http://earthsystems.org
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>From earthsystems.org
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Issue of the Week
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Since the WTO meeting turned into such a large story last week, we
have decided to extend its stay as our Issue of the Week. The resources
listed on our page have been updated to reflect events in Seattle, including
protests by environmental and labor organizations.
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Poll of the Week
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Did police go too far in quelling WTO protests in Seattle?
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Trimming Waste this Holiday Season
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If you're looking for ways to trim waste during this
holiday season, here are a couple of sites that can help:
Center for New American Dream
http://www.newdream.org/holiday/home.html
42 Ways to Trim your holiday waste
http://cygnus-group.com/ULS/ULSDAY/42ways.html
PS: Did you know that Americans generate an estimate Extra 5 Million Tons
of trash during the holiday season?
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Reminders
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Holiday Shopping
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The earthsystems.org bookstore is open for holiday shopping without the holiday
hassle. When you buy a book, magazine, music, or software, you help earthsystems.org
continue its mission. As part of the Barnes and Noble affiliate program,
earthsystems.org receives a 5% commission on each purchase.
http://earthsystems.org/bookstore.html
In addition, shopping at our bookstore will save you money, 40-90% off!
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>From GIST:
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/gist/
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ARCTIC WATERS STRAIGHT UP
The amount of sea ice in Arctic waters has been shrinking since 1978 by an
average of roughly 14,000 square miles a year, an area larger than Maryland
and Delaware combined, according to a new study by an international team of
scientists published in today's issue of the journal Science. The
researchers say the shrinkage is very likely due to human-caused climate
change, with less than a 2 percent chance that the melting of the past 20
years is due to normal climate variation and only a 0.1 percent chance that
the melting over the past 46 years has been natural. The scientists
combined 46 years of data and analyzed it with what are considered to be
the world's most sophisticated computer models.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Curt Suplee, 12.03.99
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/A9540-1999Dec2.html
BLOW IT UP AND THEY WILL COME
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, whose favorite pastime of late seems to
be tearing down dams, got his first chance to employ explosives for the
sake of fish this week. On Wednesday, he presided over the destruction of
a dam on the Little River, near Goldboro, N.C., which opened up 49 miles of
spawning habitat for striped bass, shad, sturgeon, alewife, and other fish.
Wearing a flak jacket and helmet, Babbitt said, "I've been waiting for
this one. I've done it with backhoes, jackhammers, and sledgehammers.
I've never blown one up before." The Rains Mill Dam, built in 1928 for a
now-defunct grist mill, was the third to fall in North Carolina since 1997,
part of a growing trend in the U.S. to remove dams to help fish populations.
straight to the source: Raleigh News and Observer, James Eli Shiffer, 12.02.99
http://www.news-observer.com/daily/1999/12/02/tri00.html
SOON THEY'LL BE CALLING IT THE GREEN HOUSE
Energy-efficiency measures and other steps taken to make the White House
more eco-friendly have saved taxpayers nearly $1.4 million since 1993,
according to an administration report to be released today. The savings,
now totaling about $300,000 a year, have been achieved through more
efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning; new insulation;
double-paned windows; and energy-saving refrigerators, fax machines, and
computer equipment. Also, pesticide use on the White House grounds has
been cut back and a new sprinkler system has been installed to conserve
water. Pres. Clinton launched an effort to green the White House on Earth
Day in 1993.
straight to the source: Washington Post, Stephen Barr, 12.02.99
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/02/238l-120299-idx.html
WAITING WITH REBATED BREATH
Maine residents who buy low-polluting, high-mileage cars would be eligible
for rebates of up to $3,000 under a bill that will go before the state
legislature in January. And under a separate new program in the state,
cars that meet particular green criteria will be marked at dealerships with
stickers that read "Cleaner Cars for Maine," an effort to help prospective
car buyers take the environment into account in their purchasing decisions.
In other clean car news, Vietnam announced this week that it plans to
phase out the use of leaded gasoline, the only type of fuel now in use in
vehicles in the nation.
straight to the source: Boston Globe, Associated Press, Glenn Adams, 11.30.99
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/334/region/King_revs_up_nation_s_first_gr:.shtml
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 12.01.99
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=4878
BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM
Several officials in the Food and Drug Administration have disagreed with
the agency's conclusion that genetically modified foods should be regulated
the same way as conventional foods and accused the FDA of siding with
industry at the expense of consumers, according to internal agency
memorandums read yesterday at a public hearing. The documents are part of
a lawsuit filed by the Alliance for Bio-Integrity that seeks to force
mandatory safety testing and labeling of GM foods. Other enviros and
consumer advocates also called for testing and labeling at the public
hearing, one of three the FDA has scheduled to get input from the public
and a range of scientists on the subject.
straight to the source: New York Times, Marian Burros, 12.01.99
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/120199sci-gm-foods.html
GOING TO GREENPIECES
For the second time in three years, the board of Greenpeace U.S.A. is
resigning, unable to resolve serious rifts over policy. The organization
suffered a major shake-up in 1997, when, in the face of declining
membership and revenue, it ended its grassroots tradition of going door to
door for members and donations, shrank its national staff by 75 percent,
ousted its executive director, and dissolved its board. Greenpeace U.S.A.
has had something of a comeback in the past year, with successful campaigns
against the sale of redwood furniture and a high-profile presence in
Seattle this week protesting genetically modified foods. But the staff has
seen high turnover in recent months, one staffer says, partly because of
difficult relations with the current executive director, Kristen Engberg,
who came over from Greenpeace International in 1997.
straight to the source: New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 12.03.99
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/greenpeace-board.html
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>From EDF news:
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HOW HOT WILL IT GET IN THE NEXT THOUSAND YEARS?
What are the prospects for the Earth's climate in the next thousand years
if greenhouse-gas pollution isn't brought under control? See what the
scientists think.
http://www.edf.org/programs/GRAP/y3k/
DOES BIOTECHNOLOGY BELONG ON THE DINNER TABLE?
Biologist Rebecca Goldberg addresses the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
public hearing on genetically engineered foods. Her remarks on this
complicated issue explore risks to human health and more.
http://www.edf.org/pubs/Filings/fdahearing1199.html
To start receiving your own copy of EDF DISPATCH, just fill in this simple
form on the web:
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