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Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Posted on July 10, 2010
Author: Linda,
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How can you resist the appeal of a group with a name like that? Well, The Great Old Broads teamed up with four other environmental groups and sued the US Department of Interior for ignoring their 2005 petition to protect public land. Here’s the danger: Did you know that ranchers can graze their cattle on public lands for almost no cost? $1.35 a month each doesn’t even pay to run the program’s administrative costs. This wouldn’t be so objectionable – except that the herds of cattle cause incredible environmental damage: soil compaction, erosion, degrading of watersheds, spread of introduced species. 258 MILLION acres of public land are involved. The lawsuit asks the government to conduct environmental impact studies, charge proper fees to ranchers, and use the funds to repair the damage caused by cattle. Read more of the original article at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Salt

In Food, Food to Avoid, In the News,

Posted on July 6, 2010
Author: Linda,
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If you have high blood pressure, you’ve been told a million times to cut back on salt intake. Salt overuse may also contribute to stroke and heart disease. But do you know how much salt you’re eating? Most people don’t, and that’s an ignorance that is not bliss… it’s dangerous. Writing for the New York Times (click for full article), Michael Moss reported, “The food industry releases some 10,000 new products a year, the Department of Agriculture has reported, and processed foods, along with restaurant meals, now account for roughly 80% of the salt in the American diet.”

Salt ponds in San Francisco Bay help satisfy Americans’ appetite for salt. By some estimates, deep cuts in salt use could save thousands of lives a year.

Why am I mentioning this on a blog about food and the environment? Because one of the best ways to avoid excessive salt is to avoid processed foods and fast foods, which typically are loaded with salt to create flavor in the otherwise bland product. In other words (and I’m only going to tell you this another million times), do some of your own cooking with fresh foods and you won’t be letting salt sneak into your body. That’s good advice for everyone.

The Oil Hemorrhage has Bruised Our Ocean

In Animal Cruelty, In the News, Oil Hemorrhage,

Posted on July 2, 2010
Author: Linda,
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDf-KkMCKQ] Disturbing and depressing footage on this oil hemorrhage. Why hasn’t more action been taken to stop this? What do you think about this issue?

Whale poop can offset car emissions

In In the News, Take Action,

Posted on July 1, 2010
Author: Linda,
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Sperm Whale

Another reason to defend marine mammals! Australian biologists have
estimated that each sperm whale in the southern oceans defecates 50
tons of iron into the sea every year, providing minerals needed by
phytoplankton, the tiny creatures that live near the surface and
gobble up carbon dioxide. Add the “tail-end emissions” from all 12,000
sperm whales, and you get the equivalent of taking 40,000 cars off the
road. That’s why we think you should support protection for our
sea-going whale allies!

Source: Agence France Presse, Faecal attraction: Whale poop fights climate change

Not Like a Sporting Event at All

In Food, Good News, In the News,

Posted on June 28, 2010
Author: Linda,
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Unlike all ball games, judicial rulings are sometimes claimed as victories by both sides. This just happened with a Supreme Court ruling on chemical giant Monsanto’s genetically modified alfalfa crop. (FYI, alfalfa is a $9-billion sector in the US).

In a Grist article, Tom Laskawy pointed out: “Despite the news reports claiming victory for Monsanto, the Supreme Court did not overturn the central tenet of the case: that the USDA prematurely approved Roundup Ready alfalfa… More importantly, the Supreme Court has also now ruled for the very time that ‘environmental harm’ includes economic effects such as reduced agriculture yield or loss of market due to genetic contamination.”

“That’s a huge win for our side… That’s gigantic!” Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist of Consumers Union, told me. Future lawsuits can now confidently use the gene-flow argument against approval and use of genetically engineered crops. Other share his glee. The Center for Food Safety called the ruling “a victory for the Center for Food Safety and the farmers and consumers it represents.”

Source:

Answered Questions to the Oil Hemorrhage

In Uncategorized,

Posted on June 21, 2010
Author: Linda,
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Last week, I stated some concerns regarding this Oil Hemorrhage. Although some of the answers are not as comforting as I hoped, the Department of Health and Human Services responded to a few of my concern. Check out what they had to say about the health and well-being of us as well as the effects to the fish and other sea life. “Oil Spill Stirs Study, Debate Over Health Impacts”