Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.
Beneath the fold you will find announcements, today's eco-diary roundup, news, and our environmental pic(s) of the day.
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Today's editor: ellinorianne
Today's Eco Series to keep an eye for:
(All times Eastern!)
Magnifico has a series on the Gulf Oil Disaster and RLMiller has SeaScum - on the reaction to the Oilpocalypse by some pretty horrible politicians. Crashing Vor has been writing about the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on the Gulf Coast.
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In The news...
Oil Spill Expert: BP Using "Two Conflicting Cleanup Technologies" (Video)
Dispersing and booming do not mix, like oil and water according to Treehugger and this guy, which makes perfect sense to this gal.
You disperse it and then try to round it up? Sounds like their PR campaign more than anything else. What oil? Oh it's not that much oil. What you can't see can't hurt you.
Where the fuck is the oil?
And as Fishgrease has proven, they can't fuckin' boom worth shit anyway.
Much has been made about BP's use of toxic chemical dispersants to break down and disperse the crude throughout the Gulf, and rightfully so. We also keep hearing about the "thousands of miles of boom" that BP is deploying to protect the coastline as one of the key PR points on how aggressive the oil company has been in fighting the slick. But, as Greenpeace marine biologist and oil spill expert Paul Horsman explains, doing both creates a conflicting, counterproductive cleanup strategy. Here's why:
I'm inclined to agree with Horsman -- it seems absolutely crazy to me that the move to blast the source of the leaks with largely untested dispersants nonstop has not only been chosen as the preferred containment method, but rubber stamped by the EPA as well. Horsman elaborates on the specific problems he has with the powerful dispersants:
And I want to give a shout out to one where people might not expect it, but Fox News Anchor Shepherd Smith had a thing or two to say to BP's CEO regarding his company's failures regarding the oil gusher in the Gulf. He was sincere, to the point and compelling. It was quite wonderful.
Mr. Hayward, that Gulf is the source of life for millions upon million of people, and plants, and other creatures on this earth. Jobs are lost, beaches and birds are tarred, fisheries are closed, tourists are canceling, economies are threatened, and people from Florida to Texas are in some cases concerned for their very livelihoods, and you speak of 'comparative volume'?
Mr. Hayward, British Petroleum has caused the proud people of the Gulf Region great pain. If you think your statements on this subject are helping your company's cause -- you are wrong. And if you think the people of the Gulf Region and the rest of America will take lying down without a fight a poorly handled aftermath of what your company has done to our Gulf and our people - you are horribly mistaken.
Our water is now polluted, our coast is now soiled, our fish and our turtles and our shrimp and our oysters are now harmed. Many of our people are now out of a job, and eleven hardworking men and women are dead from the explosion on the rig that carried your company's name. Remember that Mr. Hayward? We do. On your watch, these are extremely difficult times for us litigious Americans. At least act like you care.
Alternative energy has issues to face other than big oil and lack of funding, here in California, it has to do with a water shortage. And water issues aren't going to get easier here or anywhere else.
Water Adds New Constraints to Power
SAN FRANCISCO — In the Mojave Desert, solar developers are scrambling to secure permits to build vast expanses of new generating capacity. But they are discovering that cost and carbon emissions are not the only limiting factors in new energy decisions in California. They are bumping up against water scarcity.
...
But there is a growing awareness in California and throughout the United States that the use of water for energy generation may be reaching its limits.
California has extensive experience with water shortages, resulting in its adoption of a policy, included in the energy commission’s 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report, that discourages freshwater use for power plant cooling. The commission’s regularly updated reports provide current data and set the parameters for state energy and conservation policies.
"It’s just not possible anymore in California, and increasingly anywhere, to find unlimited water for the old water-intensive cooling systems," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, which researches water issues and advises on policy. "If you want to build a big central power plant, whether it’s oil, gas or nuclear, you can’t take the water for granted."
Putting pressure on big companies to change the way they do business does work! As well as Conservation plans according to NOAA. Some good news needs to be shared and here it is!
Deforestation Victory! Nestlé Will Stop Using Rainforest-Destroying Palm Oil
Concerned about forest-destroying palm oil? You can now rest a little easier. The world's largest food and drinks conglomerate, Nestlé has pledged to stop using palm oil linked to rainforest destruction. Monitoring the commitment, The Forest Trust will ensure that no products come from companies that own or manage "high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation."
