EcoLogic: A Sustainability Blog

Green Tips from Rhinelander Daily News

2011-11-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/main.asp?sectionid=-5&subsectionid=-20

Environmental Workshops in Bayfield, Wis. (from Wisconsin Rapids Tribune)

2011-10-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in being part of local environmental efforts, plan to attend upcoming sessions set for Oct. 25 and 26, presented by sustainability experts from Bayfield.
On Oct. 25, the public forum, "How to Build a Sustainable Community," will be from 6 p.m. to

7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Mid-State Technical College's Wisconsin Rapids campus. It is free and no registration is necessary. Find out what sustainable community development is and why we need it; discover how sustainable community development can be driven from a grassroots level; and see examples from Wisconsin's Chequamegon Bay area.

On Oct. 26, the workshop focusing on "Creating Communities That Thrive" will be from 8 a.m. to noon at Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids. This session will feature a brainstorming session of local sustainability obstacles and opportunities. Participants will create a community vision for sustainable change. There is a $15 registration fee, which includes breakfast. Register by Friday online at www.heartofwi.com or call 715-423-1830.

Workshop presenters are Larry MacDonald, mayor of Bayfield, one of the nation's first eco-municipalities, and Steve Sandstrom, a town of Bayfield supervisor who owns Pinecrest Inn, a Travel Green-certified bed and breakfast in Bayfield.

These workshops are sponsored by Citizens for a Clean, Green and Welcoming Community and the League of Women Voters of the Wisconsin Rapids Area.

BWCA fire could help Minnesota's declining moose population

2011-10-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Published September 30, 2011, 12:00 AM

BWCA fire could help Minnesota's
declining moose population

Still-smoldering blaze kept hunters out of Boundary Waters area ahead of season’s start

ST. PAUL – The fire still smoldering in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness should give a boost in the long-run to the region’s declining moose population, but it’s a big problem for hunters who were registered for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bag a bull moose this fall.

By: Associated Press, INFORUM
Cost of battling wildfire tops $12 million

ST. PAUL – The fire still smoldering in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness should give a boost in the long-run to the region’s declining moose population, but it’s a big problem for hunters who were registered for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bag a bull moose this fall.

The Pagami Creek fire east of Ely has kept hunters out of the area and left them unable to scout it ahead of the season that opens Saturday. So the Department of Natural Resources is offering them refunds for the cost of their highly coveted permits. The plan is to give those hunters permits for next season.

Some 6,000 hunters entered the lottery for moose-hunt permits this year. The DNR issued only 105. Hunters who win permits normally don’t get to apply again, whether they get a moose or not, and the future of moose hunting in the state is in question. Under rules proposed by the DNR, 2013 could be the last year Minnesota allows moose hunting if certain population markers don’t improve over the next two years.

The fire has scattered quarry, changed the landscape and forced closures in ways that make the challenge for hunters even harder.

“It’s a game-changer,” said Steve Merchant, wildlife program manager for the state Department of Natural Resources. “If you went up on a trip or scouted an area and thought you had a pattern figured out, those moose are somewhere else now.”

Only 12 of the state’s 20 moose-hunting zones are affected by the fire, and only one was still off-limits.

But the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports moose hunting in northeastern Minnesota is as much about the effort as the hunt itself. Bull moose roam large expanses of remote terrain, and hunting parties often venture deep into the backcountry to track an animal before the season starts. Merchant said he wasn’t sure hunters would think they had enough time to scout their areas.

Adding to the challenges – and the adventure – hunters who shoot a moose in the backcountry must field dress an animal weighing more than 1,000 pounds and then transport it several miles by foot and/or canoe before the meat spoils.

Researchers are still trying to figure out why northeastern Minnesota’s moose population has fallen from about 8,000 moose during the middle of the last decade to less than 5,000 now. Parasites and stress from warmer temperatures are possibilities. Experts say it’s unlikely that the Pagami Creek fire killed significant numbers of moose because the animals can walk long distances and are good swimmers.

“They’re going to run from the fire,” said Ron Moen, a researcher at the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth who monitors dozens of moose that have been fitted with radio collars and GPS units. Moen told Minnesota Public Radio he expects moose will soon move into areas that weren’t burned as severely as new saplings and shrubs emerge in place of the older, woodier trees and shrubs consumed by the fire.

Mike Schrage, a biologist with the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, said he’s noticed that the fire area held fewer moose compared with other areas of northeastern Minnesota. He said the regrowth of the forest over the next few years could change that.

“As soon as I heard there was a fire up there, I thought – woo-hoo! I can’t say that very loudly because there’s people in Isabella (a town near the fire) who are quite inconvenienced by it, but I think moose will benefit from this fire,” Schrage said.

Schrage said research across North America indicates that moose numbers increase in areas where fires cause new growth. He said he’s seen anecdotal evidence of that in areas in and near the BWCA that burned during the Ham Lake fire of 2007 and the Cavity Lake fire of 2006.

How well suited the forest will be for moose may depend on how hot or how long the fire burned in any particular area.

Merchant expects the affected land will be a mix of areas that didn’t burn and areas that burned a lot. That means that in a few years, moose will have both new growth for food while less-burned and untouched areas where tall trees still stand will offer cover against the winter cold and summer heat. “That interspersion is what really creates that ideal moose habitat,” Merchant said.

Tags: news, fire, outdoors

Ecological Internet is a group in Madison worth looking at

2011-09-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ecointernet?sk=info

Ecological Internet
Non-Profit Organization · Madison, Wisconsin.You and Ecological Internet

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liquidweb.com

Create dedicated servers or VPS servers in minutes with powerful cloud enabled features. Remarkable Heroic Support from Liquid Web..Basic Information

.Founded 1999

Location Madison, WI 53703

About Eco-news micro-blog and community for biocentric free thought and action - from Ecological Internet - home of Earth's largest & most used rainforest, climate, water & environmental web portals

Company Overview Ecological Internet, Inc. specializes in the use of the Internet to achieve ecological science-based environmental conservation outcomes. Home of the Earth's largest and most used environmental web portals, including the world's first blog and ecological search engines. Your complete source for environmental sustainability news and action, expert analysis, information retrieval tools, portal services, and web site and campaign consulting.

Mission Ecological Internet's mission is to empower the global movement for environmental sustainability by providing information retrieval tools, portal services, expert analysis and action opportunities that aid in the protection of climate, forest, ocean and water ecosystems; and to commence the age of ecological sustainability and restoration.

Awards Forests.org, predecessor of Ecological Internet, was incorporated with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation 1999-2001.

Google Grant recipient of free advertising since 2006.

Dr. Glen Barry, President of Ecological Internet, named "global Visionary" by the Utne Reader in late 2010, as one of 25 people changing your world.

Products Ecological Internet's projects include:

EcoEarth.Info -- http://www.EcoEarth.Info/

Climate Ark -- http://www.climateark.org/

Forests.org -- http://forests.org/

Water Conserve -- http://www.waterconserve.org/

Rainforest Portal -- http://www.rainforestportal.org/

New Earth Rising e-zine -- http://www.newearthrising.org/

Earth Action Network Current Alerts: http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/alerts/

Subscribe to low volume, highly effective "Earth Action Network" at: http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/subscribe/

Campaigns: http://www.ecoearth.info/campaigns/

Earth's Newsdesk: http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/

Sustainability Solutions Initiative -- http://www.ecoearth.info/ssi/

Dr. Glen Barry, President, bio: http://www.ecoearth.info/staff/glen.asp

Email info@ecologicalinternet.org

Website http://www.ecologicalinternet.org/

http://www.ecoearth.info/

http://forests.org/

http://www.climateark.org/

http://www.newearthrising.org/

http://www.waterconserve.org/

http://www.rainforestportal.org/

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Down to Earth Tours focuses on natural sites of Badger State

2011-02-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

A great tour when you get up to northern Wisconsin

The northwoods beckons us. It’s cultural, geographic and biological history unique. Yet many residents and visitors see only what is obvious. Few of us have the background to really comprehend the idiosyncrasies that surround us in this complex environ.

David Thorson and Nancy Frank are out to change that, and are bringing their knowledge of forestry, archeology, cultural history and watershed ecology to both visitors and local alike with their new venture: Down To Earth Tours of Gordon, Wis.

Most of all they tell stories of the great northwoods.

Applying the elements of eco-tourism, they have devised three tours which leave behind the run-of-the mill tourist trap sights and head to the little-known, but more exciting locales which even nearby residents know little about, such as a copper mine near Barnes on the border of Bayfield and Douglas counties, the true origin of the legend of Hiawatha and the meaning of glacial history written in the eskers, moraines and kames throughout the region.

“People come up here to look at the scenery and to fish,” Thorson said. “But they don’t know the land.” Yet even locals can benefit from taking our tours.”

A forester in Idaho for more than two decades, Thorson was born and raised in Cumberland and now lives outside Barnes on more than 500 acres of relatively undisturbed forest his family purchased more than 50 years ago. Frank, on the other hand, has a wealth of experience in filming and producing outdoor adventures throughout the north. Together, they planned a sophisticated hands-on educational experience which is also highly enjoyable.

Last Friday, this writer was fortunate to tag along with about eight others on Down To Earth’s Headwater Tour. Other four-hour trips are the Portage Tour and the Big Lakes Tour. Having spent my youth and a good portion of my adulthood in the Wisconsin northwoods, I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about this area – and at the woodlore I didn’t even know I didn’t know.

Many of us have heard the story about Chief Namakagon’s perchance for paying for everything in silver, and the rumors of a lost silver mine somewhere in the southern part of Bayfield County. However, Thorson pointed out where the likelihood of the mine wouldn’t be and – with an educated guess – where silver could possibly be. (For more than 150 years, the lost silver mine has never been found, but that doesn’t mean there’s no lost mine, Thorson said.)

A trip to an abandoned copper mine, hidden among giant pines and down little-traveled dirt roads was one of the highlights of the trip. Near the Thorson residence, only the sign “Cooper Mine Road” gives any indication of the deep shaft up the hill.

It’s amazing how few locals in this immediate area know of the mine,” Thorson said. “But it was an important part of the country’s copper production decades ago.”

The Down To Earth Tour’s Dodge bus seats 15, and while driving is kept to a minimum, Thorson refers to the many maps and academic articles in the guidebook compiled especially for the tours. A stop in Seeley, just a couple hundred feet off the highway reveals a short quarter-mile walk through the one of the few ‘old growth’ stands in the area. Relying on his years of experience with the U.S. Forest Service, he explained the economy and ecology of estimating the worth of individual stands, and showed us how to measure the height of a white pine.

“This pine here was probably hit by lightning,” Thorson said, pointing to a crack that ran vertical almost to the top of the tree. “It wouldn’t be economical to take this tree down. It would cost more than it was worth, as only a few boards could be taken from the rest of the tree.”

Thorson sheds light on the importance of the explorations and writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who led an expedition searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River: Itasca Lake. The popular poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he said, got the entire story of Hiawatha through Schoolcraft’s writing. And Schoolcraft created the first map that outlined – with amazing accuracy – the routes and portages he and other early explorers and voyageurs used in reaching the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

“And he did it all from memory,” Thorson said. “They didn’t have the instruments and aerial surveys we use today, of course.”

