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Archives for July 2013

Groups Will Defend Sea Otter Recovery in Southern California

Photo: FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: After being nearly wiped out for their fur, sea otters are now slowly recovering and moving back to their historical habitat, including Southern California. http://ow.ly/nC7AB NOW THE BAD NEWS: Some fishing groups are suing the Fish and Wildlife Service for allowing otters to return to Southern California. Sea otters used to be forcibly moved to San Nicolas island away from fishing grounds, but many swam back to their native waters, while others died during capture or transport. Fish and Wildlife ultimately decided letting otters return to their native habitat was the best option but some fishing groups are not happy.Our attorneys are jumping in to defend Fish and Wildlife's decision to protect the otters. Click SHARE or LIKE if you agree with our move! TELL US >> Do you think sea otters should be allowed to return to their native habitat?(Photo of sea otter with rare twin cubs courtesy of Michael L. Baird / www.flickr.bairdphotos.com)

July 31, 2013, earthjustice.org | “Conservation and wildlife groups announced today that they intend to defend a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to end a failed policy of trying to exclude sea otters from their Southern California habitat—a so-called ‘no-otter zone’—by relocating otters to other areas.”

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: After being nearly wiped out for their fur, sea otters are now slowly recovering and moving back to their historical habitat, including Southern California. http://ow.ly/nC7AB
NOW THE BAD NEWS: Some fishing groups are suing the Fish and Wildlife Service for allowing otters to return to Southern California. Sea otters used to be forcibly moved to San Nicolas island away from fishing grounds, but many swam back to their native waters, while others died during capture or transport. Fish and Wildlife ultimately decided letting otters return to their native habitat was the best option but some fishing groups are not happy.
Our attorneys are jumping in to defend Fish and Wildlife’s decision to protect the otters. Click SHARE or LIKE if you agree with our move! TELL US >> Do you think sea otters should be allowed to return to their native habitat?
(Photo of sea otter with rare twin cubs courtesy of Michael L. Baird / www.flickr.bairdphotos.com
Jul 31, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Compassionate Actions, Endangered Species, Oceans

Balkan lynx conservation unifies neighboring countries

July 31, 2013, news.mongabay.com | “They still call the Balkans ‘the Powder Keg of Europe.’ For good reason too: bloody ethnic and religious conflicts in the past decades have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. As recently as 2001, the army in Macedonia was fighting with ethnic Albanians, many of them from Kosovo.  However, in the past seven years a rare and charismatic wild cat – the Balkan lynx – is serving to unify countries with troubled historical and political relations.“

The Earth is Our Common Ground.

Taking care
of what we share
brings us together.

– Robert Brothers, 8/1/13

Balkan lynx conservation unifies neighboring countries
news.mongabay.com
They still call the Balkans “the Powder Keg of Europe.” For good reason too: bloody ethnic and religious conflicts in the past decades have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. As recently as 2001, the army in Macedonia was fighting with ethnic Albanians, many of them from Kosovo….
  • Baki Thatsit, Asha Stout, and Nancy Brophy like this.
Jul 31, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Compassionate Actions, Endangered Species, International Policy

Launch of “Recycle Everything” Ad Campaign and Expansion of the Organic Food Waste Recycling Program

July 29, 2013, www.mikebloomberg.com | “Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway and Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty today launched the new “Recycle Everything” public information campaign to promote recycling and announced the expansion of the organic food waste recycling program. The initiatives are part of the City’s work to double the recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017 and follow the largest expansion of the recycling program in 25 years with the processing of all rigid plastics that began last spring.”

GoodNews FortheEarth shared a link “Recycle Everything” Ad Campaign and Expansion of the Organic Food Waste Recycling in New York City. The recycling initiatives are part of NYC’s work to double the recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017.

  • Clarence Moonde Muzyamba, and Fulton Hanson like this
Jul 29, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Education, Farms & Gardens, Local Food, Organic Farming, Pollution, Recycling, Recycling & Plastics, Trash cleanups, Urban Agriculture

Victory! Court Upholds Conflict Minerals Rule

conflict-minerals-sec-rules

July 29, 2013, www.earthworksaction.org | “If you believe corporate accountability for human rights violations is a good thing, you’ll love this news: Industry interest groups looking to tie up the Dodd Frank conflict minerals rule in court lost.  This week, a federal court upheld the SEC rule that requires corporations to publicly disclose whether the minerals they source have helped finance armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Maryska Azzena shared a link.

