tag:www.naturalawakeningsnj.com,2005:/categories/community?page=17Community | Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey Page 17Healthy Living Healthy Planet2019-08-15T21:41:29-07:00urn:uuid:a6f0a975-07c1-47c5-90a3-1e92efa11ab02019-08-15T21:41:29-07:002019-08-15T21:41:29-07:00Oily Oops: Touted Dispersants Worsened Effects of Gulf Oil Spill2016-03-31 07:48:10 -0700Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span> study conducted by the University of Georgia has found that the Corexit oil dispersant lauded by British Petroleum during the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill not only failed to perform as expected, but may have formed deposits on the seafloor in a chemically altered condition. The naturally occurring proliferation of a particular species of bacteria (marinobacters) that eats untreated oil was completely curtailed when the spill was replaced with dispersed oil. This could be a worst-case scenario, because marine life would continue to be exposed to it over many years, if not decades.</p>
<p>According to the report <em>Environmental and Health Impacts of the BP Gulf Oil Spill</em>, “As compared with only oil, Corexit-laden oil is four times more lethal; dispersed oil is 10 times more deadly than the dispersant alone.”</p>
<p>The Center for Biological Diversity reports, “One of the dispersants used at the BP spill, Corexit 9527A, contains the toxin 2-butoxyethanol, which may cause injury to red blood cells, kidneys or the liver with repeated or excessive exposure.” Many nations have since outlawed the use of dispersants in their territorial waters in response to these revelations.</p>
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<em>Read the report at <a href="http://Tinyurl.com/BP-Oil-Spill-Report">Tinyurl.com/BP-Oil-Spill-Report</a>.</em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:71090a4d-9600-4541-b537-add6f3593f8c2019-08-15T21:34:29-07:002019-08-15T21:34:30-07:00100 Percenter: Lower Austria Wholly Powered by Renewable Energy2016-03-31 07:48:09 -0700Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">L</span>ower Austria, the largest of the country’s nine states and home to 1.65 million people, now receives 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. The country’s total power output is about 70 percent renewable.</p>
<p>The Danube River is so powerful that hydroelectric power is a natural choice. The mountainous geography means that vast amounts of energy can be generated from this high-capacity river rapidly flowing down through a series of steep slopes. The remainder of the state’s energy is sourced from wind, biomass and solar power.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://IFLScience.com">IFLScience.com</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:c916d5d3-2297-443d-bfaa-4fffd26c01cb2019-08-15T21:45:34-07:002019-08-15T21:45:34-07:00Ballot Power: Community Initiatives Secure Local Eco-Rights2016-03-31 07:48:07 -0700Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">W</span>hile America will choose its next president this November, voters in Oregon may also vote on the right to local community self-government, enabling protection of citizens’ fundamental rights and prohibiting corporate activities that violate them. The Oregonians for Community Rights group, formed by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), submitted a constitutional amendment proposal to the secretary of state in January as a prelude to a larger signature-gathering effort to qualify the measure for the state ballot.</p>
<p>Concurrently, the CELDF is supporting other community initiatives on various topics that may inspire other regions to also be active at the grassroots level. For example, Oregon’s Coos County Protection Council is currently finishing its signature gathering to place a Right to a Sustainable Energy Future ordinance on a special ballot in May. It would protect citizens’ rights to clean air and water and the production of sustainable, localized energy, instead of county approval of several potential non-green energy projects.</p>
<p>Oregon’s Columbia County Sustainable Action for Green Energy is gathering signatures for a Right to a Sustainable Energy Future ordinance for its November ballot that would protect the county from fossil fuel projects like coal and oil trains and a proposed methanol plant, and close two natural gas power plants by 2025. Other state groups are seeking to have November ballots in Lane and Lincoln counties include bans on aerial pesticide spraying. A Lane County group has filed a local food system charter amendment that would ban GMO (genetically modified) crops locally.</p>
<p>“Community rights are driven by the people in the community, not by any organization targeting potential activism,” says Kai Huschke, Northwest and Hawaii community organizer of the CELDF, which has supported 200-plus separate community initiatives. Particularly active states have included New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania. “Organizing typically comes about due to a localized threat. It means settling into a long-term battle to change the structure of government, having resolve and organizing beyond just a ballot vote.”</p>