Nestlé and TFT worked together on criteria that will ensure all palm oil purchases will:
- Be derived from plantations and farms operating in compliance with local laws and regulations;
- Protect high conservation value forest areas;
- Support the free prior and informed consent of indigenous and local communities to activities on their customary lands where plantations are developed;
- Protect peatlands;
- Protect forest are of 'high carbon' value.
The new Nestlé commitment comes after several months of pressure, led by Greenpeace, pointing out the ecologically and socially unsustainable nature of most palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Right now there are many fish species facing decline,such as the Bluefin tuna, but if we can leverage evidence such as this that just cutting back, using some common sense and actually fishing sustainabley we can use the ocean's resources responsibly without the threat of wiping out entire species forever. This should be our ultimate goal.
Spread this one far and wide!
Conservation Works: NOAA Declares Four US Fish Stocks Rebuilt to Healthy Levels
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Here's an example of how a modicum of restraint and forward thinking can bring conservation success: NOAA's 2009 Status of US Fisheries report shows that four fisheries stocks have now been rebuilt to unhealthy levels after years of overfishing, and that for the first time since 1997 no new stocks were added to the list.
Those four fish stocks include: The Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic scup, Atlantic sea bass, and St Matthew's Island (Alaska) blue king crab. Additionally, four fish stocks which had been overfished in 2008 began rebuilding in 2009: In the Atlantic, winter skate and sailfish; in the Pacific, bocaccio and darkblotched rockfish. Overall, 85% of fish stocks examined were found free from overfishing.
The Food we eat matters, as does the food we feed our kids.
ADHD In Children: Agricultural Pesticides May Be Missing Link
A new analysis of U.S. health data links children's attention-deficit disorder with exposure to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables.
...
In the body, pesticides break down into compounds that can be measured in urine. Almost universally, the study found detectable levels: The compounds turned up in the urine of 94 percent of the children.
The kids with higher levels had increased chances of having ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a common problem that causes students to have trouble in school. The findings were published Monday in Pediatrics.
The children may have eaten food treated with pesticides, breathed it in the air or swallowed it in their drinking water. The study didn't determine how they were exposed. Experts said it's likely children who don't live near farms are exposed through what they eat.
"Exposure is practically ubiquitous. We're all exposed," said lead author Maryse Bouchard of the University of Montreal.
And something that's close to my heart is the Renewal of the Child Nutrition Act in Congress which looks like it will be stalled for another two years. Two years. Don't let it happen. As Communications Char for my local Slow Food Chapter, I am trying to get more attention to this issue and have tried here. Guess what, more organic veggies in schools would help so much but we need funding for that too.
Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? If we make some changes at the Federal Level, it will make this Food Revolution at local schools easier! Come on Kossacks, this is something each one of us can DO.
The progress we've made on the Child Nutrition Bill is in jeopardy.
Why? Senate leaders are thinking about postponing the bill for another year or two. Instead of new funding for healthier food, stronger nutrition standards, and grants for Farm to School programs -- which are all in the current bill -- schools could end up with the same-old system next year.
A "Dear Colleague" letter is circulating in the Senate, urging Senate leaders to schedule time for the bill. The letter will be submitted to the leadership on Wednesday, May 19 -- so our Senators need to sign it ASAP.
Can you ask your Senators to sign the letter today? Click here to send an email:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/...
Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of people like you have spoken up for helping schools serve healthier food. The result is a Child Nutrition Bill with the most new funding and strongest standards in the sixty-year history of the National School Lunch Program.
It's still not perfect, but we need to get the legislation moving -- otherwise we risk starting over next year with zero funding, no standards and no grants for local food. Our goal right now is to show the Senate leadership that child nutrition is a priority, and that Senators want to address it -- that's the reasoning behind the "Dear Colleague" Letter.
When this bill reaches the Senate floor, we're hoping Congress will improve it by increasing the funding for healthy food to at least $1 billion per year. But we can't get there unless Congress makes child nutrition a priority.
So please write your Senators today.
Thanks for all you do,
Gordon, Jerusha and the rest of the Time for Lunch team
Photos of the day. I decided to stay away from anything not living today in these photos because well, I just wanted to remember all those lovely creatures, beautiful ecosystems and everything else we can protect in the Gulf and elsewhere. The battle is not over.
