Author Archives: Meg Hamill


About Meg Hamill

Meg Hamill has been working in the environmental non-profit field in Northern California for the past six years. She currently works as a naturalist for LandPaths (in partnership with the Open Space District) in Santa Rosa California. She teaches poetry in the public school through California Poets in the Schools (CPITS) and has traveled extensively throughout South and Central America, picking up Spanish along the way. In 1999 she completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Meg holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has published two books of political/environmental poetry. Read more, buy books and e-mail Meg at www.meghamill.com.

Government in South Africa Earns Millions in Ivory Auction, Proceeds Go Towards Conservation

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South African National Parks (SANParks) held a UN sanctioned auction on November 6th,  where they sold off 47 metric tons of stockpiled ivory, earning the government conservation agency US$6.7 million. [social_buttons]The auction in South Africa marked the end of a “once-off” sale of ivory approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) involving South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.   Since October, the four countries have participated in a series of legal … Read More

New Study Shows Commercial Chickens Missing Half Their Genetic Diversity

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A new study has found that commercial birds raised for eggs and meat are missing more than half of the genetic diversity found in native chickens, possibly increasing a vulnerability to new diseases and raising serious questions about the sustainability of the poultry industry. Yikes. We’ve all heard stories about the Irish Potato Famine, what has been called Ireland’s “biggest catastrophe.” We’ve learned that a lack of biodiversity among potato crops in Ireland at that … Read More

UK Beekeepers Protest Over Massive Death of Bees

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Britain’s government has been warned that the country will enter into an “agricultural disaster” unless more money is put towards discovering what is killing the country’s bees. Protesters from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), dressed in traditional, white beekeeper suits, delivered a petition signed by more than 140,000 people to Downing Street today, calling for £8 million funding research into causes of the bee decline.[social_buttons] Over the past 12 months, one in three of Britain’s … Read More

Dry Mushrooms Could Slow Global Warming

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New research shows that mushrooms feeding on dead vegetation in soils of northern areas like Alaska and Siberia, eat less and produce less harmful carbon dioxide, when temperatures climb. When researchers from UC Irvine set out to investigate how climate change was affecting carbon dioxide output by fungi in dryer parts of the Northern Hemisphere, they discovered something altogether surprising, and not at all in line with predictions.[social_buttons] Oftentimes mushrooms feed off of dead vegetation … Read More

Garbage Dump in Africa Brings Death to Elephants

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A number of elephants have died after eating plastic from a garbage dump in Chobe National Park in Botswana.  The Chobe District Council says it has no choice but to continue dumping trash at the site. Elephants, hyenas, baboons and birds all gather at the dumping site in Chobe to feed. Just this year, three elephants have died after consuming plastic from the garbage heap.[social_buttons] Thunya Sedodoma, the principal wildlife warden in the park, said … Read More

Popular US Farm Chemical = Death to Frogs

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A new report shows that atrazine, the second-most widely used agricultural herbicide in America, poses a serious threat to amphibians. [social_buttons]For a long time now, I’ve been hearing about the worrisome disappearance of amphibians around the world.  One third of amphibian populations on Planet Earth are threatened with extinction.  A new study finds that atrazine, the second most widely used farm herbicide in the country, is partly responsible for this decline. … Read More

America to Decide: What is Organic Fish?

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In two weeks The National Organics Standards Board is expected to vote in Washington on what kinds of fish can actually be labeled organic.  Tell Washington what YOU think by signing a petition from the Consumer’s Union. [social_buttons]We’re all pretty clear on what “organic” means when it comes to vegetables, poultry and red meat, but what about fish?  This is a question that has been on our radar for quite some time. There is a limited … Read More

Google Earth Adds Underwater Ocean Element

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Geared towards raising awareness of endangered ocean habitats, a new online tool allows viewers an in-depth peek at underwater reefs around the world. Google Earth has taken us up and out into the universe, and now they are taking us down and under the surface of the sea. The new Google Earth ‘layer’ will allow people to experience a ‘virtual dive’ under the water at sensitive ocean areas all around the world.[social_buttons] With a click … Read More

Begin to Focus Attention Here: Barack Obama as President

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I got an e-mail today from an unknown author that is worth passing on.  Parts of it are copied here, alongside my own personal thoughts. I don’t know how much you know about the Law of Attraction or if you’ve ever heard of it. But surely you’ve heard of the phrase, ‘What you resist, persists.’ The more we don’t want something, the more it finds us. For example – the more we resist forming relationships … Read More

Wal-Mart Holds Huge Summit for Ecological Sustainability in China

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In what is being called the “the most ambitious private sector drive yet” to go green, Wal-Mart told hundreds of the chain’s top Chinese suppliers this week that the store intends to raise standards and “green” its supply chain. [social_buttons]You read correctly.  At this week’s “sustainability summit,” in Beijing,  Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s CEO,  told top Chinese suppliers that the chain “intends to use its market power to get more than just low prices.” At the … Read More