Yesterday Greenpeace activists drove a Kleenex-box shaped bus across the entrance of Kimberly Clark's paper mill in Everett, WA, one of the largest mills in the country, effectively blocking the entrance. This mill receives thousands of tons of ancient trees throughout the year. Greenpeace is demanding that Kimberly Clark's representatives meet with them, and have even provided a meeting room and coffee onboard the bus to facilitate the discussion.
Kimberly Clark is wiping out ancient forests for disposable tissue products. Just over a month ago, Fortune magazine reported that the CEO of Walmart has also asked Kimberly Clark to clean up its forest practices. Walmart happens to be the largest retail outlet for products such as Kleenex tissues and Scott toilet paper. If companies like Walmart, and consumers like you apply enough pressure, Kimberly Clark will be forced to the negotiating table.
It's time for Kimberly Clark to stop blowing the world's last remaining ancient forests and start using recycled content and FSC-certified wood in its products.
The government wants to train people to clean up their own neighborhoods.
Twelve communities in 10 states will have to share $2.3 million in job training grants geared toward cleaning up contaminated properties and turning them into productive areas. Federal brownfield grants of up to $200,000 each have been awarded to non-profit organizations and local governments. The grants will teach environmental assessment and cleanup job skills to individuals living in low income areas near brownfields sites in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Whoops, not Michigan! Apparently we got some spare change last year.
Since 1998, the feds have handed out $22 million in brownfields job training funds. Approximately 3,000 people have completed training programs, with more than 1,880 obtaining employment in the environmental field (Average wage? $13.26 /hr). The program is designed to ensure that the economic benefits derived from brownfields redevelopment remain in the affected communities.
The 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was designed to assist states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfields sites. It's estimated that there are currently 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. Since the beginning of the program, more than 1,000 assessment grants have been awarded totaling approximately $262 million, 200 revolving loan fund grants totaling more than $200 million, and 325 cleanup grants totaling approximately $65 million. EPA's brownfields assistance has attracted more than $8.5 billion in private investment and helped attract more than 39,000 jobs.
Did you get that? In the past four years, 325 sites have received funding out of an estimated 450,000; 1000 total sites have been assessed... out of 450,000. That's not even 1%. $2.3million for job training is NOT ENOUGH!
Methyl bromide is used to fumigate soil before planting crops such as strawberries and tomatoes, and also to fumigate storage facilities and grain mills. But Methyl bromide is classified as a Class I ozone-depleting substance, causing serious damage to the upper-atmosphere. EPA regulations phased out the production and import of methyl bromide beginning Jan. 1, 2005, except for allowable exemptions, such as the so-called "critical use exemption".
The critical use exemption process was created to provide relief to methyl bromide users who do not yet have any technically or economically feasible alternatives. Under the current structure of the Montreal Protocol, the Parties to the treaty authorize exemptions on an annual basis, and each year EPA promulgates a rule to allocate methyl bromide for critical uses. Methyl bromide allocations are regulated and monitored by EPA.
At the 18th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in New Delhi, India, last week, the United States was authorized 91 percent of its request for critical use allocations of methyl bromide for the year 2008. As inventories of ozone-damaging methyl bromide continue to decline, critical use exemptions supposedly help meet the needs of American farmers as they transition to ozone-safe alternatives.
The amount authorized at the New Delhi meeting represents 21 percent of the nation's 1991 baseline consumption (U.S. baseline is 25,528 metric tons). Some 18 percent of baseline (4,595 metric tons) will be authorized new production and import, and the remainder will come from pre-phaseout inventories. The EPA decides who gets to use it, and how much.
As methyl bromide alternatives have been adopted and uses scaled back, the quantity of the critical use exemption in the United States has decreased steadily -- the authorizations have decreased from 9,553 metric tons for 2005 to 8,082 metric tons for 2006 and 6,749 metric tons for 2007. The authorization for 2008 continues the downward trend. The level of pre-phaseout inventory has also continued to decrease -- from approximately 16,422 metric tons in 2003 to 12,994 metric tons in 2004 and 9,975 metric tons last year.
More Information/Allegations of EPA Negligence: Transcript of the Public Hearing on the Proposed 2007 Methyl Bromide Critical Use Exemption Rule: Testimony by Mr. Peter Joyce, CEO -of Value Recovery, Inc. - which has developed a technology for removal and destruction of methyl bromide - given at EPA's headquarters stating that the agency has been negligent in doing all it can to prevent emissions and indicating how this negligence plays into the hands of the major players.
Educate Yourself Further Ultraviolet Reflections: Life Under a Thinning Ozone Layer by Annika Nilsson
American Electric Vehicle Company in Ferndale, Michigan, will soon begin selling an all-electric car dubbed the "Kurrent" for $9,800 (with a $3,000 federal tax rebate). The car costs about 1-cent per mile to drive, compared to 14- to 16-cents per mile for an SUV.
