Founded 37 years ago, Earth Day has always been about celebrating the nature in the present tense and making sure we leave it in good conditions for the future.
Defenders of Wildlife are asking parents to take a pledge stating they will be taking their child out to celebrate Earth Day. You could take them to a State Park or to a Wilderness Area, whatever it is that floats your boat.
The Earthday Network has a lot of great information to read up on and share with your children as well. And you know, you don't have to be a parent, you can take your nephew or niece out or maybe the child you babysit on occasion.
Alaska's brutal aerial gunning season is only two weeks away and the target are Alaska's wolves. I'm not going to say that I would enjoy a wolf particularly, but to make a sport of killing them...I would enjoy that far less. Like humans, animals and therefore wolves also have their own predators and life spans. There is no need to set out on a specific hunt to kill them. It would be no different than the Nazis setting out to kill someone with brown hair who liked swing music.
As a participant of the "Defenders of Wildlife" campaigns, I urge you to go to their website and join the people who are trying to stop this madness. Get involved, sign the petition and make a difference. You CAN help!
I recently read that many new parents are hunting for glass baby bottles. This is something that has rapidly increased due to the finding that some plastic baby bottles release bisphenol A when heated. Environment California has done research with animals (I despire testing on animals) and the findings have been alarming.
"Even at low levels, bisphenol A has been linked to abnormalities in the mammary and prostate glands and the eggs of laboratory animals, scientists say. Animal tests also show bisphenol A can speed up puberty and add to weight gain, and may cause changes that can lead to breast and prostate cancer."
The New York Times article states that the Doris Duke foundation will donate $100 million to fund research on global warming. More specifically, the money is intended to further progress towards energy policies in the US. The idea is that there will be mandatory restrictions on the amount of pollutants (most importantly carbon dioxide) that can be emitted. Their ultimate goal of changing policy is an on-going effort to support renewable and efficient energy sources.
The matter is complicated, however, by the fact that they hope to set up a "cap-and-trade scheme." This means that there will be an upper limit on the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in an attempt to get companies to "budget" their pollutants.
"Cap-and-trade is the approach embodied in the current legislative proposals, and it would involve setting an economywide cap on total carbon dioxide emissions, allocate or auction emissions allowances to utilities and other companies, and create a trading market in these 'permissions to pollute.'"
"Mr. Bowman of the Duke foundation said that putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions was crucial to provide the economic incentive for needed investments in industrial cleanup, innovative low-carbon technologies and renewable sources of energy like solar and wind power."
The question is: can we really put a price on CO2 emissions and will that price be high enough to provoke action in the large corporations that rely on fossil fuels to stay in business?
Mr. Bowman goes on to say that he hopes this policy will be complimented by an increase in energy efficient technologies and utilities.
The root causes of the deaths of many arctic based animals is due to global warming. The effects are growing more rapidly over the years and measures need to be taken now to assure the rates slow down now.
I am part of a group called Defenders of Wildlife. 85,828 people have joined in supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal for increased polar bear protections. While I don't agree we should focus on just one animal, I do agree it will inevitably help all animals in arctic locations.
So, I ask readers to go to the Defenders of Wildlife website and submit your support as well, because we need is 100,000 people and we are so close. Every person matters, every submission counts.
The Supreme Court has really been taking things over this week. It looks like in many small ways, the government is really trying to make an effort in helping to save the environment.
Basically what has happened is states wanting automobile emission standards to be more strict than those set by the federal government are allowed to pursue them. So it removes an obstacle.
"I am very encouraged by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision today that greenhouse gases are pollutants and should be regulated by the federal government," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, a Republican. "We expect the U.S. E.P.A. to move quickly now in granting our request for a waiver."
How awesome is that!? Perhaps more action stars need to take on political offices. And yes, California is one of the states who is already taking steps to raise auto-emission standards. Excellent!
The Supreme Court "overturned a lower court ruling and declared that Duke Energy did indeed violate the Clean Air Act when it modernized coal plants without paying for pollution-reduction equipment."
*high fives all around*
The emissions from Duke Energy are linked to health problems in the area such as heart disease and respiratory ailments.
So, I am part of the campaign to fight Global Warming and clean America's air pollution. Yes, and it has consisted of writing letters and sending e-mails to friends to try and get them to participate.
Well, it is paying off for everyone involved and there are a lot of people involved.
Because today the Supreme Court ruled today that the federal government has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate America's global warming pollution. Unfortunately, it does not require the EPA to take action.
So there are still steps and leaps to be taken to continue moving forward with this campaign. You can read more about at the Environmental Defense website.
If you are looking for an uplifting and motivating movie to watch, I highly recommend buying or renting "The Pursuit of Happyness" it is absolutely amazing!
Secondly, there has been a tragic event overseas due to a tsunami that has wiped out entire villages on the Solomon Islands and left hundreds of people missing. Reports are stating that an earthquake of magnitude 8 is what caused the tsunami. I know that the Red Cross has begun their relief efforts already, I just ask that if you can help in anyway, please do. Even if your only means of helping is prayer. =o)
