Adding to the list of irreparable damages left for a legacy, President Bush and his cronies are now set to open 10,000 acres of public land in eastern Utah, to allow for drilling of natural gas and oil.  The Bureau of Land Management plans to auction off the tracts of land, which border three national parks, conveniently one month before Bush leaves office, making it difficult for the next administration to reverse the plan.  According to the New York Times:

National Park Service officials say that the decision to open lands close to Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument and within eyeshot of Canyonlands National Park was made without the kind of consultation that had previously been routine.

This is a lasting impression we can’t afford to let Bush leave behind.

takepart by supporting the National Parks Conservation Association and help protect these natural treasures.

Related:  Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Photo: Arches National Park, NYTimes

While many stars make no secret of championing their environmental efforts, the film and television industry as a whole has lagged behind and still maintains a massive carbon footprint.  And while many production companies are working hard to reduce waste and energy consumption at their studios and offices, the biggest waste tends to take place on location.  Film and TV producer Judith James writes about the excesses in Traction, an online publication for women in Hollywood:

Consider how much fuel we use. Generators, night shoots, ‘distant locations,’ trucks per shoot, idling trucks, moving cranes, moving everything, people, wardrobe, grip equipment, out to the set and back, move locations, fly crews and helicopters.

In 2007 major studios, including Fox, Disney, Paramount, NBC, and CBS redirected 20,862 tons of studio sets and other solid waste that would have gone to landfills, and instead reused and recycled the materials, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.  This combined reduction of waste eliminated

Read the rest of this entry »

While much attention has been paid to our planets limited oil reserves, experts are warning that water may soon eclipse black gold as earth’s most precious commodity.  There is a growing concern that fresh water supplies are falling short, which could lead to disastrous consequences.  A thorough report from the UK Guardian explains:

Global population, economic development and a growing appetite for meat, dairy and fish protein have raised human water demand sixfold in 50 years. Meanwhile, supplies have been diminished in several ways:

Read the rest of this entry »

Late last night and early this morning two minor earthquakes rumbled the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, but so far no major injuries or damage have been reported.  The U.S. Geological Survey measured last night’s quake as a 2.5 magnitude quake, and one just after midnight weighed in at 3.0.

Although earthquakes are rare in Northern Texas, one did occur this past April, and geologists have warned residents to prepare for aftershocks resulting from last night’s activity.

takepart by learning what to do in the event of an earthquake with the Great Southern California Shakeout.

Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day

European Space Agency reports that the thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic declined by as much as 19% last winter compared to the previous five winters. This date data comes from ESA’s Envisat satellite.

They measured sea ice thickness over the Arctic from 2002 to 2008 and found that it had been fairly constant until the record loss of ice in the summer of 2007.

You can read the full report here.

takepart with We Can Solve It

“Cap and trade” emissions programs have always struck a dubious note for me, and yesterday’s “Cashing in on Carbon” conference in London further reinforced my suspicions.   I’m all for polluters limiting their greenhouse gas output, and I have always argued that major environmental improvements for industries will come from economic incentives, but carbon trading seems like the old bait-and-switch deception long practiced by industry hucksters.   Sure they have to limit their emissions to a degree, but then they can buy up carbon credits all over they place, appearing to their shareholders and the public as environmental stewards, when in fact, they are continuing to spew huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.   And now we have industry leaders huddled in dark rooms scheming to make the most money from this shell game.

Read the rest of this entry »

Alternative energy sources like wind power may be under threat because of the credit freeze and sudden drops in the price of oil and gas, according to the New York Times.   Despite both presidential candidates talk of increasing the use of green energy, advocates are worried that the changeover might not be so smooth and that clean power could lose support.   Companies are having a hard time raising money for projects because of high initial costs, but hopefully investors will see that the long term financial and environmental benefits of wind and solar power far out weigh the ugly costs of fossil fuels.

takepart by thanking your legislator for extending Wind Energy Tax Credits and urge them to continue to support Clean Energy.

Related:

Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Green Policies Are Good For The Economy, Too!

Don’t Let Falling Oil Prices Slow the Push For Alternative Energy

Perhaps concerned by whispers about a particular lame-duck, the Bush administration today added the Beluga Whale of Alaska’s Cook Inlet to the list of endangered species, despite opposition from another Alakan native, Sarah Palin.   While I’m thrilled that the threatened Beluga population will receive protection it deserves, instead of Gov. Palin’s bridge and tunnel plans, it strikes me as too little, too late for W’s attempt at environmental stewardship.   But, better late than never, I suppose.   The L.A. Times reports that:

As a practical matter, the new protections mean that new offshore oil drilling, a new bridge and other industrial activities that involve federal dollars or scrutiny will have to show that they will not harm the estimated 375 beluga whales that remain in local waters.

Check out this Beluga

Read the rest of this entry »

Los Angeles County Fire officials have announced that the enormous Sesnon fire began when strong winds knocked down electrical lines, igniting dry brush in a drainage ditch, and led to one of the most destructive fires of this season.   Fueled by Santa Ana winds, the latest Southern California wildfires have so far claimed two lives, burned more than 18,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 1,200 people from the area.   While winds and dry conditions typically contribute to ferocious fires around this time of year, officials are concerned that climate change could be causing longer fire seasons. In a disturbing statement Bob Roper, chief of the Ventura County Fire Department, warned: “We are not out of fire season. Fire season is year-round now.”

takepart by volunteering or donating through California Volunteers to help victims of the fires.

Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Photo: Dan Steinberg/Associated Press

Last week Danny wrote about the Donor’s Choose Blogger Challenge. Now we’re throwing our pixels into the race.   We chose 7 awesome projects in high-need schools that need more $$$ to get off the ground.   Let’s be honest, funding cuts for education are on the rise and schools were already feeling the budget pinch before our financial sky starting falling.

TakePart and help fund these 7 school projects before October 31st.

Looking for other ways to support the blogger challenge? :

1) Post our challenge on your blog and/or social networking site

2) Send an email to friends and family with this link: http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=19219

Thanks so much!