Earth Island Journal articles from June 2006

Earth Island Journal archives from June 2006

From the editor.(Editorial)
June 22, 2006... If you are lucky, a bit of feedback comes in from the outside world every once in a while that tells you you're on the right track. It might be a note of appreciation from someone for whom you did a favor, or a pat on the back from your boss,...

Divine destruction.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2006... These are my comments to the article "Divine destruction" by Stephenie Hendricks: Activists of any persuasion (religious, political, environmental, or whatever) can fall into the trap of believing that the end justifies the means. Such an...

Errata.(Letters)(Correction notice)
June 22, 2006... In our previous issue, we inadvertently omitted credits for the Ethical Traveler project page. They should have read: Researcher and co-author Kiran Auerbach received her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University in 2005 She...

Deporting wildlife.(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... Opposition is growing among Kenyans to a plan to export 300 wild animals to the Chiang Mai Night Safari Zoo in Thailand, intended as a gesture of goodwill by President Mwai Kibaki. In exchange for the animals, Kenya would receive approximately...

Japan versus whales.(ANTARCTICA)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... The latest conflict between protesters and Japanese whaling vessels occurred January 15 when a grenade-tipped harpoon was targeted near Greenpeace activists off Mawson Coast, part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, about 2,000 nautical...

Choptax.(ASIA)(disposable chopsticks use in China leads to heavy logging)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... People in China use 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks every year. Most of them are made of wood, and so disposable chopsticks account for the logging of about 25 million full-grown trees each year--for a product used for perhaps half an...

Good move, Vietnam.(sulfur control directive)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... Vietnam has enacted far stricter controls on sulfur content in diesel fuel and gasoline for both transport and industrial use. The previous allowable level of sulfur in fuel was .5 percent: The new maximum level is one tenth that. The move,...

Not charming.(ASIA)(snake charmers, India)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... In the East Indian village of Padmakeshpur, nearly two-thirds of the families make their living by snake charming. The practice, however, is not se charming to wildlife rights activists. The king cobras and pythons used in the performances...

Not horny.(rhino horns)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... The high price of rhino horn, a popular ingredient in traditional Asian medicines, has taken a high toll on Sumatran rhinos in Borneo. A recent survey was able to find only 13 of the animals in the state of Sabah. Strong protection...

Talk about your consumer footprint.(ASIA)(illegal log exports in Indonesia)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... In 2001, the Indonesian government banned all log exports in order to protect its rapidly dwindling forests. Despite these efforts, however, rare Indonesian wood has been found in flooring products in several American home-improvement stores....

Black tar down.(AUSTRALIA)(old ship to be sinked, has pollutants)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... A seized North Korean freighter once used to import heroin into Australia, slated for target practice by the Australian Air Force, is raising concerns of potential pollution of the New South Wales coast. The 3,800-ton ship, the Pong Su, was...

Greenland defrosts.(NORTH AMERICA)
June 22, 2006... "If the trends we're seeing continue and climate warming continues as predicted, the polar ice sheets could change dramatically," said Jay Zwally, lead author of a new, comprehensive NASA satellite survey. "The Greenland ice sheet could be...

Trash to gas.(NORTH AMERICA)(SCS Energy's landfill gas-fired power plant construction contract)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... SCS Energy, a division of SCS Engineers, has been awarded contracts to design, construct, and operate two 3.2 megawatt (MW) landfill gas-fired power plants in Medford, Oregon, and Atlanta, Georgia. Contracts call for SCS to design and construct...

Bank defaults.(NORTH AMERICA)(World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group's liberalized international trade )(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... One month ahead of the World Bank's annual meeting, a key internal study has slammed the Bank's work on trade liberalization. The study by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), released on March 22, concludes that the World...

Bison under attack.(NORTH AMERICA)
June 22, 2006... The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) and National Park Service are once again capturing America's last wild bison, with hundreds rounded up in March near Yellowstone National Park. These actions are based on unfounded fears that bison will...

Diverse dirt does good.(sustainable agriculture)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... The future of sustainable agriculture around the world depends on diverse communities of soil organisms, according to a $26 million soil research project unveiled in March at the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological...

Brazil to save more forest.(SOUTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... In other COP-8 news, as cabinet ministers from more than 90 nations arrived in Curitiba, Brazil announced plans to expand protection of the Amazon rain forest. Brazil's Environment Ministry said in late March it would declare about 80,000...

