Wyoming, Western Ranchers Form Wind Energy Associations

There's a growing movement out west as ranchers and property owners in high, steady wind areas of Wyoming and neighboring western states turn to wind energy associations as a means of better understanding and coming to terms with the growing number of wind energy project developers and agents interested in leasing rights to their land...

continue:

http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/wyoming-western-ranchers-form-wind-energ.php


Also NPR article:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98741271

Japan's first solar cargo ship

THE world's first cargo ship partly propelled by solar power took to the seas on Friday in Japan, aiming to cut fuel costs and carbon emissions when automakers ship off their exports.

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/38904

Bringing Fair Trade Home: the Launching of the Domestic

"In an historic coming together farmers, farmworkers, traders, processors, marketers and food system advocates sat down as equals to bring fair trade home," reports the Organic Consumers Association. On December 7, "after three years of groundwork, the Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) is ready to welcome new members." Dr. Chela Vazquez, representing PAN at the meeting held at the headquarters of Organic Valley Coop in LaFarge, Wisconsin, reports that "the participants agreed on a program to advance a vision of social and environmental justice in the food system by developing fair trade standards for North America." DFTA's primary goals are "to support family-scale farming, to reinforce farmer-led initiatives such as farmer co-operatives, to ensure just conditions for agricultural workers, to strengthen the organic farming movement, and bring these efforts together with mission-based traders, retailers and concerned consumers to contribute to the movement for a more equitable, diverse and sustainable agriculture in North America."

http://www.panna.org/files/domesticFairTrade20081217.pdf

Light REDD: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests

EARTH MEANDERS
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
From Earth's Newsdesk
December 13, 2008

Using carbon funds, the world's governments are poised to subsidize ancient forest logging, claiming it benefits the Earth's climate. REDD's potential support of "low impact" logging of ancient forests, and conversion of natural forests to tree farms, fails the climate, biodiversity and biosphere.

Plans to pay for rainforest protection using funds from carbon markets progressed during this week's UN climate talks. I have long promoted the deceptively simple idea of paying to keep rainforests standing, yet am far from jubilant with the results. It appears first time, industrial logging of ancient forests -- through so-called low-impact and certified logging, and the conversion of these and other natural forests to plantations -- is falsely considered as having carbon benefits, and will be paid for with our tax dollars and carbon offsets.

The concept of paying for rainforest protection with carbon money has become known as avoided deforestation, or alternatively, as REDD for "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation". Like many promising concepts before it (i.e. "sustainable development" and "certified forestry"), REDD is in danger of becoming empty jargon meant to legitimate continued environmentally destructive activities.

Worldwide, an area of forest greater than the size of Greece is deforested every year, and much larger areas are continually ecologically diminished, contributing about a fifth of the global greenhouse gas emissions causing abrupt and potentially run-away climate change. Given the biosphere, atmosphere and most species depend upon these forests; the basic idea of paying for protection of rainforests is a sound one. But like so many good eco-ideas before it, the devil is in the details.

Most generally, the concern is whether further commoditizing ecosystems does in fact lead to their protection. As capitalism verges upon collapse because of its dependence upon unsustainable growth as the measure of well-being, it is difficult to trust the world's ancient forest, global ecosystem engines, to yet another market. To date the carbon market has failed miserably to reduce emissions, and its primary impact has been to enrich the polluting elite. What will make avoided deforestation different?

There is much vagueness regarding what specific sorts of activities REDD will fund. Terms like preservation, protection, conservation, sustainability and low impact are used imprecisely and interchangeably when in fact they are quite different. Efforts to end old growth logging, aid in natural forest regeneration and improve their management, and promote socially acceptable plantations of mixed native species are certainly welcome.

Yet it is clear that REDD, as envisioned under United Nations' climate activities, will also subsidize first time industrial logging of primary and old growth forests, and why not? Virtually everyone else tasked with global environmental stewardship -- from stylish Greenpeace, to ultra-establishment World Bank, to second tier posers like Rainforest Action Network -- support the myth of certified ancient forest logging. They and others fail to see that maintaining and restoring large, relatively INTACT terrestrial ecosystems is key to solving both the climate and biodiversity crises, and is ultimately the only long-term foundation for global ecological sustainability.

REDD as it now stands further greenwashs the notion that logging the world’s last ancient forest ecosystems, and converting these and other natural forests to tree farms, benefits the climate. This is in direct contradiction to the best current science. We are learning primary forest ecosystems, including soils, continue removing carbon indefinitely. And their continued ability to both hold existing, and remove new, carbon is majorly and permanently reduced when "managed" for the first time.

The ecological rigorousness of the REDD concept is being negotiated away in order to get industry and government onboard. To appease those responsible for the very burning and cutting destroying ecosystems, while legitimizing their right to continue doing so in a slightly better fashion, REDD is at risk of becoming meaningless. The promise of logging their forests and having carbon payments too, largely motivates government and industry involvement with REDD.

REDD buys into the pernicious myth that low-impact, certified, sustainable, ecosystem based, socially responsible, pixie-magic-dust methods exist to acceptably log a sixty million year old sacred and ecologically precious ancient forest. The world's remaining primeval forests are ecologically and evolutionarily perfect, and there is no industrial management needed or possible that does not release huge amounts of carbon initially, while reducing long-term carbon storage potential. Nor can any sort of industrial scaled logging avert dramatic destruction forever of ancient forests' structure, composition and function.

Because plantations are widely mistaken as forests, REDD will lead to replacement of carbon rich forests by monoculture tree plantations. Much carbon is lost immediately, and future carbon storage potential is forever diminished. While planted trees remove carbon, the carbon stored is not going to persist for millennia like in ancient forest ecosystems. Fast growing monocultures to make paper may be rotting in a land fill within a year. Further, industrial tree plantations are notorious for their toxic waste, social disruption and soil depletion.

An ecologically sufficient gold standard for avoided deforestation looks like this. In regards to primary and old growth forests, a maximally effective program would fund only strict preservation in order to optimally protect carbon and biodiversity stores in the long-term; and only with local support, their continued traditional uses and possibly limited small-scale, community-based eco-forestry development. The best way to remove new carbon is to assist secondary forests to regenerate old-growth characteristics, while expanding and connecting fragmented primary forest landscapes through ecological restoration. There must be no incentives to promote, or tolerance of, replacing natural forests with monocultural tree farms. Demand for forest products can be met from rigorously ecologically certified native, non-toxic tree plantations and delicate management of maturing secondary forests.

There are many other important and troublesome issues regarding REDD that must be resolved for it to be a force for good. REDD allows the rich world to buy their way out of reducing their own carbon emissions reduction. The well-off must not be allowed to use REDD to avoid reducing their own fossil fuel emission reductions. REDD mainly benefits the countries and interests that have caused most of the world's deforestation, and it is imperative local forest dwellers yield most of the benefits. Further, REDD is likely to result in land grabs and other violations of indigenous rights. Strict prohibitions upon REDD financing industrial ancient forest logging and plantations upon recently deforested lands, coupled with getting payments to willing local participants, will alleviate most concerns.

If carbon markets expand to include forests and pay for anything less than full protection of ancient forests, carbon markets will be revealed as a fraudulent Ponzi scheme whose primary purpose is to enrich the elite, not to reduce emissions or ensure a habitable biosphere. Yes, I want carbon markets and REDD to work. But not at the expense of Earth's last intact ecosystem engines, not if carbon markets abet continued emission growth and forest loss, not if carbon accounting trickery pays for continued ecocide, not if land is stolen from local peoples, and not if it slows down sufficient, real progress to END the biodiversity and climate crises.