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<em>Learn how to take local action at <a href="http://celdf.org">celdf.org</a>.</em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:bc6d2b68-24f4-4451-b192-cb1bc409e8182019-08-15T22:09:11-07:002019-08-15T22:09:11-07:00Corporate Conscience: Unilever Reduces its Carbon Footprint2016-02-29 13:54:53 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">C</span>onsumer goods giant Unilever has pledged to eliminate coal from its energy usage within five years and derive all of its energy worldwide solely from renewable sources by 2030. The company will become carbon-positive through the use of renewable resources and by investing in generating more renewable energy than it needs, selling the surplus and making it available to local communities in areas where it operates. About 40 percent of the company’s energy use currently comes from green sources.</p>
<p>Paul Polman, company chairman, says the goal is “really doable.” He cites a new factory in China powered by wind and solar energy and a Paris office building that already contributes green electricity to the power grid.</p>
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<em>Source: </em>The Guardian</p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:683328c7-3d21-4b70-be77-ee4c5a1707d62019-08-15T22:03:02-07:002019-08-15T22:03:02-07:00Whistleblowing Allowed: Court Overrules Law Gagging Animal Abuse Probes2016-02-29 13:54:52 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">U</span>.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill has written that in a pivotal case of animal cruelty undercover reporting, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association responded to the negative publicity by drafting and sponsoring a bill in a class known as Ag-Gag legislation that criminalizes the types of surreptitious investigations that expose such violent activities. Seven other states currently have similar Ag-Gag laws on the books.</p>
<p>Winmill declared the law unconstitutional in his decision, stating that its only purpose is to “limit and punish those who speak out on topics relating to the agricultural industry, striking at the heart of important First Amendment values.” The law was deemed to violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, “as well as preemption claims under three different federal statutes,” cites Winmill.</p>
<p>“This ruling is so clear, so definitive, so sweeping,” says Leslie Brueckner, senior attorney for Public Justice and co-counsel for the plaintiffs in the case. “We couldn’t ask for a better building block in terms of striking these laws down in other states.”</p>
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<em>Source: </em>Food Safety News</p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:4b5babdb-c8d7-4f3a-bc8d-c06a30d543882019-08-15T21:41:03-07:002019-08-15T21:41:03-07:00Green Goalposts: Super Bowl Eco-Stadium Gains National Spotlight2016-01-29 08:07:11 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>he 50th Super Bowl will take place February 7 at the brand-new Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara, outside San Francisco, and the anniversary isn’t the only thing that’s historic. As part of a trend toward sustainability in athletic facilities, it’s the greenest and most technologically advanced professional football stadium in the U.S.</p>
<p>The structure is designed to support sustainability, located on a site with accessible public transportation plus a bike path to encourage fans to pedal to and from games. Its predominantly open and airy, environmentally friendly building plan also takes advantage of the Silicon Valley climate. One outstanding feature is the green roof atop the suite tower on the west side of the stadium. Another is the three solar bridges connecting the main parking area to the stadium that generate energy from hundreds of solar panels.</p>
<p>All of the wood used was repurposed from a local airplane hangar at Moffett Field, in Mountain View, California, and other reclaimed building products were used where possible. Reclaimed water sources serve potable and non-potable uses, including playing field irrigation. The local suppliers providing farm-to-table food menus also are required to practice composting and recycling to the greatest extent possible.</p>
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<em>For more information, visit <a href="http://LevisStadium.com">LevisStadium.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:d05c9aaf-3c55-4fa3-8206-7d6039df676b2019-08-15T21:51:40-07:002019-08-15T21:51:40-07:00Lions Untamed: Shrine Circus Ends Wild Animal Acts2016-01-29 08:07:10 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">B</span>ill Cunningham, CEO of Dallas-based Fun Time Shows, the largest Shrine Circus producer in the country, says he’ll no longer produce shows featuring elephants, tigers, lions or other wild animals. Cunningham says, “These animals are very special; we cohabit the Earth with them and they are deserving of our respect and awe. They’re not here to perform tricks for our entertainment.”</p>
<p>He says, “I’ve tried to listen to the mothers that said they didn’t want their kids to grow up and learn that the animals they saw had been probed, poked, prodded and chained to a floor.” The move has received an outpouring of support from outside the industry, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.</p>
