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Sierra Club Faces Rocky Future as Extremists Push Out Greens Anti-immigration activists some with loose connections to alleged white-supremacist groups, have launched an aggressive bid to take over the Sierra Club, one of the most respected environmental groups in North America. As directors of the Sierra Club's Canadian affiliate watch with growing alarm, a group of 13 former presidents of the U.S. club has called on its board to take action to thwart the takeover drive of the organization and its $95-million-a-year (U.S.) budget. Why
factory farms and mass trade make for a world where disease
travels far and fast The latest animal health crisis to arise after avian flu claimed its first human life in Thailand forms part of a pattern that has gone along with industrialisation and mass transportation of livestock. Animal disease now travels far and fast in types of farming and food distribution that make it very hard to control. Helping
Others Will Help You Too -- Make Time for Volunteerism Whether
it's rescuing endangered species or helping to build affordable
housing for fellow Canadians, volunteering opens doors and
brightens lives. "The
act of volunteering, of connecting with other people, is
now thought to be as important to health and well-being
as exercise and diet," says Linda Graff, a management
consultant who specializes in not-for-profits. Urban agriculture reaches new heights A form of gardening with great promise for the world's urban poor is being adapted to the rooftops of Montreal. A Canadian NGO is drawing on Mexican and Moroccan expertise to develop a simplified hydroponics system using recycled materials, organic inputs and manual labour. The technique uses far less water than conventional gardening, helps clean air and groundwater, and saves on energy normally used to transport food. SUSTAINABLE is a fashionable adjective and often a vague one. It sounds expensive and, sure enough, many people expect to pay dearly for the virtue of an environmentally sustainable house. This may be about to change. Air Pollution May Act Like Antifreeze in High Clouds: Research WASHINGTON (AP) - Those wispy cirrus clouds that float high in the sky may be thinning out due to nitric-acid pollution, a change scientists said could affect climate. Airborne measurements of the high clouds taken in the summer of 2002 showed increased humidity in the clouds and found nitric oxide, which is a pollutant that comes from jet exhaust, combustion on the ground and other sources, said a paper in Friday's issue of the journal Science. The Bureau of Land Management's plan announced today to open the 9-million acre Northwest Planning Area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) to oil development will produce only a modest amount of oil and ruin an area with unique cultural and wilderness values, according to NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council). Americans Favor Conservation Over Oil Drilling, Poll Says Polls indicate that Americans have never warmed up to the idea of oil drilling in a remote corner of frozen Alaska, and a new poll says a slim majority of Americans still oppose the idea. Leonardo DiCaprio Promotes Use of Internet by Environmental Activists Leonardo DiCaprio wants activists to use the Internet to protect the environment. The 29-year-old actor and conservationist appeared at the Natural Resources Defense Council's regional headquarters for the unveiling of an environmental museum with Internet-ready computers. more Toxic
cleanups may be scaled back Facing a national nuclear cleanup costing at least $220 billion and lasting several decades, the U.S. Department of Energy is pushing what it believes is a faster, cheaper approach that requires setting aside environmental regulations and longstanding agreements with states. ''No Cosmic Ray Climate Effects'' Role in Climate Change Remains Contested The principal cause of recent climate change is not cosmic rays but human activities, a group of scientists says. They say an article last year linking cosmic rays and changes in temperature was "scientifically ill-founded". 'Last chance' for Southern Ocean Rewards for fish pirates far outweigh the risk of fines. Scientists in Australia have warned that fish piracy is damaging the Southern Ocean to such an extent that time is running out to save it. An Open House Invitation to Royal Road Wind Farm You
are invited to join Vision Quest staff for an Open House,
as staff members and their consulting team present information
and answer questions or concerns about the project and share
their vision for a clean and greener future. It's Time to Crank Up the Heat on Adams Mine The Liberal government have stalled on their promise to kill Adams Mine. Meanwhile MOE staff continue to look at granting a permit to drain the Adams Mine pit. Meanwhile Adams Mine Rail Haul continues to hold a $300 million lawsuit against the government if they don't push the project forward. The Liberal government has the evidence to act. They have campaigned on a promise to act. Why are they sitting on the sidelines? Orbiter
Confirms Water's Presence on Mars Europe's Mars orbiter has confirmed the presence of water in the form of ice on the Red Planet's surface for the first time, the European Space Agency said Friday. Hamilton lobbying, Agostino stun Waterkeeper Pro-valley march from Hamilton ends outside Queen's Park The Hamilton Spectator published two surprising revelations this week. The City of Hamilton has hired lobbyists at $375/hour to deal with Ontario politicians on the Red Hill Creek Expressway. At the same time, Dominic Agostino, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Environment, told the Spectator that the expressway project is “full steam ahead.” Fredricton Pesticide Debate over Pesticide Bylaw Recalls Regina's Experience A debate in Fredricton about a proposed pesticide bylaw gave evidence that the pesticide industry's spin doctors were hard at work. One letter to the editor exposes the industry's misinformation and presents some facts worth considering. Group Calls for Supermarket Watchdog A group of farming industry and environmental organisations have called for the government to create an independent retail watchdog for the UK supermarket sector, pre-empting the forthcoming OFT review. The collective, which includes the Soil Association, Pesticide Action Network UK and Friends of the Earth, has also called for a new Code of Practice to replace the existing 2002 document. Changing the Future Means Changing Priorities News
that global warming could push one-quarter of the world's
plants and animals to the edge of extinction by 2050 recently
made headlines around the world. But did the stories do more
harm than good? ...Why? Well, most people are simply overwhelmed
by such news because the whole thing seems beyond their control.