Uruguay pulp mills on hold.(SOUTH AMERICA)(Grupo Empresarial Ence SA)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... The European pulp company Grupo Empresarial Ence SA has halted the construction of a $500-million pulp mill on the Uruguay River for 90 days while Argentina and Uruguay study the environmental effects to a river in both countries. Finland's...

In February, Red Panda Project (RPP) began a campaign to garner support for efforts to create the world's first red panda reserve.(Earth Island project reports)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... In February, Red Panda Project (RPP) began a campaign to garner support for efforts to create the world's first red panda reserve. Executive Director Brian Williams spoke to the San Diego chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers at...

Patty Martin, director of Earth Island's Safe Food and Fertilizer Project, was recently quoted in an article in The Honolulu Advertiser regarding a bill currently before Hawaii's Senate (Senate Bill 3179, SD1).(Earth Island project reports)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... Patty Martin, director of Earth Island's Safe Food and Fertilizer Project, was recently quoted in an article in The Honolulu Advertiser regarding a bill currently before Hawaii's Senate (Senate Bill 3179, SD1). The bill would require disclosure...

Mangrove Action Project Executive Director Alfredo Quarto attended the Seattle Seafood Summit in January to protest the inadequacy of standards being used by Wal-Mart and Darden Restaurants (parent company of Red Lobster) to certify farmed shrimp as sustainably raised.(Earth Island project reports)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... Mangrove Action Project Executive Director Alfredo Quarto attended the Seattle Seafood Summit in January to protest the inadequacy of standards being used by Wal-Mart and Darden Restaurants (parent company of Red Lobster) to certify farmed...

UniversitArea Protegida Nicaragua (UAP) supports Nicaragua's future environmental leaders through scholarships and training.(Earth Island project reports)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... UniversitArea Protegida Nicaragua (UAP) supports Nicaragua's future environmental leaders through scholarships and training. In an effort to sustain its rural scholarship program, UAP is supporting a youth cooperative bakery project in Padre...

Borneo Project.(Earth Island project reports)
June 22, 2006... The Borneo Project is moving to Borneo! Starting May 2006, Director Jessica Lawrence and her partner Shawn Sullivan will be living with indigenous communities struggling to protect endangered rain forests and human rights. They will be building...

Bay Area Wilderness Training.(Earth Island project reports)
June 22, 2006... Bay Area Wilderness Training will be holding another whitewater rafting trip this year. On July 22 and/or 23, participants can travel down the South Fork of the American River (near Sacramento, California), with the assistance of certified,...

In 1982, Christopher McLeod of Sacred Land Film Project produced a documentary on the radical environmental group Earth First!(Earth Island project reports)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... In 1982, Christopher McLeod of Sacred Land Film Project produced a documentary on the radical environmental group Earth First! The Art of Resistance aired on FreeSpeech TV in late February. You can now watch this episode online at...

Argentina Dolphin Safe program kicks off.(International Marine Mammal Project)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... Last year, IMMP started monitoring Dolphin Safe tuna companies in Argentina though the local Wild Earth Foundation. Wild Earth contacted several tuna companies and presented them with the objectives of the Dolphin Safe Program. Ten companies...

New Web site for tuna consumers.(International Marine Mammal Project)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... IMMP has unveiled a new Web site directed at consumers who are concerned about protecting dolphins when they buy tuna. "This is the place to go to answer all of your questions about Dolphin Safe tuna," stated David Phillips, director of...

UN recognizes dangers of ocean noise.(International Marine Mammal Project)(United Nations. Environment Programme)(Brief article)
June 22, 2006... The International Ocean Noise Coalition (IONC), under the coordination of Dr. Marsha Green of the Ocean Mammal Institute, successfully lobbied the UN Law of the Sea Conference and individual nation delegates during 2005. Thanks to the work of...

Dolphin Safe Solomon Islands.(International Marine Mammal Project)
June 22, 2006... IMMP has established its office in Honiara, Solomon Islands, with local environmental activist Lawrence Makili working as the new director for monitoring in the Pacific islands. Mark Berman spent over a month in the Solomon Islands to...

From grassroots to the bargaining table.(Women's Global Green Action Network)(Earth Island Institute's newest project)
June 22, 2006... This spring Women's Global Green Action Network (WGGAN)--Earth Island Institute's newest project--will hold its network-launching event in Mexico City. The International Grassroots Women Environmental Leaders Strategy Meeting will convene 30...

Sustainable world coalition.(Earth Island in the news)
June 22, 2006... Warriors for sustainability We face huge challenges if we are to reverse deforestation, desertification, draining of aquifers, global warming, loss of fisheries, species extinction, and other forces that threaten our environment. So many...

Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters.(Earth Island in the news)
June 22, 2006... Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters (C-SAW) has been working to stop the dumping of waste from cruise ships in Alaska, California, Maine, and Hawaii for six years, focusing on both the discharges and the flawed legal system that is supposed...

Climb Shasta and Rainier with BAWT.(Bay Area Wilderness Training)
June 22, 2006... What can you get for less than 25 cents per foot that will give you a lifetime of memories, help you meet an exhilarating personal challenge, and provide incredible opportunities to thousands of urban kids? BAWT thinks there's no better bargain...

It's getting hot in here.(Energy Action)
June 22, 2006... In the summer of 2004, youth leaders representing 16 clean energy organizations formed a coalition, Energy Action, which united and strengthened the youth clean energy movement. Energy Action, an Earth Island project since 2005, was a...

Nature in the City.(Earth Island in the news)
June 22, 2006... When renowned conservation scientist Peter Raven discovered the evergreen shrub Raven's manzanita at the age of 14, he was tramping about 1950s San Francisco as if it were a natural landscape! A budding botanist, Raven explored the wildlands of...

Everyone's got a story.(Ariana Katovich)(Biography)
June 22, 2006... You could say that Ariana Katovich, Earth Island Institute's Director of Restoration Initiatives and one of the first Brower Youth Award winners, was born to fill her current job. Katovich doesn't remember a day when she wasn't concerned about...

Clear skies in the desert.(Laughlin, Nevada )(Cover story)
June 22, 2006... Laughlin, Nevada is a green, well-watered oasis in North America's driest desert. It is hemmed in by rock surrounding the valley like oven walls. To the west, the corrugated Newberry Mountains stand sere and remote. The Mohave people, whose...

Seeking a just transition.(Native American community in Mohave)
June 22, 2006... I first met the young Navajo activist Enei Begaye in 1985, when she was nine years old. She was running up the slope of a canyon rim to greet her father, the renowned artist Shonto Begay, who was then a park ranger at Betatakin National...

Down in the dirt: a farmer takes a hard look at America's favorite herbicide.(Roundup)
June 22, 2006... Harvest Week 6, 1999--This my second day in bed. I am pretty much immobile. Let me explain. Last year I rented a 35-acre piece of land adjacent to my farm, Angelic Organics. The parcel is a big chunk of the watershed in which our vegetables are...

Oregon energy: a Pacific Northwest landfill captures a valuable energy source.
June 22, 2006... I approach the open pit of Lane County, Oregon's Short Mountain Landfill on olfactory alert, mouth-breathing in case the odor is as overpowering as I expect an acre of open trash to be. I take a tiny, furtive sniff. Not bad. I inhale less...

Cheney is no sportsman.(Dick Cheney)
June 22, 2006... Those of you who read James Fennimore Cooper's The Deerslayer might remember a scene in which the pioneers blast away indiscriminately at clouds of passenger pigeons, while the Deerslayer picks out one bird, shoots it, retrieves his kill for...

Poison under the pavement.(Exxon Mobil Corp.'s oil spills in Greenport)
June 22, 2006... In one of the largest cities in one of the richest countries in the world, millions of gallons of oil have been spreading under peoples' homes for the past 50 years because an oil company has been too busy making profits to clean up its toxins....

Ten thousand bicycles in Portland: bikes, carpools, public transit, and planned development reduce emissions in Portland.
June 22, 2006... A Portland, Oregon, woman saves enough money to go to Europe three weeks every year by using a bicycle as her mode of transportation rather than owning an automobile. "I use Flex Car if I need to carry something around that won't fit in my bike...

Major oil spill in Alaska: Congress eyes ANWR as oil spills in the Arctic.
June 22, 2006... With its March passage of a budget measure, the US Senate approved a provision to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling--just as the region suffers one of the worst oil spills in its history. The provision to permit...

Primal Tears.(Book review)
June 22, 2006... Primal Tears by Kelpie Wilson. North Atlantic Books 2005 320 pages, $13.95 Primal Tears is a funny, deep, exciting, and biologically correct novel springing from an innovative idea: What if efforts to bring back endangered species from the...

Timber-dependent counties have had 100 years to kick their addiction to federal subsidy.(Voices)
June 22, 2006... Selling federal forestland to subsidize rural schools and road projects is a bad idea for many reasons. But a proposal to do just that, incorporated into the Bush administration's 2007 budget, has focused welcome public attention on a...