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September 4, 2008

Yes, we're matricidal: Murdering Mother Earth one forest, one species and one atom at a time

Yes, we're matricidal: Murdering Mother Earth one forest, one species and one atom at a time By Jason Miller of Thomas Paine's Corner I am the earth. You are the earth. The Earth is dying. You and I are murderers. -Ymber Delecto What a sorry lot we humans are, particularly those of us immersed in the...

Link to Yes, we're matricidal: Murdering Mother Earth one forest, one species and one atom at a time | September 4, 2008 7:27 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 23, 2008

Recipe for Catastrophe: Climate, Fuel, and Food

Recipe for Catastrophe: Climate, Fuel, and Food Food riots turn deadly in Haiti. Food riots fear after rice price hits a high. And so it starts. Globally there has been roughly a 25% increase in food prices. In some areas - such as Haiti - food...

Link to Recipe for Catastrophe: Climate, Fuel, and Food | April 23, 2008 4:35 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 22, 2008

Negotiable or not, the American Way of Life must be extinguished...

Negotiable or not, the American Way of Life must be extinguished... By Jason Miller of Thomas Paine's Corner (As inspired by a conversation with Derrick Jensen) "There's got to be just more to it than this; Or tell me why do we exist?" -Iron Maiden We in the Western "developed" nations,...

Link to Negotiable or not, the American Way of Life must be extinguished... | April 22, 2008 8:23 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



February 21, 2008

Review: The Final Empire - Part 2

Review: The Final Empire - Part 2 Part 2 of the review of the new book by William Kotke by Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power We are proposing to create no less than a completely new human culture that relates to the earth in a...

Link to Review: The Final Empire - Part 2 | February 21, 2008 5:48 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



February 7, 2008

Review: The Final Empire - Part 1

Review: The Final Empire - Part 1 A review of the new book by William Kotke by Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power My intention in reviewing this stunning book is to share how it has illumined my understanding that collapse and vision are not separate,...

Link to Review: The Final Empire - Part 1 | February 7, 2008 8:46 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



January 12, 2008

The Year of the Bear: Reflections on the Daunting Challenges of 2008

The Year of the Bear: Reflections on the Daunting Challenges of 2008 By Carla Royal republished from Speaking Truth to Power On New Year's Eve I went to a friend's house. A few of us gathered in the middle of the afternoon to bring in the New Year with quiet contemplation, ritual,...

Link to The Year of the Bear: Reflections on the Daunting Challenges of 2008 | January 12, 2008 6:35 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 4, 2007

The Switch Has Been Flipped: It's Too Late for Solutions

The Switch Has Been Flipped: It's Too Late for Solutions By Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power This past week I attended another screening of "What A Way To Go: Life At The End Of Empire". My intention was not to see the documentary yet again-perhaps for the fifteenth...

Link to The Switch Has Been Flipped: It's Too Late for Solutions | November 4, 2007 6:48 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 3, 2007

Our Masters, Ourselves

Our Masters, Ourselves By Dale Allen Pfeiffer of The Mountain Sentinel Those of us living in the US live in a fascist system, right now, today. We live in a system where powerful corporations call the shots, both nationally and globally. They do...

Link to Our Masters, Ourselves | November 3, 2007 6:47 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Dale | Category: Environment



October 21, 2007

Stop Calling Me A "Doomer"

Stop Calling Me A "Doomer" By Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power People must first be made to give up on the existing system before they will become receptive to fundamental change. ~ Michael Byron, Ph.D. Author of Infinity's Rainbow: The Politics of Energy,...

Link to Stop Calling Me A "Doomer" | October 21, 2007 5:45 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 16, 2007

Collapse Happens: Exploring Options

Collapse Happens: Exploring Options By: Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power People come to us to learn about designing and building their own homes, understanding off-grid power systems, composting toilets and grey-water systems, on-farm slaughtering, bio-dynamic practices, spiritual gardening, dowsing, forest management, grazing...

Link to Collapse Happens: Exploring Options | September 16, 2007 6:59 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 29, 2007

A salty future? Everglades restoration is key to state's survival

A salty future? Everglades restoration is key to state's survival By Alan Farago Originally published in the Orlando Sentinel Image courtesy of Jeff's Weather Blog If you can see through the smoke of forest fires, consider the experiment of putting 18 million people, plus visitors, on a narrow peninsula --...

Link to A salty future? Everglades restoration is key to state's survival | May 29, 2007 6:14 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 28, 2007

Benjamin Franklin Needs to Rescue America Again

Benjamin Franklin Needs to Rescue America Again By Randy White of Lawns to Gardens Do you ever just want to grab life by the back of the neck and tell it YOU are in control? That's how I feel after just reading the story of Benjamin Franklin...

