Voice of the World

"Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

Originally founded in Vancouver to protest U.S. nuclear testing in Alaska, the Greenpeace Foundation is the biggest voice in the of the environment today. It is an international organization based in Amsterdam with branches all over the world. Each national office, including that of the United States, is independent and individually responsible to find sources for funding. With 250 million members in the U.S. and 2.5 million members worldwide, the organization works toward peace with the environment and peace among humanity.

Greenpeace International focuses on these issues:

• Stop climate change
  
• Defending our oceans
  
• Protect ancient forests
  
• Demand peace and disarmament
  
• Say no to genetic engineering
  
• Eliminate toxic chemicals
  
• End the nuclear age
  
• Encourage sustainable trade

And Greenpeace USA mentions such issues as: Global warming, Oceans, Forests, Nuclear energy, Toxics, and Genetic engineering.

There are lots of ways to become a member and get involved. The planet can't speak for itself. Even when it tries, there are too many people who won't listen. We have to be the voice of our world. We're the only voice it's got. After all, I mean... We are the world.

Earth Day - April 22, 2008

Every year, April 22nd marks the anniversary of the modern environmental movement. And it's coming up - the day we celebrate the planet. Earth Day was started on April 22, 1970, by Senator Gaylord Nelson. On that day, 20 million Americans came out for a peaceful demonstration in favor of environmental reform. Participants included about two thousand colleges, ten thousand other schools, and hundreds of communities. 

In its wake, important environmental laws started to be passed, including the Clean Air Act. And the United States Environmental Protection Agency was also created following the historical event. The international holiday is now observed in 175 countries.

Today, the historical celebration is coordinated by the Earth Day Network. It invites you to:

• Attend Earth Day events
  
• Speak up
  
• Register to vote
  
• Write to Congress
  

Anthropologist Margaret Mead said: "Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space."

ANWR... to drill or not to drill?

The possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been a huge political controversy since the late 1980s. Prudhoe Bay is an area of Alaska that accounts for 17 percent of U.S. domestic oil production. ANWR is just east of there, and studies by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1987 have estimated that huge deposits of crude oil exist within the area.

Alaskan residents, trade unions, and business interests have generally been the supporters of drilling in ANWR. Environmental groups oppose the idea, which is the popular side to take in the Democratic Party as well. Congress has proposed bills to allow drilling in ANWR over and over, but such a bill has never made its way through.

The U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels of oil daily. If ANWR were to supply a reasonable five percent of U.S. daily consumption, low estimates suggest a supply of 12 years and high estimates suggest a supply of 32 years. For some, it just isn't worth it. And for others, not drilling the for oil in ANWR doesn't make sense.

ANWR.org is the biggest proponent. Here are some of the site's highlights:

• What is ANWR and where is it?
  
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: the issue
  
• Top ten reasons to support ANWR development
  

SaveArcticRefuge.org is the biggest opponent and has this to say:

• Overview
  
• Wildlife impacts
  
• Energy and oil supply

So... What's your opinion?

Silent Spring

Probably the biggest push into the environmental movement we see today came from Rachel Carson in September 1962, when her most famous book was published. This classic, Silent Spring, Carson accused the chemical industry of lies and disinformation. She discussed the horrible effects of pesticides on the environment and especially on birds, making the argument that the overuse of pesticides led to deaths of humans as well as animals. And the title is a sad reference to the birds that won’t be singing because they will be dead from the pesticides. In "The Story of Silent Spring," the National Resources Defense Council explains:

Silent Spring took Carson four years to complete. It meticulously described how DDT entered the food chain and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals, including human beings, and caused cancer and genetic damage. A single application on a crop, she wrote, killed insects for weeks and months, and not only the targeted insects but countless more, and remained toxic in the environment even after it was diluted by rainwater. Carson concluded that DDT and other pesticides had irrevocably harmed birds and animals and had contaminated the entire world food supply. The book's most haunting and famous chapter, "A Fable for Tomorrow," depicted a nameless American town where all life -- from fish to birds to apple blossoms to human children -- had been "silenced" by the insidious effects of DDT.

I have heard a lot about this book. It was first mentioned by one of my political science professors when we discussed things leading up to consumer-protecting legislation. And we discussed the whole thing a little more thoroughly in my environmental journalism class last semester. I’d be lying if I said that I’ve read it, but I’d also be lying if I said I don’t intend to. It’s supposedly a must-read, and was named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time by Discover Magazine.

Seawater to drinking water? Yes, sir!

It's true that 97 percent of the world's water is saltwater, but apparently that doesn't mean it's completely out of the question regarding human use. There's actually a process by which saltwater can be converted to freshwater. I never heard of this until a friend who does this working on boats mentioned it the other day, and after looking into it, I was surprised to learn the about the method. It's done by a process of desalination, and it's huge in the Tampa Bay area.

But this doesn't mean that water can be used abundantly - it can't. The process of converting saltwater to freshwater is generally too expensive for industrial, agricultural or household use. It can cost over $1,000 per acre-foot to desalinate seawater, compared to about $200 for water from normal sources. That's why it isn't used as often as it might seem like it should be.

Associated Content has a couple articles on the topic:

Technology moving toward cheap, efficient water desalination

The risks of turning saltwater into drinking water

Subaru: Ready for the conservation of the global environment.

The Subaru plant in Lafayette, Ind. was the first auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status in 2004. This means that absolutely nothing that comes out of it goes to the landfill - it is 100 percent recycled. Each year, Subaru recycles 99.3 percent of leftover steel, plastic, wood, paper, glass, and more. And the remaining material that cannot be recycled is shipped to Indianapolis and used to generate steam.

Subaru's Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles have cleaner emissions than the average vehicle today, with sometimes lower emissions than alternative fuel cars. According the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Subaru's three PZEV - Outback, Forester, and Legacy - are among the cleanest and most fuel-efficient vehicles available in the U.S. based on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall fuel economy. They say the pollution control in these vehicles is so tight that tailpipe exhaust might even be cleaner than the air outside.

More of Subaru's environmental achievements:

• In 2006, SIA was awarded the U.S. EPA's Gold Achievement Award as a top achiever in the agency's WasteWise program to reduce waste and improve recycling.
  
• In 2003, SIA became the first U.S. automotive assembly plant to be designated a wildlife habitat. Deer, coyotes, beavers, blue herons, geese, and other animals live there in peaceful coexistence with the Subaru plant. It's our commitment to leave as small a footprint as possible, delivering real-world benefits that everyone can enjoy.
  
• In 2002, SIA became the first auto assembly plant in the U.S. with an on-site solvent recovery system that produces dry still bottoms.
  
• In 1998, SIA was the first auto assembly plant in the U.S. to be ISO 14001 Certified.
  
• In 1994, SIA was also the first auto assembly plant in the U.S. to be smoke free.

Check out the Subaru website.