Earth Island Journal articles from March 2008

Earth Island Journal archives from March 2008

Food for thought.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
March 22, 2008... A funny thing happened on the way to the Farm Bill--ordinary consumers got involved. In (he past, a small number of legislators from the soy- and corn-growing states and lobbyists from the corporatist Farm Bureau have overseen the US's...

Bird damage.(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
March 22, 2008... In "Buy the Numbers" in the Winter 2008 issue, you report that wind turbines account for a relatively low number of bird deaths. If buildings, cats, cars, and power lines are taking such a huge toll on bird populations already, I believe it is...

Population calculation.(LETTER & E-MAILS)(Letter to the editor)
March 22, 2008... The tremendous increase in human population is the reason for the urban sprawl and the lack of "nature" you write about in the editorial in the Winter 2008 issue. We quite likely went past "peak oil" in 2004 or 2005. We are running out of...

A sliver of hope.(AFRICA)
March 22, 2008... Talk about a vicious circle: People in Niger chop down trees to use for cooking fuel, but the more wood they chop, the worse the soil becomes, which will eventually mean less food available for people to cook. Deforestation allows the sun...

Mine your own business.(ASIA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... More than 300 protesters from a Vietnamese village took matters into their own hands when they ransacked a proposed titanium mine site in late December. Fearing that the mine would contaminate soil and groundwater, they destroyed machinery and...

Plastic bags sacked.(ASIA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... In the past few years, cities and countries around the world have banned the production and/or distribution of plastic shopping bags. Ireland and Uganda have laws against the bags, as does San Francisco. As of June 1, the most-populated country...

Working for peanuts.(ASIA)
March 22, 2008... For more than 4,000 years, Asian elephants in Thailand have worked closely with humans, fulfilling such important roles as providing transportation for the king or hauling lumber. These days, however, King Bhumibol Adulyadej gets around town by...

Pray on it.(EUROPE)(environmental protection)
March 22, 2008... When it comes to the details of Christian doctrine, the Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Churches still have matters of disagreement. But on the issue of environmental protection, the leaders of all these faiths agree...

Purple drain.(EUROPE)
March 22, 2008... Just for the record, grape Kool-Aid does not occur naturally. Unfortunately, nobody told the people in the Greek town of Oinofyta. The water in the Asopos River there started running purple 10 years ago, yet people continued to use the water...

Rio not-so-Grande.(NORTH AMERICA)
March 22, 2008... A treaty signed 64 years ago is turning farms in northern Mexico into dust bowls. The 1944 treaty stipulates that every five years, Mexico must transfer hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to the US from two dams that the countries...

Ecological breakup.(NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... Divorce is a devastating experience. Adults in the midst of a crumbling relationship often become depressed, and children sometimes need psychological counseling to cope with the process. Now, a new study shows that when couples split up, the...

Gas attack.(OCEANIA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... While a smokestack billowing carbon dioxide has become the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution, an equally accurate symbol for global warming emissions might be a cow or sheep. According to recent studies, farmed ruminants account for one...

Shelling out for turtles.(SOUTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species banned the international sale of marine turtle products in 1977. But some turtle species, such as the hawksbill, have continued to be hunted illegally and turned into highly prized...

Send in the troops.(SOUTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... In the last five months of 2007, deforestation in the Amazon surged dramatically, according to the Brazilian government. To prevent the increase in forest destruction, Brazil is considering a range of new anti-logging measures--including using...

The competition is melting.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE)(effect of global warming on winter sports)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... In recent years, hockey players and competitive skiers have warned that rising global temperatures are affecting their beloved sports. Now it appears global warming may ruin another winter contest--The Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival....

The tropics of Canada?(TEMPERATURE GAUGE)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... That ice sculptor may be right. According to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the Earth's tropical belt is expanding much faster than expected, which could bring more storms to temperate zones while further drying out already...

Get a life.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... In December, more than 10,000 people from around the world gathered in Bali for a new round of UN-sponsored talks to address climate change. For those who couldn't afford the ticket--or who didn't want to increase their carbon footprint by...

E-emissions.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... Perhaps Congressman Markey didn't hear the news, but according to a new report by the UK-based environmental organization Global Action Plan, the computer servers used to power Internet technologies such as Second Life are a significant...

No comment.(TEMPERATURE GAUGE)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... At least according to the Saudis, shifting away from fossil fuels is not a smart way of addressing climate change. During the Bali Summit, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told the UN delegates that the world should continue to use...

Tapping the fat of the land.(SPYHOPPING: A whale's act of coming out of the water to examine its surroundings.)
March 22, 2008... During a keynote speech at the 2007 Gas and Oil Expo, officials from ExxonMobil and the National Petroleum Council (NPC) addressed the specter of peak oil and presented a radical proposal. "Without oil, at least four billion people would...

Bay Area Wilderness Training.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Outdoor Industry Association)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) recently announced that Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) is a finalist for the 2008 Outdoor Industry Ambassador Award. Each year, the OIA Award recognizes a company that has made significant and ongoing...

Bay Localize.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... Bay Localize recently released the report "Tapping the Potential of Urban Rooftops," which assesses the feasibility of rooftop development in the San Francisco Bay Area through an in-depth case study of a neighborhood in downtown Oakland. ...