Link to Benjamin Franklin Needs to Rescue America Again | May 28, 2007 7:35 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 25, 2007

Toxic Love

Toxic Love Hexxus (Tim Curry) sings Toxic Love Or available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PLQ1XfaTuU>/a> Thanks to Ed for sending this along....

Link to Toxic Love | May 25, 2007 9:29 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 21, 2007

New Life - On Its Way Out

New Life - On Its Way Out (Image courtesy of James Dragesic of the Australian Gvt. Antarctic Division) It was reported that scientists have found more than 700 new species of sea life in the Antarctic. Hailed as a "treasure trove," the species were found by...

Link to New Life - On Its Way Out | May 21, 2007 12:28 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 25, 2007

Food Contamination - A Much Larger Set of Problems

Food Contamination - A Much Larger Set of Problems Just as the Dubai Ports World fiasco (1, 2, 3) brought to public attention that the US has ceded control of our ports to international corporate control, the pet food contamination has brought to the fore problems with globalization, our...

Link to Food Contamination - A Much Larger Set of Problems | April 25, 2007 7:26 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 20, 2007

Pet Food Debacle Is Getting Even Bigger

Pet Food Debacle Is Getting Even Bigger While it has not been added to the US list of problematic ingredients, there was an article today from South Africa of renal failure in dogs and cats due to melamine in corn gluten. While the food was processed in...

Link to Pet Food Debacle Is Getting Even Bigger | April 20, 2007 8:21 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 7, 2007

The Ahhh... of symptomatic relief!

The Ahhh... of symptomatic relief! Designing the world.... Another view of the current super-fad of 'sustainable design' is that it's a lovely idea, but really misguided in the worst way. For people who care about the earth it just *feels* so good though, so how...

Link to The Ahhh... of symptomatic relief! | April 7, 2007 9:01 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Phil | Category: Environment



February 11, 2007

Bees Are Dying - Again

Bees Are Dying - Again The honey bee population is facing catastrophic losses again. There has been a fairly consistent die off happening for the last twenty five years. In fact, according to Penn State, the population is less than half than what it was...

Link to Bees Are Dying - Again | February 11, 2007 9:18 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



January 14, 2007

What do you tell a tree?

What do you tell a tree? By: Phil Henshaw A great old oak that’s been the center of it’s neighborhood for decades, home to wild life and children’s play, a long labor for leaf raking and thing of beauty in every season, began it’s life with...

Link to What do you tell a tree? | January 14, 2007 7:53 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



January 4, 2007

Industrial Problem - Technological Solution - Cloning

Industrial Problem - Technological Solution - Cloning Industrial agriculture has been coming home to roost. One of those negative impacts has been "mad cow" disease or BSE. Now, scientists have apparently found a cure for BSE - genetic engineering. This report comes on the heels of the...

Link to Industrial Problem - Technological Solution - Cloning | January 4, 2007 11:14 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



December 31, 2006

Cloned Meat Supposedly Safe

Cloned Meat Supposedly Safe As you have likely already heard, the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) has determined that cloned meat and milk are compositionally no different from non-cloned meat and milk (FDA Press Release). I would urge people to submit their comments...

Link to Cloned Meat Supposedly Safe | December 31, 2006 5:14 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



December 19, 2006

Expanding Markets and Dying Oceans

Expanding Markets and Dying Oceans By: Phil Rockstroh Expanding Markets and Dying Oceans: Eating the Planet Like a Bag of Doritos for Jesus. "Standing next to me in this lonely crowd, Is a man who swears he's not to blame." --Bob Dylan It has been...

Link to Expanding Markets and Dying Oceans | December 19, 2006 11:04 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 11, 2006

Moves In the Right Direction On Environment

Moves In the Right Direction On Environment With the mid-term elections behind us, there are some important shifts on the horizon for the environment. Two of the biggest blockages to positive climate action will be moving on climate change - James Inhofe and Richard Pembro - will...

Link to Moves In the Right Direction On Environment | November 11, 2006 8:08 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 8, 2006

A Necessary Shift Part 2: Global Mindshift

A Necessary Shift Part 2: Global Mindshift In an effort to expand the horizon of possibility during a time when it seems we are standing on the horizon, I started searching around for "something different." My new top site in the "new" category is Global Mindshift. The...

Link to A Necessary Shift Part 2: Global Mindshift | November 8, 2006 1:26 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 7, 2006

Thinking About Systems Crash

Thinking About Systems Crash Peak oil, global warming, and now the report that sea life could collapse before 2050. All symptoms of system failure. That system is the earth ecosystem, and it is crashing because of the path that has become embedded under "modern"...

