Planetsave

This week we’re on the topic of saving endangered sea life, and now is the best time to take action with the Ocean Conservancy!

The Obama Administration has a newly formed Ocean Policy Task Force that’s accelerating a planning process for our glorious ocean and coasts.

Since it’s up to us to make sure these plans maintain, protect, revive and restore the health of the sea sustainably, I also sent the message below to the Obama Administration and the National Ocean Policy Task Force. If we get these simple and straitforward letters to them before the February 12 deadline we’ll help lock in our country’s commitment to take action to ensure comprehensive, responsible ocean planning that holds us accountable in preserving a healthy marine environment for the planet.

Here is the letter we’re sending to President Obama and the Ocean Policy Task Force: Read the rest of this entry »

Even if the U.S. government continues its pseudo protection to save the planet’s wildlife and natural resources they can be thanked indirectly as they recently created a new National Wildlife Refuge System Coloring Book. Most people might not be aware of the U.S. Refuge System, which includes more than 540 refuges, with at least one in every state and one about an hour’s drive from most metropolitan areas. Here in the Bay Area we have a few including Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newark. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen the comic art for the 2010 Union of Concerned Scientists Scientific Integrity Cartoons? Shown above is a cartoon about science and the Endangered Species Act.

The entire calendar shows how “the absurdity of political interference in science is ripe for lampooning-and serves as a constant reminder of how vigilant we must be in defending science from politics.” The comics also highlight the need for the new administration and Congress to create a thriving federal scientific enterprise. Read the rest of this entry »

We can’t expect much from the oil industry, but Greenpeace’s newest finding is as ugly as it gets.
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International companies such as McDonald’s are happy, and companies like Nike, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are asking for more.
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The European Union (EU) and MTV are working together to get young people involved in the climate debate. The major entities started their “Play to Stop – Europe for Climate” campaign this month. Working with international music artists and other international celebrities, this is a major campaign to mobilize the youth around the topic of climate change, and especially for the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December.

The campaign targets 11 EU countries — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The campaign will involve celebrities from the various participating countries.
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 The beautiful parrotfish (family Scaridae) performs many roles in coral reef ecosystems. With their large teeth they munch algae off the coral so that it stays healthy and alive. Parrotfish are constantly eating and digesting bits of coral whole, and excreting sand that helps create beaches. Since parrotfish spend all day searching the reef for food to eat and then turning it to sand, they actually produce up to 2,200 pounds (1 metric ton) of sand per year. 

Ocean Conservancy tells us that in “reefs, parrotfish play a critical role as grazers keeping algae in check. Without grazers, algae out-compete the coral until they weaken or even die.” Actively protecting the gorgeous parrotfish from overfishing is the most important way to make sure that reefs are healthy, resilient, and bountiful. 

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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is hosting a “Dump the Pump” video contest. The winner will get one free year on public transportation!

There won’t be only one winner.
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A new organization, starting off in South London, but open to working in other areas as well, is making links in the green world on the grassroots level and is getting some serious attention.
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Advocates for better, green transportation achieved great success this year with a transportation bill in the House of Representatives that could change the United States forever. Not only advocates have brought this to where it is, though. The general public, the US Chamber of Commerce, AAA, the AFL-CIO, Associated General Contractors of America, and others have brought it to where it is today. This progressive bill would reverse auto-centric federal transportation policies that have led the US into various environmental, social and economic crises for the past several decades.

Unfortunately, delay due to lawmakers’ inability to come to a consensus and the Obama administration’s reluctancy to increase gas prices at this time (which are much lower, in real terms, than they were 54 years ago) may postpone the bill for another 18 months. However, there is opportunity to take action!
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