of Mother Nature. Forget the candidates for a second this evening...what did you do to show support for the planet on this EARTH DAY 2008? Have you showered the pols with "green" without considering their stances on Mother Nature's natural green? Did you hug a tree today?
Submitted for your perusal....BREAKING!...THE EARTH...ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS TO USE.
Exxon appeal rejected in Louisiana contamination lawsuit. Exxon Mobil Corp. suffered a defeat at the Supreme Court on Monday, as the justices refused to consider an appeal by the oil giant of a $112 million damage award in an environmental lawsuit. Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News
Mississippi River debris spilling into lake. As Mississippi River water hurtles through the Bonnet Carre Spillway and into Lake Pontchartrain, it carries the detritus of the American heartland along for the ride. New Orleans Times-Picayune
ECONOMY
Cutting greenhouse gases won't kill economy, group says. Americans won't pay huge new electricity and heating bills, unemployment won't skyrocket and the U.S. economy won't be damaged in the decades ahead if Congress passes legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Monday. McClatchy Newspapers.
UN: Businesses should seek climate solutions. Businesses should spur governments into greater action against global warming and not let a global economic downturn derail efforts to tackle climate change, U.N. officials said Tuesday. Associated Press.
Barbie's recycling! Her scraps, your totes. Barbie is going green. Mattel Inc. has decided to reuse leftover fabric from Barbie fashions. Philadelphia Inquirer
Starwood's new eco-friendly Element hotel chain to debut in Lexington. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. pledged yesterday that their hotels and franchises under the new Element brand will be built according to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly standards, starting with its Lexington property, set to open July 1. Boston Globe
Earth Day 2008: Green hype. It's Earth Day, and KPLU's environment reporter Liam Moriarty is digging out from under an avalanche of press releases. He sat down with Robert McClure - environment reporter at the Seattle P-I - to compare their favorite examples of Earth Day marketing hype. Oregon Public Broadcasting
Turning blue collars green. Both local and national programs are establishing job-readiness training programs for unskilled workers so they can get jobs in such green industries as solar, bio-diesel and wind-energy. Oakland Tribune
FOOD
Food shortages: how will we feed the world? The era of cheap food is over and a global food shortage threatens the lives of millions. Can science and technology get us out of the hole? London Daily Telegraph
Treading lighter with low-carbon diets. To address the problem of greenhouse gases, conscientious consumers are turning their attention to the supermarket and dinner table. It's not just paper versus plastic anymore. Los Angeles Times
Roots of Asia's rice crisis. For decades, governments have been encouraging a boom in services and skyscrapers, but not the capacity to grow more rice. Christian Science Monitor.
Using food to make fuel is `criminal,' Venezuela says. Using crops to produce fuel is ``criminal'' as the world suffers a food shortage, Venezuela's oil minister said in Rome where energy ministers from around the globe are meeting to discuss investment plans. Bloomberg News
Leaders warn on biofuels and food. Speaking at the UN in New York, Bolivian President Evo Morales said the development of biofuels harmed the world's most impoverished people. BBC
Outbreaks prompt scrutiny of frozen chicken food labeling. Federal food-safety officials are considering whether labels on some frozen chicken products adequately inform consumers that the chicken is raw and provide sufficient cooking instructions. USA Today.
Rising food prices 'a silent tsunami'. Rising food prices are a "silent tsunami" which threaten to be as devastating as the worst natural disasters, an international conference has been warned. London Daily Telegraph
Drought hits millions in Thai rice region: government. More than 10 million people in parts of Thailand's rice bowl region have been hit by drought, the government said Monday, causing further concerns as prices of the staple grain soar. Agence France-Presse
Food Rationing in the US? Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks. NYSun
WATER
Forecast of rising waters paints bleak future for S. Florida coasts. Under conservative predictions of a three-foot rise in sea level, high tide would wash daily into downtown Miami by century's end. At five feet, the sea would swallow much of the Everglades. Miami Herald
Alberta courting water crisis. Alberta could face critical shortages of water if it approves proposals that would allow fresh water from the province's rivers to be sold for uses other than agricultural, a new report warns. Toronto Globe and Mail
Ten threatened rivers. An environmental group says some of America's rivers are endangered by people using too much water. Great Lakes Radio Consortium
Initiative divides farmers. When it comes to water, thirsty California farm groups normally fight as one. But it is water that is behind a growing split in the agriculture community over an eminent domain measure on the June ballot. Fresno Bee
ENERGY
Iceland's answer to global warming comes naturally. Iceland is the only country in the world that can claim to obtain 100% of its electricity and heat from renewable sources. London Guardian
Biggest onshore wind farm plan rejected. Plans for Britain's biggest land-based wind farm were turned down by the Scottish government yesterday, in a landmark decision with wide implications for the future development of renewable energy in the UK. London Independent
Feds: 36 mpg for cars by 2015. The U.S. Transportation Department today will propose a sweeping increase in fuel economy standards, requiring passenger cars to average 35.7 miles per gallon and light trucks 28.6 mpg by 2015. Detroit News
Electric car for the masses to be made in Southern California. Norwegian automaker Think Global said Monday it planned to sell low-priced electric cars to the masses and will introduce its first models in the U.S. by the end of next year. Los Angeles Times
Gas guzzlers a hit in China, where car sales are booming. High, wide and fuel-hungry, the gleaming black Cadillac Escalade on display at the Beijing auto show is an unlikely car for an era of record oil prices. Associated Press.