Link to Thinking About Systems Crash | November 7, 2006 7:33 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



October 16, 2006

Why Sustainability, not Terrorism, Should Be Our Real Security Focus

Why Sustainability, not Terrorism, Should Be Our Real Security Focus By Jeremy of Biohabit.org http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004799.html What really threatens us? How do we truly make ourselves safer? The Cato Institute (a conservative thinktank) has released an outstanding paper, A False Sense of Insecurity (PDF), which makes the point that in any...

Link to Why Sustainability, not Terrorism, Should Be Our Real Security Focus | October 16, 2006 3:08 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 1, 2006

It's the American Way or the Highway

It's the American Way or the Highway Your Extinction Will Quell Your Moral and Intellectual Confusion Persistently ticking off the precious seconds in humanity’s “Countdown to Extinction”, the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists has advanced to seven minutes of midnight. Yet despite nuclear terror...

Link to It's the American Way or the Highway | September 1, 2006 7:41 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Jason Miller | Category: Environment



August 23, 2006

Lebanon Oil Spill Hits Seabed

Lebanon Oil Spill Hits Seabed Greenpeace has filmed up to 10cm of oil on the seabed off of Lebanon. The spill is from an oil storage area bombed by Israel. Cleanup of the spill has not progressed at all because Israel will not allow flights...

Link to Lebanon Oil Spill Hits Seabed | August 23, 2006 10:42 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



August 14, 2006

Escaped Transgenic Grass In Oregon

Escaped Transgenic Grass In Oregon According to a report in Nature, transgenic grass produced by The Scotts Company has escaped its test plot, and been found almost two miles away. The grass is resistant to Roundup and other herbicides. The bioengineered grass could pose a...

Link to Escaped Transgenic Grass In Oregon | August 14, 2006 12:25 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



August 6, 2006

There Seems To Be A Lot Of Oil Spills

There Seems To Be A Lot Of Oil Spills Is it just me, or does there seem to have been an awful lot of oil spills and pipeline leaks recently? Cebu City - Phillipines 8/06 Lebanon 7/06 Cumberland County - New Jersey 8/06 Venezuela 8/06 Nigeria 7/06 Russia 7/06...

Link to There Seems To Be A Lot Of Oil Spills | August 6, 2006 12:09 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



July 30, 2006

Israel Won't Stop Offensive For Humans Or Environment

Israel Won't Stop Offensive For Humans Or Environment Israel has refused to cease fire in Lebanon to allow humanitarian aid, and they won't cease fire to allow a cleanup of a massive oil spill. The spill is a result of Israeli bombing of oil storage tanks at El-Jiye...

Link to Israel Won't Stop Offensive For Humans Or Environment | July 30, 2006 10:13 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



July 15, 2006

Panama Canal To Be Widened

Panama Canal To Be Widened The Panamanian Congress has voted to widen the Panama Canal. The plan calls for widening the canal by 42 feet to make the canal a total of 150 feet wide. Currently, the Panama canal passes about 5% of global trade,...

Link to Panama Canal To Be Widened | July 15, 2006 8:25 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



July 11, 2006

Server Farms and the Environment

Server Farms and the Environment Perhaps I am a bit slow, but a report on NPR called "Cheap and Reliable Power Nurtures Server Farms" stunned me. Back in about 1994, I was meeting with a group of internet consultants about connecting a program I worked...

Link to Server Farms and the Environment | July 11, 2006 9:40 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



June 12, 2006

The plank in your own eye

The plank in your own eye It's strange to discover that the mainstream media and most of the population of the U.S. - the home of the Bible Belt and of the great Ayatollah Bush - often forgets that famous and deep passage of Mathew, where...

Link to The plank in your own eye | June 12, 2006 2:25 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



June 9, 2006

Let's take the 'Bio' out of Biofuels

Let's take the 'Bio' out of Biofuels Western economies are too dependent on oil, especially foreign oil. This is a statement we have heard may and many times lately - even Dubya talked about an "addiction" that's not healthy nor sustainable. We then saw a big surge...

Link to Let's take the 'Bio' out of Biofuels | June 9, 2006 8:00 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



May 28, 2006

Record Shark Killed

Record Shark Killed The big news for "fishing" enthusiasts is that a 1280 pound hammerhead shark was caught. That "record" catch is credited to Capt. Bucky Dennis. He used a stingray as bait, and the shark dragged his boat about 12 miles out...

