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!


Court Rules Grazing Harms Endangered Species in Arizona’s Fossil Creek

June 29, 2015, www.biologicaldiversity.org | “A federal court has ruled that cattle grazing in the Fossil Creek watershed of central Arizona harms critical habitat of threatened frogs, in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in 2010. ‘Fossil Creek is one of the Southwest’s most biologically precious river reaches,’ said Jay Lininger, a senior scientist with the Center. ‘The ruling is a victory for this beautiful creek, native wildlife and public investments made to recover them.'”

Good news for endangered species and precious Arizona rivers. Cattle grazing in stream corridors illegally harms critical habitat of threatened amphibians. It doesn’t stop grazing or watershed degradation, but opens a door to advocacy under the “adverse modification” standard of the Endangered Species Act. Little by little, such battles are won.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— A federal court has ruled that cattle grazing in the Fossil Creek watershed of central…
biologicaldiversity.org
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FOLLOWING THROUGH ON LEGAL VICTORIES WITH ACTION

Robert Brothers shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth’s Timeline.
FOLLOWING THROUGH ON LEGAL VICTORIES WITH ACTION!
Bringing in GMO free sugar beet seed. ‪#‎gmofreeroguevalley‬, in Josephine County, Oregon, which, along with Jackson County, banned the growing of GMO crops and defeated a lawsuit against this ban
Jessieandjonathan Spero's photo.
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Abandoned mine given environmental algae makeover

June 25, 2015, positivenews.org.uk | “A scientific research project is using algae to extract biofuel and precious metals from toxic water in abandoned mines, while simultaneously restoring the ecological health of the area.  Scientists from Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities have joined forces on the project, known as the GW4 Alliance, and have begun experimenting with waste water from a deserted tin mine in Cornwall.”

Using algae to restore an old mining site and remove hazardous materials – naturally!
A new research project could help clean up old mining messes by turning waste water into a useful resource
positivenews.org.uk

10 States Leading the Clean Tech Revolution

June 22, 2015, ecowatch.com | “What’s the state of clean technology in America? Think renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro power, etc.), adoption of electric vehicles, green building and many other factors. As shown by this new nation-wide index, some states are rising above the pack compared to others.”

STATUS REPORT: “11 states now generate more than 10 percent of their electricity from non-hydro renewable energy sources, with three of these states—Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas—exceeding 20 percent.”
Clean Edge, a clean-tech research firm, has released their annual US Clean Tech Leadership Index, ranking all 50 states for their clean tech efforts.
ecowatch.com
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The EPA just proposed a huge crackdown on carbon emissions from trucks

June 19, 2015, www.vox.com | “On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed sweeping new regulations to slash greenhouse-gas emissions from all new heavy trucks, buses, and vans. This is a major piece of President Obama’s broader plan to tackle global warming.  The rationale sounds simple enough: Even though trucks make up just 5 percent of vehicles on the road, they account for 20 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions from transportation (since they’re constantly in use). So… we should clean ’em up.”

Robert Brothers shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
This is a major piece of President Obama’s broader plan to tackle global warming.
vox.com|By Brad Plumer
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Germany To Turn 62 Military Bases Into Nature Sanctuaries For Birds, Beetles And Bats

June 19, 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com | “The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation announced on Thursday that it will turn 62 military bases into tranquil nature reserves.  ‘We are seizing a historic opportunity with this conversion — many areas that were once no-go zones are no longer needed for military purposes,’ Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said, according to Agence France-Presse.”

“Thank you, Heather Louise Parker, for letting us know about this.
Next time, you can post things directly our Timeline at GoodNews FortheEarth
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation announced on Thursday that it will turn 62 military bases into tranquil nature reserves. “We are seizing a historic…
huffingtonpost.com”
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100,000 German beekeepers call for GMO cultivation ban

GMO Free USA's photo.

June 18, 2015, www.gmwatch.org | “German beekeepers have called for a nationwide ban on cultivating GM plants, reports the German NGO keine-gentechnik.de. The call by the German Beekeepers Association (DIB), which represents almost 100,000 beekeepers, comes after Europe adopted controversial legislation enabling member states to opt-out of the cultivation of GMOs that have been approved at the EU level.”

