WHAT KIND OF NEWS YOU’LL FIND HERE

 

Successes – court victories, legislation passed, green jobs created . . .

 

Steps towards Success – new people recruited; donations received; petitions signed; demonstrations held . . .

 

Factual Examples of Accomplishments – green buildings, working farms, ecovillages . . .

 

Profiles of Effective People – Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben and others . . .

 

Positive Trends  – increases in organic farms, solar panels, nature education . . .

 

Positive Earth Facts – increases of endangered species populations, new species . . .

~~~~~~~~~

—  good news that comes from action alerts, not the alerts themselves;
—  good news that comes from the actions of groups, not requests to participate or donate to them;
—  good news that comes from the application of information, not the info itself;
—  good news about help for the Earth directly, rather than helping people (although, of course, since we are all cells in Earth’s body, any good news for humans is good news for the Earth).

 

GOOD NEWS – AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

FOR THE EARTH

Thanks for all the work that you do!


Bedouin Women Lighting Up the Desert as Barefoot Solar Engineers

April 4th 2011, www.thecuttingedgenews.com | “Two Jordanian Bedouin women have recently returned from a six-month course at a unique college in India where they were trained as solar engineers. The two women, who are illiterate and have never been employed, were carefully selected by the elders in the village to attend the course at Barefoot College in India which helps poor rural communities become more sustainable.”

Leila Bee shared a link.
“The Cutting Edge News
www.thecuttingedgenews.com
For many living in the harsh and desolate deserts of south Jordan, life without electricity is the norm. Either the infrastructure which provides electricity doesn’t reach them or they simply don’t have the money to afford it. However, all that looks set to change as two women bring to light the adv…”
  • GoodNews FortheEarth Leila Bee, and Emilianne Slaydon like this.
  • Comments:
    • GoodNews FortheEarth

      ‎”~ AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL PROGRAMS ON THE PLANET: “Barefoot College launched the solar power course for women in 2005 and already more than 150 grandmothers from 28 countries have been trained. Over 10,000 homes in 100 villages have been solar electrified which has SAVED 1.5 MILLION LITERS OF KEROSENE FROM POLLUTING THE ATOMOSPHERE.”
      There are more examples of the work of the Barefoot College out there. If anyone finds some, please send them our way!”

Call to Prayer for Nuclear Power Plant Water by Masuru Emoto — Thursday, March 31, Noon

March 30, 2011, www.facebook.com | “By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing.  What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas.

Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them.

Is there really nothing else to do?  I think there is.”

“Let’s send our thoughts of love and gratitude to all water
in the nuclear plants in Fukushima”
Please send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan!
  • Калин Green, Team Bulgaria, Gerard Chilkoot, Ysabel Vicente, Mary Laure Roperch, and Caron von Zeil like this.

Germany to shut down pre-1980 nuclear plants

March 15, 2011, www.reuters.com | ” Germany will shut down all seven of its nuclear power plants that began operating before 1980 at least till June, the government said on Tuesday, leaving open whether they will ever start up again after Japan’s crisis.

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the closures, which will leave only 10 nuclear stations still generating, under a nuclear policy moratorium imposed as Japan faced a potential catastrophe at its earthquake-crippled Fukushima complex.”

 

“~ 7 OLD NUKES SHUT DOWN IN RESPONSE TO CRISIS IN JAPAN
UPDATE 3-Germany to shut down pre-1980 nuclear plants
www.reuters.com
* Only 10 of Germany’s 17 nuclear plants to stay open * About a third of German nuclear capacity to be shut down * Merkel’s conservatives face defeat in…”
  • Stu Vickars, Eugenia Linn, Good Vibrations, Sidmouth Kaieteur, Dorothy Parshall, Judith Green, Ysabel Vicente, Diana Burke, Wendy Rolls, and Elaine Codling like this.

Cameron orders ministers to abondon plans to sell 258,000 hectares of forest

Wednesday 16 February 2011, www.apps.facebook.com/theguardian | “David Cameron has ordered ministers to abandoning plans to change the ownership of 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland.  The environment secretary will announce on Friday that a consultation on the sale of forests will be ended after a furious backlash that united Tory supporters with environmentalists and the Socialist Workers party.”

“~ FORESTS IN BRITAIN SAVED FROM GIVE-AWAY !
Forests sell-off abandoned as Cameron orders U-turn | Environment | The Guardian
j.mp
David Cameron has ordered ministers to carry out the government’s biggest U-turn since the general election by abandoning plans to change the ownership of 258,000 hectares of state-owned…”
  • Mito Aragón, Sidmouth Kaieteur, Jenzy Tomaszewski, Ru Kernow, Good Vibrations, Judith Green, Bradley Rendon, Pedro Di Girólamo, Lizi Bochevna, Eugenia Linn, Ciska Therese, and Калин GreenTeam Bulgaria like this.

Two Public-land Grazing Plans Dismissed to Protect Arizona Wildlife

January 18, 201,  www.biologicaldiversity.org| “In response to appeals filed by the Center for Biological Diversity last fall, the U.S. Forest Service today reversed two decisions that would have allowed livestock grazing across 33,000 acres of national forest lands in Arizona.  Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests failed to account for the impacts of grazing on pronghorn, deer, elk and tassel-eared squirrel populations. The lands and species in question also include habitat and prey for the threatened Mexican spotted owl and critically endangered Mexican gray wolf.”

“~ 33,000 ACRES PROTECTED FOR RARE GRAY WOLVES, PRONGHORN ANTELOPE, ELK, SPOTTED OWLS AND TASSEL-EARED SQUIRRELS. There are millions of acres already available for cattle grazing. January 18, 2011
Two Public-land Grazing Plans Dismissed to Protect Arizona Wildlife
