Alternatives Journal articles from January 2002

Alternatives Journal archives from January 2002

A sacred task. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Rabbi Daniel Swartz of the Washington-based Children's Environmental Health Network speaks eloquently of his recent parenthood and his work as a sacred task. Swartz's inspiring words launched the Second Global Forum on Children's Environmental...

Loblaws keeps consumers in the dark. (Notes).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Canadians want to know if the food they buy contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to a recent Greenpeace poll, 87 percent of Canadians are in favour of mandatory labeling of GMO products, demonstrating the growing public...

Scientists criticize endangered species bill. (Notes).(Species at Risk Act, Canada)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Canada is the "missing link" when it comes to endangered species protection, according to 1331 of the world's top scientists. The scientists sent a harsh letter to Jean Chretien this past September (2001) criticizing the federal government's...

Ground gained in conservation of the Oak Ridges Moraine. (Notes).(Conservation Act, Ontario, Canada)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Lasting protection for the Oak Ridges Moraine has moved one step closer to reality, thanks to new legislation by Ontario's Conservative government. On December 13th, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and land-use plan received third...

Canada not committed to Earth Summit. (Notes).(Canadian Institute for Environmental Law Policy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Canada is now preparing for the 2002 Earth Summit, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa next September, but critics say the federal effort is falling short. Preparations for the summit are being co-ordinated by the Earth Summit...

The last resort: Parks Canada wins battle to permit big hotel expansion in Banff, but environmentalists hope there will be no more. (Reports).(Banff National Park, Alberta)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... A courtroom may not be the best venue for protecting Canada's national parks, but a recent judgment has at least served to intensify the debate over the role of development within park boundaries. On January 10, 2001, Canada's Federal...

New Networking: Green TV gets connected in Canada.(Portraits television program)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Geneva Guerin isn't the sort of person you would expect to see on TV. She isn't your typical glitzy Hollywood celebrity. She doesn't have a violent or criminal past, a sob story, or a passion for extreme stunts. She is a 23-year-old political...

Ads for the Earth. (Stir It Up).(responsible advertising/living)(Brief Article)(Column)
January 1, 2002... Did you notice how, in the aftermath of the September 11 terror, television ads disappeared? With all that horror, selling stuff seemed inappropriate. But it was short-lived as the advertisers realized an opportunity. On September 22 a...

The environment after September 11. (Political Science).(United States)
January 1, 2002... The events of September 11 will have many consequences for the environment. Some are being felt now, while others will become evident over time, as politics accommodates itself to a new reality. Challenges are emerging -- particularly that of...

Co-Evolution: New evidence suggests that to be truly human is to be partly wolf.(archaeology research/bibliography)(Bibliography)
January 1, 2002... A RECENT ADVANCE in scientific techniques has provided an unexpected insight into our ancient past, and a suggestion that our human heritage may not be totally derived from our primate ancestors. Newly developed techniques of DNA analysis...

Experimenting on Children: Despite the lessons from experience with lead in gasoline, Canadian regulators are only slowly adopting more precautionary approaches to environmental health threats involving children. (Children & Health).
January 1, 2002... LAST WINTER at an Ardene store, I paid ten dollars to buy five necklaces, all of them containing exceptionally dangerous levels of lead. Ardene is a chain of stores found across the country offering a wide assortment of inexpensive kitsch, hair...

Starting Off: Breast milk is still nature's best infant food, but it is vulnerable to persistent contaminants. (Children & Health).(research)(Brief Article)(Column)
January 1, 2002... A bag of breast milk sits frozen in my freezer. Chances are it contains trace remnants of the chemical contaminants that I was exposed to in the several decades before my son was born. That didn't stop me from nursing him until well past his...

Unambiguous Results: When Mexico's Yaqui Indians split into two different agricultural camps in the 1950s, their children became an unusually perfect test group for the effects of pesticide exposure. (Children Health).(health research)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Much of our knowledge regarding the risks that chemicals pose to children is extrapolated from laboratory animal studies. Unfortunately, this approach to risk assessment tends to centre on obvious birth defects and disease induced by one...

Home Hazards: Residential pesticides pose threats to children's health. (Children & Health).(cancer research)
January 1, 2002... Since about 1945, children have been raised in novel chemical environments -- they have been exposed to toxic, human-made substances for which they have no biological preparation. Urban pesticides -- bug sprays, pet flea and tick products, hair...