Link to Record Shark Killed | May 28, 2006 7:10 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 22, 2006

When Will Earth Day Really Be Earth Comes First Day?

When Will Earth Day Really Be Earth Comes First Day? My first Earth Day was in 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri. I was 18 years old. I had read "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson a couple of years before that day. I had followed the impacts of pollution after that....

Link to When Will Earth Day Really Be Earth Comes First Day? | April 22, 2006 7:53 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 12, 2006

Call Me Romantic But Let's Not Bomb The Moon

Call Me Romantic But Let's Not Bomb The Moon The word is out NASA to Crash Probe Into Moon in Search of Water. The plan is to launch a reconnaissance vehicle and "probe" in 2008 and "crash" the probe at over 5.600 mph into the moon. It is anticipated...

Link to Call Me Romantic But Let's Not Bomb The Moon | April 12, 2006 9:19 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 9, 2006

Save The Manatee

Save The Manatee The Florida manatee has been killed in record numbers over the last year. The manatee is a gentle giant who has been decimated by development in the Everglades, and is currently listed on the Endangered Species list. Instead of addressing...

Link to Save The Manatee | April 9, 2006 10:10 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 5, 2006

Sand castles

Sand castles Hey, did you know that Canada is the third country in oil global reserves rankings? At least, this is what the prestigious World Street Journal a couple of weeks ago wrote: and it sounds true, since in the Athabasca Tar...

Link to Sand castles | April 5, 2006 8:51 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



March 31, 2006

The Meatrix

The Meatrix Fun, well done, educational, inspiring. Don't miss it! http://www.themeatrix.com/...

Link to The Meatrix | March 31, 2006 1:36 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



March 23, 2006

Peak Life?

Peak Life? "Biodiversity" can be defined as the measure of how variegate and variable are the organism that live in an ecosystem: that is, how many different "kinds" of living beings (animals or plants) we can encounter on our planet Earth. It's...

Link to Peak Life? | March 23, 2006 2:47 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



March 11, 2006

At Leask Two Alaskan Oil Spills

At Leask Two Alaskan Oil Spills On March 6th, a 267,000 gallon oil spill was discovered at Prudhoe Bay. A second leak (or unknown size) was discovered on Friday 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. On the heels of this news, The Senate Budget Committee...

Link to At Leask Two Alaskan Oil Spills | March 11, 2006 6:24 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



March 9, 2006

Fill your SUV with biodiesel - and just keep on riding!

Fill your SUV with biodiesel - and just keep on riding! In this age of rising oil prices and impending Peak Oil the countries that are most "addicted to oil" (USA and European Union) have strong plans to go down the road of biofuels - and especially biodiesel for replacing diesel...

Link to Fill your SUV with biodiesel - and just keep on riding! | March 9, 2006 4:34 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Silvio | Category: Environment



February 24, 2006

The Mountain Sentinel - A New Journal

The Mountain Sentinel - A New Journal This announces the new journal - The Mountain Sentinel - Edited by Dale Allen Pfeiffer. We are very pleased to announce the publication of the first issue of The Mountain Sentinel. We hope that you find something useful between its...

Link to The Mountain Sentinel - A New Journal | February 24, 2006 6:28 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Dale | Category: Environment



February 23, 2006

How to Survive the Crash and Save the Earth

How to Survive the Crash and Save the Earth BY: Ran Prieur 1. Abandon the world. The world is the enemy of the Earth. The "world as we know it" is a deadly parasite on the biosphere. Both cannot survive, nor can the world survive without the Earth. Do...

Link to How to Survive the Crash and Save the Earth | February 23, 2006 10:13 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



February 13, 2006

Industrial Agriculture and Vertical Integration

Industrial Agriculture and Vertical Integration

Modern, industrial agriculture is a massive, global force. Most money spent on food today goes to one industrial food producer or another. The Phillip Morris and Nabisco conglomerate Altria alone gets 10% of all the money consumers spend on food. Three Canadian companies control 70% of all fertilizer sales, five banks control agricultural credit, two companies control 70% of beef packing, and five companies hold most of the control over food sales (Halweil 2004:65). This kind of control over the food system would be very difficult or impossible without industrial, centralized agriculture and vertical integration.

Link to Industrial Agriculture and Vertical Integration | February 13, 2006 10:51 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



February 3, 2006

Bush On Cloning In State of The Union Address

Bush On Cloning In State of The Union Address Some of you who watched or read the State of the Union Address may have been taken aback by his comments on cloning. He said: Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical...

