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)
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
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
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
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
Since 1993, Wayne Sawchuk, a former logger and grizzly bear hunter, has been working tirelessly to protect “the biggest well-kept secret in North America.” Wayne Sawchuk recently found some atonement for decades of his life spent logging, partying and grizzly hunting. Funded mostly by private donors, Sawchuck played a major role in the conservation of
A new amended law in Switzerland protects the dignity of vegetation. A law protecting the dignity of plants? Laugh if you will. I’m down on my knees in respect and awe. At last the Western World is realizing the dire importance of taking other species into account. Recently, the Swiss Parliament asked a panel of
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested ten brands of bottled water and found that Wal-Mart’s “Sam’s Choice” contained chemical levels higher than is legal in California, and exceeding voluntary limits set by the industry. [social_buttons]The study found that 10 popular brands of bottled water, purchased from grocery stores and other retailers in 9 states and
Scientists in Australia have discovered antibodies in the blood of sharks that could potentially prove effective in battling cancer. [social_buttons] It has been discovered that the antibodies (molecules that fight disease) in sharks are extremely resilient and researchers hope that this quality can be isolated to help slow the spread of cancer, malaria, and other
Tacked on last minute to the $700 billion bailout, bicycle commuters across the nation will be eligible for for a tax benefit that is already available to both train & bus commuters. [social_buttons] After $700 billion of our American tax dollars just went to bail out private banks, it’s a small relief that some laws
The world’s economy is suffering more from the loss of forests than from the current crisis on Wall Street, according to a new EU-commissioned study. The study says that the cost of deforestation annually is between $2 and $5 trillion dollars. These numbers were arrived at after researchers put value on, and then
Two Americans, and one Japanese scientist, (Martin Chalfie, Roger Tsien and Osamu Shimomura) recently won a share of the Chemistry Nobel Prize for “borrowing” the glowing jellyfish trait and putting it to use. [social_buttons] Well, we’re at it again, “borrowing” the magical and bizarre wonders offered up by the natural world, and using these wonders
Climate change could make it easier for some “deadly” diseases to be transmitted from animals to humans. Global Warming is not just about melting ice caps and rising temperatures. Scientists continue to discover new ways in which the “butterfly effect” of global warming could transform life on Earth as we know it. The Wildlife Conservation
Hundreds of penguins have been jet-lifted to their native home in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, after washing up lost and tired on the beaches of Northern Brazil. [social_buttons] At least 1,000 penguins this year to date, have washed up on Brazilian beaches. Though it is normal for penguins to travel North from their South Atlantic
Across the country, cities are passing new laws to allow backyard chickens. Cities across the country have shown new leniency in the urban chicken arena. Ann Arbor, Michigan, South Portland, Maine and Fort Collins Colorado, have all voted in the past year to allow backyard chickens. They join the growing number of U.S. cities
This is a guest post by Meg Hamill, a freelance writer who also works at LandPaths in partnership with the Open Space District of Sonoma County, California. California passes its first law protecting farmers who have not been able to prevent GE contamination of their non GE crops. We’ve all heard the horror stories: A
This is a guest post by Meg Hamill, a freelance writer, also working at the environmental non-profit LandPaths in Sonoma County, California This summer at the University of Calgary in Canada, great strides were made in an air capture system, built to filter CO2 emissions from diffuse sources. Professor David Keith, director of the Institute
This is a guest post by Meg Hamill who works at LandPaths in Partnership with The Open Space District of Sonoma County, California. Here’s a question, not meant to keep you up at night, but definitely worth thinking about: Which of the foods in your refrigerator right now would be likely to survive a global
This is a guest post by Meg Hamill who works at LandPaths, in Partnership with The Open Space District of Sonoma County, California Monday evening, the UN’s top Climate Scientist, Rajendra Pachuari, will speak in London at a meeting organized by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), urging people to fight global warming by taking meat