In this video, SpartanEdge.com Editor Alex "Cool Man" Scott and cameraman Phil Moon take the test vehicle out for a spin on the Michigan State University campus.
AEV President says he expects to hire 40 to 70 assembly employees at the Ferndale plant by next Spring to produce 15,000 of the Italian designed electric vehicles.
Check out the video, it's a cool little car.
Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History by Judy Anderson and Curtis D. Anderson
The Dow Chemical Corporation, headquartered in Midland, Michigan, has contaminated a 20 mile stretch of the Tittabawassee River with dioxin, a known carcinogen. Over 16,000 individual properties are affected downstream. Water from the Tittabawassee River merges with the Saginaw River, then flows out to Lake Huron at Saginaw Bay.
This massive contamination came to light when citizens learned through FOIA that high levels of dioxin had been found for miles downstream from Dow's manufacturing facility. Subsequent testing confirmed that the watershed and flood plain downriver from Dow's headquarters are contaminated with elevated levels of more than 7,200 ppt. The state residential cleanup standard is 90 ppt. High levels have been found in public use areas and parks.
In response to the revelations, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) worked hand-in-glove with the Dow Chemical Company to craft a settlement agreement which the Michigan Attorney General office called "illegal" and "fatally flawed".
Residents living in dioxin-contaminated areas, joined by leading environmental organizations in the state, have taken legal action to attempt to stop the proposed agreement.
Am I beating a dead horse? This story is as old as it gets.
Can we count on the new Democratic legislature in Michigan to act, or will we see Dow get its way?
The Dems have taken back some of the power and I won't deny that I think that this is a positive move. I am hestitant - extremely hesitant - to say that this recent election is positive for environmentalists. The voters guide here in Grand Rapids did contain the word sustainability - once. Jim McKay, the Democrat running for County Drain Commissioner, was the only candidate to use the word 'sustainable' in any of the answers to the posed questions. He lost.
We have a lot of work to do. The Republicans destroyed most of the legislative gains environmentalists made from the 1970's through the 1990's. We are starting from scratch, and I fear we still have an uphill battle to fight due to the large number of conservatives still holding office.
We are starting from scratch. No new species have been added to the Endangered or Threatened species lists in the past six years - not because of bad science - because executives and managers within the Interior Department have blocked it. Mountain-top removal in Appalachia by the coal industry has decimated hundreds of thousands if not mililons of acres of forest. Oil and gas exploration on public lands reached a fever pitch last year, especially in Wyoming and Colorado. Millions of acres of roadless area are being mined, though a judge has reinstated the Roadless Area protections. There is much to be done.
Greens did not fair in this election, they generally had a poor showing statewide in Michigan and they didn't do well anywhere else either. Less than 1%. That is not a good sign.
Yes, there are reasons to be hopeful, but we must not lie back and assume that we have won anything. Now is the time for environmentalists to stand up and be heard. Now it is time to pick up the pieces. We must form new policy initiatives, we must introduce new legislation on the local, state and federal levels, and we must begin to fundraise for the next election cycle and be prepared to take even more seats locally and on the state level.
In January there will be a few more folks in Washington DC that might just listen to us. Now is the time to raise some hell. Get your ass in gear.
I've decided to start working on a book/video documentary/blog about my adventures as I make a journey around each of the Great Lakes. My intention is to encircle each of the five lakes on foot, mountain bike, kayak and pick-up truck starting with Lake Superior - the largest - moving east to Huron, Erie, Ontario and the back to Lake Michigan. I was originally considering doing the whole thing on foot, but it's not practical. The lakes are huge and their are time constraints.
What? Did I just write that? Yes, I most certainly did.
My plan so far includes taking a Mac Powerbook and video camera with the software to do sound and video editing and maintaining an internet link. I think a good insurance policy is also in order, as I always end up hurting myself no matter what I attempt.
Yes, I've thought about just riding a mountain bike around each of the big lakes, but my knees might not allow me to make the journey. I've been having a lot of trouble with my right knee lately, especially now that I'm taking yoga. My 'salutations to the sun' are frequently painful.
The goal of this is quite simple. It's a giant sociology experiment. I want to show the variety of people that exist in this region, and how they live and spend their days. I think it's worthy of a National Geographic special. Okay, it's obvious that the folks living in Thunder Bay, Ontario on the north side of Superior are altogether different than folks living in Toledo or South Bend. Shouldn't someone examine that? How can governments and communities make decisions regarding their relationship with the Lakes without examining the details of how others are dependent and interconnected with the Lakes. The whole damn place is almost too big to contemplate. How can we make informed decisions about pollution prevention, hazardous waste dumps, and most importantly water usage without knowing how our actions will affect those on the other side of the body of water we're dealing with?