Given the tendency of wildlife to ruin perfectly good pictures, we're happy to give the turtle credit for this bomb. But at the same time, we can't help but think that it's actually the scuba diver who's in line for a congratulatory pat on the back. A careful dissection of the photo reveals that perhaps the turtle was the one posing for the picture, only to have some jerkstore tourist crash the shot. (via Buzzfeed)
Treehugger has a nice series of photos, Whatever, Tigers and Pandas: Lesser-Known Endangered Species Need Help Too which highlights Wildlife Conservation Society's 10 of World's 'Rarest of the Rare' Species.
Here are some of my favorites picked from the list, who can resist primates, cetaceans bats and foxes? And of course, turtles.
Sumantran Orangutan
Logging and deforestation to clear land for palm oil plantations have decimated the Sumantran orangutan's forest habitat in the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. "As more forest is converted, young orangutans are orphaned, illegally captured for the international pet trade, killed as pests for raiding fruit crops, or even killed for food," the WCS writes. Over the past 75 years, the orangutans' population has declined 80 percent -- to perhaps just 6,600 left in the wild.
Florida Bonneted Bat
Thought to be extinct until 2002, when a small colony was discovered in a North Fort Myers suburb, the 100 remaining Florida bonneted bats are the state's largest bat species. The bats are "critically endangered due to the loss of roosting sites, a cumulative result of the felling of old trees in hurricanes and for construction. Pesticide spraying for mosquitoes may contribute to a decline of these insectivorous bats."
Ploughshare Tortoise
With just 400 animals left in five small, unconnected sub-populations, the ploughshare tortoise in Madagascar is "nearly certain to go extinct within 30 years if current threats continue unabated," the WCS writes. "Illegal collection of ploughshare tortoises for the international pet trade continues to be a threat. Smuggling has increased since the 2009 political unrest in Madagascar."
Vaquita
At just five feet long, the vaquita is the smallest marine cetacean, and one of the most threatened: A mere 150 are estimated to survive in the northern Gulf of California in Mexico.
"The main threat to the vaquita is getting caught and drowned in fishing gillnets used in these waters. In addition, the vaquita may be affected by reduced water flow into the Gulf from the Colorado River, and the increase in pesticide and fertilizer pollution in that water," the WCS writes. "In 2009, the Mexican government passed a resolution to ban trawling in part of the vaquita's range."
Island Gray Fox
The smallest fox in the United States, the island gray fox is found only on six of the California Channel Islands.
Though canine diseases introduced to the islands by domestic dogs predator by golden eagles have reduced the fox's numbers to fewer than 1,000, "gray foxes were euthanized on San Clemente Island to protect another rare species, the endemic loggerhead shrikes," the WCS writes. "Because both the shrikes and the foxes are so rare, the fox-control efforts ceased in 2003, and the focus is now on restoring habitat and reducing the populations of introduced species on the islands."
And this has got to be my favorite, baby sloths rescued and cared for in Costa Rica,this video is so adorable. Only one sloth orphanage in the world? Just not right! These docile, slow moving creatures are an important part of any ecosystem and need protection. Glad someone is taking on their cause.
AND, well, I hate to say it, but it's really fun to watch them eat.
Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.
I filmed this at the Aviaros del Caribe sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica - the world's only sloth orphanage. Baby 2 and 3 toed sloths, whose mother's have either been run over or zapped by power lines, are brought to the centre to be cared for by sloth whisperer Judy Arroyo. For more of my sloth stories, photos and videos visit my blog pinktreefrog.typepad.com/ or follow me on twitter amphib_avenger
For more on the sloth sanctuary go to slothrescue.org/
Today's eKos diaries:
Author | Diary | Time | Tags |
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Miep | Memories of the ocean | 05/17/10 12:01AM Eastern | ocean, mining, BP Gulf Crusher, tar, pollution |