Most of us are introduced to the study of glaciers and their importance to Wisconsin land formation in primary school, yet Thorson’s approach and explanation simplified for me this fascinating subject. He pointed out specific land formations from the bus that typify examples of glacial elements which are so much a part of the Badger State’s recent geological history.

Mt. Telemark, for example, Bayfield County’s highest point, is a excellent example of a glacial kame, with eskers and kettles in the area as well. Before branding the study of glaciers dry and academic, consider that last year’s discovery of the Silver Beach Elk in Middle Eau Claire Lake near Barnes and the stone spearhead found nearby could point to human habitation in what is now Bayfield County at a time when the glaciers were active.

Many other topics were explored in the four hours of Down To Earth’s “Northwoods Magical History Tour” Starting and ending at the Hayward Chamber of Commerce parking lot, the tours are designed specifically for each participant, and no one tour will ever be the same, Thorson said. Eventually, Thorson and Frank want to guide a tour six days a week, with Mondays off.

To reserve a tour, or for more information about Down To Earth Tours, phone 715-376-4260 or e-mail dthorson@centurytel.net. All tours leave at 9 a.m. and include lunch.

Forget Green Jobs, by David Schejbal

2011-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2011/01/25/schejbal_on_why_emphasis_on_green_jobs_is_misguided

Forget Green Jobs

January 25, 2011

By David Schejbal

We have spent a lot of time debating the number of green jobs likely to be created in the future. What will they be? By when? How many? Where? How can I get one? How will I know a green job when I see it? And for educators, we ask how we can prepare students for these jobs.

The problem is, we’re debating the wrong issue. There are no green jobs. A green job is like a math job. Every job is a math job. And every job is a green job. We need to step back from this conversation to focus on the real issues: new skills, new competencies, and a new world view.

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Higher education is hustling to prepare students for green jobs. We’re congratulating ourselves for teaching green job skills. For studying recycling. For protecting endangered species. For teaching conservation. All this is laudable, critically important, and helpful to individuals, companies and the economy. But none of it is enough.

We’re teaching skills, but failing to lead the world into a new way of thinking that must govern the behavior of all of the residents of the earth if we are to leave an economically and environmentally viable planet to our children.

Understanding the intersections of the systems at work — natural systems, social systems, and business systems — is critical to every aspect of how we live and work. For instance, if we recognize and understand that the earth is a closed system, then we must look at manufacturing very differently; we must look at the making of stuff (whatever it might be) as a loop and not as a line. The manufactured product, all of its byproducts, and every bit of the waste is ours to keep forever. We inhale it, we drink it, we walk on it, and we eat it in one form or other. Short of resettling on Mars, we cannot escape it.

The recent crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is a particularly visible, but hardly unique, example of our inseparability from the world in which we live. Long after the public tires of hearing about our mess in the Gulf, the ripple effects will continue across local beaches and economies as well as in America’s waning confidence about the readiness of corporate leadership to respond to environmental issues. A recent national Harris survey shows that 82 percent of Americans believe that in order to remain globally competitive, U.S. business leaders must understand how to manage business in an environmentally sustainable manner. Yet only 13 percent of U.S. adults are confident that corporate America has the knowledge to make decisions that consider long-term impacts on the environment.

A key lesson learned from the crisis? That everything we do has an environmental impact of one sort or other, and all environmental changes impact us. It’s for this reason that every job is a green job. It’s not just the solar-powered battery manufacturer and the biofuel engineer and the recycling manager who have green jobs. Marketers, human resource directors, supply chain managers, and even university faculty confront sustainability issues every day.

For too long, our focus has been on preparing students to take on "green jobs," so college after college boasts about creating a green technology degree program or a sustainability studies major or a green M.B.A. and so forth. Teaching green skills is like teaching kids to toss a ball and swing a bat and never teaching the rules of baseball. They can become accomplished practitioners of these skills and not understand how to apply their knowledge to lead their teams to success.

The world works in terms of interconnected systems, and we have to teach our students how to think in those ways. Unfortunately, systems thinking is not readily taught at any level, and most people tend not to think in terms of systems. In part it’s because thinking in terms of systems is difficult and complicated; there are many more variables than when we look at linear processes and drill down within the disciplines. It’s also inconvenient to think in terms of systems. We would have to assume far more personal responsibility for our behavior — including consumption — if our thinking was focused on complete systems and the full consequences of our actions. It’s just not much fun to think in terms of systems.

First and foremost, we need to understand the cycle. And to understand the cycle is to have a systems understanding of natural, social, and economic processes. This requires more than just new skills; it requires a new literacy.

This new systems literacy will require a holistic understanding of our relationship to the natural, social, and economic world around us. Copernicus taught us that our planet is not the center of the universe. We must now come to understand that humans are not at the center of the earth but rather a highly impactful part of it. If our impact becomes part of our daily lexicon, and if we are able to incorporate and monetize the full consequences of our actions into the economy, then we will be in a much better position to develop a systems economy that creates economic incentives in all parts of all of the systems that govern our lives. This is what is required to ensure that our children’s futures will be no worse than our present, and this is where the jobs of the future will be.

So I return to where I began this perspective. We need a new literacy, a new way of talking and thinking about the world around us, and that new perspective must govern our behavior.

Education is just beginning to develop curriculums that help people acquire these new skills and this new perspective. The University of Wisconsin launched an online bachelor of science in sustainable management last fall. It focuses on thinking in terms of natural, social, and economic systems. For example, with "Triple Bottom Line Accounting," not only do students gain a basic knowledge of the preparation of financial statements and their analytical use, but they explore how this accounting information is applied by managers in the decision-making process helping organizations meet the triple bottom line (strong profits, healthy environment, and vital communities).It’s a great start. A few other universities have also begun to incorporate these principles into their curriculums. However, we have only begun to think this way, and the world around us is changing much faster than we would like.

Bill Sullivan, the president of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, sees the Harris survey referenced above as a call to increase the diversity of environmental programs as much as possible to prepare students for the wide range of jobs that require this knowledge to succeed. "Future success rises and falls on access. Our job as educators now is to focus on increasing access and flexibility for the curricular foundations needed to develop this new literacy and world view, and we need to deliver those programs to students of all ages so that we can begin to make the kind of impacts that will improve the chances that the future will be even better than the past."

That’s not just a green job. That’s everyone’s job.

David Schejbal is dean of continuing education, outreach and e-learning at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. He is a member of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors.

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Green jobs

2011-01-26T14:48:00.001-08:00

Dear Eric,

Here is the latest from Campaign.com

Breaking News: California Utilities’ actions - Why are green jobs going away?

This could spiral into job losses nationwide as CA utility actions are often duplicated by other states.

Recent action by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) cuts funding to energy saving HVAC programs. This will stop verified energy savings for California customers and cut thousands of green jobs in California. PG&E, Southern California Edison (SCE) and other California Utilities are mandated by the CPUC to run energy saving programs using ratepayer funds. Just a year ago SCE abruptly stopped their HVAC program, the same one that PG&E is suspending. Ratepayer funds are paid directly by customers in their utility bills. It is the responsibility of the Utilities to properly manage these funds.

The problem: HVAC is the largest percentage of energy usage and should be the main target of any energy savings programs. Programs are already in place to save in the HVAC category with measured energy savings, which represent at least 20 percent in heating and cooling savings. There are several companies that service this need called Verification Service Providers (VSPs). HVAC Contractors are the essential ingredient to interface with customers and implement these programs. These steps will potentially decimate thousands of jobs and make it extremely difficult to implement new programs in the future, as the contractor’s training and investment in the programs will all be lost.

Questions: Why are utilities going after the low-lying fruit with light bulbs instead of tackling the elephant in the living room, HVAC? Is reorganization in PG&E a good reason to kill energy saving programs that have true and measured savings? Are they being good custodians of ratepayer funds with actions like this? Should they be returning ratepayer funds to consumers since they appear not to be able to manage them? Why are they not funding the programs when they are sitting on the funds that can be immediately released to working programs?

Immediate news: There are peaceful protesters wanting to talk to the media regarding PG&E causing thousands of jobs to be eliminated by not releasing ratepayer funds to contractors licensed to provide energy verifications on HVAC systems in homes and businesses. These protesters have been in front of PG&E’s corporate headquarters and at the CPUC on January 25th and January 26th, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=EF68lBTB4zU

Potential Story Contacts:

Employment angle (Loss of Jobs):

Employment.com

John Carrieri, CEO 858-847-3350 x1001, jcarrieri@employment.com

PGE Contact:

PG&E Media Inquiries: 1.800 743.6397 or 415.473.4001

PG& E Headquarters, 215-245 Market Street at Main Street, San Francisco, CA

CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission)

505 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA

Terrie Prosper 415-703-2160

Green and energy Savings angle:

FootPrint™ Magazine

Nancy Kennedy, Editor nkennedy@colleges.com, Cell: 858-829-6906

VSP Contacts:

Enalasys Corp CEO Eric Taylor 760-801-4733 etaylor@enalasys.com

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/company-profile.html?id=200900440

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EuiZmuiwm4

Proctor Engineering Group

CEO John Proctor 415-451-2480

418 Mission Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901

Verified Inc.

CEO Robert Mowris 877-838-4343

P.O. Box 8399 Truckee CA 96162

Blue Cross Foundation to Honor Minnesota Green Communities

2009-10-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

EAGAN, Minn., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation will honor Minnesota Green Communities with its 4th Annual Upstream Health Leadership Award for their work around creating affordable, healthier and more energy efficient housing throughout Minnesota.

Minnesota Green Communities will receive the award on Friday, October 30, 2009 at Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum in St. Paul, Minn., along with a $15,000 grant to support and advance its "upstream" work.

"Where we live significantly influences our health and quality of life," said Pat Geraghty, Foundation board chair, and president and CEO of Blue Cross. "For example, we know that living in healthy homes means better controlled asthma for children and adults, which leads to fewer missed days of school and work. And living in a safe neighborhood means neighbors are better able to connect with each other, and families are more likely to get out and be physically active."

Minnesota Green Communities is a statewide collaboration of Minnesota-based Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and Family Housing Fund and nationally based Enterprise. "We are thrilled to receive this award from the Blue Cross Foundation -- a partner who understands the strong connections between housing and health," said Tom Fulton, president, Family Housing Fund. The initiative, launched in 2005, supports the production of affordable housing with markedly reduced energy costs, use of materials beneficial to the environment, conservation-minded land use planning and attention to the creation of healthy environments and lifestyles for individuals, children, families and communities.

"Thanks to strong partners like the Blue Cross Foundation, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of having all new affordable housing be green by 2010 with nearly 1,000 affordable homes completed, another 1,000 under construction, and hundreds more under development," said Warren Hanson, president and CEO of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund.

The foundation will also give special recognition to David Jacobs, PhD, CIH, Director of Research, National Center for Healthy Housing, for his national leadership around housing and health including his role with the Viking Terrace Project in Worthington, Minnesota. Funded by the Blue Cross Foundation, Jacobs led a first-of-its-kind study on the Viking Terrace Project, an affordable housing preservation project, to evaluate the health impacts of green housing.