Kevin Phillips shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline. GMO Free USA 100,000 German Beekeepers Call for GMO Crop Cultivation Ban: The German Beekeepers Association (DIB), which represents almost 100,000 beekeepers, is urging Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt to implement a Germany-wide ban on cultivation. Bees fly up to eight kilometres in search of food, the DIB said, so a juxtaposition of GM crop cultivation zones and GMO-free zones within Germany would be “environmentally and agriculturally unacceptable”. “Bees know no borders,” the DIB added. There is no such thing as co-existence. GMO crops will inevitably contaminate non-GMO and organic crops. BAN GMOs

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7 million Arctic Defenders, Greenpeace and First Nations communities fight to stop Arctic drilling and defend our coast

Robert Brothers shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Robert Brothers's photo.

“All I have is my voice, my body and the truth I speak. I can’t do this alone.
We — 7 million Arctic Defenders, Greenpeace and First Nations communities — will stop Arctic drilling and defend our coast and our climate.”
— Audrey Siegl (sχɬemtəna:t), Activist and Artist, Musqueam Nation & Greenpeace
Stand with me, as I face off against Shell and join the movement to save the Arctic.

“Facing such a massive machine from a tiny boat is terrifying, but I believe – and I bet you do too – that we all have a duty to do whatever we can to protect our sacred lands and waters. Shell may have money and massive machines, but the people united are more powerful.
Up until now Shell has tried to ignore the voices of millions of people around the world who have said yes to Arctic protection and no to Arctic drilling. But they won’t be able to for much longer, because instead of sitting idly by while Shell forces its way into the Arctic, regular people, like me, are saying enough is enough and creating an international spotlight on Shell’s drilling plans.

In April, six activists boarded and occupied Shell’s drill rig, the Polar Pioneer, for 7 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
In May, hundreds of kayaktivists gathered in Seattle to protest Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet.
On Monday, Greenpeace USA activists bravely paddled their kayaks out to Shell’s monster rig and formed a human blockade in front of it preventing it from leaving the port of Seattle!
And today, just when Shell thought they had a clear path to the Arctic, with your help, we were ready, and waiting.

Today I’m accompanied by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Pacific Ocean on the west coast but I am here on behalf 7 million of people calling for the renewable solutions that already exist.

Because of regular people, like you and I, we’ve made it impossible for Shell to sneak up to Arctic waters and drill quietly. The movement to save the Arctic has made Shell’s drilling plans front-page news.

But the reality is that Shell could start drilling as early as July 1st, we need to do everything that we can before then to stop this madness before it starts. Please keep standing with us this summer, as the movement grows. This won’t end today, together we can take on Big Oil!

nə́c̓aʔmat tə šxʷqʷeləwən ct
We are of one heart and mind

Audrey Siegl (sχɬemtəna:t)
Activist and Artist, Musqueam Nation

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110 Scientists Band Together To Stand Up For Native Rights, Against Keystone XL in Canada

keystoneprotest

June 17, 2015, bluenationreview.com | “A group of more than 100 scientists, ranging from economists to geophysicists, have come together to stand against development in the Alberta oil sands, Indian Country Today Media Network reports.  In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the scientists invoked the treaty rights of aboriginal people, Native sovereignty, and scientific evidence in their statement against the extraction of bituminous crude from Alberta.”

Ami Linden shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Native Americans are on the front lines of this fight, and they will make powerful allies in our battle to protect our planet.
bluenationreview.com
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Largest native title claim in NSW acknowledges Barkandji people in state’s far west

June 16, 2015, www.abc.net.au | “Four hundred people gathered near Broken Hill for the ceremony and greeted the announcement with cheers and emotion.  The determination by consent by Federal Court judge Jayne Jagot recognises the Barkandji people’s connection to country has continued since before colonisation.”

Bianca Jane shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth’s Timeline.
NSW’s largest native title claim to be settled in state’s far west
Hundreds of people are gathering in NSW today for a court ruling on the state’s largest native title claim.
abc.net.au