Link to Bush On Cloning In State of The Union Address | February 3, 2006 6:51 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



January 30, 2006

Imminent Peril, Part 2

Imminent Peril, Part 2 BY: DALE ALLEN PFEIFFER see also Imminent Peril, Part 1 Note: The Washington Post and The New York Times have both published stories asserting that Global Climate Change is now accepted by the majority of the world's scientists, and that...

Link to Imminent Peril, Part 2 | January 30, 2006 8:12 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Dale | Category: Environment



January 13, 2006

The Collapse of Complex Systems

The Collapse of Complex Systems We talk about energy depletion, global climate change, overpopulation and a host of other problems, but these are only symptoms of the true problems. In focusing upon these symptoms, we do not look at the larger problem and so are...

Link to The Collapse of Complex Systems | January 13, 2006 5:56 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Dale | Category: Environment



On The Health Front

On The Health Front There are concerns that the Avian (Bird) Flu is making the shift to a more easily human to human communicable form. The recent cases of Avian Flu in Turkey has Europe, and Health officials concerned. Researchers from the UK National...

Link to On The Health Front | January 13, 2006 6:20 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



December 22, 2005

Bird Flu May Be Tamiflu Resistant

Bird Flu May Be Tamiflu Resistant According to a report in the Independent/UK, the H5N1 avian flu virus is developing mutations that make it resistant to the anti-viral Tamiflu. Two of the 13 people recently stricken in Vietnam developed a Tamiflu resistant strain of the virus....

Link to Bird Flu May Be Tamiflu Resistant | December 22, 2005 9:08 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



December 14, 2005

Green Podcasts For Week Ending 12/11/05

Green Podcasts For Week Ending 12/11/05

Didn't do a roundup last week. Sorry. There was some pretty good stuff this week, though.

Link to Green Podcasts For Week Ending 12/11/05 | December 14, 2005 10:02 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



December 7, 2005

Is Recycling Good For The Environment?

Is Recycling Good For The Environment?

I think one of the concerns alot of people have with recycling is the claim that it uses so much energy to recycle some items (such as glass), that it actually cancels out any good that the recycling is doing. Recycling paper is pretty clearly helpful, and I don't think anyone's been able to dispute that. The reason, of course, is that far less trees are being cut down. Plastic and glass are questionable, and I think aluminum has been put into the "better to recycle than not recycle" category. Here's a pdf paper about the issue, which might explain some of this. Of course, Alan Griff, who wrote that article, is a plastics consultant. He's probably a bit biased.

Link to Is Recycling Good For The Environment? | December 7, 2005 6:36 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



December 6, 2005

Looming Food Crisis

Looming Food Crisis According to a study from the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) at University of Wisconsin-Madison, 40% of the planet is under cultivation. This compares to an estimated 7% in 1700, and is beyond the limit where it...

Link to Looming Food Crisis | December 6, 2005 9:47 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 25, 2005

China's Toxic Spills - A New Chapter In An Old Story

China's Toxic Spills - A New Chapter In An Old Story On November 22,2005, the BBC reported that Harbin, China was shutting off its water supply for four days. While the official story from Chinese authorities was that the water mains needed maintenance, this was a cover up for an explosion...

Link to China's Toxic Spills - A New Chapter In An Old Story | November 25, 2005 10:23 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 16, 2005

China Vaccinates Birds

China Vaccinates Birds Yay! FINALLY, someone does something that makes sense about Avian Flu. China is going to vaccinate all of its poultry. Now that is no small task with roughly 5.2 billion birds to be vaccinated. This is the first action to...

Link to China Vaccinates Birds | November 16, 2005 12:16 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 14, 2005

Green Radio and Podcasts Week Ending 11/13/05

Green Radio and Podcasts Week Ending 11/13/05

I've been thinking that this might be fun to do - just give a little blurb about what happened on the radio and the podcasts that I listen to involving the environment and related issues.

So, without further ado, here's my update for the week ending November 13

Link to Green Radio and Podcasts Week Ending 11/13/05 | November 14, 2005 6:54 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



November 10, 2005

ANWR Safe ... For Now

ANWR Safe ... For Now Thanks to all of you and many more who pressured our legislators to pull drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge from the 2006 Budget Reconciliation Act. While the Senate refused to do so and passed the budget, the House...

Link to ANWR Safe ... For Now | November 10, 2005 9:03 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 9, 2005

Let's Stop Bird Flu

Let's Stop Bird Flu Call me silly, but despite some claims that the Avian Flu is hype for profit, I think there really is a threat. New cases among birds keep springing up, and another person has died in Vietnam. However, the current approach...