Saudis face hurdle in new oil drilling. Next year, if all goes well, Saudi Arabia will turn the spigots on the largest oil field to come online anywhere in the world since the late 1970s. Wall Street Journal.
For Earth Day, a look at solar storage. The sun supplies under 1% of energy in the U.S., in part because there's no way to store the sun's power and tap in later. A Southern California company thinks it's found the solution. MarketPlace.
Fire from the dragon: Green entrepreneur harnesses truck energy. It came to Terry Kenney while he was sleeping—a crystal clear vision of an apparatus that would harness the kinetic energy of gargantuan, smoke-spewing trucks to light up homes and businesses with energy that was safe, renewable, and completely clean. New America Media.
POLLUTION/TOXINS
Gaza's sewage 'tsunami.' Gaza's 'sewage lakes' have grown so big because population growth has overwhelmed their water treatment facilities. And when the walls burst, people drown. BBC
Common weedkiller deforms tadpoles. A new study found that the common herbicide atrazine disrupts organ development in tadpoles, resulting in deformed hearts as well as malfunctioning kidneys and intestinal tracts. LiveScience.
Scientific report links smog exposure to premature death. Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a US report shows. Australian Associated Press.
Popular bottles may hold toxic chemical. Jeff Bush was browsing the shelves Monday at REI when Bush picked up one of the ubiquitous Nalgene water bottles that occupy the desks, cars or backpacks of just about every Alaskan. "Is this gonna kill me?" Bush asked. Anchorage Daily News
Goodwill crew's work keeps Earth cleaner. Goodwill's Computer Dismantle Program is noteworthy not only because it's helping these developmentally disabled individuals be productive members of the community, but because it's making a dent in the growing electronic waste problem. Salem Statesman Journal
FLORA & FAUNA
Stolen hives sting beekeepers. Though infrequent in Maryland, hive theft is on the rise in parts of the country where bees and honey are big business. Baltimore Sun
Global warming threat to native dragonfly species. Britain's dragonflies, which date back to the dinosaurs but are increasingly threatened by habitat destruction, pollution and climate change, are to be the subject of a major national survey. London Independent
CLIMATE
Help needed for sinking islands. Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has made an impassioned plea for a cut in global greenhouse gas emissions, warning that rising sea levels could submerge his paradise island chain. Brisbane Courier-Mail
Oregon Secretary of State to present program on global warming. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who completed a rigorous training program led by former Vice President Al Gore, will give a free presentation about issues and solutions surrounding global warming. Salem News
'Environmental awareness here shameful.' Israel has much yet to do to combat pollution, environmental activists said ahead of International Earth Day, which falls on Tuesday. Jerusalem Post
Artificial snow harming Alpine environment, researchers warn. Artificial snow may help Alpine ski resorts to fight the effects of climate change, but it also creates environmental problems of its own. Der Spiegel
Troubled waters? The greatest natural resource in a four-state area, Lake Michigan, has increasingly become the center of concern and controversy. Many are asking questions. Is pollution lessening? Who are the polluters? And most of all, what is being done to safeguard the lake? Munster Times
Rising sea levels threaten Egypt's ancient cities. The crumbling barriers of Alexandria's Eastern Harbor are no match for a sea that scientists say will rise between one and three feet by the end of this century. Weekend Edition
Earth Day 2008. The good news is that when Earth Day is celebrated a year from now, the most environmentally destructive president in history will no longer be in office. Boston Globe