Rather than being spurred to action, such news without context
can drive many people to a defensive position. Couple
Trashes the Garbage Pickup Ritual OTTAWA — Jo-Ann and Hugh Robertson are demonstrating that ordinary people can make a difference when it comes to saving space in landfill sites and caring for the environment. NFB-CBC Documentary Series Carries Dramatic Message about GlobalWarming February might not be the best month of the year to air a documentary series on the Canadian Arctic, especially one with a message about global warming. Viewers might prefer, say, July. But Montreal-based writer-producer Jean Lemire is delighted that his project, Arctic Mission, was taken up jointly by the National Film Board and the CBC and will begin airing next Wednesday night on David Suzuki's The Nature of Things. British Government Reconsiders Stance on GM crops LONDON — The British government said Tuesday it was considering whether to recommend that European Union rules on growing genetically modified corn be changed, after receiving scientific advice on its latest crop trials. Wind Power: Joining the Ranks of the Respectable Given a fair market, a good site, and the removal of regulatory barriers, onshore wind power today is price competitive with any other source of electricity generation. An analysis reveals that in 2003 only gas was able to give wind a hard time. Gas prices, however, are rising fast and are expected to continue to do so, while wind prices are firmly on the way down. In many countries, that will soon make wind the best economic option for electricity generation. Washington, DC - Researchers are using biotechnology to develop genetically modified (GM) insects for a wide variety of purposes, including fighting insect-borne diseases like malaria and controlling destructive insect agricultural pests, but the federal government lacks a clear regulatory framework for reviewing environmental safety and other issues associated with GM insects, according to a new report. Air-Polluting EU States Face Court Action BRUSSELS - Eight EU states are being taken to court for failing to take measures to fight air pollution, the European Commission said on Thursday. Belgium, Italy, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Germany all missed a 2002 deadline to implement a host of EU laws on air quality to limit smog and breathing problems. EU Commission Awards 2003 Prizes to the Best European Projects in Renewable Energy On the occasion of the European Conference for Renewable Energy, today were handed over in Berlin the 2003 EU Awards of the Renewable Energy Campaign for Take-Off. For the 4th consecutive year, the Commission rewarded the efforts made in promoting renewable energy and showcasing successful projects and initiatives all over Europe. Newspaper
Raided over Arar Leak OTTAWA
- RCMP officers searched the home and office of a newspaper
reporter today, seeking the source of an alleged information
leak in the case of Maher Arar. Walkerton Compensation Plan Not Working Walkerton, Ontario — The plan that provides compensation for the Walkerton water tragedy does not appear to be working properly for victims of the disaster. Leona Dombrowsky says the government has a lot of work to do to address the issue The
panda has teeth: On December 8, 2003, an Ontario Superior Court judge upheld the City of Toronto’s right to pass a by-law that restricts the use of pesticides. World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) was a successful intervenor in this case.. Canola Fight Heads to Supreme Court OTTAWA
- A Saskatchewan farmer accused of violating a biotech company's
patent will ask the Supreme Court of Canada Tuesday to consider
whether patents on plants ought to be allowed in the first
place. For
a backgrounder on this key case Environmentalists Condemn Disposable DVDs Promoters of a new disposable-DVD technology tout the product's convenience, but environmentalists condemn the self-destructing movie discs as a step backward in developing reusable products. Corporations Need Treatment, Documentary Argues TORONTO, Jan 24 (IPS) - Corporations are not only the most powerful institutions in the world, they are also psychopathic, a new Canadian documentary on globalisation elegantly argues. While the corporation has the rights and responsibilities of ”a legal person”, its owners and shareholders are not liable for its actions. Moreover, the film explains, a corporation's directors are legally required to do what is best for the company, regardless of the harm created. What kind of person would a corporation be? A clinical psychopath, answers the documentary, which is now playing in four Canadian theatres. U.S. Uses 1800s Law to Target Greenpeace MIAMI -- When prosecutors brought charges against Greenpeace for protesting a shipment of Amazon mahogany, they dusted off a 19th century federal law enacted to stop pimps from clambering aboard ships entering port. A lengthy list of diseases that the plaintiffs in a proposed class-action tobacco lawsuit are blaming on smoking is part of a strategy to turn the proceedings into a public inquiry, defence lawyers charged today. Ontario Urged to Sue Tobacco Companies A coalition
of 12 medical officers of health and other health agencies is
urging Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to sue tobacco companies
for taxes lost during what the federal government has termed
a "massive conspiracy" to smuggle cigarettes into
Canada during the 1990s. Pesticide
Promotions Misleading, Says Agency CHARLOTTETOWN - A federal agency has ordered four major lawn care and pesticide companies to change the way they promote their products, after a complaint from an environmental group in P.E.I. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency found that the companies used misleading language in their advertising and promotion. Canola Fight Lands in Top Court When the Prairie winds began to howl late in 1997, Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser could scarcely have guessed they would end up carrying him to the Supreme Court of Canada. Scientists Back Toxic Salmon StudyIndependent
experts say results are ‘undeniable’ after industry
blasts report for orchestrating food scare The
US study that sparked the toxic salmon scare has been strongly
defended by leading scientists following allegations from the
fish farming industry that it was biased and flawed.
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