Link to Let's Stop Bird Flu | November 9, 2005 5:41 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 8, 2005

The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal President Bush finished his tour of Latin America with a stop in Panama. One might wonder what stories Papa Bush told him of the invasion he had ordered for Panama's "regime change" - the ousting of Manuel Norriega. Regardless, the...

Link to The Panama Canal | November 8, 2005 7:21 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 3, 2005

Bird Flu Update

Bird Flu Update President Bush has announced his Johnny-Come-Lately plan to address Avian Flu, and it comes with a $7.1 billion price tag. Of that, $1.2 billion is to buy 20 million vaccines. I do believe that is right about $600 per vaccine...

Link to Bird Flu Update | November 3, 2005 9:53 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



November 1, 2005

Those Miserable Bastards Are Ruining Organics

Those Miserable Bastards Are Ruining Organics

Congress met quietly on Wednesday to call a yea/nay vote on HR2744, the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill (sponsored by Henry Bonilla, a Rep. from Texas). It passed.

The Bill will:

* Allow a wider use of synthetic ingredients in foods sold under the "organic" label.

* Allow dairy cows to be treated with antibiotics and fed genetically engineered feed prior to being converted to organic production.

* Give the USDA liberal discretion in granting "emergency exemptions" to industry to use chemical synthetics in place of natural ingredients when the natural ingredients aren't readily available or are too expensive.

Organic Consumers Association has more.

Link to Those Miserable Bastards Are Ruining Organics | November 1, 2005 6:03 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



October 29, 2005

Flu Pandemic And Windfall Profits

Flu Pandemic And Windfall Profits With fears of an imminent pandemic sweeping the globe, those who make vaccines and antivirals such as Tamiflu are rubbing their hands with glee. It is interesting The run on Tamiflu has gotten so bad that Roche, the producer of...

Link to Flu Pandemic And Windfall Profits | October 29, 2005 5:50 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



October 22, 2005

Bush's and Birds: Avian Flu Pandemic Possibilities

Bush's and Birds: Avian Flu Pandemic Possibilities One of the major health problems threatening the world at this point is the Avian (or Bird) Flu. It is clear that it is spreading - UK, Greece, East Africa- and there is a new outbreak in China. Australia is...

Link to Bush's and Birds: Avian Flu Pandemic Possibilities | October 22, 2005 11:58 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



October 12, 2005

Flu In The Cuckoo's Nest

Flu In The Cuckoo's Nest It seems that at every opportunity, President Bush is pushing forward the military for response to disaster. Now it is this plan of choice for the possibility of an Avian Flu epidemic. Why do visions of the 1995 movie "Outbreak"...

Link to Flu In The Cuckoo's Nest | October 12, 2005 10:33 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



October 10, 2005

Bird Flu and the Threats We are Facing

Bird Flu and the Threats We are Facing The Avian Flu is hitting the news and, more importantly, Bush's speeches. If he is finally been "awakened" to the threat then you know it is likely too damn late to do anything. That unfortunate fact is trumpeted in the...

Link to Bird Flu and the Threats We are Facing | October 10, 2005 11:35 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 22, 2005

Of Hurricanes, Petroleum, and Us

Of Hurricanes, Petroleum, and Us I had a bad feeling about Katrina which surpassed even my glum prognostications. I have an even worse feeling about Rita. This goes beyond concerns that gas may go above $5 a gallon. Yesterday's Rigzone proclaimed Hurricane Rita Takes Aim...

Link to Of Hurricanes, Petroleum, and Us | September 22, 2005 7:07 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 17, 2005

Isn't Reoccupying New Orleans Premature?

Isn't Reoccupying New Orleans Premature? Doesn't it seem to be a bit premature to be reoccupying New Orleans? The talk is that businesses are cleaning up and getting ready to reopen. Word is a couple of hotels are ready to go. Up to 186,000 residents,...

Link to Isn't Reoccupying New Orleans Premature? | September 17, 2005 10:59 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 12, 2005

The Gulf After Katrina - An Environmental Disaster

The Gulf After Katrina - An Environmental Disaster Regardless of the brave words that New Orleans will rebuild, there is a reality of an environmental disaster that may make the entire region unlivable for a long time. The U.S. Gulf coast, as well as the area around New...

Link to The Gulf After Katrina - An Environmental Disaster | September 12, 2005 7:44 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 2, 2005

Disaster From Bad To Worse

Disaster From Bad To Worse I keeping hoping for the tide to turn. It is not. The domino effect continues. The lack of effective response continues. The death toll rises. Now there is a chemical plant burning in New Orleans. As expected, no one can...