RLMiller | "The explosion literally rips the door from the hinges." | 05/17/10 12:32AM Eastern | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, eKos, environment |
Meteor Blades | Green diary rescue & open thread | 05/17/10 01:05AM Eastern | green diary rescue & open thread, DK GreenRoots, ekos |
Miep | poetry fishing | 05/17/10 02:54AM Eastern | poetry, community, time, eKos |
DFutureIsNow | New GOP + Big Oil SCAM: One Years Profits Based Liability Cap! | 05/17/10 03:22AM Eastern | GOP, BP, Murkowski, Oil Spill, Bob Menendez |
terryhallinan | You Too Can Have A Piece Of Green Pie | 05/17/10 03:36AM Eastern | geothermal power, eKos |
Jaime Frontero | BOINC A Co-Worker For Climate Change | 05/17/10 10:43AM Eastern | climate change, global warming, BOINC, dk Greenroots, eKos |
StepLeftStepForward | Rove Strikes Again? | 05/17/10 11:12AM Eastern | John Solomon, ABC News, Center for Public Integrity, BP Gulf Gusher, White House |
Turkana | Hottest April, Hottest Jan-April, Hottest 12 Months On Record | 05/17/10 11:58AM Eastern | Recommended, Climate Change, Fossil Fuels, Deepwater Horizon, environment |
A Siegel | If you look ... menacing clouds behind the heavy rainfall | 05/17/10 01:11PM Eastern | Recommended, ekos, nashville floods, floods, washington post |
rperks | Mountaintop Removal: Reclamation FAIL | 05/17/10 01:14PM Eastern | appalachia, coal mining, dirty coal, kentucky, MTR |
FishOutofWater | Holy S*** Updated | 05/17/10 01:43PM Eastern | Recommended, oil, BP oil spill, oil spill, environment |
JohnB47 | Don't let BP 'pass on' clean up costs | 05/17/10 02:13PM Eastern | BP, Gulf oil spill, Environment regulations, eKos |
murphy | Top oil/gas drilling official to resign 5/31 (updated) | 05/17/10 03:25PM Eastern | Department of Interior, Chis Oynes, eKos |
possum | Science Tidbits | 05/17/10 04:30PM Eastern | Science, Learning, Teaching, eKos |
pale cold | BP's Judgement. | 05/17/10 04:33PM Eastern | BP, Oilapocolypse, Environment, eKos |
Jbearlaw | BP Senate Hearing: Liveblog | 05/17/10 05:14PM Eastern | BP, oil spill, Senate, eKos |
CheeseMoose | A Teachable Moment on Oil. NOW. +poll | 05/17/10 05:15PM Eastern | BP, Deepwater Horizon, oil, Barack Obama, eKos |
Olympia | Spill Responders 'Told to Forgo Precautionary Health Measures In Cleanup'(update) | 05/17/10 05:49PM Eastern | BP, OilSpill, ExxonClean-Up, eKos |
DWG | The week in dirty coal: Wheels of Justice edition | 05/17/10 05:56PM Eastern | coal, dirty energy, Robert Byrd, Massey Energy, Don Blankenship |
Lefty Coaster | BP's Liability Probably Won't Be Limited Under Oil Pollution Act | 05/17/10 05:57PM Eastern | Deepwater Horizon Disaster, B.P., DK Greenroots, Oil Pollution Act Liability Limits, eKos |
beach babe in fl | Macca's Meatless Monday...Oil, My Love | 05/17/10 07:01PM Eastern | vegetarian, vegan, eKos, meat production, livestock |
jamess | Deepwater Plume, the size of 2 States and some fun with Maps | 05/17/10 08:28PM Eastern | Gulf of Mexico, Underwater Plume, BP, Oil Spill, Deepwater Horizon |
Edger | How We Wrecked The Oceans, with Jeremy Jackson | 05/17/10 08:43PM Eastern | eKos, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment |
eKos | eKos Earthship Monday: F'ing Booming and Dispersants Don't MIX! | 05/17/10 09:12PM Eastern | Recommended, ekos, fishing, overfishing, endangered species |
boatsie | ecojustice: "they hang upside down for a while to let their wings uncrinkle & get the blood flowing" | 05/17/10 11:08PM Eastern | ecojustice, environmental justice, ekos, Cancun, Cochabamba |
MinistryOfTruth | Shep Smith lays smartest smackdown ever on BP's CEO "At least act like you care" | 05/17/10 11:30PM Eastern | Recommended, Fox News, Shepard Smith, BP, CEO |
Haole in Hawaii | Hawai'i Underwater plus Dolphins - A Photo Diary | 05/17/10 11:46PM Eastern | Hawaii, photography, community, pooties, eKos |
Yesterday's eKos diaries:
Author | Diary | Time | Tags |
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Crashing Vor | Oilies | 05/16/10 08:52AM Eastern | Recommended, New Orleans, Louisiana, oil spill, economy |
jamess | Life on the Edge -- Videos of Gulf of Mexico Coral Reefs -- Updated | 05/16/10 11:47AM Eastern | Gulf of Mexico, Coral Reefs, Biodiversity, Species Loss, BP |