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation is among the first to recognize the importance of showing that improved housing means improved health," said Jacobs. "I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead the nation's first study showing that rehabilitation of low-income housing using green healthy systems produces important health gains in children and adults, as well as improved energy conservation and long-term sustainability."

Jacobs and the National Center for Healthy Housing in Columbia, Maryland work to control childhood exposure to lead, mold-induced illnesses, carbon monoxide poisoning and other influences on health while preserving affordable housing.

Past Foundation awardees include Winona LaDuke, White Earth Land Recovery Project (2006), Atum Azzahir, Cultural Wellness Center (2007) and David Wallinga, MD, MPA, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (2008). The award is intended to honor exemplary leadership for tackling health inequities and provide inspiration for cross-sector partnerships that take action on social, economic and environmental determinants of health.

For more information, visit www.bcbsmnfoundation.org.

About the Foundation

The Blue Cross Foundation is the state's largest grantmaking foundation to exclusively dedicate its assets to improving health in Minnesota, awarding more than $25 million since it was established in 1986. The Foundation's purpose is to look beyond health care today for ideas that create healthier communities tomorrow, through a focus on key social, economic and environmental factors that determine health, to improve community health long-term and close the health gap that affects many Minnesotans.

About Blue Cross

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.8 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

About Minnesota Green Communities

Minnesota Green Communities is a collaboration of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, the Family Housing Fund, and Enterprise designed to foster the creation of affordable, healthier, and more energy efficient housing throughout Minnesota. The initiative supports the production of affordable housing with markedly reduced energy costs, use of materials beneficial to the environment, conservation-minded land use planning, and attention to the creation of healthy environments and lifestyles for individuals, children, families, and communities.

About National Center for Healthy Housing

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in Columbia, Maryland, dedicated to creating healthy and safe homes for children through practical and proven steps. NCHH was founded in 1992 to provide the scientific underpinnings for the childhood lead poisoning prevention movement. Since that time, the number of homes with lead-based paint has declined from 64 million to 38 million, and the number of children with lead poisoning has dropped from 890,000 to 240,000. Using a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, NCHH serves as a convener of the public health, housing, environmental, and regulatory communities. It also carries out applied research, program evaluation, training, technical assistance, innovative demonstration projects, outreach, and public policy advocacy to advance the healthy homes movement."

Source: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

CONTACT: Julie Lee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota,
+1-651-662-6574

Web Site: http://www.bcbsmnfoundation.org/

-------
Profile: Eric Hjerstedt Sharp

2009-09-17T13:31:00.001-07:00

How Farm-Raised Salmon Are Turning Our Oceans Into Dangerous and Polluted Feedlots

AlterNet
By Tara Lohan
The fish makes gourmets rejoice. Smoked-salmon quiche, grilled salmon with lime butter sauce, salmon sushi, poached salmon fillets with dill creme fraiche — really the choices with salmon are endless and delicious.
The omega-3-fatty-acid-rich fish is also coveted for its health benefits. And, if you’re looking for protein, eating salmon seems a great alternative to industrial-produced meat in the U.S. But somehow this dream fish has become a nightmare. As it turns out, farmed salmon comes with its own set of environmental and health issues — threatening wild salmon populations, becoming harbingers of disease, and contaminating the oceans with antibiotics and toxic chemicals. And if you’re eating salmon in the U.S., the chances are very good that it’s farm raised.
Only about 10 percent of salmon on the market in the U.S. is actually wild these days Alex Trent, executive director of the industry group Salmon of the Americas, told the New York Times.
If this were a few years ago, your farm-raised salmon would have come from Chile, but since a disease outbreak has crashed the industry there, the U.S. has looked elsewhere for imports. If you’re on the West Coast your farmed salmon is most likely from British Columbia, and if you’re elsewhere in the U.S. it’s probably from either Norway, Ireland or Scotland. And that’s actually a bad thing — for more than just food miles.
While salmon “farming” conjures an agrarian image, the industry is more akin to CAFOs — the concentrated animal feeding operations — used by the industrial meat industry that is responsible for most of the chicken, burgers and pork that Americans consume. They’re also responsible for a lot of waste and pollution that comes with raising a whole bunch of creatures in a confined space.
The farmed-salmon industry, which raises the fish in floating “pens,” has some striking similarities to CAFOs. The industry was jump-started a few decades ago, and it was initially seen as a great boon for wild salmon, which have been decimated by dams, pollution and invasive species.
If more people eat farmed salmon, the reasoning went, then that would help protect wild salmon populations. Unfortunately, that hasn’t exactly panned out.
Raising salmon in farms has meant that you can buy salmon (although not wild) at a much cheaper price, and that has helped to keep the popular fish on the dinner table — but at what cost to the environment and human health?

Incubators of Disease
We’ve all seen the pictures or heard the stories of how animals live on today’s version of the “farm” — the CAFO.
Squeezed into pens, the animals are fed the same diets, injected with antibiotics and other drugs to fend off the inevitable disease outbreaks, and their waste washes into waterways, causing widespread pollution.
The same is true for salmon farms, only the problem is largely invisible — hidden beneath the surface of the sea.
“You can’t look at a salmon farm and just see the problems on the surface,” said Andrea Kavanagh, manager of the Salmon Aquaculture Reform Campaign for the Pew Environment Group. “They are usually in some gorgeous British Columbia or Chile and the only thing you see on the top are a few buoys and some nets, it really looks like a pretty low intensive operation.”
But the reality is quite different. These farms can stretch as far as four football fields and contain over a million fish crammed together in floating pens.
In British Columbia, which sells most of its farmed salmon to the U.S., there are some 100 farms submerged in the cold water of coastal bays. The provincial government is hoping that the industry will double in the next decade, but that would be bad news for the the region’s wild salmon.
Like CAFOs, fish farms are incubators of disease, and one particular parasite is common — sea lice. While sea lice are naturally occurring in the ocean and pose no threat to healthy, full-grown fish, they are deadly for juveniles. And unfortunately, British Columbia’s salmon farms, infested with millions of sea lice, are sited right where juvenile salmon (or smolts) must pass through as they migrate out of rivers and streams to the ocean.
“It just takes a few sea lice to kill a smolt,” said Kavanagh. “In a recent study published in Science it shows that reoccurring sea lice outbreaks killed up to 80 percent of wild pink salmon juveniles in some of the migrations streams with salmon farms present. The bottom line in BC is that wherever there are wild salmon, there should not be fish farms. Wild salmon are not just important for a healthy ecosystem in BC, coastal communities rely on them economically and they are culturally and spiritually important for the First Nations there.”
Wild salmon help support populations of orcas, bald eagles and grizzly bears.
“This shows a blatant disregard for the natural ecosystem of the area,” said Alexandra Morton, director of the Salmon Coast Field Station. “Preservation of wild salmon depends upon the relocation of open-net salmon farms.”
British Columbia is not the only place in trouble. Sea lice are common wherever salmon are farmed, but there are other health issues, too. Chile was just about to overtake Norway as the largest farmed-salmon-producing country until disaster struck — it was hit with an outbreak of infectious salmon anemia (ISA).
The New York Times reported in February:

When a devastating virus swept through Chile’s farmed-salmon stocks last year, some of the industry’s biggest players laid off thousands of workers, packed up operations and moved to unspoiled waters farther south along the Chilean coast. But the virus went with them.

Last month, the Chilean government began hashing out tougher measures to improve the sanitary and environmental conditions of the troubled industry. But producers expect still-deeper losses this year, as the virus continues to kill millions of fish slated for export to the United States and other countries.

The decimation of the salmon-farming industry in Chile caused economic and environmental backlash.
“Some say the industry is raising its fish in ways that court disaster, and producers are coming under new pressure to change their methods to preserve southern Chile’s cobalt blue waters for tourists and other marine life,” the New York Times reported in a 2008 story.
You Are What You Eat
Of course, if you’ve got unhealthy fish, what’s a “farmer” to do? Well, if you follow the CAFO playbook, that means jack them full of all sorts of drugs.
It turns out that salmon feed is loaded with antibiotics and other chemicals, some of which are outlawed in the U.S. for threats to human and marine health.
“Intensive farming breaks natural laws of density, distribution biodiversity and survival of the fittest. Disease is nature’s relentless response to overcrowding, and so the farmers have to resort to drugs,” British Columbia’s Raincoast Research Society reported. “Small bays which might support a few hundred salmon in intermittent bursts throughout the year, are now filled with up to 1 million to 2 million stationary salmon. This is the best thing to happen to fish pathogens on this coast since the glaciers receded.
“In such close proximity, the feces of the crowded fish pass over each other’s gills. Because the fish are confined and unable to migrate, pathogens accumulate into a rich broth. Antibiotics can keep most farm salmon alive long enough to reach market size, but leave the fish contagious, shedding pathogens into marine currents.”
Of course this isn’t just a problem in B.C., and the use of antibiotics has been particularly well documented in Chile. The New York Times reported that to produce a ton of salmon, 70 to 300 times more antibiotics are being used in Chile than in Norway, and these may be a threat to human health. The 2008 article stated:

Researchers say that some antibiotics that are not allowed in American aquaculture, like flumequine and oxolinic acid, are legal in Chile and may increase antibiotic resistance for people. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration blocked the sale of five types of Chinese seafood because of the use of fluoroquinolones and other additives.

Using documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, Pew Environment Group found other reasons to worry about what’s being dumped into salmon feed:

The pesticide and antibiotic residues found are of concern due to their potential effects on human health and the environment. The pesticide emamectin benzoate, for example, is “very toxic to aquatic organisms” and “may cause long-term adverse effects in the environment,” according to the manufacturer’s safety data. The non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in fish destined for food production also raises concerns about possible antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in humans.

Their report showed that in 2007 only 40 samples of imported farmed salmon from Chile were tested by the EPA — out of over 100,000 imported tons of the fish. At the time, the U.S was importing most of its salmon from Chile.
Concern has also been raised about the level of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in farmed salmon. In 2004, the journal Science sounded the alarm about contaminants that may be in the food fed to farmed salmon. MSNBC summed it up:

The authors tied the chemical levels to fish food used in sea pens. Fish food is typically made from concentrated oil from other fish that absorbed chemicals in their fat during their lifetime. Wild salmon, on the other hand, have a more varied diet.

Eating more than one meal of farm-raised salmon per month, depending on its country of origin, could slightly increase the risk of getting cancer later in life, the researchers concluded.