<p>Cunningham’s Shrine Circuses will still feature high wire acts, human cannonballs, trapeze artists and motorcycle tricks, along with performing horses and dogs. “The horses and dogs act in true collaboration with their owners,” says Cunningham. “We feel the audience still wants to see domestic animals.”</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://GreenSourceDFW.org">GreenSourceDFW.org</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:de8f0bf8-d00b-48df-956e-d9fbd5c2ed2c2019-08-15T22:07:29-07:002019-08-15T22:07:29-07:00Pioneering Aspen: Ski Town Runs Entirely on Renewables2016-01-29 08:07:09 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span>spen, Colorado, with a population of 7,000, has become the third municipality in the country, along with Burlington, Vermont, and Greensburg, Kansas, to receive all of its power from renewable sources. Its energy portfolio now consists primarily of wind power and hydroelectric, with smaller contributions from solar and geothermal.</p>
<p>The development reflects a decadelong effort made possible in part by a significant drop in the price of renewable energy and new government regulations that internalize some of the pollution costs of fossil fuels, making energy sources like coal increasingly uncompetitive. More than one-third of American coal plants have been shut down in the past six years and new carbon rules make it possible that no new coal plants will ever be built in the U.S.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://ThinkProgress.org">ThinkProgress.org</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:11887193-cc83-4c2d-8f50-fa1eb96d989e2019-08-15T21:11:04-07:002019-08-15T21:11:04-07:00Global Outlook: Weather Website Tracks Climate Change2016-01-29 08:07:03 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span> new website, <a href="http://WXshift.org">WXshift.org</a>, published by the hybrid science and journalism nonprofit Climate Central, provides climate projections for a specific location along with the day’s weather. In addition to a typical forecast of highs and lows, UV (ultraviolet rays) index, wind and times of sunrise and sunset, it graphically shows if the area indicates a warming uptick and by how much.</p>
<p>A 40-year-trend-to-date display offers a projection to 2050 and what the weather will be like for the next generation. Geoff Grant, director of digital media for Climate Central, says, “This is just putting weather and climate data together. There’s no spin to it. The weather is how everyone experiences climate.”</p>
<p>WXshift draws from 2,000 weather stations across the country and 100 years of temperature, rain and snow data to create customized climate graphics. Tutorials explain such topics as the difference between dew point and humidity, along with news and information about relevant issues.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://DailyClimate.org">DailyClimate.org</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:687da2e5-4578-40a8-b0bb-44b88420a2342019-08-15T21:03:22-07:002019-08-15T21:03:22-07:00Fish Folly: Marine Life Drops by Half since 19702015-12-29 15:25:32 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>he nonprofit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London have jointly determined that industrial-scale overfishing, pollution and climate change have killed half of all marine life over the last 40 years. The <em>Living Blue Planet Report</em> cites that species essential to the global food supply are among the hardest hit, partially due to humans catching them faster than they can reproduce. Large swaths of coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses have also died, further decimating fish populations.</p>
<p>Statistics show that the family of fish that includes tuna and mackerel has declined by 75 percent since 1970. The number of species is also declining; a quarter of all shark and ray species face extinction. Half of all coral has already disappeared, and the rest will vanish by 2050 if temperatures continue to rise at current rates. “Coral reefs occupy less than 1 percent of the ocean surface, but they harbor a third of ocean species,” says French biologist Gilles Boeuf.</p>
<p>The WWF report argues that protected global ocean area should be tripled by 2020 and fish retailers should source from companies that follow certified best practice standards.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://Tinyurl.com/WWF2015BluePlanetReport">Tinyurl.com/WWF2015BluePlanetReport</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:85f2a7ce-1a79-45a3-8277-ee081f6a40c72019-08-15T21:33:14-07:002019-08-15T21:33:14-07:00Sci-Fi Solution: Beaming Solar Power to Earth from Space2015-12-29 14:23:03 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span> great deal of solar power falls on our planet, but a lot more misses us and goes off into space. Scientists at JAXA, Japan’s space administration, have made a major breakthrough in accurate wireless power transmission on Earth that bodes well for solar space technology. The team beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough to power an electric tea kettle, more than 50 meters to a small receiver without any wires whatsoever.</p>
<p>The researchers were able to accomplish this task by first converting the electrical energy to microwaves, and then beaming them to a remote receiver before converting them back into electrons. The program’s goal is to harness a constant supply of solar energy directly from space using orbital solar farms, and then beam that energy for use on Earth. Solar power generation in space has many advantages over current technology, including the constant availability of energy regardless of the weather or time of day.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://Global.jaxa.jp">Global.jaxa.jp</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:e1982f28-e53d-4683-854e-e8426426d7792019-08-15T21:14:29-07:002019-08-15T21:14:29-07:00No-Choice Vaccines: California Mandates Shots for Childcare Workers2015-12-29 14:22:50 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span>fter passing the state House and Senate, California Senate Bill 792 was approved by Governor Jerry Brown on October 11. The unprecedented law mandates vaccines for adult childcare workers and volunteers, including all individuals working in private and public school early childhood education programs, with no religious exemptions permitted.</p>