www.biologicaldiversity.org
PHOENIX— In response to appeals filed by the Center for Biological Diversity last fall, the U.S. Forest Service today reversed two decisions that would have allowed livestock grazing across 33,000 acres of national forest lands in Arizona.”
  • Jeavonna Chapman, Калин GreenTeam Bulgaria, Pedro Di Girólamo, Leanne Ferree, Dawn Steelman, Diana Burke, Bob Hughes, Good Vibrations, Scotty Allen, Mary Chambers, and Bradley Rendon like this.

Recognition for Native people who honor the Earth is good news for the Earth

December 17, 2010 – Mail Tribune, A steep Rogue River rapid near Gold Hill will again be named for the ancient American Indian village there.  The U.S. Geological Survey this week gave final approval for changing Powerhouse Rapid to Ti’lomikh Falls in honor of the Takelma village at the waterfall, which was a key salmon-fishing stretch for the Indians.
“Isn’t that grand?” said Agnes Pilgrim, 86, who is the oldest known surviving member of the Takelma tribe. “It cheers my heart that we get recognition. It’s long overdue, but it’s great to have it move forward.”

Thought extinct in the 1940s, bird found on U.S. soil

Dec 9, 2010 www.content.usatoday.com | “A bird once thought extinct and then found only in two breeding sites in Japan has turned up on U.S. soil. Nests of the endangered Short-tailed Albatross have been discovered on two tiny islands in the northwestern Hawaiian islands. Previously the birds were only known to nest on Torishima and Senkaku islands in Japan.”

“~ Nests of the endangered Short-tailed Albatross have been discovered on two tiny islands in the northwestern Hawaiian islands. Mother Nature is full of surprises.
Thought extinct in the 1940s, bird found on U.S. soil – Science Fair: Science and Space News – USATO
content.usatoday.com
Thought extinct in the 1940s, bird found on U.S. soil – Science Fair: Science and Space News – USATODAY.com”
    • Janie Harwood “Now they won’t be as safe! Human intervention, not always a good thing. Good luck to these lovely birds”
    • Janie Harwood, Judith Green, Hannah Urpeth, Bradley Rendon, and Good Vibrations like this.

What to do with Unwanted Fur? Donate It to Help Orphaned Wildlife

Dec 1, 2010, www.humanesociety.org | “Do you have an old fur coat in your closet? Is your grandmother’s mink stole stored in the attic? Many of us have fur apparel that we no longer want or that was left to us by a family member. Some aren’t comfortable selling it or giving it to charity, because they feel people should not wear animal fur.  So what should people do with it?

Give it back to the animals. If you would like to see that old fur put to a good use, see if there is a wildlife rehabilitator in your area who will use it to aid and comfort wildlife.”

Lindy Rose shared a link.
Donating Used Furs to “Coats for Cubs” Helps Wildlife : The Humane Society of the United States.
Don’t know what to do with that old fur coat? Give it back to the animals. Here’s how.”
Comments:
Robert Brothers “What a great idea! Wildlife rescuers use the furs to warm and comfort orphaned and injured wildlife. More than 200 groups from across the United States and Canada now participate in the program. This is the kind of creative thinking that helps us look for other opportunities like this.”
    • Judith Green “Three years ago while my mother and I were cleaning out her closets we ran across some old forgotten fur muffs and stoles that had been purchased by some family member or other back in the 1940’s or ’50’s. We both felt bad finding those furs. We sure did not want to keep them or wear them! But we didn’t want to sell them, either–didn’t want the money, and didn’t want to encourage other to wear the furs. Fortunately I’d seen a notice about this “Coats for Cubs” programs at the Buffalo Exchange in Bellingham, Wa. My mother agreed that was where they should go. It felt good to be able to give the fur back to animals and to know it would give comfort to some little orphan or injured animal.”
    • Robert Brothers “great to hear how this really works!”
    • Robert Brothers, Ara Johnson, Judith Green, Ysabel Vicente, and Christine Aspinall like this.

Palm Oil Plantations Embrace Biodiversity In Attempt To Change Environmentally Destructive Reputation

Nov 20, 2010, www.huffingtonpost.com | “Palm oil plantations carry a history of controversy. The cash crop is used for fuel and food, but at the same time, it destroys rainforests.  But one plantation’s manager is ready to take action. A nature reserve has been created on the plantation, populated by rare trees. The manager’s goal is to increase the plant diversity to 500 plant variations.”

Judith Green shared a link.
“It’s a start…”
Palm Oil Plantations Embrace Biodiversity In Attempt To Change Environmentally Destructive Reputatio
www.huffingtonpost.com

 

Biopori In Action (BIOACT) In Indonesia

October 2, 2010, www.upiu.com | “Biopori In Action (Bioact) is an environmental awareness program of the Department of Public Social (BEM), Faculty of Politic and Social Science (FISIP), University of Indonesia that has been running for five months.  So far, no other faculty that has been implemented the holes Biopori system which is aimed to reduce puddle of water and make the soil becomes loose during the rainy season.”

“indonesia…specially java now try BIOPORI project..to prevent rainwater down to earth …we hope this project prevent the big city from floods and dificulty to find clear water…by made hole on our yard about 1mtr deep and 1,5 inch wide then put some organic garbage in it .
we hope this organic trash work as food for micro organism and make humus for the soil it self.
with at leas 5 or more hole in every house we put our hope in this project .”
  • Comments:
    • GoodNews FortheEarth“Here’s a link to one story I found about this solution to the floods that have become larger and more frequent in large cities, more damaging to people and ecosystems alike, due to so much pavement blocking the natural infiltration of water.

    • Putra Rangga Aditya “thank’s…i wish that project work well..but most important is how each of us try to make a green house by a lot of plants on our yard…and reduce the unorganic trash.”