Carbon markets themselves are underperforming. There is no indication they will become global and result in absolute emission reductions in time to avert global ecosystem collapse. The primary beneficiary thus far has been polluting industries which have reaped windfall profits after being given carbon credits for free. Carbon markets will have completed their descent into irrelevancy and actual harm to the climate and biosphere if these funds pay to log ancient rainforests. If policy-makers get it wrong and grant carbon funding to anything less than full protection for ancient forests, carbon markets will have proven their failure.

It just seems a little much, indeed a blind leap of faith, to suggest that the present economic system, which has brought the Earth to the edge of ruin by liquidating the Earth's life-giving ecosystems over the last few hundred years, and is now collapsing, is capable of saving terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. If history teaches us anything, it is assigning an economic value to shared natural resources, in a world of exponential growth in population and consumption, assures their over-use. Unless these concerns with the functioning of carbon markets, and how they relate to primary and old-growth forests in particular are addressed, the REDD concept is unworthy of support.

http://www.climateark.org/blog/2008/12/light-redd-the-looming-tragedy.asp#more

November5.org Grassroots

Several of us from the Nader for President 2008 campaign had decided to channel our efforts toward one big goal, but we lacked a major focus. Recently, results of a survey done by the campaign came back. Top issue? Adopt single payer health care. It's not the only issue people care about, obviously. But, to turn this country around it's clear that we need to address our own pain now.

Our big goal for the next Congress will be to drive for national health insurance to cover privately-delivered healthcare for all Americans.

We're far from alone in this. The array and scope of the groups and their allies supporting national health insurance is impressive. But we are not reinventing the wheel, either. As long as you want to build a lasting organization that will get Congress to focus on people's needs -- not those of big business -- November5 can be the place to do it.

Here in the United States, we have excellent private health care. So why are nearly 100 million of our citizens uninsured or underinsured? You already know why: profit-driven private insurance companies. Taken together, they make the Pentagon look streamlined.

Not only that, but consider over 18,000 dead and hundreds of thousands getting sicker every year specifically because their health insurance is inadequate -- or non-existent.

The way to fix health care is to cut private insurance companies out of the basic health care picture, while keeping our system of private delivery. This is how Medicare came into being in the 1960s. It now covers all Americans over 65.

If we succeed in creating a system of "Medicare for All," we will help businesses and other organizations, independent contractors, veterans, people with pre-existing conditions, students -- all of us. If we get this done, it will revolutionize all of our lives for the better. We'll be able to focus on everything else that we want to accomplish for our communities, and our nation.

Passing national health insurance will be difficult, but it is achievable.

General Plan
Huge amounts of leg work have been done on this issue. H.R. 676, the legislation that supporters of national health insurance have introduced, had 93 original co-sponsors in the House. That number will probably increase as the new Congress comes into session. The first task now facing all supporters of the bill will be to make a new tally of co-sponsors and supporters in the next Congress.
We will be up against alternatives to "reform" health care, such as the plan promoted by Senator Max Baucus. They simply extend the status quo -- and the damage. They would expand the profits of the private insurance companies, and therefore cannot check the spiraling inflation generated by these companies, and the broken system they inhabit. So, right away, we have to draw a sharp line between what we want, and bad compromises.
Remember, to pass the House, we will need roughly another 120 votes. That means that we will have to go for a margin, to have around 140 votes in addition to the co-sponsors. Here is where our district-level organizations will have to go to work to pick up votes.
We will need sponsors of the legislation in the Senate. Those do not yet exist. This is a critical early step that we hope to help other groups active on H.R. 676 to take.
November5 is non-partisan. We cannot be bound by the notion that Republicans will not buy into national health insurance. It maintains private delivery of health care and will expand choice of doctor, creating conditions for greater innovation and competition -- not less.
We will need to build fast. This effort will work only if it moves deeply into communities, where members of Congress get their votes. We are currently designing a structure that will allow people to begin organizing independently, district by district, around our current goal -- without having to wait for plans from above.
Specific Steps
Inform yourself and others by reading:
H.R. 676
and these three articles:
Rose Ann DeMoro, Philadelphia Inquirer, December 8, 2008
Physicians for a National Health Program, Talking Points, December 10, 2008
Statement of Dr. Marcia Angell introducing the U.S. National Health Insurance Act
and by watching these excellent videos on H.R. 676. Pass them along in emails, on blogs, facebook and myspace pages. If you create videos on youtube, do one on national health care yourself:
HR 676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 1 of 4
HR 676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 2 of 4
HR 676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 3 of 4
HR 676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 4 of 4
Write a letter -- not an email -- in your own words to your member of Congress stating that you'd like their commitment to vote for H.R. 676. If your member of Congress is a co-sponsor of the bill, express your support for that stand. Email a copy to us, if you would, with the words "Letter to My Congressperson" in the subject line.
President-elect Obama has asked for volunteers around the country to host discussion groups on the health care issue during the last half of December. Attend a discussion in your area and make the argument for single payer. Click here for more information.
Soon, we'll be raising money online to build the November5 movement. November5.org will not be a passive website, it will be a place where each Congressional district will be represented by the people of that district. You'll be able to login and see the latest on your Congressional representative, plan with others events that make sense to you for promoting H.R. 676, and organize for meeting with your member of Congress.

If the model works, we'll be able to tackle other issues. For now, let's focus in, and get November5 built. The bell has rung -- and we are in a struggle that we can win, if we all dig deep.

The politicians who want to nibble around the edges of the rolling disaster that is our health care system may have industry on their side, but we have the best plan. Many highly-qualified doctors, economists, and legislators have put enormous work into it, we just have to stand up, be counted and gather others with us to do the same.

We look forward to the rewarding work ahead.

The November5 Team

Finance Giants Adopt 'Climate Principles'

...The code is intended as a guide to help financial and insurance institutions manage climate change across a broad section of services and products, unlike the Carbon Principles, a framework adopted earlier this year by several U.S. banks which focuses on project financing, such as coal-fired power plant projects, according to Climate Group Spokesman Neal McGrath.

"The Climate Principles are global, cover the entire spectrum of financial services and so are much broader in scope,"...

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/03/finance-giants-adopt-climate-principles

A New Corps for a Green New Deal

Seven MBA students helped big name companies such as Google, Yahoo! and Cisco identify energy efficiency opportunities in their operations that will save $35 million in net costs over five years.

They are part of the Climate Corps, an Environmental Defense Fund pilot program that pairs business students with corporations to explore strategies that save energy, greenhouse gas emissions and money.

The pilot was a success and now EDF wants to scale up with a partnership with Net Impact, the nonprofit focused on fostering tomorrow's socially responsible business leaders...

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/04/a-new-corps-green-new-deal

AT&T Offers to Help EPA Find Ways to Cut GHGs

...A range of business and public interests submitted comments to the EPA, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Fourteen attorneys general urged the agency on Monday to use its authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while the governor of Texas warned that greenhouse gas regulations would cause irreparable harm to his state's economy...

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/02/att-offers-help-epa-find-ways-cut-ghgs

Brazil Announces Plan to Slow Amazon Deforestation by 70%

Just in terms of avoided deforestation in the Amazon, the plan foresees a reduction of 4.8bn tons of carbon dioxide that won't be emitted up to 2018 - which is more than the reduction efforts fixed by all the rich countries...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/brazil-amazon-deforestation-reduction-plan.php

by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 12. 2.08

New LED Light Bulbs Can Replace 100W Incandescents

MetaEfficient.com

...LED bulbs have many advantages over incandescents and compact fluorescent: they use very little power, they last 10 years or more, and they contain no hazardous substances. They are also tough: they can be dropped and turned off and on repeated without damage, they can operate in very cold or warm temperatures.