Of course, one of the primary difficulties will be sponsorship. Who would support me while I do this? (Mom?) If anyone has any suggestions, or you know anyone who may have a barrel of money lying around, then please contact me through this site.
I have considered asking the Catholic Church for sponsorship. There were some French priests - I think they were Jesuits, not sure - who came up the St. Lawrence River and then crossed Ontario and Michigan on foot to arrive in the Grand Rapids area in the early 1700's. They were the first white men to come to West Michigan, and they settled near the Ottawa and Potowanamee tribes and traded with them. What if I dedicated a portion of my time to retracing the path of these early missionaries? There is a new bishop in Grand Rapids, not sure what he is like. I wonder if he would be open to considering funding a portion of my journey?
Have you seen the documentary "Loose Change"? You can find Loose Change on google video and portions of it on YouTube. If you've got 90 minutes to spend getting enlightened you'll want to check it out. If you want to be a patsy and let these asshole NeoCons drive your country into the ground for awhile longer, than you can ignore it. But you will get no respect from me.
Google "Loose Change" the 2nd edition. You'll want to have a strong drink in your hand because you're about to have your mind completely blown about 9-11. There is so much to question, so much that didn't appear in the 9/11 Commission's report, so many lies and distortions. You'll need to watch a little Bill Maher to cheer you up afterward. Make sure you vote Democrat, or Green, or Libertarian, or whatever the fuck you want, but for the love of God DON'T vote Republican. They've stolen our country, they've driven us so far into debt with their deceit. They need to be kicked to the curb people. Wake up and VOTE. If you don't vote, you are handing it over to these lying fucks who will continue flushing our country down the toilet.
This election isn't about the troops. They don't care about the troops. If they did, they would get them the hell out of there. This election isn't about your security. We're the most powerful people on Earth, if we wanted to secure our borders we could do so in an hour. We've got the guns. We've got the planes and the ships. We've got the will. They maintain their power by keeping you afraid. Where is Osama? 5 years and they haven't caught him. The planet isn't that big. The US Marshalls arrested 11,000 fugitive sex offenders two weeks ago. Maybe we should send the Marshalls out to find bin Laden.
The Republicrats don't give a damn about you, only lining their own pockets. Why aren't the American people surrounding the capitol building and tearing it apart brick by brick? They don't give a damn about you, only want to scare you to keep you in line.
Go ahead, vote Republican. Give in. Surrender. Lie still so they can ram the pole in further and turn you into a good little puppet. They don't give a rats ass about you. They don't give a rats ass about the unborn. They don't give a rats ass about anything but the dollar signs. Vote Republican, and then lie still and take it in the rear like a congressional page.
Bush has lost this war. He has lost the War he started for false reasons, that his cohorts lied to Congress to get them to support. It's time to impeach this fucker. It's time to lock him up for lying to us. It's time to lock them up for ending habeus corpus, it's time to lock them up for taking away our rights to privacy, it's time Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld were tried and convicted for war crimes by an International court. It's time. At least we'll be able to save face.
Oh, spank me! Hoekstra, a Republican Congressman from Holland, Michigan - chair of the House Intelligence Commitee - worked together with the Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas and the Bush adminstration to make information about how to make nuclear weapons available to everyone. Why? (They're power hungry madmen?) Their goal was to legitimize the invasion of Iraq by proving Iraq had access to nuclear weapons designs. Rep. Hoekstra and Senator Roberts should RESIGN immediately!!!
Let me say that again so that you know I'm serious. Only a sissy-boy, a make-up and glitter wearin' nancy-boy, would shoot a tiny bird for fun. Vote NO on Proposal 3 to ban dove hunting.
Look, I've got no beef with legitimate hunters, real MEN who go out and get whitetails or an elk to feed their families. I'll drink a beer with any of those guys any day of the week. We could crack open a few cold Pabst Blue Ribbons and discuss the best tree-stands or argue about the best scope to mount on your rifle. But it turns my stomach, it really makes me truly ill, to think of some yahoo getting drunk and blasting away at tiny birds because it's fun. That isn't fun, my friends, that is an act of depravity. Killing small animals for kicks or just for target practice is an obscene act. I don't give a rat's ass what Ted Nugent says.
Be a real man and put down the gun, then go to a bar or restaurant and actually try talking to a real-live woman for a change. Am I wrong? Is killing little birds all you've got to do fella? Then you aren't thinking about the ladies much. Are you wearin' Victoria Secret lace panties under your camo-pants?
Here are the facts:
Hunting doves is unnecessary and serves no wildlife management purpose. There is no reason to open a shooting season on doves. Mourning doves are ground-feeding birds that eat pest weed seeds; they pose no threat to agricultural crops, homes, or anything of value to people. Other northern states also have long-standing policies of protecting doves. There are no management problems within those states and no one has suggested that doves are overpopulated.
