Archive for February, 2011

Climate Cranks Gin Up The Right Wing Noise Machine

Feb 21

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“The right-wing media machine is a large part of the reason why denial of climate change persists in the United States long after the rest of the world has acknowledged the problem. Over the past few days, I’ve gotten a close-up look at how the machine works, because I’ve been its target.

Last Tuesday, February 15, I went to Capitol Hill on a mission: to confront the climate cranks who still refuse to accept what virtually every major scientific organization in the world, starting with our own National Academy of Sciences, has concluded: man-made climate change is real, happening now and extremely dangerous.”

Climate Cranks Gin Up The Right Wing Noise Machine via Mark Hertsgaard – Huffington Post

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Why Aren’t G.M.O. Foods Labeled?

Feb 21

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“If you want to avoid sugar, aspartame, trans-fats, MSG, or just about anything else, you read the label. If you want to avoid G.M.O.’s — genetically modified organisms — you’re out of luck. They’re not listed. You could, until now, simply buy organic foods, which by law can’t contain more than 5 percent G.M.O.’s. Now, however, even that may not work.

In the last three weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved three new kinds of genetically engineered (G.E.) foods: alfalfa (which becomes hay), a type of corn grown to produce ethanol), and  sugar beets. And the approval by the Food and Drug Administration of a super-fast-growing salmon — the first genetically modified animal to be sold in the U.S., but probably not the last — may not be far behind.”

Why Aren’t G.M.O. Foods Labeled? via Mark Bittman – NY Times

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Hershey Wins, Justice Loses

Feb 21

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“The Hershey Company, makers of the popular Hershey’s Kisses, ignored efforts of green activists from Green America and its allies in the “Raise the Bar, Hershey!” campaign. Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Forum and Oasis USA are urging a boycott and letter writing campaign to “raise awareness of the abysmal labor practices that Hershey relies on.”

During the campaign, we examined the stock price, distributed the news globally to all major news outlets and made an outreach for comment from Hershey.”

Hershey Wins, Justice Loses via Joe Sibilia – CSRWire

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Honest Tea CEO: Small Isn't Beautiful

Feb 18

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“Seth Goldman, the president and Tea-E-O of Honest Tea, made it official this week: The Coca-Cola Co. will exercise its option to buy all of Honest Tea, the Bethesda, Md., maker of organic, healthy beverages.

Coke bought 40 percent of the firm for a reported $43 million in 2008, a controversial move at the time for the upstart company that positioned itself as a challenger to the conventional way of doing business in the beverage industry.”

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/02/18/honest-tea-ceo-small-isnt-beautiful#ixzz1ELrwCZOh

Honest Tea CEO: Small Isn’t Beautiful via Marc Gunther – GreenBiz.com

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Growing food and recycling trash into garden tools

Feb 18

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“More people are interested in growing their own food, said Yvonne Savio, manager of the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program.

“There is so much more interest in gardening now because of the economy and issues with obesity and diabetes,” she said.

But gardening, Savio noted, is also about being creative and imaginative in reusing what you have. So on Sunday, Savio will discuss how throwaway items can be reused as tools in the garden.”

Growing food and recycling trash into garden tools via LA Times Home

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Is the World One Poor Harvest Away From Chaos?

Feb 17

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“In early January, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that itsFood Price Index had reached an all-time high in December, exceeding the previous record set during the 2007-08 price surge. Even more alarming, on February 3rd, theFAO announced that the December record had been broken in January as prices climbed an additional 3 percent.”

Is the World One Poor Harvest Away From Chaos? via Lester Brown – Treehugger

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Garbage Companies Talk Trash Over City Landfill Contract

Feb 17

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“In Potrero Hill, Recology’s garbage trucks regularly pick-up three kinds of waste – non-recyclables, recyclables and compostable food scraps – in familiar black, blue and green bins.  Throughout Southeast San Francisco, the company collects trash from residential customers Monday through Friday, usually between the hours of 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional late night and early morning pick-ups for commercial clients on 15 main routes.”