LED bulbs can also save you money in the long term, because an incandescent bulb requires about $300 worth of electricity over ten years of use. The LED bulbs cost $50 (for the 100 watt equivalent Evolux) and $90 (for the 60 watt equivalent Zetalux), and their cost to run over ten years is about $38...

http://www.metaefficient.com/leds/led-light-bulbs.html

Declare A Paradigm - Global Solutions Contest Winner!

First Place ~ Rowan North

"We can choose to live in a world where we all develop our individual talents and contribute them to society in our own unique way. We can choose to live in a world where we playfully explore the landscape of contrast that life has to offer. So as we move forward into the 21st century I would hope that we all aspire to something beyond the limits of what we believe is possible, for the borders of our potential will be built only by the boundaries of our imagination."

http://multimedia.globalsolutions.org/spoken-word-poetry/declare-paradigm

The Think Global, Eat Local Thanksgiving Menu - A Greener Thanksgiving

Here's Everything You Need for an Earth-Friendly — and Delicious — Thanksgiving Meal.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/green-thanksgiving-44103008?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist


A Savory Five-Course Meal, with Bread and Unforgettable Sides!

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/Eat-Local-Thanksgiving

Includes several delicious vegetarian dishes....

Use LED holiday lights

The bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours (that’s over five years of continuous lighting — no more tweaking every bulb trying to find the dud!) and use up to 90% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs. One estimate puts the potential savings at over $8 for just one tree’s worth of lights!

http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/use-led-holiday-lights?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Read%26nbsp%3Bmore&utm_content=lilyfishpond%40yahoo.com&utm_campaign=Newsletter+11%2F19%2F08

Responsible Credit Cards

There are more options than ever for conscientious credit card users to make a difference every time they make a charge.

When you open a credit card with a bank or credit union, your fees— late fees, annual fees, balance transfer fees—as well as the fees that the merchants pay, provide a profit for the issuing institution. The bank, in turn, puts that money to work in the form of loans to individuals and businesses. The question for conscientious credit card users is whether the banks issuing their cards are sustainable, or are financing destructive projects.

“Community investing and socially responsible banks and credit unions provide the best opportunity for consumers to avoid supporting negative practices,” says Fran Teplitz, Co-op America’s director of social investing programs. “When you use a mega-bank’s card, you’re bolstering all the things the bank’s loans support, from clearcutting forests to building new coal-fired power plants.”


http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/ResponsibleCreditCards.cfm

America Serves (website - office of the president elect)

"When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream."

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

Green Energy Voter Guide

We cannot solve our economic crisis without solving our energy crisis and we cannot responsibly solve our energy crisis without stopping global warming.

Our environmental and economic future is in our hands. We must keep the pressure on our federal candidates to support real action to stop global warming and unleash our green energy future.


http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=28228 Environmental Defense

Providing a Voice for the Independent Candidates

Providing a Voice for the Independent Candidates

October 5, 2008
Written by Ari Herzog

http://voiceswithoutvotes.org/2008/10/05/providing-a-voice-for-the-independent-candidates-2/

Despite the media's focus on Barack Obama and John McCain, they are not the only candidates running for the office of President of the United States of America.

The race to the White House also includes Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party, Cynthia McKinney of the Green-Rainbow Party, and Ralph Nader of the Independent Party.

You can read more about the six men and women (and their running mates) at Project Vote Smart.

http://www.votesmart.org/election_president.php

Is the Bailout Needed? Many Economists Say "No"

Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers: "A funny thing happened in the drafting of the largest-ever US government intervention in the financial system. Lawmakers of all stripes mostly fell in line, but many of the nation's brightest economic minds are warning that the Wall Street bailout's a dangerous rush job. President Bush and his Treasury secretary, former Goldman Sachs chief executive Henry Paulson, have warned of imminent economic collapse and another Great Depression if their rescue plan isn't passed immediately. Is that true?"...Coming out of the White House on Thursday, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, Alabama's Richard Shelby, held up what he said was a five-page list of economists opposing the rescue plan.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/53107.html

Protecting the public interest in any economic "bailout"

The U.S. government has been turned into an engine that accelerates the wealth upwards into the hands of a few. The Wall Street bailout, the Iraq War, military spending, tax cuts to the rich, and a for-profit health care system are all about the acceleration of wealth upwards. And now, the American people are about to pay the price of the collapse of the $513 trillion Ponzi scheme of derivatives. Yes, that’s half a quadrillion dollars. Our first trillion dollar compression bandage will hardly stem the hemorrhaging of an unsustainable Ponzi scheme built on debt "de-leverages."

Does anyone seriously think that our public and private debts of some $45 trillion will be paid? That the administration's growth of the federal debt from $5.6 trillion to $9.8 trillion while borrowing another trillion dollars from Social Security has nothing to do with this? Does anyone not see that when we spend nearly $16,000 for every family of four in our society for the military each year that we are heading over the cliff?

This is a debt crisis, not a credit crisis. Just as FDR had to save capitalism after Wall Street excesses, we have to re-invigorate our economy with real - not imaginary - growth. It does not address the never-ending war on the middle class.

The same corporate interests that profited from the closing of U.S. factories, the movement of millions of jobs out of America, the off-shoring of profits, the out-sourcing of workers, the crushing of pension funds, the knocking down of wages, the cancellation of health care benefits, the sub-prime lending are now rushing to Washington to get money to protect themselves.

The double standard is stunning: their profits are their profits, but their losses are our losses.

This bailout will not bring real jobs back to America. It will not bring back jobs that make things. It does not rebuild our schools, streets, neighborhoods, parks or bridges. The major product of this financial economy is now debt. Industrial capitalism has been destroyed.
In the next few days I will push for a plan that includes equity for every American in any taxpayer investment in this so-called bail-out plan. Since the bailout will cost each and every American about $2,300, I have proposed the creation of a United States Mutual Trust Fund, which will take control of $700 billion in stock assets, convert those assets to shares, and distribute $2,300 worth of shares to new individual savings accounts in the name of each and every American.
I will also insist that all of the following issues be considered in whatever Congress passes:

Reinstatement of the provisions of Glass-Steagall, which forbade speculation
Re-regulation of the finance, insurance, and real estate industries
Accountability on the part of those who took the companies down:
a) resignations of management
b) givebacks of executive compensation packages
c) limitations on executive compensation
d) admission by CEO's of what went wrong and how, prior to any government bailout
Demands for transparencey
a) with respect to analyzing the transactions which took the companies down
b) with respect to Treasury's dealings with the companies pre and post-bailout
An equity position for the taxpayers
a) some form of ownership of assets
Some credible formula for evaluating the price of the assets that the government is buying.
A sunset clause on the legislation
Full public disclosure by members of Congress of assets held, with possible conflicts put in blind trust.
A ban on political campaign contributions from officers of corporations receiving bailouts
A requirement that 2008 cycle candidates return political contributions to officers and representatives of corporations receiving bailouts
And, most importantly, some mechanism for direct assistance to homeowners saddled with unreasonable or unmanageable mortgages, as well as protection for renters who have lived up to their obligation but fall victim to financial tragedy when the property they live in undergoes foreclosure.

These are just some thoughts on the run. You will hear more from me tomorrow.



Dennis Kucinich

12 Year Old Boy Invents New Type of Solar Cell

Now here’s a story that makes me feel profoundly unaccomplished: a 12 year old boy in Beaverton, Oregon recently developed a new type of 3D solar cell that makes other solar cells look inefficient by comparison.

William Yuan’s 3D cell can absorb both visible and UV light. According to his calculations, solar panels equipped with his 3D cells could provide 500 times more light absorption than current commercial solar cells and nine times more light than existing 3D solar cells.