The main issue with PCBs, Kavanagh explained, is that in order to feed farmed salmon, which are carnivores, producers have to harvest other wild fish, and sometimes these fish come from areas high in PCBs, like the North Sea. Not only does that pose a potential health risk for people eating the fish, but it’s also bad for the world’s fisheries.
“The fact that we are taking wild fish out of the ocean to feed to this farm system is a big problem,” said Kavanagh. “Right now overfishing is already threatening many important food fisheries with collapse. That was the promise of aquaculture, that it would feed the millions and take the pressure off of wild stocks. But instead it’s contributing to the depletion of the world’s oceans, taking on average 3 pounds of wild fish to make 1 pound of farmed salmon.”
Runaways and Runaway Waste
Like its CAFO cousin, salmon-farming operations also generate a lot of waste, and because they are located in open waters, this waste goes directly into the environment.
Most people never think of the waste that comes from fish, but when there’s a big concentration of them, it can be huge. Living Oceans Society reports that “the biomass of farmed salmon at an average farm site equals 480 Asian bull elephants — that is 2,400 tons of eating, excreting livestock.”
And that means everything that goes into the operation, comes out.
“So all things, like uneaten feed, any medications and millions of tons of feces, go directly into the ocean without any kind of filtering and no sanitizing,” said Kavanagh. “That is like a big sewer tank being let go in the ocean.”
The other thing that often goes right from the pens into the ocean are the salmon themselves. Bad weather and other natural disasters have made for lots of farmed salmon escaping into the wild each year — about 3 million — according to the coalition group Pure Salmon Campaign.
This means more of a chance to contaminate wild salmon with disease. It also means that those fish are now competing with wild fish for food, and in most areas, the farmed salmon are an invasive species. “In areas with wild salmon there is a degradation of the genetic wild stock,” Kavanagh added. “In British Columbia where most all farmed salmon are Atlantic salmon there’s a real concern about escaped salmon interbreeding with, and out-competing local wild salmon populations.”
What’s a Fish-Eater to Do?
Some environmental advocates say to only eat wild salmon if you’ve got a hankering for the fish. And groups like Raincoast Research Society say the farmed-salmon industry is simply not sustainable. They wrote:

Farming fish has been practiced for thousands of years, but not in the manner now underway on many temperate coasts worldwide today. Traditionally, fish that eat vegetable matter were used, such as carp or tilapia. For thousands of years, Chinese fish farms have cycled waste from vegetable crops through their fish, and then used the waste from the fish to fertilize the next vegetable crop. This sustainable, closed-loop system created protein. In the late 1970s however, a Norwegian hydro company, Norsk Hydro, initiated the first corporate effort to farm salmon. Salmon are carnivores. No one has successfully farmed a carnivore.

But the Environmental Working Group disagrees.
“Farm-raised fish are here to stay,” it wrote. “If raised correctly, these fish can help meet global demand for high-quality protein and take some of the pressure off of highly depleted populations of wild fish.”
Clearly, if that’s the case, some major reforms are needed.
First, says Kavanagh, if there are wild salmon in the same environment, the fish farms either need to be moved or made to be totally enclosed systems so that farm waste, feed, drugs, parasites and escapees don’t make it into the ocean. And, to protect fishery stocks, the feed should not come from wild forage fish, either.
Groups like the Pure Salmon Campaign, which works in coalition with environmental groups around the world, have been pressuring the largest salmon-farming companies — Marine Harvest and Cermaq — to make some changes. Both are publicly owned Norwegian companies, with the Norwegian government a majority shareholder in Cermaq. Activists say that when these companies operate overseas, they don’t abide by the same, stricter laws enforced in their home country.
“The industry needs to apply the same rigorous standards for every country,” said Kavanagh. “If they operate their farms a certain way in Norway, they should be doing the same in Chile and British Columbia, but they’re not — instead they operate to the lowest common denominator.”
And for some, that lowest common denominator raises some serious problems.
The Raincoast Research Society wrote: “Salmon farming is not sustainable. It starves one ocean of fish, and pollutes another with the same fish. Its profit margin is so slight it cannot afford to deal with its own waste. Its product is of questionable food quality, being high in PCBs, low in omega oils and dyed pink.”
But it goes beyond that. “It is favored politically because it produces salmon without a river, leaving the resource-rich watersheds of British Columbia open for exploitation. It is a classic example of destruction of the commons to promote the privately owned,” RRS concludes.
And this idea of privatization extends to Chile.
“We are transforming public assets into financial capital,” Lucio Cuenca from the Latin American Observatory for Environmental Conflicts told the Center for International Policy.
All that is likely to leave consumers with a pretty bad taste in their mouths.

2009-09-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/09/how-farm-raised-salmon-are-turning-our-oceans-into-dangerous-and-polluted-feedlots/#more-2275

Duluth News-Tribune: Great Lakes advocates meet in Duluth this week

2009-09-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Advocates for a massive Great Lakes cleanup gather in Duluth this week energized by increased support in Washington.
By: John Myers, Duluth News Tribune

Nearly 250 activists, scientists and government officials will gather today through Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center for the fifth annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference. A plan in Washington includes $475 million in the 2010 federal budget for Great Lakes efforts — including cleaning up toxic pollution hotspots, stemming the invasion of exotic species, stopping sewage overflows, and restoring and protecting habitat along the shores of the Great Lakes.

The U.S. House already has approved the Obama administration’s plan. The Senate is expected to begin considering the issue this month, said Jordan Lubetkin, spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office.

“It passed the [Senate] Appropriations Committee at $400 million. But we’re optimistic we’ll still get the full $475 million after conference committee,’’ he said.

Lubetkin said there’s good reason to celebrate, but that the federal money, while double any previous effort for the lakes, is still only a “down payment’’ on years of work ahead.

“We have a long ways to go to nurse these precious environmental and economic resources called the Great Lakes back to health,’’ he said.

The Bush administration unveiled a more than $20 billion cleanup proposal for the Great Lakes in Duluth in 2005. But neither the president nor Congress came up with money for the effort. Obama’s proposal to pump $475 million into the effort would be by far the largest expenditure to date.

Cameron Davis, President Obama’s newly appointed Great Lakes Czar, will address the conference tonight, with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D- Minn, slated for Friday and U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D- Minn., scheduled for Saturday.

Davis was president of the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes before taking the White House job. The alliance pushed passage of the Great Lakes Compact, passed by the states and Congress, that protects the lakes from large water diversions. In the newly created position, Davis will oversee Great Lakes efforts of 11 federal agencies.

Organizers say this year’s conference will focus on where the proposed restoration money, the first in what supporters hope will be multiple installments, should be spent to encourage fast ecological results as well as help stimulate economic recovery.

Conference attendees will take field trips and a harbor tour while in Duluth, including stops at Hawk Ridge and the Environmental Protection Agency lab, the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District and the Hog Island/Newton Creek site in Superior where contaminated sediments have been cleaned up and habitat restoration is planned.

“The conference is held on a different lake every year and the timing is great for it to be on Lake Superior,’’ said Rosie Loeffler-Kemp, a local organizer of the event. “It’s a chance for local people to get involved on a Great Lakes-wide scale ... and for us to show off the needs we have here, and the successes we’ve already had.”

Sessions this year include geographic priorities for habitat restoration; links between global climate change and Great lakes water levels; links between restoration efforts and economic recovery; and securing long-term funding toward completing the restoration effort.

The conference is organized by the Healing Our Waters, Great Lakes Coalition of more than 90 local, state and national environmental groups and local governments. The group formed in 2005 to promote public awareness of Great Lakes issues and to secure money to pay for the Great Lakes restoration plan.

The public is invited to attend the conference, but the cost for all events for all three days is $180. Single-day prices also are available. Call Martha Borie, (847) 207-8944, or go to www.healthylakes.org for more information

New web address

2009-08-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

EcoLogic has a new Web address. It's http://ecologicallysimple.blogspot.com/. Of course you know that - You're here.

All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life by Winona LaDuke

2009-08-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

by Eric Hjerstedt शार्प
editor-publisher
The Tall Timber Telegraph

LA POINTE, Wis. _ "Madeline Island holds a special spiritual significance," said LaDuke at Tom's Burned Down Cafe Thursday night.

Originally called Mooningwanekaaning ("The Home of the Golden Breasted Woodpecker") Madeline Island is the traditional spiritual center of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) people. LaDuke chose Tom's Burned Down Cafe in the town of La Pointe as the venue for her 50th birthday bash and the annual benefit for Honor the Earth, a native-directed and controlled organization of which LaDuke is the executive director. Honor the Earth's mission is "to create awareness and support for indigenous environmental issues and leverage needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable indigenous communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, media and indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the earth and be a voice for those who are not heard," according to the organization's mission statement.

LaDuke and the staff of Honor the Earth urged participants to be aware of local food communities and to follow sustainable paths to help the earth heal after centuries of neglect and resource depletion.

Native rocker Keith Secola on guitar and others joined the celebration at Tom's Burned Down Cafe for an evening of music and dance. Secola was joined by Chequamegon Bay-area musicians including Laughing Fox (Michael "Scooter" Charette, flute), Marky Rossow (Marky Mark sax, banjo and drums) and others at the event.

Photos by Chad Lampson, The Tall Timber Telegraph photographer and technical editor

FLUTIST LAUGHING FOX from Red Cliff, Wis. constructs his own flutes. A poet and artist, he has taught people of all ages.

NASA celebrates Earth Day across the country

2009-04-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA centers across the nation invite journalists and the public to see and hear about the agency's efforts and contributions to understanding and protecting Earth.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

Begun in 1970, Earth Day is the annual celebration of the environment and a time to assess work still needed to protect the natural resources of our planet. The agency maintains the largest contingent of dedicated Earth scientists and engineers in leading and assisting other agencies in preserving the planet's environment.

For a comprehensive listing of NASA Earth Day activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthday

The Web site also features an online poll inviting the public to vote for the most important contribution NASA has made to exploring Earth and improving the way we live on our home planet. The "greatest hits" poll closes April 21. A new interactive feature will debut on Earth Day, April 22, that allows visitors to view a collection of astronaut photographs of Earth as seen from the current location of the International Space Station.

Please note all times are local. NASA center events include:

NASA Headquarters, Washington

Sunday, April 19 (12 - 7 p.m. EDT) - NASA is participating in the Earth Day Celebration at the National Mall with an exhibit on a wide range of environmental issues as seen from space, including air pollution, urban development, hurricanes, and dust storms. Visitors to the booth will be able to meet NASA Earth scientists and see NASA satellite images of Earth.

Wednesday, April 22 (1 p.m. EDT) - In honor of Earth Day and the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo program, NASA will take part in an event at the National Arboretum in Washington to plant a moon sycamore tree. The tree was grown from a second-generation seed from seeds flown to the moon and returned to Earth by the crew of Apollo 14 in 1971.

Ames Research Center at Moffet Field, Calif.

Tuesday, April 21 (9 a.m. - 4 p.m. PDT) - A technology expo sponsored by the NASA Research Park and the NASA Ames Innovative Partnerships Program will showcase technologies related to exploration and sustainability. More than 40 exhibits will be on display underscoring NASA's vision of leveraging technology for a cleaner, greener Earth.

Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

Tuesday, April 21 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m. PDT) - Visitors can view a model of the unmanned Ikhana aircraft. Ikhana was instrumental in assisting emergency response efforts during recent California wildfires. The public also will see high-altitude life-support demonstrations and can attend several educational activities and presentations.

Glenn Research Center in Cleveland

Sunday, April 19 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT) - A variety of educational displays will be at the Cleveland Metro Park Zoo.

Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Wednesday, April 22 (10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EDT) - NASA Goddard Digital Learning Network presents two webcasts for students and teachers of "Bella Gaia" (Beautiful Earth), a unique multimedia journey of Earth from space by director and violinist Kenji Williams. The performance will be broadcast live. For more information, visit http://dln.nasa.gov/.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PDT) - JPL will join a celebration of our ocean planet at the ninth annual Earth Day event at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. The event will include exhibits and handouts highlighting NASA's Earth science research.

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Wednesday, April 22 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m. EDT) - Local and county government officials will showcase their environmental activities. Topics will include natural resources, energy conservation, recycling, alternative fuel vehicles and environmentally friendly products.

Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

Saturday, April 18 (1 p.m. EDT) - Presentation on "Looking at Earth from Space" at the Virginia Zoo's "Party for the Planet: Earth Day at the Zoo."

Tuesday, April 21 (7 p.m. EDT) - Lecture on "Satellite Observations of Air Pollution: Local Impacts Seen from a Global Perspective" at Thomas Nelson Community College's Espada Conference Center in Hampton.

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Tuesday, April 21 (10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT) - The theme of Marshall's Earth Day event for employees and contractors is water stewardship, with the slogan "Just one drop, priceless." A taste test is planned using water recycled through the Environmental Control and Life Support System used on the International Space Station. A vendor fair will be held highlighting environmentally friendly products. Special guests include local area mayors.

Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Wednesday, April 22 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m. CDT) - Energy awareness displays and a video presentation highlighting the "green building" aspects of the center's new Emergency Operations Center. Activities also will feature raffles, environmentally focused games, cell phone recycling and other environment-friendly exercises.

Wallops Flight Research Facility on Wallops Island, Va.

Saturday, April 18 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT) - Several events will be held in collaboration with the Salisbury Zoo. The theme "Rockets and Critters" focuses on protecting threatened and endangered species while operating a NASA launch range.

For information about the NASA and agency activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/

Green Beginnings video debuts

2009-03-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW RELEASE: THE GREEN BEGINNINGS VIDEO
New Educational Film Captures and Defines Essence of Green Homes

KENNETT SQUARE, PA, March 12, 2009 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Avrim and Vicki Topel, authors of Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home today announced the release of the GREEN BEGINNINGS VIDEO, a new educational documentary about green homes.

The Green Beginnings Video is a unique, original-content eco-documentary that features the professional team who built the Green Beginnings house, an award-winning LEED Silver green and sustainable home. The team offers perspective as they explain the project and green homes in a new stand-alone educational film that can also be utilized as an adjunct teaching companion to the Green Beginnings Book that explains the project and green homes from the homeowner’s perspective.

Viewed together with the Green Beginnings book as a complete green homes educational package, viewers are offered a unique opportunity to contrast the homeowners’ point of view (consumer mindset) with the professionals’ perspective and understanding of green homes.

Produced by Freeland Media in association with Amy Cornelius, LEED AP, Hugh Lofting Timber Frames, and directed by award winning cinematographer Erik Freeland, the film depicts the collaborative effort between the professional team and homeowners who designed and built the Green Beginnings house, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver home. Shot on location amidst a picturesque backdrop of rolling farmlands in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the film follows the true story of planning and building a state-of-the-art green and sustainable home.

A top-notch professional creative team assembled by green builder and legendary timber frame artisan Hugh Lofting (whose grandfather of the same name authored the Dr. Doolittle books), an extraordinary homebuilding project, and a collective commitment to the cause make a powerful emotional connection with the audience and sets the stage for this eco-documentary to become the new, definitive, “learn about green homes” educational video of the times when it debuts later this month.

The story begins with project manager Amy Cornelius and eco-architect Matthew Moger, Lyman Perry Architects (prior HGTV productions) recounting the events that lead to the homeowners’ decision to build green. Cornelius explains and defines green building as Moger recalls the homeowners’ learning process and expounds upon good, smart, sustainable design and the relationships green homes have with the surroundings from which they are created. Moger’s eloquent descriptive language evokes powerful imagery, and the homeowners’ commitments to learning about living green and becoming active participants in the process are genuine and provide a glimpse at today’s consumers embracing change.

Freeland’s months spent on location researching the holistic green building process enable him to reveal the interdependencies among the respective professionals that are requisite with today’s green building. In a series of engaging interviews between host Lou Oliviere and members of the professional team, filmmaker Erik Freeland surpasses prior construction film benchmarks as he captures the collective essence and spirit of the integrative green building approach as recommended by the U.S. Green Building Council for the first time on film. Oliviere’s intelligent queries prompt the builder, architect, sustainable engineer, and landscape architect to discuss their respective areas of expertise as they tour the home and property in a way that ultimately reveals how the pieces come together to make the home green. Sustainable engineer Tad Radzinsky, P.E, whose role was to specify all products and systems green and sustainable, reduces otherwise hard-to-understand technical terms and concepts into simple applications and language in the spirit of helping others to understand green homes.

Film Succeeds on Many Levels
This educational film differentiates itself from other how-to green building videos by presenting the subject matter comprehensively and holistically in the spirit of the integrative green building approach recommended by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System.

When viewed together with the Green Beginnings book as a complete green homes educational package, the audience is presented a unique opportunity to contrast the homeowners’ perspective and consumer mindset with the professionals’ understanding of green homes and homebuilding to hear both sides of the story.

This movie uses a real-life experience to present a comprehensive overview of green homes including how the various professional disciplines and their respective technologies, materials and systems work together to produce green homes, the amazing 21st century dwellings that provide significant health and economic benefits to their occupants and the communities in which they are built, and serve to conserve natural resources and remedy the environmental ills that are ravaging the planet.

Additional Information
Green Beginnings is the outreach initiative of husband-and-wife author team Avrim and Vicki Topel to introduce and educate people about green homes with their book, educational tours of their home, and their video.

The video is currently available in DVD and downloadable formats for purchase at the Green Beginnings website http://www.greenbeginningsthevideo.com. Other retail venues are being reviewed and will be announced soon.

Green Beginnings is presently seeking college and university engineering, architecture, and environmental business and science graduate and undergraduate level classrooms to add the book and video educational package as an adjunct learning experience to their curriculum. Interested educators can request information at LEEDSilver@yahoo.com.

Contact:
Vicki Topel
302-750-8563
LEEDSilver@yahoo.com
www.greenbeginningsthevideo.com

2009-03-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Slow Money:
Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered

This Study Circle will meet at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center west of Ashland on Hwy 2.

The next meeting will be:
Wednesday, March 11th at 6:30 p.m.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Steve Hoecker at NGLVC - 715-685-2642 or email him at shoecker@centurytel.net.

This event is hosted by the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. In addition to our own events, the Alliance for Sustainability promotes events for other local organizations and businesses that share our vision of sustainable community and economic development.

And the times they have 'a changed: Greenpeace co-founder supports nuclear energy

2009-03-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

Greenpeace Co-Founder to Testify Before Wisconsin State Legislature in Support of Nuclear Energy

WASHINGTON, March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As Wisconsin state lawmakers consider repealing the moratorium on nuclear energy, Dr. Patrick Moore, a Greenpeace co-founder and current Co-Chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy), will testify before a joint committee in the Wisconsin State Legislature on Thursday, March 12. Dr. Moore will testify before the Wisconsin Senate Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail Committee and the House Energy and Utilities Committee at 1:30 pm in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

"Nuclear is the only source that can power the nation without polluting the nation," Dr. Moore will tell lawmakers. "The round-the-clock baseload production of nuclear energy can power our homes and businesses while creating high paying jobs that cannot be shipped overseas, all without polluting our air and lungs."

Dr. Moore will be available for in-person interviews on Wednesday afternoon between 5:00-6:30 pm and Thursday morning between 8-9:15 am. Dr. Moore will also be available for phone interviews between 9:30 am-12:30 pm on Thursday. To schedule an interview, please contact John Keeley at (202) 730-5539 directly.

What: Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-Chair, CASEnergy Coalition
Public Hearing by Committee on Energy and Utilities in the Assembly

When: 1:30 p.m.

Where: Council Chambers,
Two Rivers City Hall
1717 East Park Street
Two Rivers, WI

About The CASEnergy Coalition: The CASEnergy Coalition is a national grassroots coalition of nearly 1900 members that unites unlikely allies across the business, environmental, academic, consumer and labor community to support nuclear energy. We believe that nuclear energy can improve energy security, ensure clean air quality, and enhance the quality of life and economic well-being of all Americans. The Coalition is led by Christine Todd Whitman, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and former New Jersey Governor, and Patrick Moore, a co-founder and former leader of Greenpeace.

For more information about CASEnergy Coalition, please visit: http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/

CONTACT: John Keeley

Mobile Phone: 202-730-5539

Source: CASEnergy Coalition

CONTACT: John Keeley of CASEnergy Coalition, Mobile Phone:
+1-202-730-5539

Web Site: http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/

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Profile: Eric Hjerstedt Sharp

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Plymouth Rock Studios to Sign Union Commitment; first LEED-certified studio to be built in 2010

2009-03-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

WHO: To be on hand:
-- David Kirkpatrick, Chairman of Plymouth Rock Studios
-- Earl Lestz, CEO of Plymouth Rock Studios
-- Frank Callahan, President, Massachusetts Building Trades Council
-- William DeMello, President, Brockton Building Trades Council

WHAT: Announcing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the
Massachusetts Building Trades Council Annual Convention, which
commits Plymouth Rock Studios to be union built and constructed.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor
180 Water Street
Plymouth, Massachusetts

WHY: Plymouth Rock Studios is a $500-million film and television studio
complex in Plymouth, Massachusetts, slated to open in 2010 as the
world's first LEED(R)-certified, environmentally friendly studio
complex. Principles of Plymouth Rock Studios will join local labor
leaders at the signing ceremony. It is anticipated that the
project will employ up to 1,500-2,000 construction workers at its
peak and up to 2,000 employees during full operation. The
Massachusetts Building Trades Council is comprised of 74 member
locals representing over 75,000 working men and women across the
state.

CONTACT: Bob Nolet, Director of Public Relations
Plymouth Rock Studios
(508) 927-8722

Christina Chatalian
Communications Coordinator
The Construction Institute
Cell (315) 558-8419

About Plymouth Rock Studios:

For more information on Plymouth Rock Studios: http://www.plymouthrockstudios.com/ and for more information on the Massachusetts Building Trades Council: http://massbuildingtrades.org/

/PRNewswire -- March 9/

Source: Plymouth Rock Studios

Web Site: http://www.plymouthrockstudios.com/

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Profile: Eric Hjerstedt Sharp

2009-02-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

How to Save Energy in the Building Industry
Autumn E. Sabo

In these difficult economic times, many home buyers and owners are seeking extra ways to save energy and cash. Businesses in the building sector are trying to save money and energy too, while attracting customers and helping the environment by being “green.” Veridian Homes, Weather Shield, and INOV8 International are three Wisconsin companies in the building industry taking measures to be Earth-friendly.