<p>SB 792 reads, “Commencing September 1, 2016, a person shall not be employed or volunteer at a day care center if he or she has not been immunized against influenza, pertussis [whooping cough] and measles. Each employee and volunteer shall receive an influenza vaccination between August 1 and December 1 of each year.” The same regulations also apply to family home day care workers and volunteers. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in a loss of licensing for the facility/center.</p>
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<em>For more information, visit <a href="http://Tinyurl.com/californiasb792">Tinyurl.com/californiasb792</a>. Let California lawmakers hear what the people want via <a href="http://www.legislature.ca.gov/">Legislature.ca.gov</a>.</em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:fc4db3d2-a07a-42c9-b478-3c0f5eb240042019-08-15T21:04:33-07:002019-08-15T21:04:33-07:00Greener Globe: World Powers Vow Cuts in Emissions2015-11-30 07:47:55 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>his year’s G7 Summit of the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, plus the European Union, has agreed in principle that the global economy must be completely fossil fuel-free by the end of this century to curb destructive climate change. To that end, the nations agreed to work toward cutting emissions between 40 and 70 percent by 2050.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel also announced that the G7 countries would raise $100 billion from public and private sources by 2020 to help poorer nations adapt. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace praised the action. In a statement, the Sierra Club called it “the first time that the leaders of the world have made clear with one voice that we must get off fossil fuels completely.”</p>
<p>Two hundred countries are expected to commit in writing to specific plans for greening their economies at the United Nations Climate Change Conference this month in Paris.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://TheHill.com">TheHill.com</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:24aacc34-202d-4878-9e81-7c893c5316802019-08-15T21:00:54-07:002019-08-15T21:00:54-07:00Post-It Progress: 3M Requires Paper Sources to Meet Sustainable Standards2015-11-30 07:47:54 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">A</span> new sustainability policy by the 3M Corporation, maker of Post-it notes, has drawn support for its goal of making a minimal impact on forests, wildlife and human rights. 3M paper-based products and packaging require pulp and paper from sources around the world. Working in collaboration with ForestEthics and Greenpeace, the company launched a comprehensive review of all of its pulp and paper procurement expectations to ensure the materials are produced from sustainably logged timber.</p>
<p>3M will now hold paper and pulp suppliers accountable to one of the highest standards in the industry for environmental protection and respect of human rights, including tracing origins and obtaining consent of indigenous peoples and local communities before logging operations occur. The company intends to publish semiannual updates of its progress online.</p>
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<em>Source: <a href="http://ForestEthics.org">ForestEthics.org</a></em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:da006e2c-ff8e-4532-80fa-4b07f5b693482019-08-15T21:06:46-07:002019-08-15T21:06:46-07:00Hear Ye!: Dutch Court Upholds Climate Action as a Human Right2015-11-30 07:47:53 -0800Anonymous<p><span class="dropcap">P</span>erhaps establishing a new global precedent for a state’s obligation to its citizens in the face of a growing climate crisis, a Dutch court has ruled that the government has a legal duty to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020. The decision came in response to a 2013 law suit launched by the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Urgenda Foundation and 600 Dutch citizens that argued the government was violating international human rights law by failing to take sufficient measures to combat rising greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>A statement from the court reads, “The state must do more to avert the imminent danger caused by climate change, also in view of its duty to provide care to protect and improve the living environment.”</p>
<p>In the United States, the youth-led movement Our Children’s Trust (<a href="http://OurChildrensTrust.org">OurChildrensTrust.org</a>) is suing state governments and what they dub “the ruling generation” as accountable for climate inaction. As <a href="http://350.org">350.org</a> co-founder and Communications Director Jamie Henn noted after the ruling, “If the Netherlands sets a precedent, it’s a whole new ball game.” Other countries are weighing the situation, as well.</p>
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<em>Source: BBC</em></p>
<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>