If you believe corporate accountability for human rights violations is a good thing, you’ll love this news: Industry interest groups looking to tie up the Dodd Frank conflict minerals rule in court lost. This week, a federal court upheld the SEC rule that requires corporations to publicly disclose w…
Jul 29, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business Policy, Economics, Materials

Nearly 50% of US states introduced bills regarding GMOs

Jul 27, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: GMO Bans, GMO Labelling, GMO Lawsuits, GMO set backs, GMOs

Pipeline opponents vow to keep fighting at North Van rally

July 17, 2013, bc.ctvnews.ca | “Hundreds of opponents to the Trans-Mountain Pipeline gathered in a loud show of defiance in North Vancouver Saturday.  The ‘Salish Sea Summer Gathering’ saw protesters flock to Cates Park on Burrard Inlet and voice concerns over the proposed expansion of the pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to Burnaby.”

video
Hundreds of Pipeline opponents vow to keep fighting at North Van rally, British Columbia
bc.ctvnews.ca
Hundreds of opponents to the Trans-Mountain Pipeline gathered in a loud show of defiance in North Vancouver Saturday.
Jul 27, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Climate, Economics, Energy - Polluting, Native Peoples, Native Peoples, Land, Oil, Protests

Huge court victory for Wilderness in Montana roadless areas

Photo: HUGE COURT VICTORY -> Judge protects 300,000 acres of roadless area wilderness in Montana from off-road vehicles.http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/07/26/huge-court-victory-for-wilderness-in-montana-roadless-areas/

July 26, 2013, www.thewildlifenews.com | “The Montana Wilderness Study Act passed in 1977.  It required that the Forest Service protect the ‘wilderness quality’ of a number of roadless areas in Western Montana until Congress decided to make a final decision as to whether the areas should be designed as formal Wilderness.”

HUGE COURT VICTORY -> Judge protects 300,000 acres of roadless area wilderness in Montana from off-road vehicles.
  • Allen Hallmark likes this.
Jul 26, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Automobiles, Outdoor Programs, Protection, Strategy, Transportation

54 people are blocking work inside ERM

Happening now: 54 people are blocking work inside ERM, the big oil contractor hired by the State Department to write their Keystone XL review.
Happening now: 54 people are blocking work inside ERM, the big oil contractor hired by the State Department to write their Keystone XL review.
ERM failed to disclose their connections to big oil and TransCanada — so we’re making sure the public knows about them with action!
Click LIKE to thank these 54 people for exposing big oil’s lies about Keystone XL! #SummerHeat
Jul 26, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business Policy, Climate, Energy - Polluting, Oil, Protests

Nuclear power is in decline, despite new reactors

July 25th 2013, www.economist.com | “THIRTY-ONE countries generate nuclear power, with those that use it for more than 30% of their electricity all in Europe. The number of countries building nuclear plants went up by one last year, to 14.  The United Arab Emirates started construction of one unit of South Korean design in 2012 and another in 2013, the first previously non-nuclear nation to start building a nuclear power plant for 27 years.”

“The industry’s role in electricity production is continuing to decline, according to this year’s World Nuclear Industry Status Report, a compendium of analysis and data by the activist and expert Mycle Schneider.”
Nuclear power is in decline, despite new reactors
www.economist.com
Nuclear power is in decline, despite new reactorsTHIRTY-ONE countries generate nuclear power, with those that use it for more than 30% of their electricity all in…
  • Nancy Brophy, Maryska Azzena, and Kelley Caudell like this.
Jul 25, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Climate, Energy - Polluting, International Policy, National Policy, Nuclear

California’s Drift Gillnet Fishery Too Deadly for Endangered Sperm Whales

Sperm whale

July 24, 2013, www.biologicaldiversity.org | “The National Marine Fisheries Service this week declined to issue a required marine mammal “take” permit for California’s swordfish drift gillnet fishery in light of the recent entanglement of two sperm whales, but agreed to call a special meeting next week to discuss possible emergency measures to allow the fishery to continue operating legally while reducing interactions with these endangered whales.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service reversed course on Monday after issuing a draft permit that would allow gillnet fishermen to kill and seriously injure endangered sperm, fin and humpback whales.
Thanks to supporters like you, over 13,000 comments were submitted opposing the permit.
Read about this big win here: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/sperm-whale-07-24-2013.html
Jul 24, 2013 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Compassionate Actions, Endangered Species, Ocean Fish, Oceans