Mourning doves have significant economic value as live songbirds. Doves are beloved backyard birds and are an important part of the multi-billion dollar bird watching and feeding industry in Michigan. As a backyard songbird, scientific research studies show the mourning dove as "the second most-frequently reported bird at feeders." More Michigan residents participate in wild bird watching and spend more doing it than any other outdoor activity including all forms of hunting combined.
Doves are not a viable human food source. As small birds, even if shot properly, doves have very little "edible" flesh on them. During the 60-day shooting season of September and October, doves are actually at their lightest body weight for the entire year. However, doves are an important source of food for protected birds of prey such as eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls.
Shooting doves is known to produce orphaned young. Doves are scientifically known to still be nesting during the 60-day shooting season of September and October. Doves mate for life because both parents are required to successfully fledge squabs. The killing of one parent is known to cause unnecessary suffering of dependent young who will die in the nest of starvation.
There is an unacceptably high wounding rate for dove hunting. Scientific research studies confirm an average wounding rate of 30 percent in hunted areas - meaning that nearly one in three birds is wounded and not retrieved after being shot. In Michigan, where there is no tradition of dove hunting and where few Michigan hunters have had the experience of shooting at doves, we can expect an even higher wounding rate. If shooters kill 300,000 mourning doves a year, we can expect they will wound and fail to retrieve nearly 100,000 others.
The Asian Development Bank has joined the international Methane to Markets Partnership. The Philippines based organization has extensive experience with clean energy projects, including methane recovery and use at landfills and coal mines. ADB is the second multilateral development bank to join the Methane to Markets Partnership after the World Bank, and its participation will increase our ability to mitigate global climate change. Most recently, ADB provided a $117 million loan to the Jincheng Anthracite Coal Group in Shanxi Province, China which will be the world's largest power plant fueled by coal mine methane (Caterpiller Corp. was awarded a huge contract).
Reducing methane emissions provides immediate environmental and energy benefits. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is over 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide at capturing heat in the atmosphere. Because methane is also the primary component of natural gas, capturing and using methane as a clean fuel also provides immediate economic and energy security benefits.
What does this mean to you? It will affect the US economy in four sectors: agriculture, coal mines, landfills and oil and gas. Private firms, banks, NGOs and any interested in using methane as an alternative fuel will be cashing in. The Bush Administration committed $53 million to this initiative over the next five years, but with ADB's backing much more work will be accomplished.
Recent polling of local Michiganders here in Grand Rapids gives ALL the local elections to the Democrats. How many people were surveyed? Okay, I didn't really keep an accurate count - this was entirely non-scientific - but no one I spoke to was considering voting for a Republican.
Here are a few comments:
Male, 22, coffeeshop barista: "I don't understand why people aren't rioting. Why haven't we driven down to DC and dragged these assholes out into the street and lynched them?"
Female, 29: "They're goin' down. The Republicans are finished. Granholm will stomp him. I don't understand why the Grand Rapids Press would support DeVos, that was a mistake."
Male, age 9: "Bush is dumb, he gets people killed."
Male, age 52: "DeVos is more conservative than Bush. His policies will be a nightmare. I'm praying that he doesn't win."
Female, age 48: "If DeVos wins, that will be the nail in the coffin. We will move."
Male, 19: "I'm voting for all the black and minority candidates. I'm voting to keep affirmative action, I need it."
Male, 45: "Vote! I hear the winds of change blowin!"
This should give you some insight into what your neighbors are thinking. Don't believe me? Go ask them for yourself. There are no DeVos lawn signs in my neighborhood, lots of liberal Catholic Democrats around here.
My Prediction: Democratic Landslide in Grand Rapids!
Returning Black Bear Speaks readers will recognize that this is a new logo! For those of you who've never been to this site before, here's the logo!!!
This bear was lovingly created by illustration professor Molly Corriveau, who is also a master sculptor and painter. Professor Corriveau teaches at Kendall College of Art & Design here in Grand Rapids, which is part of Ferris State University. Her work has appeared in numerous shows and in a large number of publications. Corriveau completed her MFA at the California College of Art in Berkeley, CA and has also taught at Ohio University in Athens, OH. She recently received tenure at Kendall. She is well known here in Grand Rapids, not only for her fantastic sculptures, but also because of her exceptional teaching ability and dedication to her students. Ask anyone who's ever taken one of her classes, they all love her. Corriveau has received a number of awards for her artwork - far to many to list here - and she has been voted "favorite instructor" repeatedly by her students at Kendall.
Forest Primeval: The Natural History of an Ancient Forest
Ancient Forests: Big Trees & Redwoods wall calendar