Tomorrowland

A design competition for eco-smart city-living aims to turn “what if” into “what is”

Profile: Music Genome Project

The music genome project is a colossal effort to classify songs by using over 400 “genetic markers” that, applied to a song and taken together, help to create a kind of taxonomy of music. The genetic markers include everything from basic attributes such as whether a song is acoustic or electronic, to subtle qualities of the lead singer’s voice and all aspects of the arrangement -- right down to whether or not hand claps are in the mix. Dissonant harmonies, guitar effects, specific use of drums and cymbals, syncopation, orchestral music, and even subtle influences become part of the song’s DNA map.

The music genome project is the brainchild of 1988 Stanford graduate, Tim Westergren. The actual work of analyzing songs is carried out by a dedicated team of highly qualified technicians and musicians who reportedly spend 30-minutes analyzing every song that becomes part of the music genome project library. Virtually all music genres are included in the project.

You might be wondering what purpose such an interesting project could serve. The answer is to provide music-loving Web surfers with the ability to create free, personalized online radio stations that only play music the listener likes—even when it's music the listener has never heard before.

One need only visit the music genome project website, Pandora.com, and enter the name of a favorite song or artist in a search box. Server-side software uses the artist or song to find genetically similar material in the database, and the resultant playlist begins streaming for the listener. Song title and artist is displayed along a cover shot of the relevant single or compact disc. Player controls allow the listener to repeat a song or skip forward to the next tune in the playlist. If the playlist doesn’t quite meet your needs, you can tweak it by changing the parameters.

Since entering a song or title necessarily limits the music genome project to find similar music, Pandora allows a user to create several radio stations to cover several different types or genres of music. For example, one might create a custom radio station for rock, one for blues, and one for alternative. The user can then use the “QuickMix” feature to choose which of the radio stations should be included in a “shuffle” mode where the streaming radio will feature songs from each of the (chosen) custom radio stations, rather than just one.

The music genome project opens a whole new world to music lovers by exposing listeners to music they have never heard but are likely to appreciate. This is exciting for music lovers and also for artists, as it creates positive exposure to potential new fans. Due to licensing restrictions, Pandora’s services are primarily available to visitors located in the United States.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-music-genome-project.htm

Think Hosting a Website Can’t Be Done in an Eco-responsible Way? Think Again.

Websites run on powerful computer servers that use massive amounts of electricity. Though energy efficiency should be a high priority for hosting companies—after all, it saves them money-—finding a company who operates their servers in an environmentally-responsible way is not always easy.

A2 Hosting makes it easy. Its FutureServe Green Hosting initiative was created to provide environmentally responsible website hosting in order to protect and improve ecological conditions for current and future generations. In addition, the experts at A2 Hosting have tips for MyClimateMinute readers to reduce their computer usage carbon footprints.

A2 Hosting sees carbon offsets as a means of balancing its web servers’ release of carbon dioxide through a combination of products, practices and resources that save an equivalent, and likely additional, amount of CO2 to what is emitted. Carbon offsets allow A2 Hosting to take responsibility for mitigating CO2 emissions from everyday business activities by contributing to Carbonfund.org projects like reforestation and the development of renewable energy. “Until all our energy needs are able to come from renewable sources, we felt that carbon offsets were the best way to reduce our environmental impact and act as a responsible business,” said A2 Hosting CEO Bryan Muthig. “We carefully looked at all our options before choosing Carbonfund.org to provide our carbon offsets. The fact that Carbonfund.org is a non-profit and has a good reputation made us feel confident our offset dollars were going to be put to good use.”

FutureServe Green Hosting is a combination of low-power hardware, employee effort, and offsetting, and it has established A2 Hosting among the greenest options for website hosting. Among the energy efficient equipment A2 uses are low-voltage Xeon Processors and DDR2 memory, both known for energy efficiency, and power saving hard drives that consume 40% less power and 4-5 less watts than competing hard drives.

In addition, the culture at A2 Hosting is green. Eco-friendly practices found at A2 Hosting include telecommuting to reduce carbon emissions from daily commutes, recycling of older hosting equipment, and eliminating the use of paper towels, Styrofoam cups and plastic cups. Employees who drink coffee or water bring their own re-useable containers.

A2 Hosting offers the following tips for making your computer eco-friendly.
1. The easiest and most efficient way to reduce a computer-related carbon footprint is to turn it off when it isn’t in use.
2. At the very least, turn off the monitor and printer when not using them.
3. Properly configure the computer’s sleep mode settings so its electrical use is reduced automatically.
4. A computer that is obsolete to you can often be used by someone else. Not only does someone less fortunate get the benefit of using a computer, this also prevents the computer from rotting in a landfill.
5. Also, check out this video dedicated to reducing computer power use.

MyClimateMinute readers can save 20% on all A2 Hosting services by using the coupon code a2green at the checkout. Readers can use this coupon to start their own green friendly website or blog. This coupon expires October 31, 2008.

For more on A2 Hosting, please visit www.a2hosting.com.

http://www.carbonfund.org/site/more/media/1056

Texas Court Aims To 'DIVERT' First-Time Offenders

by Wade Goodwyn
NPR August 15, 2008

This is the final installment in a three-part series.

Morning Edition, August 15, 2008 · In Dallas' DIVERT court, perpetrators tend to go by their first names.

"Anna? Where you at, Anna?" court officer Justin Alexander calls out, just as the session is about to begin.

The familiarity embodied in the roll call is a subtle clue to DIVERT Court's success. DIVERT, which technically stands for Dallas Initiative for Diversion and Expedited Rehabilitation and Treatment, also represents the program's focus on diverting individuals with minor drug offenses away from prison.

Established about 10 years ago, it's one of about 80 so-called problem-solving courts across Texas. With the state's yearly budget for corrections ready to surpass the $3 billion mark, DIVERT is looking like an increasingly promising model to keep people out of prison and save tax dollars.

After roll call, Judge John Creuzot, the driving force behind the initiative, enters the courtroom, stage right, robes flowing in his wake.

"Hello, Mr. Dwight. How are you?" he asks. "Miss Sharon, I'm glad I'm here when you're here."

"I am, too, Judge," she responds.

A Court With Close Interactions

Not your typical courtroom banter. There's a rare set of relationships here among criminals, court officials, judge, case managers and drug and alcohol therapists that's grounded in the repetition of seeing each other every week, often several times a week.

"Natasha, I'm glad you're here today because you're going to Phase Three," Creuzot announces to widespread applause. It's taken Natasha Stephens a year to get this far, and she returns to her seat, beaming at his praise.

"You proud of yourself — you were pretty damn mean when you first got here, girl," the judge says.

Stephens says she began drinking when she was 8 years old. By the time she was busted for possessing a gram of cocaine at age 21, she'd been addicted to cocaine and alcohol for years.

"All through my teens — couldn't even go to class," she explains.

Stephens was facing a felony conviction and up to two years in prison. But because it was her first arrest and the amount she was carrying was relatively small, she was a candidate for Creuzot's DIVERT Court.

Stephens soon discovered that diversion is not easy. Instead of doing nothing in jail, she had to meet with her case manager twice a week and attend Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, because she had both addictions. There were intensive outpatient treatment sessions and drug tests.

Those who know something about alcohol and cocaine addiction probably won't be surprised to hear that one weekend, Stephens fell off the wagon and subsequently failed a drug test.

Emphasis On Rehab

This is where the differences between the philosophy of DIVERT Court and the rest of the Texas criminal justice system become particularly apparent. Instead of kicking Stephens out of the program and sending her off to prison, Creuzot sent her to 45 days of intensive inpatient drug treatment.

Stephens says that changed her life.