South Coast Habitat Restoration.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... Earth Island Institute welcomes three new projects! South Coast Habitat Restoration will manage habitat protection, conservation, restoration, and outreach projects in the Santa Barbara and Ventura region. Its goals are to foster community...

China Rivers Project.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... China Rivers Project will protect China's river heritage for people and wildlife and foster river-based recreation in China. The group envisions a future where healthy rivers form the core of healthy, sustainable communities, and where the...

Big Wildlife.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Big Wildlife was formed in 2006 to provide a voice for top North American keystone species such as cougars, bears, coyotes, and wolves. By providing campaign leadership, empowering grassroots, broadening the base of...

Reef Protection International.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... Reef Protection International is pleased to announce that the Web site companion to the groundbreaking Reef Fish Guide, a pocket handbook for the marine aquarium hobbyist, is now online on the RPI Web site (www.reefprotect.org). The Web site...

2008 Brower Youth Awards.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Brief article)
March 22, 2008... The 2008 Brower Youth Awards is looking for outstanding youth leaders with the power and persistence to create environmental change. Six winners will be awarded $3,000 each and brought to the San Francisco Bay Area for a week of media and...

Youth Venture-Lorax Challenge.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Public notice)
March 22, 2008... Come up with an idea to help protect the planet! We'll give you the support you need to launch your idea, including up to $1,000. Plus, five grand prize winners will get a free trip to the University of Florida for an environmental boot camp!...

Borneo project: burning for biofuels.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)
March 22, 2008... Several years ago, energy reformers were sure that a "biofuel revolution" would be a key to stabilizing global climate while providing abundant, renewable energy. Along with corn, soybeans, and sugarcane, palm oil was supposed to be one of the...

International marine mammal project: saving dolphins.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)(Save Japan Dolphins Coalition)
March 22, 2008... Surfer's Demo Gets Worldwide Publicity Thanks to recent worldwide publicity, the truth about the Taiji dolphin slaughter is now reaching millions of people. Last November, a group of committed surfers, actresses, and filmmakers joined...

Safe food and fertilizer: food is a four-letter word.(EARTH ISLAND PROJECT NEWS)
March 22, 2008... Each year, approximately 110 billion pounds of fertilizer are applied to farm fields throughout the US. Unfortunately, almost one-half of that total is non-nutrient material of unknown composition. The fertilizer industry has acknowledged that...

Not all apples are created equal: scientists say organic foods are more nutritious--are government officials listening?(Cover story)(Report)
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Don't ask the US federal government whether there are any health benefits to eating organic food. It won't tell. No mere coincidence, then, that no pictures of farmers or farms (or fertilizers or pesticides) appear...

Fields of plenty.(1,000 WORDS)
March 22, 2008... In the summer of 2003, farmer-writer-photographer Michael Ableman and his son piled their belongings into an old VW touring wagon and set off from their farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia on a journey to talk with the most...

Learning to observe: the practice of natural agriculture.
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Yasuo Tarumi will kneel by the computer when required, will sit at the dining table when politeness demands. But the truth is, he would rather be on his couch. As soon as allowed, he'll return to the indentation he...

Neat freaks: how food safety rules are threatening environmentally friendly farming practices.
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dale Coke has been farming in California's San Benito County for nearly 30 years, and the thousands of days of wind and sun are etched in the deep lines of his long, lean face. His hands are tough, with fingers that...

"From heresy to conventional wisdom at blinding speed": a history of Earth Island Institute's 25 years.(Organization overview)
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] David Brower, the first executive director of the Sierra Club and the founder of Earth Island Institute and many other organizations, had many passions. He loved books--the writing, editing, designing, and production...

Willow Rosenthal.(CONVERSATION)(City Slicker Farms)(Interview)
March 22, 2008... The west side of Oakland, California is not known for its gardens and green spaces. Site of the sprawling Port of Oakland, the neighborhood is surrounded by the warehouses, rail yards, and truck depots that are vital to the workings of the...

Paradise in no man's land: the Korean DMZ is one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world--and a sanctuary for the peninsula's flora and fauna.(demilitarized zone)(Travel narrative)
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The dragon does not usually receive visitors in winter, but we went anyway. We left the jeep parked at an empty guard post on a dirt road edged with barbed wire. Landmine warning signs hung on the fence. The five of...

Harvest of suicides: how global trade rules are driving Indian farmers to despair.
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the 21st century; India is often portrayed as a software powerhouse, a key part of the engine that keeps our wired world running. Yet this essential cog in the global information economy does not collect data on...

Peak soil: the silent global crisis.
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A harsh winter wind blew last night, and this morning the thin snow cover has turned into a rich chocolate brown. The dirt covering the snow comes from cornfields near my home that were ploughed following the...

Appetite for profit.(Book review)
March 22, 2008... by Michele Simon 416 pages, paperback Nation Books, 2006 The battle of the bulge, being fought in all industrialized societies, is currently being lost. According to American Sports Data, nearly two thirds of all Americans are overweight,...

1,000 bagels a night or: how I learned to stop worrying and love NYC garbage.(VOICES)(New York City)
March 22, 2008... In 2006, I was an intern working with a major conservation organization in one of the most prestigious natural history museums in the world. It was a dream internship, and I, in the spirit of those Broadway musicals I love, felt I was making it...