Veridian Homes, Inc.
All Veridian-built homes (http://www.veridianhomes.com/) are Energy Star (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_homes.hm_index) and Green Built certified (http://wi-ei.org/greenbuilt/index.php?category_id=3981), which means that they meet various energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and erosion control standards. According to Gary Zajicek, Veridian’s Vice President of Construction, “Not all customers understand what an Energy Star and/or Green Built home is. What is interesting, though, is when we visit our customers after closing. They are very happy… because of the energy savings they are incurring...” And it doesn’t necessarily cost more for a greener house that is built with certified sustainable wood, low VOC coatings, and reused and recycled materials. Veridian combines these items with basic building techniques, correctly done, to yield a high performance finished product. Their green practices are not just to please their customers though, “the lakes and rivers that make up the City of Madison and surround Dane County, we have an opportunity to help clean them up with our actions,” says Zajicek.

Weather Shield Manufacturing, Inc.
Veridian Homes buys from Weather Shield Manufacturing, Inc. because they have “a great reputation for producing high quality energy efficient windows,” according to Zajicek. While Weather Shield, based out of Medford, WI, has many green products and practices, their Corporate Environmental Manager, Richard Harding, is most proud of their recent shift to rail transport. Since 2004, they have reduced the need for 1,660 truck loads and associated road deterioration and traffic, saved 183,150 gallons of fuel, and reduced tailpipe emissions including 4 million pounds of carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change). “If you handle bulk goods, look at developing a rail transport system,” advises Harding. If companies can allow for one to two weeks of lead time with shipments, using rail is extremely cost effective and can result in significant reductions in air pollution. For guidance, go to http://www2.uwsuper.edu/trans/ under Resources and Research Reports to download a Rail Study - Toolkit. Harding says that Weather Shield’s environmentally-friendly changes have “helped to keep the company solvent” and have been supported by its owners because “if we don’t get on board [with the green revolution] we will be left behind.” View information about Weather Shield’s other Going Green initiatives at http://www.weathershield.com/.

INOV8 International, Inc.
Environmental stewardship is the core principle of INOV8’s philosophy (http://www.inov8-intl.com/). Founder Harry Foust tells us that “INOV8 products are designed to utilize wastes that are difficult and expensive to dispose of as fuel. Using waste oil on-site for energy recovery saves the consumption of new fuels.” INOV8 manufactures furnaces, boilers, and burners for homes and businesses worldwide that run safely on standard fuels as well as alternative and used fuels including bio-diesel, jet fuel, mineral sprits, glycerin, and crankcase, transmission, and vegetable oils. “Renewable energy fuels, such as seed crops grown by our farmers...could greatly reduce our dependence [on fossil fuels] while reducing carbon emissions. Each year in the U.S. restaurants generate over two billion gallons of waste oil that could be used as fuel onsite…” says Foust. He believes that “most folks inherently desire to be responsible citizens and just need to be shown how.”

If you are interested in exploring ways to reduce energy usage and air emissions in your buildings, please contact Ed Jepsen at edward.jepsen@wisconsin.gov or 608-266-3538.

Be a part of history and pledge today to make Okemos High School the first carbon neutral school in the world.

2008-12-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

Michigan School Pledges to Become First Carbon Neutral School in the World
Okemos High School makes history by pledging to go green through energy efficiency, alternative energy and an innovative concept of Volunteer Carbon Credits© This program has been conceived by the students with a very ambitious and noble goal of making Okemos High School the first carbon neutral high school in the world.
Whereas the Kyoto Protocols and Voluntary Carbon Markets are primarily focused on large corporations and organizations, the concept of Volunteer Carbon Credits© mobilizes ordinary citizens and leverages their passion and commitment to make behavioral and monetary pledges to offset the carbon footprint of an institution of their choice.
The Carbon Neutral Volunteers website allows volunteers to purchase solar ovens for deployment in Tanzania, Peru and India thereby reducing the destruction of trees, the burning of fossil fuels and the related soil degradation

Okemos, Michigan (PRWEB) December 15, 2008 -- Okemos High School launched its Alternative Energy and Sustainability Program and pledged to become the first high school in the world to go carbon neutral. The program aspires to attain this through energy efficiency, green energy and carbon offsets through mass volunteerism and global outreach programs. Given the enormous challenge of global warming and climate change Dr. John Lanzetta, Ph.D, Principal; Okemos High School said "This program has been conceived by the students with a very ambitious and noble goal of making Okemos High School the first carbon neutral high school in the world."

Okemos High School
Hemi Gandhi, Founder and President of Carbon Neutral Volunteers, developed the idea of Volunteer Carbon Credits© while working closely with Professor Brian S Thompson, Outreach & Engagement Senior Fellow of Michigan State University on his research in the field of sustainability and alternative energy.

Professor Thompson explains: "Whereas the Kyoto Protocols and Voluntary Carbon Markets are primarily focused on large corporations and organizations, the concept of Volunteer Carbon Credits© mobilizes ordinary citizens and leverages their passion and commitment to make behavioral and monetary pledges to offset the carbon footprint of an institution of their choice."

"The Carbon Neutral Volunteers website allows volunteers to purchase solar ovens for deployment in Tanzania, Peru and India thereby reducing the destruction of trees, the burning of fossil fuels and the related soil degradation," Hemi Gandhi adds. The website also offers individuals the choice of making personal commitments to reduce their carbon footprint by conserving energy at home, carpooling and planting trees while providing a quantitative estimate of the impact of individual choices on reducing the global carbon footprint. The Volunteer Carbon Credits© earned through these actions are then credited to Okemos High School."

The Michigan based team is planning on expanding this concept to all schools within North America and launching a Global Challenge 2009 for Carbon Neutral Schools around the world. They plan to present their ideas at the International Conference on Energy and Sustainability in June 2009 in Bologna, Italy.

Be a part of history and pledge today to make Okemos High School the first carbon neutral school in the world.

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Yooper Yarns: TAKE IT EASY

2008-12-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

Yooper Yarns: TAKE IT EASY

2008-12-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

from: the Cornucopia Institute

December 3, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mark Kastel, 608-625-2042

Last Minute Rulemaking by Bush USDA Threatens Organic Farmers

Consumers and Farmers Join Together to Promote Organic Integrity

CORNUCOPIA, WI -- Many media outlets, from the New York Times to the blogosphere, have tracked what has been dubbed the "corporate takeover" of organic farming. One of the hottest controversies in this rapidly growing $20 billion industry has been giant factory farms milking thousands of cows each in feedlots and masquerading as organic. Some of these industrial dairies are controlled by the nation's largest agribusinesses.

Since the organic community first appealed to the USDA for better clarification and enforcement of regulations requiring organic dairy producers to graze their cattle, nearly 9 years ago, the number of giant industrial dairy operations, with as many as 10,000 cows, has grown from two to approximately 15. After years of delay, the USDA has finally responded with a new proposed rule that they said would crack down on abuses.

"The birds have come home to roost,” said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for The Cornucopia Institute. The Wisconsin-based farm policy research group estimates there are 35,000 to 45,000 cows on giant CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) operating in the United States producing as much as 40% of the nation's organic milk supply.

"These CAFOs are producing so much milk that they have depressed pricing and profit margins for organic family farmers, and now some are being forced out of business by this distressing situation," Kastel said. "Organics was supposed to be the antidote to family farmers being forced off the land."

The Cornucopia Institute has filed formal legal complaints with the USDA aimed at compelling the agency to enforce organic livestock and management rules. These actions have led to the shut down or penalizing of some of what they call "organic scofflaws." But many in the industry criticized the agency for failing to fully investigate many other alleged violations on giant farms, including several that supply milk to the nation's largest dairy processor, Dallas-based Dean Foods.

The new USDA rule proposal and its analysis total 26 pages, as published in the Federal Register. The draft rule complies with organic community requests to close specific loopholes being exploited by factory farms confining their cattle. But it also represents the broadest rewrite of federal organic regulations in the $20 billion industry's relatively short history.

Some farm advocates believe that the new rules, if enacted, would put out of business the majority of organic livestock farmers—including hundreds who are operating ethically.

"At first we were delighted that the USDA had stopped their delaying tactics and finally published a rule cracking down on the large factory farms that have been ‘scamming’ organic consumers and placing ethical family farmers at a competitive disadvantage,” stated Bill Welch, former member of the National Organic Standards Board and an Iowa livestock producer. "Many in the industry have spent the past weeks carefully examining this dense document, and it has become painfully clear that it would not only crack down on certain factory farm abuses, but it’s also so restrictive that it would likely put the majority of family farmers producing organic milk and meat out of business."

“It's inexcusable,” noted Ronnie Cummins, Director of the Organic Consumers Association, “that the USDA would allow, as part of this rule, that conventional cattle can be brought onto organic farms, and milked, on a continuous basis."

In response to the USDA’s sweeping livestock/pasture proposal, a consortium of organizations representing organic family farmers has crafted an "alternative" rule proposal. Led by FOOD Farmers, with support from The Cornucopia Institute, organic certifiers, and other policy experts, the revisions they have drafted would carry out what is said to be the will of the organic community, farmers and consumers.

"You don't have to take the word of The Cornucopia Institute alone that the Department has ‘Katrina-ed’ the organic industry,” Kastel stated. “The USDA rule proposal is just the latest salvo in this fight,” added Kastel. He noted that audits by the American National standard Institute (ANSI) and the Inspector General's office were both highly critical of the USDA's execution of its Congressional mandate to oversee the organic industry.

The community’s alternative proposal, which is now being circulated among organic farmers and consumer groups, would require that all organic dairy, sheep, goat, and beef producers graze their animals for the entire grazing season and sets a minimum percentage of feed from pasture.

A growing body of scientific literature illustrates the nutritional superiority of milk and meat from organic animals that are grazed on fresh grass, including higher levels of antioxidants and beneficial fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, that protect against cancer and heart disease.

"The good news continues to be that the vast majority of all organic dairy brands available in the marketplace use milk produced by family farmers,” observed Cummins. “These farmers truly uphold the high expectations that their customers have,” Cummins said.

The Cornucopia Institute just updated their path-breaking research study of the organic dairy sector. The group’s scorecard (found at www.cornucopia.org), reveals that 85% of the nation's 110 organic dairy brands are meeting the letter and spirit of current organic federal law. "Out of 1800 organic dairy farms in this country, the very few factory farms are a bad aberration, although they are producing huge quantities of milk,” explained Cornucopia's Kastel.

Because of the broad scope of the USDA's proposed rule making, Cornucopia, the Organic Consumers Association, and some the largest organic certifiers and other groups representing farmers and consumers are formally asking the USDA to extend the public comment period for an additional 30 days to January 23, 2009.

MORE:

New, major policies proposed by the USDA livestock/pasture rule (never reviewed or recommended by the National Organic Standards Board) include:

Eliminating the fattening of beef cattle on grain, in feedlots, for the last few months of their lives. Although many might view this proposal as meritorious it would radically change the industry and could force some operators out of business. Full analysis and discussion by the organic community is vitally necessary.

Requiring animals to be outside year-round, without exemptions for extreme weather conditions, would put the lives and well-being of livestock at risk and economically injure farmers.

Setting aside part of a farmer's land in a "sacrifice" pasture for when weather conditions make grazing unsuitable. This might be a provision that some current operators cannot meet and might violate certain state and federal environmental standards. This may have positive application, but its overall impacts have never been fully analyzed.

Classifying bees and fish as livestock will likely garner positive and negative response from that industry sector depending on its perceived present and future regulatory impact.