Understanding just how close she was to a life of oblivion, Stephens dropped her know-it-all attitude and got serious about recovery. She's been sober ever since, with the drug tests to prove it.

Creuzot says what's different about DIVERT Court is the intense judicial oversight.

"A person who relapses on drugs needs further treatment. Our responses are research-driven," he says.

The statistics back him up. Two studies by Southern Methodist University show that DIVERT Court cuts the recidivism rate by 68 percent over the regular Texas criminal justice courts. For every dollar spent on the court, $9 are saved in future criminal justice costs.

Creuzot says the next step is to expand these courts to include perpetrators of property crimes and to raise the possession limits. Currently, if you're busted with two grams of cocaine, for example, that's too much to qualify. Creuzot would like to see DIVERT expanded beyond first-time offenders.

Therapeutic Approach Pays Dividends

The courts have been so successful that even the tough-on-crime, Republican-dominated Texas Legislature approves.

Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano), chairman of the corrections committee, says that instead of worrying about the expanding outflow from prison, he wants to choke off the inflow with DIVERT-type courts.

"We have 157,000 people in the prisons of Texas — that's a lot," he says.

The expanding prison population is a financial red stain spreading across the state's books like the Andromeda Strain, he says. Each new maximum security prison costs Texas taxpayers $300 million to build and $40 million a year to operate.

State officials estimate that unless changes are made, Texas will need 17,000 more prison beds just four years from now. Releasing prisoners on parole is politically untenable — which makes "diversion" an increasingly appealing way to avoid what's looking like a $2 billion invoice.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93614135&ft=1&f=1012

Success! Justice for the victims of Bhopal

Government will Set Up Empowered Commission on Bhopal Disaster

8 August 2008: "Giving in to demands of Bhopal gas tragedy survivors, the Government on Friday announced that an Empowered Commission will be set up to look into all aspects of rehabilitation of the victims and cleaning-up of hazardous waste lying in the area. The Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Ram Vilas Paswan made the announcement at Jantar Mantar in the national Capital, where the survivors of the country's worst industrial disaster have been protesting for the last 130 days," The Press Trust of India reports. The Minister's statement "finally represents a full response to the 172 day 'Walk Your Talk' campaign begun by Bhopalis on February 20th, 2008. The object of the campaign - the longest sustained campaign by the Bhopalis yet - was fulfillment of a set of clear demands," said the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. "The statement achieves this."

http://www.panna.org/bhopal

Vital Signs: Jobs in Renewable Energy Expanding

by Michael Renner
Driven by the gathering sense of a climate crisis, the notion of "green jobs"-especially in the renewable energy sector-is now receiving unprecedented attention. Currently about 2.3 million people worldwide work either directly in renewables or indirectly in supplier indus­tries.1 Given incomplete data, this is in all like­lihood a conservative figure. The wind power industry employs some 300,000 people, the solar photovoltaics (PV) sector accounts for an estimated 170,000 jobs, and the solar thermal industry, at least 624,000.2 More than 1 million jobs are found in the biomass and biofuels sector.3 Small-scale hydropower and geothermal energy are far smaller employers. (See Figure 1.)

Renewables tend to be a more labor-intensive energy source than the still-dominant fossil fuels, which rely heavily on expensive pieces of pro­duction equipment. A transition toward renewables thus promises job gains. Even in the absence of such a transition, growing automa­tion and corporate consolidation are already translating into steadily fewer jobs in the oil, natural gas, and coal industries-sometimes even in the face of expanding production. Many hundreds of thousands of coal mining jobs have been shed in China, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Africa in the last decade or two.4 In the United States, coal output rose by almost one third during the past two decades, yet employment has been cut in half.5

A handful of countries have emerged as leaders in renewables development, thanks to strong government support. A study commissioned by the German government found that in 2006 the country had some 259,000 direct and indirect jobs in the renewables sector.6 The number is expected to reach 400,000-500,000 by 2020 and then 710,000 by 2030.7

Spain also has seen its renewables industry expand rapidly in recent years. The industry now employs some 89,000 people directly (mostly in wind power and PV) and another 99,000 indirectly.8 Denmark has long been a leader in wind development. But with policy support there less steady in recent years, the number of domestic wind jobs has stagnated at about 21,000.9

In the United States, federal policies have been weak and inconsistent over the years, leaving leadership to individual state governments. Still, a study for the American Solar Energy Society found that the U.S. renewables sector employed close to 200,000 people directly in 2006 and another 246,000 indirectly.10

India's Suzlon is one of the world's leading wind turbine manufacturers, further strengthening its position through its 2007 takeover of Germany's REpower.11 Manufacturing of wind turbine components, production of spare parts, and turbine maintenance by Suzlon and other companies are helping to generate much-needed income and employment in India.12 Suzlon currently employs more than 13,000 people directly-about 10,000 in India, and the remain­der in China, Belgium, and the United States.13

China is rapidly catching up in solar PVs and wind turbine manufacturing and is already the dominant force in solar hot water and small hydropower development.14 According to rough estimates, close to a million people in China currently work in the renewables sector.15 To some extent, these numbers reflect China's low labor productivity compared with Western countries. This seems especially true in the solar thermal industry, which is thought to employ some 600,000 people.16

The leaders in renewables technologies can expect considerable job gains in the near future in manufacturing solar panels and wind tur­bines for both domestic and export markets. Jobs in installing, operating, and maintaining renewable energy systems tend to be more local in nature and could thus benefit a broad range of countries.

For instance, Kenya has one of the largest and most dynamic solar markets in the developing world. There are 10 major solar PV import companies, and the country has an estimated 1,000-2,000 solar technicians.17 In Bangladesh, Grameen Shakti has installed more than 100,000 solar home systems in rural communities in a few years-one of the fastest-growing solar PV programs in the world-and is aiming for 1 million by 2015, along with the creation of some 100,000 jobs for local youth and women as solar technicians and repair and maintenance specialists.18

Four countries-Brazil, the United States, China, and Germany-are leading in biomass development. Brazil's ethanol industry is said to employ about 300,000 workers.19 Indonesia and Malaysia are leading palm oil producers; a small but growing share is being diverted there to biofuels production. Malaysia has an estimated half-million people employed in the palm oil industry (and another million people whose livelihoods are connected to it)-many of them Indonesian migrant workers.20 Indonesia is itself planning a major expansion, and optim­istic projections speak of 3.5 million new plantation jobs by 2010.21

Following a wave of initial enthusiasm, there are now rising doubts about the environmental benefits and economic impacts of at least some types of biofuels, however.22 And the jobs that are being created need close scrutiny as well. Biofuels processing typically requires higher skills and thus is likely to offer better pay than feedstock production and harvesting. But most jobs are found at sugarcane and palm oil plantations, where wages and working conditions are often extremely poor.

The Brazilian sugarcane industry has historically been marked by exploitation of seasonal laborers and by the takeover of smaller-scale farms by large plantation owners, often by violent means.23 The prevailing piece-rate system leaves many Brazilian plantation workers earning a pittance, and some end up in debt bondage. Living conditions are often squalid.24 In Indonesia, too, poverty is common among plantation workers, who face unsafe working conditions, frequent denial of their rights, and intimidation by employers.25

The expansion of plantations for biofuels also threatens to come at the expense of rural jobs and rural communities. Oil palm companies seeking to acquire land in Indonesia's West Kalimantan, for example, have been found to hold out false promises of jobs for local communities.26 A 2006 study of the area found that small farming systems provided livelihoods for 260 times as many people per hectare of land as oil palm plantations did.27

According to the Woods Hole Research Center, India could create some 900,000 jobs by 2025 in biomass gasification.28 Of this total, 300,000 jobs would be with manufacturers of gasifier stoves (including masons, metal fabricators, and so on) and 600,000 would be in biomass production, processing into briquettes and pellets, supply chain operations, and after-sales services.29 Another 150,000 people might find employment in advanced biomass cooking technologies.30

While biofuels are now subject to more critical reviews on a number of fronts, the future looks promising for wind and solar. Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006 outlines three scenarios-conservative, moderate, and advanced-for future worldwide wind energy development, assuming different rates of investments and capacity expansion.31 (See Figure 2.) Global wind power employment is projected to grow to as much as 2.1 million in 2030 and 2.8 million in 2050 under the advanced scenario.32 Solar Generation IV, a 2007 report by the European Photo­vol­taic Industry Association and Green­peace International, similarly projects world­wide solar PV developments via three scenarios.33 By 2030, as many as 6.3 million jobs could be created under the best case scenario.34 (See Figure 3.)