Link to Disaster From Bad To Worse | September 2, 2005 11:04 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



September 1, 2005

Hang Onto Your Hat - Aftereffects of Katrina

Hang Onto Your Hat - Aftereffects of Katrina Like a boulder dropped into a lake, the ripples from Katrina will expand for a long time. No matter which approach I take for looking at this disaster, the effects radiate outwards and grow as they proceed. I have seen...

Link to Hang Onto Your Hat - Aftereffects of Katrina | September 1, 2005 9:42 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



August 28, 2005

Katrina Looks Like Bad News

Katrina Looks Like Bad News Katrina is now a Category 5 hurricane and is heading directly for New Orleans. Even if we are lucky enough to have it drop to a 4, it will cause significant damage. It may have already caused significant damage. Look...

Link to Katrina Looks Like Bad News | August 28, 2005 8:03 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



August 8, 2005

Where Does Mercury Come From?

Where Does Mercury Come From? I thought I knew about the sources and dangers of mercury until I read The Canaries Had Their Coal Mines in the August 8th NY Times. A lot of mercury in the environment comes from burning coal - particularly coal-fired...

Link to Where Does Mercury Come From? | August 8, 2005 11:48 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



July 25, 2005

Genetically Modified Plant Goes Wild

Genetically Modified Plant Goes Wild What many of us have feared has finally happened - a genetically modified plant crossed with a wild plant (charlock) to create a "superweed" resistant to herbicides. Paul Brown's 7/25/05 article in the Guardian - GM crops created superweed, say...

Link to Genetically Modified Plant Goes Wild | July 25, 2005 8:35 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



Environmental Taxes

Environmental Taxes

SustainaBlog has a great post about Environmental Taxes. It's based on an op-ed from The Washington Examiner on the subject. SustainaBlog mentions Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, which is a book I mentioned in my Final Paper for my Simple Living course in Grad School.

Link to Environmental Taxes | July 25, 2005 7:03 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



June 22, 2005

Denial Leads To Stupid Leads To Disaster

Denial Leads To Stupid Leads To Disaster The ongoing denial of the peak oil situation and global warming leads to stupid policies leads to disaster. Last night I was watching a Nova program on the rapid development in China. China is a classic example of "overshoot." In...

Link to Denial Leads To Stupid Leads To Disaster | June 22, 2005 11:52 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



June 19, 2005

New Sonor Kills Sea Mammals

New Sonor Kills Sea Mammals Animal Welfare and Environmental groups in the U.S. has fought for years to get the U.S. Navy to stop using its Low Frequency Sonor (called LFA) because of the resulting deaths of whales, porpoises, and dolphins. Thus far, they have...

Link to New Sonor Kills Sea Mammals | June 19, 2005 7:59 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



June 8, 2005

The Future of Fish ... Farming

The Future of Fish ... Farming Waking one morning recently with thoughts of snapper on his mind, George W. Bush decided that ranching was the answer and told Karl to draw up a fish farming proposal. That's all tongue in cheek, but out of the blue...

Link to The Future of Fish ... Farming | June 8, 2005 10:08 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



June 4, 2005

UN Atlas Before and After Pictures Effects of Development

UN Atlas Before and After Pictures Effects of Development The BBC has a new set of before and after pictures on global development. These pictures are from the UN Atlas of Environmental Change and are satellite photos of different areas. The changes are striking. They have an article explaining...

Link to UN Atlas Before and After Pictures Effects of Development | June 4, 2005 4:07 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 25, 2005

Subverting Environmental Protection

Subverting Environmental Protection A new regulation went into place January 1, 2005 for Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York. The regulation bans the sale of oil-based house paint, and was put in place reduce the level of ground-level ozone...

Link to Subverting Environmental Protection | May 25, 2005 9:17 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 22, 2005

Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe?

Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe? The biotechnolgy companies (such as Monsanto) have be pushing the safety of genetically modified foods, and how they can save the world from hunger. Many people, and many nations have banned the growing of GM crops (the U.S. is not...

Link to Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe? | May 22, 2005 5:36 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 19, 2005

In Search of Wild Carrots ... Part 2

In Search of Wild Carrots ... Part 2 I originally was going to write a series of pieces on the wild plants we could consume as I was under the impression that the majority of wild plants had been so domesticated that nothing much grows wild anymore. What...

Link to In Search of Wild Carrots ... Part 2 | May 19, 2005 1:06 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



May 17, 2005

Quote for Reflection - Loss of Native Plant Species

Quote for Reflection - Loss of Native Plant Species I am interested in biodiversity and the impact of invasive species of plants and animals on native flora and fauna. I wanted to add another small segment from Henry David Thoreau's A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers for...