The USDA draft rule ignores the NOSB recommendation to eliminate the "continual transition" of conventional cattle, brought onto organic dairy operations. The industry has universally agreed that all animals brought onto a farm, after its initial transition to organics, must be managed organically from the last third of gestation. Animals raised for meat already have to meet this higher standard. Many industry experts feel that the USDA has misinterpreted the law, for years, allowing giant factory farms to "burn out" their cattle and prematurely sending them to slaughter, then replace them with cheap conventional cattle on an ongoing basis. This new rulemaking proposes that the Department’s "misinterpretations" become institutionalized as law.

"This 26-page document put forth by the USDA may so muddy the water that we could be facing years of additional delays until the widely agreed-upon provisions for dairy are enacted," said Kastel.

Certain industry players, including the dairy giant Dean Foods and Aurora Dairy, the nation's largest private-label producer of organic milk (Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Safeway, etc.) have based their business model on exploiting the trust of the organic consumer and violating both the spirit and letter of the organic law (full documentation available).

The USDA’s proposed pasture rule, along with the "alternative" proposal endorsed by organic farmers and consumers, can be viewed at:

http://www.cornucopia.org/usda-proposed-organic-pasture-livestock-rule/

Swedish Delegation to present on becoming the Greenest City in Europe

2008-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.

at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth, MN at 835 West College Street.

Duluth's Unitarian Universalist Congregation church was recently completed with a major focus on sustainability. Tours of the LEED-certified building and grounds will begin at 6:30 p.m., half an hour before the Växjö presentation.

Press Release:

When the mayor and other leaders from Duluth’s Sister City of Växjö, Sweden visit Duluth in late July, they’ll be here as representatives of what BBC London calls “The Greenest City in Europe.” The delegation will share with Duluthians the environmental steps it took to earn that title, during a free presentation at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth, at 835 West College Street.

Växjö Mayor Bo Frank will lead the hour-long presentation and discussion, which is co-sponsored by the Duluth office of Johnson Controls, a worldwide leader in developing energy-efficient and sustainable solutions, which also has offices in Sweden.

Mayor Frank will describe a comprehensive environmental program the city adopted that encourages people and businesses to act in environmentally friendly ways. He will also cover the city’s Fossil Fuel Free Växjö climate strategy, including goals and actions related to heating, transportation, energy efficiency and behavioral change. The strategy includes reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent per capita until 2010, compared to 1993. There is a goal of a 70 percent reduction until 2025.

The Fossil Fuel Free Växjö program in 2007 received a “Sustainable Energy for Europe” award from the European Commission. Also in 2007, the Union of Baltic Cities presented Växjö with its Best Environmental Practice in Baltic Cities Award.

Some elements of Växjö’s environmental program include:

-Increasing green purchasing of such things as ecofriendly vehicles and ecologically produced food;

-Promoting a “Greener Växjö” through biological diversity and accessibility to green areas;

-Efficiently using energy and increasing use of renewable energy;

-Increasing bicycle traffic and use of public transportation.

“We’re fortunate that one of Duluth’s Sister Cities is recognized as a frontrunner in the fight against pollution and climate change, and that its leaders are anxious to share their ideas to help further Duluth’s efforts,” said Melissa Kadlec, executive director of Duluth Sister Cities International. “The six members of Växjö’s delegation all speak English, so every participant will be able to exchange thoughts during the event on July 30th. We encourage everyone to attend.”

Kadlec said the Unitarian church’s Green Sanctuary Committee offered to host and help sponsor the event because the presentation fits in well with its environmental approach. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation church was recently completed with a major focus on sustainability. Tours of the LEED-certified building and grounds will begin at 6:30 p.m., half an hour before the Växjö presentation.

In addition to Växjö, Duluth’s other Sister Cities are Petrozavodsk, Russia; Ohara, Japan; and Thunder Bay, Canada. The management of Duluth Sister Cities, established in 1986, was recently changed from being a City of Duluth commission to now being independently managed by a Board of Directors. Duluth Sister Cities International promotes global understanding through mutual respect and cooperation with cultural, economic and educational endeavors.

More information about Växjö is on its website: http://www.vaxjo.se/default.aspx?id=1630

GlobalGiving Launches First-Ever 'Green' Scoring for Social Entrepreneurs & Development

2008-07-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Donors Can Choose to Support the Causes They Care About while Minimizing Carbon Footprint

WASHINGTON, July 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- GlobalGiving, the leading online marketplace for philanthropy, today launched GlobalGiving Green(TM), http://www.globalgiving.com/green, a one of a kind scoring system that measures the climate impact of social entrepreneurs and other development projects in communities around the world, from Nepal and Tanzania, to Honduras and the United States.

The developing world faces a double burden: Climate change threatens poor communities with economic devastation in the form of floods, droughts, and ruined harvests. But every developed country in the world today has come to its wealth and well-being through a carbon-intensive path, that if repeated across the developing world today would cancel out any efforts we have made to combat global warming to date or in the future.

"Through GlobalGiving Green we are taking an unprecedented approach to supporting development through a climate change lens," said Dennis Whittle, co-founder and CEO of GlobalGiving. "The goal is to set the standard for evaluating grassroots, on-the-ground projects against criteria that take into account both environmental and other development-related 'co-benefits.' With this additional layer of screening, people who want to 'give green' have the information and tools to do so quickly and easily."

GlobalGiving worked with EcoSecurities, a world leader in emissions reduction markets, to develop a framework to score the climate change impact of grassroots development projects. Each project is evaluated not only according to how well it helps reduce harmful emissions, but also how it stacks up in areas such as providing sustainable, positive economic growth, aiding the culture and environment of a community, educating future generations on green techniques, and more.

"Companies and individuals increasingly want to help mitigate climate change, but it's not always easy for them to determine what they're really accomplishing," said Dr. Mark C. Trexler, Managing Director of EcoSecurities Global Consulting Services. "For GlobalGiving Green, we developed an innovative approach to assess the true environmental impact of each project, by measuring not only its affect on global warming, but how well it contributes to sustainable development, new technological innovation and the community's ability to adapt to a changing climate. With this tool, GlobalGiving donors can see at a glance how their donations are working to fight climate change."

GlobalGiving Green is the first step towards creating a market-based incentive for green development to thrive, by helping to effectively translate the demand for climate change solutions to community leaders and social entrepreneurs on the ground, helping them understand how their proposed solutions can build a carbon-neutral path to development. By increasing the access and awareness of these projects at the grassroots level, smaller climate change mitigation projects that normally don't get funded by offset retailers will be able to compete.

"Through the GlobalGiving Green scoring system, both donors and social entrepreneurs or others working on development projects around the world will know how their proposed activity impacts climate change," added Mari Kuraishi, co-founder and President of GlobalGiving. "Armed with this knowledge, individuals most concerned about climate change can systematically search for, and identify the most promising solutions that are creating positive change, developing responsibly, and reducing harmful emissions."

About GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving (www.globalgiving.com) is the leading Internet-based network for peer-to-peer philanthropy. Our mission is to sustain a high-powered marketplace for good that connects donors directly to the causes they care most about. Through GlobalGiving, individuals and corporations can maximize the impact of every dollar by efficiently and transparently directing their donations to projects here at home and around the world. Since its launch in 2002, GlobalGiving has helped thousands of donors give over $11 million to approximately 1,000 projects. GlobalGiving is based in Washington, D.C.

Media Contact:
Angela Pauly: 202-478-6139, apauly@mrss.com
Joan Ochi: 202-232-5784, jochi@globalgiving.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: GlobalGiving

CONTACT: Angela Pauly, +1-202-478-6139, apauly@mrss.com, for
GlobalGiving; or Joan Ochi of GlobalGiving, +1-202-232-5784,
jochi@globalgiving.com

Web Site: http://www.globalgiving.com/

from GOAT - A High Country News Blog

2008-07-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Why Bush promotes drilling ANWR
Posted: 2008-07-16 20:32:50 UTC
This morning on the news show Democracy Now! Amy Goodman asked energy guru Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute why the Bush Administration continues to push drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The question was in response to Lovins’ assertion that oil corporations don’t want to drill in ANWR because of the difficulties, expense and lack of effective security along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Goodman then asked Lovins why – if that is the case – the Bush Administration continues to push drilling ANWR. Lovins said that he didn’t know the reason.

Since Bush first proposed it, I’ve believed drilling ANWR is promoted as a straw dog.

Bush et al understand the core dysfunction of the environmental establishment: all the large “nationals” think they must be seen as THE group – or at least one of the main groups - defending the highest profile environmental issues. The Bush Administration uses this knowledge to “force” the environmental establishment to spend most of their staff resources “defending” ANWR and other high profile places. The establishment merrily goes along with the charade because it is good for fundraising.

Flambeau Rivers Paper Receives State Funds to Become Energy Independent

2008-07-18T11:23:00.001-07:00

MADISON—Flambeau Rivers Paper in Park Falls will soon receive $1.9 million as a first installment of a $5 million state Department of Commerce grant that will allow the pulp and paper mill to become energy independent, State Senators Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) and Russ Decker (D-Weston) announced today.

Funding for this project and $22 million in renewable energy grants and loans was a top priority for the two legislators and the Doyle Administration during last year’s budget negotiations. The paper mill, which closed in 2006 due to bankruptcy, reopened that summer with the help of investments from Butch Johnson of Johnson Timber and a collaborative state and private sector effort, restoring 300 jobs to the community.

With a total of $42 million in state and federal assistance, Flambeau Rivers Paper is constructing a first-in-class facility for the production of renewable diesel using biomass at the existing pulp and paper mill. This technology will not only diversify the operations of Flambeau Rivers, but make the entire operation energy independent by 2010.

“Flambeau Rivers will become a model for the rest of the country in sustainable production and job creation. At a time of great economic uncertainty, we need to invest more than ever in solutions to help workers and resolve this country’s energy crisis,” Jauch said.

“Reopening this mill was a great example of government working together with the private sector so I’m glad the needed investments are moving forward. Success with this project at Flambeau Rivers Paper will help keep hundreds of jobs in our area and help move industry in our state toward alternative energy sources,” said Decker.

“There is such great support for this important project that will not only stimulate the northern Wisconsin economy, but also move Wisconsin forward on the path of leading the nation in renewable energy production,” Jauch concluded.

Sustainable Wood On IFC's China Agenda

2008-06-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Posted By Editor On June 19, 2008 @ 3:31 am In News | No Comments

The World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation says it has invested in Nature, one of the largest flooring manufacturers in China, to help develop the company's sustainable wood sourcing and promote sustainable development of the flooring industry.

Se Hok Pan, chairman of Nature, said, "IFC is not only providing Nature with long-term financing, but more importantly offering strategic views to help China's wood companies grow in a sustainable way. IFC's standards will also help us become a responsible corporate citizen where we operate around the world."

The USD20 million equity investment and USD30 million long-term loan will help Nature implement its growth strategy in the next three years. The financing will enable the company to develop plantation forests in the Jiangxi Province and establish a steady supply of certified wood. This will help position the company as a leading player in the sector and bring economic benefits to local communities.