Expanding the role of renewables helps make other sectors of the economy, such as transpor­tation and buildings, more sustainable-thus greening additional jobs to some degree.


http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5821?utm_campaign=vital_signs_online&utm_medium=email&utm_source=green_jobs

Responsible Jewelry Shines Brighter

July 15, 2008
By Carol Lane

You already consider the environmental impact of many of the things you buy. So when a special occasion arises and you’re considering a jewelry purchase, why not do the same? Here are the issues to factor into your choice.

Natural and Human Elements

Natural resources are the building blocks of any piece of fine jewelry. Gold, silver and gemstones must be extracted from the earth through mining, which impacts the environment. In addition, the fair and ethical treatment of the individuals who are employed throughout the entire process is being looked at with increasing scrutiny.


Gold Mining Processes and Improvements

Gold mining processes can have a considerable environmental impact, both from the extraction of the raw material from the Earth and the extraction of gold from the ore. Cyanide, employed at large scale commercial mining operations, and mercury, favored by informal small-scale miners, are the two most commonly used chemicals. Both can filter into the surrounding ground, water and air if not properly contained.

Today, the mining industry is working toward improved practices that promote sustainability and minimize impact. The International Council on Mining & Metals, a CEO-led group that promotes raising standards across the industry, has created a list of 10 principles for improved sustainability in the mining and minerals sector. These principles range from integrating sustainable development considerations within the corporate decision-making process to upholding fundamental human rights and respecting cultures, customs and values of those affected by mining activities.

Several large mining companies are making innovative changes to improve their performance. Newmont Mining Corporation, for example, was a founding member of the International Council on Mining and Metals. And Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper Bingham Mine does not use cyanide or mercury. It is also doing much more to lessen the impact of its processes such as generating much of its own power, recycling water many times over, and recovering metals from materials that were once wasted.

LEARN MORE: The mining industry is lessening its impact and conserving resources.


Diamonds and the Kimberley Process

The term “conflict diamonds” refers to stones that originate from parts of Africa controlled by forces opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments. The revenue from these diamonds is used to fund military action in opposition to those governments.

Working closely with the United Nations, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) the diamond industry has developed the Kimberley Process Certification System. This system guards against conflict diamonds entering the legitimate diamond supply chain. The diamond industry also adopted a voluntary System of Warranties to assure consumers that their diamonds are from sources free of conflict.

Today, 74 governments have made the Kimberley Process Certification System national law, and now more than 99 percent of the world's diamonds are from conflict-free sources. The diamond industry continues to work to strengthen the Kimberley Process and the System of Warranties.


Before You Shop

When you begin to consider a jewelry purchase, there are several steps you can take to help ensure you’re making a socially responsible, environmentally friendly choice.

Ask questions: Often, businesses won’t alter their policies until their customers demand it. Tell retailers that you’re concerned about the environmental impacts of the jewelry you buy, and that you want to see documentation of their policies. Ask where stones and metals come from, and request proof. Ask about the store’s own environmental policies, which can be indicative of the importance it places on larger environmental issues.

Choose a retailer with an established policy: Many large retailers are taking positive steps to ensure the jewelry they sell is responsible, from mine to shelf. Wal-Mart, the world’s leading retailer of jewelry recently introduced the Love,EarthTM product line, which is fully traceable. The line is part of a Wal-Mart initiative to achieve 100 percent traceability for all of the gold, silver and diamond jewelry sold at its stores.

Consider recycled jewelry: Vintage jewelers offer countless choices for a memorable purchase, with no additional impact on the planet. More and more smaller manufacturers are using recycled metals and gemstones in new pieces.
Today’s environmentally conscious jewelry shopper has more information and resources at hand than ever before. Those resources, combined with improvements made by the mining, manufacturing, and retailing industries, are making it easier to ensure your next jewelry purchase is rooted in compassion and respect for the planet.

READ MORE: From Source to Shelf: The Emergence of the Green Supply Chain

http://www.conservation.org/FMG/Articles/Pages/responsible_jewelry_shines_brighter_walmart.aspx

Bike Sharing Program Launched in Mexico City

TreeHugger, July 18, 2008

Determined to prove its not a just a smog-addled city notorious for traffic and pollution, Mexico City had jumped on the bike-sharing bandwagon and launched its own free program called Mejor En Bici (Spanish link), or Better On Bicycle in English.

We love the jewel-toned wheels of the Mejor en Bici white cruisers, which are available at three sites in the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods, the city's hipster and eco-friendly stomping grounds. To use the bikes, users must register, sign a form, and leave a piece of identification and a deposit of 200 pesos (about $20), which is returned when the bike is dropped off at the same station. The bikes are available from Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/mexico-bike-sharing.php

Electrifying News!

Mitsubishi's i MiEV Electric Car is Ahead of Schedule
A couple months ago, we got our hands on Mitsubishi's roadmap for its i MiEV electric car. The plan was to lease a few units to fleet customers first in 2009 and then launch it in 2010 (with a focus on Japan, but also in North-America and Europe), but reality is turning out better than even the optimists thought.

Japanese Launch: Summer 2009
The new plan is to launch the retail version of the i MiEV electric car in Japan in the summer of 2009. The reasons are "smoother-than-expected" preparations for mass-production and, as we can imagine, the increased demand generated by skyrocketing oil prices. There's really nothing like an economic incentive to focus the mind.

i MiEV Electric Car Specifications
The i MiEV is powered by a compact 47 kW electric motor (133 lb-ft of torque) and a 330V, 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack from Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ). LEJ is a joint venture of GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC). Top speed of the i MiEV is 130 kph (81 mph), with a range of up to 160 km (100 miles) in the Japanese 10-15 cycle driving conditions.

Mitsubishi Motors intends to set the price for the i MiEV at around 4 million yen. But government subsidies for low-emission vehicles are likely to reduce the actual retail price to an estimated 3 million yen [US$28,000].

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/mitsubishi-i-miev-electric-car-launch-japan-2009.php

Wave Powered Boat: Free Energy from the Oceans

Treehugger presented in February a story about a wave powered boat and its sailor (Heinichi Horie), who had the guts to go from Honolulu to Japan on a 4,800 miles trip, with a boat powered solely by the waves. Today he finished his trip, according to Associated Press.

The wave powered boat is called “Suntory Mermaid II”. It has a speed of 5 knots, which is three times slower than traditional diesel powered boats. With some improvement in the wave-propulsion technology and combining it with wind sailing we can hope that it will become competitive with fossil fuels-powered boats.



Here’s a quick description of the way this boat works:

“Two fins mounted side by side beneath the bow move up and down with the incoming waves and generate dolphin-like kicks that propel the boat forward. “Waves are a negative factor for a ship—they slow it down,” says Yutaka Terao, an engineering professor at Tokai University in Japan who designed the boat’s propulsion system. “But the Suntory can transform wave energy into propulsive power regardless of where the wave comes from.”