Link to Quote for Reflection - Loss of Native Plant Species | May 17, 2005 6:52 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



May 16, 2005

Oil Or The Environment - Expansion of Alaskan Drilling

Oil Or The Environment - Expansion of Alaskan Drilling The Bush energy bill approved drilling in ANWR, but that is hardly the end of the story. Now they are looking at two more areas - Teshekpuk Lake and the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Both are significant natural areas,...

Link to Oil Or The Environment - Expansion of Alaskan Drilling | May 16, 2005 7:56 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 11, 2005

Bush Is No Environmental President

Bush Is No Environmental President Surely no one ever labored under the belief that Bush is an environmental President, but the latest of round of actions make that perfectly clear. From an "energy" plan that opens ANWR to the opening up over 34 million acres...

Link to Bush Is No Environmental President | May 11, 2005 12:56 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 6, 2005

Where Is Genetic Research Going?

Where Is Genetic Research Going? If folks aren't thinking about what is happening in genetic research, then it is time they did. Careful How You Monkey With DNA The laboratory creation of chimeras -- animals with mixed-species heritage -- has become so advanced that scientists...

Link to Where Is Genetic Research Going? | May 6, 2005 8:54 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



May 3, 2005

Just for fun

Just for fun We all could use a little cheering up and nostalgia. I would like to share these awesome photos my mother took in 1977 of Mount St. Helen's... Before she blew her top....

Link to Just for fun | May 3, 2005 9:20 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



April 25, 2005

Douglas Adams: Froopy Dude and Conservationist

Douglas Adams: Froopy Dude and Conservationist

All of you who are excited as I am about The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Movie coming out next weekend are probably excited because you're already fans of Douglas Adams' work. He's one of my favorite fiction authors, namely because of his ability to poke fun at the human condition and, well, life, the universe, and everything.

There's an interview in this week's Living On Earth with Robbie Stamp, a close friend of the late Douglas Adams and executive producer of the new film. He talks about something that is rarely discussed about Adams in comparison to his humor and fiction. Adams was a hard core conservationist. Stamp discusses the underlying environmental messages in the Hitchhiker's Guide series and Adams' book on endangered species called Last Chance To See.

Link to Douglas Adams: Froopy Dude and Conservationist | April 25, 2005 1:43 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



April 23, 2005

An Earth Day Essay

An Earth Day Essay A Very Old Fashioned Idea Indeed We all know that in today's world, it would be virtually impossible to get people to voluntarily switch from automated machinery including automobiles to horsepower. Laws of the land dictate that we cannot...

Link to An Earth Day Essay | April 23, 2005 1:12 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



April 22, 2005

Earth Day, 2005

Earth Day, 2005

Today is Earth Day, 2005. This Earth Day is bittersweet, however, as yesterday the House kicked the planet in the groin before its special day. It passed an energy bill that gives away billions of dollars to energy companies and OKs ANWR drilling.

Link to Earth Day, 2005 | April 22, 2005 1:48 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



April 20, 2005

In the Media Today- Earthquake of Astronomical Proportions

In the Media Today- Earthquake of Astronomical Proportions It started with "The Day After Tomorrow." Since then, television companies have been feverishly trying to show us what a massive natural disaster could look like for North America. How many of you saw the miniseries on NBC of...

Link to In the Media Today- Earthquake of Astronomical Proportions | April 20, 2005 8:06 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: | Category: Environment



April 16, 2005

Ode To The Remaining Wilderness

Ode To The Remaining Wilderness By: Dale Pfeiffer and re-published here with his permission This was originally intended as a eulogy for the remaining wilderness of North America, especially for the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. However, the wilderness had not yet been entirely erased from...

Link to Ode To The Remaining Wilderness | April 16, 2005 5:28 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



April 12, 2005

Life and Death - Disease Stalks Us

Life and Death - Disease Stalks Us Every day, generally on the back pages, is the news of this or that disease that poses a significant threat to humanity. Marburg, Ebola, SARS, Avian Flu, BSE or Mad Cow, MRSAs, all are on the verge of wreaking havoc...

Link to Life and Death - Disease Stalks Us | April 12, 2005 12:23 AM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment



March 31, 2005

Human Impact On the Environment Has To Be Addressed

Human Impact On the Environment Has To Be Addressed Study after study, report after report, shows that global warming is real, and that environmental collapse is real, and that human beings are intimately implicated in the changes. The Millennium Ecosystem Reports are currently being released. More than 1350 researchers...

Link to Human Impact On the Environment Has To Be Addressed | March 31, 2005 6:21 PM || TrackBack | Author: By: Rowan Wolf | Category: Environment