Food Fights: Canadian regulators are under pressure to face the uncertainties of genetically modified food. (Children & Health).(research)
January 1, 2002... IN THE FALL OF 2000, US newspapers reported that genetically modified (GM) corn not approved for human consumption had been found in taco shells, corn chips and other corn products. (1) The corn, called "Starlink", was engineered with a toxin...

The Rule of Ten: Standards should be ten times stricter to ensure safe levels of exposure for children. (Children & Health).(United States Environmental Protection Agency)
January 1, 2002... Safeguarding human and environmental health from exposure to F harmful levels of toxic substances is one of the most important obligations of public authorities in Canada. Decisions concerning such substances are generally made using a...

Big Effects on Little Bodies: Extreme weather events associated with climate change are bringing added threats to child health and safety. (Children & Health).(research)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Climate influences many of the key determinants of health: temperature extremes and violent weather events; the geographic range of disease organisms and vectors; the quality of air, food and water; and the stability of ecosystems. For...

Breathing Easier: Smog kills more Canadians than car accidents, and asthma affects about two million Canadians, many of them children. We can change that. (Children & Health).(research)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Few things are as important as the air we breathe. Yet the simple act of breathing is so easy to take for granted -- until something goes wrong. For many Canadians, air pollution is more than a hazy, brown annoyance, it's a noxious stew...

Resources for Children's Health. (Children & Health).(Web sites/research reports)(Bibliography)
January 1, 2002... WEB SITES Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment . The Children's Environmental Health Project is the main attraction at this site and provides an effective summary of medical and scientific information about environmental...

Fourth Annual Canadian Graduate Environmental Studies Programs. (Alternatives Directory).(Canada)(Directory)
January 1, 2002... WE ARE PLEASED to present Alternatives Journal's fourth annual directory of Canadian graduate programs in environmental studies. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies, many of the programs listed are combined degrees...

Being Green Down Under. (Reviews).
January 1, 2002... Green Power: The Environment Movement in Australia, Tim Doyle, Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, University of New South Wales, 2000. This book presents an alternate, advocacy-based, parochial and quite eclectic socio-political...

The Poor Pay. (Reviews).
January 1, 2002... Hungry for Trade: How the Poor Pay for Free Trade, John Madeley, Halifax: Zed Press, 2000. The current global industrial food sys tem is inextricably tied to international trade. The average distance food travels from farm to table in...

A Legal Guide for Activists by the Common Front Legal Committee <www.ocap.ca/legalguide>. (Click Here).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Eager to know what your legal boundaries are when it comes to activism? The Common Legal Front has developed an arresting Web site filled with straightforward information covering legal situations relevant to the average or "high risk"...

Alternet <www.alternet.org>. (Click Here).(Independent Media Institute)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... People have been tapping into prominent news networks all over the world, particularly in light of recent events. If you're looking for less mainstream news coverage, log onto this site. Alternet is a project of the Independent Media Institute...

Earth Chronicle Productions <www.earthchronicles.net>. (Click Here).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Make outdated classroom material a thing of the past with educational soundscapes, radio documentaries and syndicated broadcast series, brought to you by Earth Chronicles. Currently the site has three categories from which to order material --...

Earth Summit 2002 <www.earthsummit2002.org>. (Click Here).
January 1, 2002... If you can't afford the flight to Johannesburg to attend the 2002 Earth Summit, this may be the next best thing. Search the archived and current news stories to catch up on all the related information, then check out the frequent Earth Summit...

Electricity Choices <www.electricitychoices.org>. (Click Here).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Decrease your energy use and boost your knowledge about your energy consumption habits. Produced by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, this is a public service Web site intended to help consumers better understand their contribution to air quality...

Globe <www.globe.gov>. (Click Here).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Primarily for students and teachers, GLOBE is a comprehensive site that offers excellent resources on science and education. Membership entails attending a special workshop in the nearest host country, and Canadian contact information is...

Journal of International Law and Policy <www.jiwlp.com>. (Click Here).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... This wordy Web site has a simple but appealing layout. For those concerned about the efficacy of wildlife treaty regimes, the site offers information and analysis packed into four main sections -- overview, guidelines, past issues and...

Letters.
January 1, 2002... A Charity by Definition I am somewhat concerned with a few items of misinformation in Brenda Donor's recent article [Alternatives, 27:4 "Reality Cheque"]. The definition of what constitutes a charity does not come from "a 400-year-old...

Passing the Wind Tax. (Brain Mulch).(New Zealand)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... New Zealand (Aotearoa), the Land of the Long White Cloud, has been making gaseous contributions to global environmental discourse. The South Pacific paradise famous for the brothers Finn, furry fruit and fanatical environmentalists recently...