The Japanese sailor, Horie, says the trip was the world’s longest solo voyage in a wave-powered boat.He also says he took his time because the sea was calm and the weather was beautiful. The 69 year-old sailor isn’t at his first attempt to go green with sailing, because in 1992 he pedaled a boat from Hawaii to Okinawa in southern Japan. And that’s not all: in 1996 he sailed nearly 10,000 miles from Ecuador to Tokyo aboard a solar-powered boat made from recycled aluminum beer cans. So this achievement was only the latest brave green story for him.

Volkswagen to Make Limited Edition of 1-Liter Car (282 MPG!) in 2010

VW's 282 MPG Super Fuel Efficient Car
The 1-Liter car has been around in prototype form since 2002 and greens everywhere have been drooling at its 282 miles per gallon fuel economy (or 1 liter of gasoline per 100 kilometers, hence the name). VW has finally decided to make more and sell them, and a limited edition (estimated in the thousands) should start selling in 2010.

1-Liter Car Technical Specs
The One-Liter car (or 1-Litre, over in Europe) weights only 660 pounds. The body is made from carbon composites and it is shaped to be extremely slippery, giving it a coefficient of drag of only 0.16 ("the average car comes in around 0.30 and the Honda Insight had a Cd of 0.25"). The prototype was powered by a 1-cylinder diesel engine, but the production model should have a 2-cylinder diesel (which means it could be powered by algae-biodiesel!), and maybe even a stop-start anti-idling feature (to cut the engine when the car is stopped).

The car reportedly has anti-lock brakes, stability control and airbags. According to Canadian Driver, "Volkswagen says the One-Liter Car is as safe as a GT sports car registered for racing. With the aid of computer crash simulations, the car was designed with built-in crash tubes, pressure sensors for airbag control and front crumple zones."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/vw-282-mpg-1-one-liter-car-production-2010.php

New Paltz, NY goes organic

Public spaces in New Paltz, a rural community 90 miles north of New York City, are going organic, reports the local Times Herald Record. While elimination of the use of synthetic chemicals by law must be limited to Village property, Alice Andrews, an environmental commission member and the organizer of a task force on organics that advocated the measure, "hopes that residents will follow suit and stop treating their lawns with inorganic chemicals". Andrews and other residents would have preferred legislation banning or severely restricting pesticide use for all properties in the jurisdiction, but as in most other states, pesticide pre-emption law prohibits the Village from regulating pesticides beyond its own property. "'What we've decided is to try every other angle, especially education,'" Andrews said. The task force made posters asking residents to sign a petition on myspace.com advocating that Ulster County ban pesticides. She wants the New Paltz Website to provide pesticide education, aiming for "'social pressure' to 'do what formal legislation can't.'" The New Paltz action is similar to reforms spreading in towns and cities across North America, from San Francisco's pioneering 1996 IPM program to Maine's defeat of pre-emption last year, and the even more rapid adoption of cosmetic pesticide bans from British Columbia to Nova Scotia in Canada.

http://www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20080703#8

New Paltz, NY goes organic

Public spaces in New Paltz, a rural community 90 miles north of New York City, are going organic, reports the local Times Herald Record. While elimination of the use of synthetic chemicals by law must be limited to Village property, Alice Andrews, an environmental commission member and the organizer of a task force on organics that advocated the measure, "hopes that residents will follow suit and stop treating their lawns with inorganic chemicals". Andrews and other residents would have preferred legislation banning or severely restricting pesticide use for all properties in the jurisdiction, but as in most other states, pesticide pre-emption law prohibits the Village from regulating pesticides beyond its own property. "'What we've decided is to try every other angle, especially education,'" Andrews said. The task force made posters asking residents to sign a petition on myspace.com advocating that Ulster County ban pesticides. She wants the New Paltz Website to provide pesticide education, aiming for "'social pressure' to 'do what formal legislation can't.'" The New Paltz action is similar to reforms spreading in towns and cities across North America, from San Francisco's pioneering 1996 IPM program to Maine's defeat of pre-emption last year, and the even more rapid adoption of cosmetic pesticide bans from British Columbia to Nova Scotia in Canada.

http://www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20080703#8

Three Ways to Make Solar Cheaper than Coal

Written by Hank Green
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
EcoGeek

Solar power is magnificently exciting. Just lay down a sheet or a panel and every day, for the life of the device, you get free power. There are no fuel costs. No one is ever going to start charging $4 per gallon of sunlight. But, unfortunately, the size of the initial investment keeps the cost of solar generated power higher than the cost of coal.

It's worth noting that, if you take into account the environmental costs of burning coal, solar power is already slightly more economically sound (according to an analysis by the IPCC.) But we're not taxing carbon (yet) so we've got to make solar power cheaper.

There are thousands of people working on that right now. But here are three of the finest examples of companies that are working to bring solar power to grid parity.

Concentrate on the Silicon
The most expensive part of a traditional photovoltaic array is the silicon wafers. It's the same stuff that microchips are made out of, and it's in short supply. The solar industry eats up every ounce of the stuff that's being produced today, and so prices are skyrocketing. To solve this problem (and also the problem of the environmentally wasteful process of creating the silicon crystals) several people, including IBM and a small startup called Sunrgi are concentrating the sunlight thousands of times onto a extremely small solar panel. They decrease the amount of solar material needed by thousands of times, and produce just as much power.



The result is solar power that is nearly as cheap (if not as cheap) as coal and a VERY HOT piece of silicon. Thus the big problem with this technology. You have to keep the silicon cool, even with sunlight magnified 2000x on it. Otherwise the silicon will melt, and it's all over. Both IBM and Sunrgi are using techniques learned from the microprocessor industry to keep their silicon cells cool. Both have working prototypes already and are hoping to go commercial in the coming year.

Beyond Silicon
Another solution to the problem of limited and expensive crystalline silicon is to just not use it. Which is why there are so many solar startups right now working on solar technology using non-crystalline silicon or other thin-film solutions. The real champion of the thin-film startups is Nanosolar, which has already broken out of the lab and into manufacturing.

Nanosolar prints it's mixture of several elements in precise proportions onto a metal film. The production is fast, simple and cheap, at least for now. Some fear that shortages in indium will bring a halt to nanosolar's cheap printing days. But if that fate can be avoided, Nanosolar, and other thin film manufacturers are already pretty far down the path to grid parity. Though they make some efficiency sacrifices when compared to crystalline silicon, they are so much cheaper to produce that they might soon even beat coal in cost per watt.

The Case for Extreme Heat
While the first two options provide the most efficient path to solar electricity, but converting photons directly into electrons, a less efficient, though simpler, option might turn out to be the real coal-killer.

Simply by focusing hundreds or even thousands of mirrors onto a single point, several startups are hoping to create the kind of heat necessary to run a coal fired power plant...but without the coal. The heat would boil water which would then be used to turn turbines. The advantage of such a system is that there are already lots of steam turbines being produced for traditional power plants, and the rest of the technology just involves shiny objects and concrete.

One problem does present itself, however, when you start to try and make these things too hot. The material holding the boiler has to be able to withstand the extreme heat that these installations can produce. That kind of material, that won't melt or degrade under such extreme heat, can be quite expensive.

Nonetheless, Google-funded startup, eSolar, is saying that by modularizing the construction of these "concentrating solar thermal" power plants, they could be cheaper than coal today.

If Not Today...Then Tomorrow
As coal and gas have remained extremely cheap over the last fifty years, there's been very little pressure to innovate and move beyond that technology. But now, with natural gas prices increasing along with concerns about global warming, we're finally ready to innovate. And expansions in materials and nanotechnology are making the change even more interesting.