carldavidson | Why Creating Green Jobs Is So Tough: 2010 Conference Report | 05/16/10 11:56AM Eastern | Carl Davidson, Green Jobs, Steelworkers, CCDS, Blue-Green Alliance |
leema | The Swarm & the bee whisperer | 05/16/10 12:20PM Eastern | Bees, Swarming, Colony Collapse Disorder, eKos |
norm | Dishonest Flyer in California | 05/16/10 12:59PM Eastern | California, Proposition 16, ekos, Californians Vote Green, dishonest fliers |
innereye | UPDATE: Gas Leak 3000 Times Worse Than Oil - Updated Math | 05/16/10 01:00PM Eastern | Recommended, oilpocalypse, oil leak, gulf of mexico, natural gas |
DWG | What will you say in 25 years about the Gulf disaster? | 05/16/10 01:23PM Eastern | oil, dirty energy, BP, BP spill, Gulf of Mexico |
Milly Watt | ECSTASY Series: Feedback Systems | 05/16/10 02:00PM Eastern | DK Greenroots, electricity, power consumption, energy monitor, ECSTASY |
Gary Norton | BP Claims Success With New Pipe | 05/16/10 02:56PM Eastern | BP, British Petroleum, Gulf Oil Spill, eKos |
Richard Cranium | Nuke the Gusher | 05/16/10 02:59PM Eastern | bp, gulf of mexico, oil, oil gusher, nuclear weapon |
BlueDragon | Dead Pigs in Dead Gulf? | 05/16/10 03:02PM Eastern | Gulf Oil Spill, eKos |
Jed Lewison | BP stonewalls as massive plumes of oil discovered under Gulf | 05/16/10 03:30PM Eastern | BP, Oil, eKos |
wide eyed lib | Free Food: Why Foraging Beats 'Taking Nothing But Photographs' (Updated) | 05/16/10 03:55PM Eastern | Foraging, Botany, Survival Skills, Teaching, Spring |
AnotherAmericanLie | It Has Become A Campy Sci Fi Movie | 05/16/10 04:26PM Eastern | oil plume, oil spill, eKos |
Christian Dem in NC | Administration trying to make BP foot entire bill for oil spill | 05/16/10 05:12PM Eastern | BP, oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, eKos |
Devilstower | The Disaster Disaster | 05/16/10 08:00PM Eastern | disasters, Katrina, media, eKos |
BruceMcF | Sunday Train: Local Electric Transport and the Energy Independence Levy | 05/16/10 08:42PM Eastern | ekos, learning, Brawny Recovery, rail electrification, Living Energy Independence |
Keith Pickering | 60 Minutes: Critical equipment damaged weeks before blowout | 05/16/10 09:39PM Eastern | BP, Transocean, blowout, oilpocalypse, Deepwater Horizon |
rfall | Gulf Oil and African Ivory--Eco News in Black and White | 05/16/10 10:57PM Eastern | Climate change news roundup, climate change, environment, teaching, DKGreenroots |
A Siegel | What we want, and don't want, to see at the aquarium ... | 05/16/10 11:27PM Eastern | ekos, oil, gulf, oilcapolypse, aquarium |
eKos | eKos Earthship Sunday | 05/16/10 11:57PM Eastern | environment, climate change, coal, oil, pollution |
About eKos
The Idea
This project was inspired by the Earth Day @ DKos Blogathon. In case you missed it, we had 31 participating environmental diaries, all of which were linked to in the Mothership. During the event we had several requests for an eco-mothership diary series in the mould of the Earth Day effort.
The Mission
eKos is all about promoting community eco-diaries. Daily Kos already showcases several series, but sometimes the work of dedicated green diarists pass off the recent diary list hardly noticed. Our goal is to make these diaries more accessible. In the process we hope to build community and bring in a broader audience to the exceptional environmental writing here at DK.
How eKos Works
If you want a diary included in the list, please let us know by leaving a comment. We'll do our best to search out green diaries, but are bound to miss a few. For eKos to live up to it's full potential, eco-diarists will need to post a link to the mothership at the end of their diary. This will provide readers with easy access to other recent environmental diaries.
Requirements
eKos is meant to be inclusive, but we will have standards for quality and content of listed diaries. (As long as you don't violate site rules and have a modicum of relevant, original content, you should be fine.)
'eKos' tag
If your diary gets listed, we'll ask you to add the eKos tag to your diary.
Contact
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If you are interested in becoming an eco-ranger for eKos, or just want some more info, e-mail ekos350atgmaildotcom
eKos Rangers
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boatsie
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patrickz
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