“Recology – formerly NorCal Waste Systems – is a privately-held firm that has a monopoly on collecting the City’s trash, at least in part based on a 1932 voter-mandate.  The company transports recyclables to Pier 96, off Cargo Way, to be sorted and processed.  At the recycling facility “hiring preference is given to residents in the 94124 and 94107 zip codes, good paying union jobs that start at $18 to $20 an hour and where drivers can earn $100,000 a year.  That’s what going to zero waste is all about,” said Kevin Drew, San Francisco Department of the Environment’s (SF Environment) residential zero waste coordinator, “creating green jobs, and reducing the need for landfill in the future.”

Garbage Companies Talk Trash Over City Landfill Contract via Lori Higa – The Portrero View

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Climate change: Galileo moment for GOP

Feb 16

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“Will it take the Republican Party as long to accept modern science as it took the Roman Catholic Church? The church waited 359 years to admit Galileo was right — the earth does move around the sun. Not until 1992 did the Vatican officially withdraw its condemnation of the man Albert Einstein called the father of modern science.

Today, even children know that the earth revolves around the sun. But that idea was heresy to the 17th-century church. When Galileo would not abandon his views, the Inquisition put him on trial in 1633. He was forced to recant under penalty of death, then lived under house arrest for the rest of his life.

Now the House Republican majority is launching its own attack on Galileo’s scientific descendants. Rejecting mainstream climate science became a GOP litmus test during the 2010 midterm elections. Republican leaders then floated the idea of putting mainstream climate science on trial in congressional hearings.”

Read more: Climate change: Galileo moment for GOP via Mark Hertsgaard – Politico

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Salvare La Vita creates local, eco-friendly packaging; seeks to provide worldwide access to drinking water

Feb 16

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San Ramon, CA — February 11, 2011 The founders of Salvare La Vita water, meaning “to save lives” in Italian, began with a simple idea: What if an eco-friendly bottled water company in the U.S. could provide clean drinking water for those in need (nearly a billion people) around the world?

They enacted a progressive business plan that would provide 20 years of access to clean drinking water for one person in need per every 31 bottles of water sold. Founder Shakira Niazi wants her organization to be different then other bottled water companies that base their marketing claims in charitable giving.  Visitors to the Salvare La Vita website can Join Our Movement, with the goal to build 10 water wells –supporting 1,500 families in small villages in countries in which over 50% of the population lacks access to clean water (according to UNICEF’S 2010 Report on Water Issues). Salvare La Vita will provide documentation on each sponsored water project using location GPS, pictures, video and information from NGO contacts. The mission for this small, but rapidly growing company is to build water wells in every continent. The first project will take place in Sharberghan, Afghanistan.

Niazi states “while we’re out trying to save the world, it can’t be at the cost of Mother Nature.”  Salvare La Vita strives to minimize its own environmental impact by creating a bottle that is 100% biodegradable as well as recyclable.  The bottles dissolve easily, break down safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into natural raw materials. SLV bottles take a few years instead of thousands of years to decompose.  SLV Water’s bottles can also be mixed into the recycling stream with any other plastic.  Most other plant-based products can only be recycled within their own grade of plastic.

The most important aspect of SLV Water is the water itself. SLV’s great tasting, premium spring water is harvested locally rather than imorted from overseas, a costly and environmentally damaging process. From the product to the packaging, this company is 100% made in the USA.

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Nature isn't red or blue. It's green

Feb 16

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“With the nation mired in war half a world away, a catastrophic oil spill imperiling coastal waters and the economy sputtering, the president rallied the nation around a common goal.

“Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions,” he said, calling on Congress to strengthen environmental safeguards, invest in cleaner fuels, promote more efficient cars and crack down on corporate polluters. “Clean air, clean water, open spaces, these should once again be the birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.”

Barack Obama, 2011? Hardly. That was President Richard M. Nixon in 1970. In his State of the Union Address, the Republican leader put environmental protection near the heart of an agenda that garnered widespread bipartisan support.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49514.html#ixzz1E9EkKxp2

Nature isn’t red or blue. It’s green via John Adams – NRDC – Politico

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