It's no longer a question in my mind of if we can get solar cheaper than coal, it's simply when, and whether another renewable energy, like geothermal or wind, will beat solar to the punch.

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1792/83/

Apes get legal rights in Spain, to surprise of bullfight critics

TimesOnline June 27, 2008

Thomas Catan in Madrid

Spain is to become the first country to extend legal rights to apes, wrongfooting animal rights activists who have long campaigned against bullfighting in the country.

In what is thought to be the first time a national legislature has granted such rights to animals, the Spanish parliament’s environmental committee voted to approve resolutions committing the country to the Great Apes Project, designed by scientists and philosophers who say that humans’ closest biological relatives also deserve rights.

The resolution, adopted with crossparty support, calls on the Government to promote the Great Apes Project internationally and ensure the protection of apes from “abuse, torture and death”. “This is a historic moment in the struggle for animal rights,” Pedro Pozas, the Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, told The Times. “It will doubtless be remembered as a key moment in the defence of our evolutionary comrades.”

Reactions to the vote were mixed. Many Spaniards were perplexed that the country should consider it a priority when the economy is slowing sharply and Spain has been rocked by violent fuel protests. Others thought it was a strange decision, given that Spain has no wild apes of its own.

In an editorial yesterday, the Madrid daily El Mundo noted that the only apes in Spain were “the ones that could cross over from Gibraltar”, and questioned why the country should become “the principal flag-bearer of the apes” cause. “With the problems that Spanish farmers and fishermen are experiencing, it is surprising that members of Congress should dedicate their efforts to trying to turn the country of bullfighting into the principal defender of the apes,” it wrote.

Spain’s conservative Popular Party also complained that the resolution sought to give animals the same rights as humans — something that the Socialist Government denies. Some critics questioned why Spain should afford legal protection from death or torture to great apes but not bulls. But Mr Pozas said that the vote would set a precedent, establishing legal rights for animals that could be extended to other species. “We are seeking to break the species barrier — we are just the point of the spear,” he said.

The resolutions will outlaw harmful experiments on great apes, though activist say that they have no knowledge of any being carried out in Spain. It will also make keeping great apes for circuses, TV commercials or filming a criminal offence.

Keeping apes in zoos will remain legal, but conditions for the 350 apes in Spanish zoos will have to improve. Animal rights activists say that 70 per cent of apes in Spanish zoos live in sub-human conditions. The philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri founded the Great Ape Project in 1993, saying that hominids such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans should enjoy the right to life and freedom and not to be mistreated.

The ape world

— In addition to humans there are three genera of great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans

— The first two are confined to Africa, while the third occurs in South-East Asia

— Humans and chimps share 99 per cent of their active genetic material

— 7,300 Sumatran orang-utans remain in the wild

— The mountain gorillas of the Democratic Republic of Congo have dwindled to 700, and the Cross River gorilla is believed to number only 250

— The UN predicts that some species of great ape could be extinct within a generation

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4220884.ece

Slovenia’s Gorgeous Honeycomb Housing Complex

June 23, 2008
Slovenia’s Gorgeous Honeycomb Housing Complex
by Mike Chino


This stunning seaside structure bursts free from the all-too-frequently stale stock of public housing projects with its dynamic array of brightly shaded cells. Taking its cues from the modular honeycomb clusters of a beehive, the complex was constructed as a low-income residence for young families and couples in the industrial district of Izola on the Slovenian coast. The striking development boasts beautiful views and makes smart use of solar shading and natural ventilation to regulate its interiors all year-round.


At first glance, one can’t help but be taken in by the building’s beautiful staggered balconies. Designed to mimic the rhythmic structure of honeycomb, the layout creates “dynamic elevations and offers privacy to the neighboring owners.” We’re also impressed by the collaborative effort behind the project which at its core was comprised of a 9-person design team including Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Martina Lipicer, Neža Oman, Nejc Batistič, Florian Frey, Marisa Baptista, and špela uršič.

Each of the balcony modules is topped with a colorful textile shade that provides for efficient solar shading and ventilation: “Textile elements fixed on the front of the balconies block direct sunlight and accumulate ‘air buffer’ zone. In the summer, hot air accumulated in the area behind the shadings is naturally ventilated through (10 cm holes) perforated side partitions of the balconies. In the winter the warm air stays in the area and provides additional heating to the apartments.”

We love seeing such inspired approaches toward social design!

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/23/slovenias-gorgeous-honeycomb-housing-complex/

Construction to Start on Rotating Wind-Power Tower

Remember way back last May when we talked about the twirling tower that seemed, well, off the wall? Surprise, surprise, it is set to start construction in Dubai this month.

Each of the 59 floors of the tower will be able to rotate independently of each other, and in between them will be wind turbines to generate all the power needed to run the tower, plus, apparently, several others. The tower is expected to generate 10 times the power it needs through solar panels on the roof and 48 wind turbines, each of which are expected to generate as much as 0.3 megawatts of electricity, creating an estimated 1,200,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually. These are some seriously big numbers…and we’ll see how they pan out.

As for the construction, the floors will be made of 12 individual units all created in a factory and spit out fully complete, with plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and everything else in place. The floors will then be fitted to a concrete tower core According to architect David Fisher, designer of the building, this construction will make it highly earthquake resistant, as well as just plain neat to watch as folks push the button that makes their floor spin.

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1757/66/

Dental Mercury Victory

AAHF is pleased to announce that the Food and Drug Administration must now classify mercury fillings! We congratulate Consumers for Dental Choices, Moms Against Mercury, International Academy of Oral and Metal Toxicology, and all other groups and individuals who have dedicated years to the issue of the dangers of dental mercury.

This is a successful end to a 10-year battle to get the FDA to comply with the law and set a date to classify mercury amalgam.

On Monday, June 2, Consumers for Dental Choice announced that they settled the lawsuit, Moms Against Mercury et al. v. Von Eschenbach, Commissioner, et al and that the FDA will finish classifying within one year of the close of the public comment period on its amalgam policy, that is, by July 28, 2009.

Charlie Brown, General Council for Consumers for Dental Choice stated, “There’s more good news. During a several hour negotiation session, FDA agreed to change its website on amalgam -- dramatically. Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA’s claims that no science exists that amalgam is unsafe, or that other countries have acted for environmental reasons only, or that the 2006 Scientific Panel vote affirmed amalgam’s safety. Instead -- see http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html -- FDA has moved to a neutral course, while recognizing the serious health concerns posed by amalgam in particular for children and unborn children, for pregnant women, for those with mercury immuno-sensitivity or high mercury body burdens.”

As Charlie says, this isn’t a perfect win but it is a 180-degree reversal from FDA’s 30-year policy of protecting mercury fillings. This win also shows that health freedom can make a difference even when going against Goliath.

This wasn’t a one-prong approach -- these groups (including AAHF) developed strategies, built a united voice, and relied on credible information. To change the policy, there were petitions, Congressional hearings, state fact sheet laws, Scientific Advisory Committee hearings, and support letters, all setting the stage for the lawsuit.

The impact of the re-writing of FDA’s position on amalgam can hardly be understated. Their website will no longer be cited by the American Dental Association in public hearings. FDA shows awareness of the key issues involved. As it prepares to classify amalgam, FDA has moved to a position of neutrality. Indeed, having repeatedly raised the question of amalgam’s risk to children, young women, and the immuno-sensitive persons in its website, it is inconceivable that FDA will not in some way protect them in its upcoming rule.

Please join us in celebrating this victory and consider giving a donation to the Consumers for Dental Choice to help off-set their costs of taking the lead on this issue. Visit: www.toxicteeth.org for more information.


http://www.healthfreedom.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=460&Itemid=