In two vague bills introduced both in the House and Senate of the US Congress, a vast reorganization of America’s agriculture system aimed at tracking and regulating foods for public safety could endanger organic farms and gardens.
The bills, S.425 and H.R.875, attempt to modernize food safety and regulate and standardize agriculture by creating an agency called the Food Safety Administration, but in the process they could threaten organic farming.
2 minutes and 42 seconds of intense global warming mashup. That’s enough time to get motivated to change our ways, right?
“Global warming is accelerating, the arctic and antarctic ice shelves are rapidly melting, sea level and global temperatures are on the rise, ocean acidification is increasing, foot shortages and water shortages are occurring worldwide, a mass extinction event of millions of species is underway, and the human race faces peril. Thanks to coal, oil, and the industrial revolution.”
The Cove exposes an atrocity of unimaginable brutality. The dolphin slaughter depicted here is committed yearly and without knowledge of the general Japanese public, even though they could be buying highly-toxic mercury-laden dolphin meat disguised as fish from their local supermarkets. Read the rest of this entry »
This week, our eco-vlogging friends at ZapRoot take a thorough look at animal rights, food labeling, and sequestering carbon in middle eastern rocks. Mix in some of their trademark snark and - poof! You’ve got a finished product that is both educational and entertaining.
A representative of the Survival campaign stopped by the home of Anil Agarwal, billionaire CEO of the UK mining corporation Vedanta Resources, to deliver a complaint to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that has been filed against his company.
The company plans to mine a sacred mountain in Orissa, India, which could destroy the 800-person Dongria Kondh, one of India’s most isolated tribes. The OECD lays out standards of good corporate behavior on British companies and anyone can file a complaint.
“The only Christmas present the Dongria Kondh want is for Vedanta to abandon its plans,” said Survival’s director Stephen Corry. “They are in no doubt that the mine will destroy them.”
A spokesperson was on hand to explain how the protest represents the World Bank’s excessive greenwashing:
Don’t be fooled. The World Bank has great environmental rhetoric… but when you look at what they actually do, you find that they’re financing the greatest causes of climate change: fossil fuels.
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.
With a click of the mouse, viewers will be able to access video streams, photo galleries, conservation strategies and local stories specific to that spot. Conservationists working in partnership with Google Inc. unveiled the new technology at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) world congress in Barcelona.
High-fructose corn syrup: is it hemlock, or the nectar of the gods? The Corn Refiner’s Association (CRA) believes the latter—that the dreaded syrup is really Aphrodite’s bathwater.
Sure, they claim that high fructose corn syrup has the same amount of calories as sugar and has no artificial ingredients. You have probably seen the commercials combating the urban myth; Eve offers Adam a cherry-colored popsicle and he initially denies it out of unbridled piety to the American Heart Association and its pyramid of truth. She reassures him that it’s ok—American, even—and he takes it from her with an impish grin.
But the CRA hasn’t told you everything. Not only is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) good for you, it also boosts romance. Dr. Ben Dofa of the National Institutes of Health reports:
“HFCS binds to the endorphin receptors in your brain, making you undeniably randy. That’s why everyone drinks soda at parties. The lone wolf hanging out by the punch bowl isn’t a loser—he knows what he is doing.”
HFCS also doubles as sensual massage oil.If you want to get in the mood, just head to your pantry and break out this disaccharide treat and flip on some Barry White.You will soon be reliving the summer of ’69, rolling through the Kansas cornfields without a care.
So next time, show up at your date’s door with a bottle of Karo and a bouquet of free-labor roses. She will be thankful you did.
In Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace, Indian physicist turned environmental activist Vandana Shiva calls for a radical shift in the values that govern democracies, decrying the role that unrestricted capitalism has played in the destruction of environments and livelihoods. By no means a new release, Shiva’s book is incredibly timely as skyrocketing fuel costs jeopardize the rationality of globalization. Through explaining problems with expanding globalization and privatization of public goods and services, then illustrating examples of communities rejecting the intrusion of corporations into communities, Shiva outlines core beliefs that should result in what she deems “earth democracy”, a global community that honors and respects diverse forms of life and their respective cultures. Read the rest of this entry »
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