Nature plans to increase its independently certified wood, with a long-term goal of 100% certification. The China Forest Trade Network, the national body of the World Wildlife Fund's Global Forest and Trade Network, will regularly assess the company's progress on these targets. Sustainable sourcing promotes sustainable forest management, which allows for wood production without deforestation and does not contribute to climate change.

Wood consumption is estimated at 337 million cubic meters a year in China. With limited domestic forest resources, wood imports into China have risen 16% a year during the past decade. For hardwood, imports are estimated at 8.4 million cubic meters a year. Nature's hardwood demand represents less than 1.5% of this figure, and the company has committed to sourcing targets that will help eliminate unknown sources of wood from its operations by the end of 2009 and 100% verified legal supply by the end of 2011.

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Article printed from China Sourcing News: http://www.chinasourcingnews.com

URL to article: http://www.chinasourcingnews.com/2008/06/19/13305-sustainable-wood-on-ifcs-china-agenda/

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'Stories of the Great Northwoods' featured on Down To Earth Tours of Gordon, Wis.

2008-06-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

The northwoods beckons us. It’s cultural, geographic and biological history unique. Yet many residents and visitors see only what is obvious. Few of us have the background to really comprehend the idiosyncrasies that surround us in this complex environ.

David Thorson and Nancy Frank are out to change that, and are bringing their knowledge of forestry, archeology, cultural history and watershed ecology to both visitors and local alike with their new venture: Down To Earth Tours of Gordon, Wis.

Most of all they tell stories of the great northwoods.

Applying the elements of eco-tourism, they have devised three tours which leave behind the run-of-the mill tourist trap sights and head to the little-known, but more exciting locales which even nearby residents know little about, such as a copper mine near Barnes on the border of Bayfield and Douglas counties, the true origin of the legend of Hiawatha and the meaning of glacial history written in the eskers, moraines and kames throughout the region.

“People come up here to look at the scenery and to fish,” Thorson said. “But they don’t know the land.” Yet even locals can benefit from taking our tours.”

A forester in Idaho for more than two decades, Thorson was born and raised in Cumberland and now lives outside Barnes on more than 500 acres of relatively undisturbed forest his family purchased more than 50 years ago. Frank, on the other hand, has a wealth of experience in filming and producing outdoor adventures throughout the north. Together, they planned a sophisticated hands-on educational experience which is also highly enjoyable.

Last Friday, this writer was fortunate to tag along with about eight others on Down To Earth’s Headwater Tour. Other four-hour trips are the Portage Tour and the Big Lakes Tour. Having spent my youth and a good portion of my adulthood in the Wisconsin northwoods, I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about this area – and at the woodlore I didn’t even know I didn’t know.

Many of us have heard the story about Chief Namakagon’s perchance for paying for everything in silver, and the rumors of a lost silver mine somewhere in the southern part of Bayfield County. However, Thorson pointed out where the likelihood of the mine wouldn’t be and – with an educated guess – where silver could possibly be. (For more than 150 years, the lost silver mine has never been found, but that doesn’t mean there’s no lost mine, Thorson said.)

A trip to an abandoned copper mine, hidden among giant pines and down little-traveled dirt roads was one of the highlights of the trip. Near the Thorson residence, only the sign “Cooper Mine Road” gives any indication of the deep shaft up the hill.

It’s amazing how few locals in this immediate area know of the mine,” Thorson said. “But it was an important part of the country’s copper production decades ago.”

The Down To Earth Tour’s Dodge bus seats 15, and while driving is kept to a minimum, Thorson refers to the many maps and academic articles in the guidebook compiled especially for the tours. A stop in Seeley, just a couple hundred feet off the highway reveals a short quarter-mile walk through the one of the few ‘old growth’ stands in the area. Relying on his years of experience with the U.S. Forest Service, he explained the economy and ecology of estimating the worth of individual stands, and showed us how to measure the height of a white pine.

“This pine here was probably hit by lightning,” Thorson said, pointing to a crack that ran vertical almost to the top of the tree. “It wouldn’t be economical to take this tree down. It would cost more than it was worth, as only a few boards could be taken from the rest of the tree.”

Thorson sheds light on the importance of the explorations and writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who led an expedition searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River: Itasca Lake. The popular poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he said, got the entire story of Hiawatha through Schoolcraft’s writing. And Schoolcraft created the first map that outlined – with amazing accuracy – the routes and portages he and other early explorers and voyageurs used in reaching the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

“And he did it all from memory,” Thorson said. “They didn’t have the instruments and aerial surveys we use today, of course.”

Most of us are introduced to the study of glaciers and their importance to Wisconsin land formation in primary school, yet Thorson’s approach and explanation simplified for me this fascinating subject. He pointed out specific land formations from the bus that typify examples of glacial elements which are so much a part of the Badger State’s recent geological history.

Mt. Telemark, for example, Bayfield County’s highest point, is a excellent example of a glacial kame, with eskers and kettles in the area as well. Before branding the study of glaciers dry and academic, consider that last year’s discovery of the Silver Beach Elk in Middle Eau Claire Lake near Barnes and the stone spearhead found nearby could point to human habitation in what is now Bayfield County at a time when the glaciers were active.

Many other topics were explored in the four hours of Down To Earth’s “Northwoods Magical History Tour” Starting and ending at the Hayward Chamber of Commerce parking lot, the tours are designed specifically for each participant, and no one tour will ever be the same, Thorson said. Eventually, Thorson and Frank want to guide a tour six days a week, with Mondays off.

To reserve a tour, or for more information about Down To Earth Tours, phone 715-376-4260 or e-mail dthorson@centurytel.net. All tours leave at 9 a.m. and include lunch.

Duluth Green Party Caucus 3/08

2008-03-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

Press Release on the Duluth Area Green Party Caucus
For more information please contact:

Kathy Hermes at 218-728-1031
Hermes is a Duluth resident and state spokesperson for the Minnesota Green Party

http://www.mngreens.org/

Opposition of the federal government to spy on the American public, and create a national identification card was the focus of the caucus of the Duluth Green Party for the Minnesota State Senate Districts 7 and 8. The Duluth Area Green Party met on Tuesday, March 11 for their 2008 caucus at Beaner’s Restaurant in Duluth. The following three resolutions were made:
1. We oppose the unconstitutional USA Patriot Act and its renewal,
2. We oppose the Real ID Act,
3. We oppose retroactive immunity to telecommunications corporations for the privacy violation of Americans.

(Most recently the governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, said his state intends to ignore the act that requires a national identification card.)

Cynthia McKinney, a former six-term member of Congress from Georgia, received the most votes as first choice candidate using Instant Runoff Voting. The Green Party participates in the Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) system of selection rather than straight majority. Other first choices included Kent misplay and Ralph Nadar (Nadar is not running as a Green Party member.)
Statewide McKinney also led the state's straw polling at 60 percent of the votes, with 56 out of 67 senate districts reporting. While the straw poll is non-binding, it is a good indication that McKinney will likely have a lot of support in the coming June convention, where Minnesota's 12 delegates to the national convention will be chosen.
IRV is a voting system for single-winner elections that guarantees majority winners in a single round of voting. IRV allows voters to vote their hopes instead of their fears by ranking candidates in order of preference without worrying about spoiler dynamics or wasted votes. IRV also eliminates the need for low-turnout, high-cost runoffs.
Links with information on IRV include:
http://www.fairvote.org/irv/
http://www.instantrunoff.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqblOq8BmgM

Cynthia McKinney
http://www.runcynthiarun.org/node/16

As a minor party, the Green Party is not legally required to hold caucuses, but the caucus process is a key element of grassroots participation in political parties. Greens do not need to choose delegates from the local caucus, because all Green Party members are eligible to attend and vote at the state endorsing convention in June. In addition, Green Party members who can not attend the state convention will be able to cast votes for President by mail-in ballot. Caucus resolutions will be forwarded to the platform committee and considered at the biennial meeting, which is usually held in conjunction with the endorsing convention.

hope, help and healing

2008-03-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

Publicity Agency Represents Hope, Help and Healing Author Ruth Lycke
Glenn Selig from the publicity agency.com will serve as book publicist.
ThePublicityAgency.com - February 12, 2008

(PRNewsChannel) / Tampa, Fla. - The Tampa, Fla. based publicity agency, ThePublicityAgency.com, is representing Ruth Lycke, author of Hope, Help and Healing.

Hope Help and Healing reports on cutting edge medical advances and opportunities for traditional treatment in China today. A must read for anyone contemplating medical treatment or surgery of any kind.

Medical tourism is a billion dollar industry. Yet, the vast majority of Americans travel to less technogically advanced countries; sometimes even to a third world country to find medical treatment because it's less expensive and usually involves no waiting.

"I'm very exciting to be representing Ms. Lycke," says Glenn Selig, founder of The Publicity Agency.com. "She's knows first-hand what she's written about and wants to share her story with the world."

The publicity agency represents businesses, attorneys, doctors and authors seeking free publicity in broadcast and print media.

About ThePublicityAgency: ThePublicityAgency.com is a Selig Multimedia, Inc. Company created by Glenn Selig, an award-winning former news reporter/anchor. Drawing on his 20 years of news experience, Glenn and his team design custom publicity campaigns for businesses. Campaigns include targeting specific media targets and casting the net widely using press releases and press release distribution. Fees may be on a flat-fee per month basis or on a bonus structure.

Contact: Glenn Selig, ThePublicityAgency.com
Email: glenn (at) thepublicityagency.com
Phone: (888) 399-5534
Web site: www.ThePublicityAgency.com
To view this press release online: http://www.prnewschannel.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=361&z=7

This press release was issued by PR NewsChannel. For more information, please visit http://www.prnewschannel.com

Source: ThePublicityAgency.com

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2008-03-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

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2008-03-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

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2008-03-08T23:28:00.001-08:00

New job for sustainability

2008-01-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Position: Office Associate
Reports To: Executive Director

The Organization:
The Oregon Natural Step Network is composed of member organizations and individuals that promote the application of The Natural Step Framework in businesses and organizations.

The Position:
Small office setting, participate in all aspects of running a non-profit, including managing accounts receivable and payable and educational event coordination. Candidates must have strong organizational skills, proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, have understanding of business accounting, familiarity with web-based programs and good phone communications and familiarity with sustainability.

He or she should have good working knowledge of Access, Excel, Word, Quick Books, as well as accounting experience. The associate should have strong analytical skills, have excellent time management skills, and be able to meet deadlines. In addition, the associate should have an understanding of sustainability and experience in working closely with businesses. The coordinator should be able to attend regular early morning meetings. A strong candidate will have a working knowledge of systemic thinking and models of organizational change. Strong listening, writing and oral communication skills are important. The candidate will be supervised by the Network’s executive director but will also interface with Network board of directors, advisory committees and members.

Salary Range:
$29,000 to $32,000 depending upon experience. Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision and retirement plans.

To Apply:
Send cover letter and resume electronically to events@ortns.org by Friday January 11, 2008. Please do not send via regular mail. Given our small office setting, please no phone calls. A detailed job description can be found on the Network’s website at: http://www.ortns.org/news.htm.

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Duluth Green Party Caucus 3/08

hope, help and healing

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New job for sustainability