooftops. Do North American farmers even know about this? Here in my home province of Manitoba, Canada, commercial potato-growers spray their crops up to 5 times a season with potent fungicides. How healthy is that? Excellent story, John!

Bhutan Set to Plough Lone Furrow as World's First Wholly Organic Country

The Guardian

By shunning all but organic farming techniques, the Himalayan state will cement its status as a paradigm of sustainability. Details here.

PLT: How refreshing! If only our neanderthal leaders in North America would watch, listen and learn from this! 

Time's Running out to Protect the Peel!

Show Details

Photo Credit - National Geographic.

Dear Larry, Time’s running out to show your support for the Peel! An historic decision is about to be made about the future of Yukon’s world-famous  Peel Watershed. The Yukon Government is about to throw out six years of hard  work and compromise by a diverse range of stakeholders on the Peel Commission's  proposed management plan for the region, in favour of a proposal they developed  unilaterally which would allow roads and surface access throughout the region. The battle for the protecting Peel Watershed has become as much an issue of  supporting democracy as it is one of protecting the landscape. Speak up now to  protect the Peel. We need YOUR voice to support the Peel Commission’s Final Recommended Plan  for the Peel. If we don’t act now to protect the Peel, it will be too late.  Take action NOW!

Starving Polar Bears (podcast)

living on earth

Polar Bears have long been the poster species for the problem of climate change. But a new paper in Conservation Letters argues that supplemental feeding may be necessary to prevent polar bear populations from going extinct. Polar bear expert Andrew Derocher from the University of Alberta joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss how we can save the largest bear on the planet. Details here.
OR; Listen to the podcast, here:

Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference

On February 19 - 22, 2013 the Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum and the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists will jointly host the 10^thPrairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference (PCESC). Details here.

PLT photo (r.) Cape May Warbler. "Use of certain insecticides to control spruce budworms causes steep declines in Cape May Warbler numbers. Logging, especially in the western portion of the species' range, may eventually pose risks to the Warbler because of reduced availability of the mature forests needed to support spruce budworms." (Source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Chalk River's Spent Reactor Rods to be Shipped Through Valley

Ottawa Citizen

'Expedited' approval being sought for shipment of highly radioactive material. Details here.

PLT: PSSST...Government of Canada...news flash....Nuclear is not "alternative" or "sustainable" energy! It is misguided, expensive and dangerous. Find another way!

Obama Climate Change Poll Finds Majority Supports 'Significant Steps' To Tackle Problem

Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- A wide majority of Americans support President Barack Obama's call to take action on climate change, according to polling…Details here.