Archives for February 2012

Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

 

Feb 29, 2012, www.npr.org | The Lord Howe stick insect, Dryococelus australis, or Tree Lobster, was thought to be completely wiped out by a rat infestation in the 1960’s.  But a small island off the coast of Australia has been hiding something from us for a very long time.

Hannah Urpeth shared a link.

Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years : NPR
www.npr.org
“The insect is so large — as big as a human hand — it’s been dubbed a “tree lobster.” It was thought to be extinct, but some enterprising entomologists scoured a barren hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean and found surviving Lord Howe Island stick insects.”
    • GoodNews FortheEarth‎~ Mother Nature is full of surprises. The more we look, the more we will find. The more we act, the more we will receive.

China Clamps Down on GE Rice

Feb 29, 2012, www.the-diplomat.com | China’s State Council has released a ground-breaking draft proposal of a grain law that establishes legislation restricting research, field trials, production, sale, import and export of genetically engineered grain seeds. The draft stipulates that no organization or person can employ unauthorized GE technology in any major food product in China.

“China Shuts Down GE Rice? | China Power
China’s State Council releases a ground-breaking draft proposal on genetically engineered grain seeds.”

Vermont leading the way on GMO labeling laws

February 29 2012, www.articles.mercola.com | “Vermont has recently introduced bill H.722, requiring labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. Such products would also be prohibited from using advertising or promotional material that states or implies that the food is “natural”. If passed, the bill will take effect in 2014.”

Bella Bell shared a link.
Yet another US bill, introduced this time in Vermont, calling for GMO labelling. Other US states pushing for mandatory labelling include California, Michigan and Washington.
New Vermont GMO Labeling Policy Officially Introduced
articles.mercola.com
The new Vermont bill will require genetically modified (GM) foods to be properly labeled, so consumer will be informed.
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Saved: African wildlife haven threatened by biofuels land grab

Fischer's turaco on branch

Feb 29, 2012, www.rspb.org.uk | “The Dakatcha Woodland in Kenya – home to several globally threatened bird species – would have been destroyed if proposals for a plantation of the biofuel crop jatropha were given the green light.”

Hannah Urpeth shared a link.
“Saved: African wildlife haven threatened by biofuels land grab
A Kenyan wildlife haven threatened by the rush to grow biofuels for European companies such as IKEA, has been saved.”
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Into the woods: Seattle plants a public food forest

Feb 28, 2012, www.grist.org | “Food forests are shaping up to be the next evolution of urban farming. “A food forest is more of a perennial garden; it’s a land management system that’s based on the natural system of a forest,” said Glenn Herlihy. He designed the original plans for the BFF with classmates in a permaculture course in 2009, and, as part of a volunteer steering committee called the Friends of Beacon Food Forest, has been actively involved in nudging it to fruition ever since.”

 

“Into the woods: Seattle plants a public food forest
grist.org
There’s a stretch of arterial in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood that I’ve traveled probably thousands of times without giving a second thought to the empty, grassy hillside it parallels. …”

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France to Cut Pesticide Use in Half by 2018

~ FRANCE CUT PESTICIDE USE 4% from 2008-2010 ~

wakeup-world.com, 2/18/12, Tom Philpott – motherjones.com, France, the EU’s largest agricultural producer, is now targeting a 50 percent reduction in pesticide use between 2008 and 2018, with initial results showing a 4 percent cut in farm and non-farm use in 2008-2010.

BOS Foundation Releases 4 Orangutans

Feb, 27, 2012, goingback2dforest.wordpress.com | “BOS Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Forestry Republic of Indonesia, the Government of Central Kalimantan Province, the Government of the Murung Raya Regency and Conservation and Natural Resources Authority of Central Kalimantan (BKSDA Central Kalimantan) will release 4 orangutans in Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest on February 28, 2012. These 4 orangutans are part of 40 orangutans that have been planned to be released in the year 2012.”

Judith Green shared a link.
“Press Release: BOS Foundation Releases 4 Orangutans
goingback2dforest.wordpress.com
BOS Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Forestry Republic of Indonesia, the Government of Central Kalimantan Province, the Government of the Murung Raya Regency and Conservation and …”
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San Francisco Recognized for Responsible Handling of E-waste

Feb 27, 2012, www.ens-newswire.com | “Fewer discarded electronics will be going to landfills in San Francisco now that the city and county have achieved the status of ‘e-Stewards Enterprise.'”

“San Francisco’s “e-Stewards Enterprise” status was recognized last week by the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based nonprofit that created the world’s most rigorous standard for electronics recycling. The e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment, endorsed by 70 environmental groups worldwide, protects against the dumping of electronic waste in landfills, processing by prisoners, and the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries.”http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2012/2012-02-27-093.html
San Francisco Recognized for Responsible Handling of E-waste
www.ens-newswire.com
Environment News Service for the latest environmental news, current issues, climate, water, food, forests, species, energy, education.
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Obama Administration Strengthens Environmental Justice Efforts

Feb 27, 2012, www.ens-newswire.com | “Federal agencies today released environmental justice strategies, implementation plans and progress reports, outlining steps they will take to protect communities facing serious health and environmental risks, particularly low-income, minority and tribal populations.”

“After more than a decade of inaction, the administration reconvened the Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group and engaged more than 100 environmental justice leaders at a White House Forum on Environmental Justice.Federal agencies identified strategies, programs and initiatives, that will reduce environmental or health hazards, ensure access to beneficial programs, and increase community participation in agency decision-making. One of the more significant policies is the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pueblo Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, which will provide four tribal governments the opportunity to run pollution monitoring programs and provide technical input on National Nuclear Security Administration decisions.”

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2012/2012-02-27-091.html

Obama Administration Strengthens Environmental Justice Efforts
www.ens-newswire.com
Environment News Service for the latest environmental news, current issues, climate, water, food, forests, species, energy, education.
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Ecosanctuary Planned for Wild Horses Removed from the Range

WASHINGTON, DC, February 27, 2012 (ENS) – “The Bureau of Land Management announced Friday that it has selected a location for the nation’s first wild horse ecosanctuary – a privately owned ranch in southeastern Wyoming 30 miles west of Laramie.”

 

“The BLM selected a proposal from Richard Wilson, owner of a 4,000-acre ranch in Wyoming’s Centennial Valley, a summer and winter recreational area.

If a partnership agreement with Wilson is finalized, the BLM would sponsor the ecosanctuary at a funding level comparable to what the agency pays ranchers who take care of “excess” wild horses on long-term pastures in the Midwest.

The agreement would also contain a fundraising component to help defray costs for operating the sanctuary, saving taxpayer dollars.”

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