iLoveMountains.org and many Virginians are now fighting to save a Ison Rock Ridge Standing. Why would it come down? Well, have you heard of mountaintop removal coal mining? This week, “Virginians who live at the base of Ison Rock Ridge, a mountain threatened by a pending mountaintop removal permit, have been joined by hundreds from […]
Help Keep a Virginia Mountain Standing Read More 👉
Bank of America was once considered an environmental “leader” (at least for one thing), as it announced in 2008 that it would stop investing in companies that engage in mountaintop removal coal mining — I was surprised! Technically, they committed to “phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through
Bank of America is Back into Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Read More 👉
Well, this has been a week of big news for environmentalists — big good news and big bad news. On the bad news side, we can see that Americans used more fossil fuelsagain in 2010, after falling to a 12-year low in the midst of the economic recession, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Annual
China's Carbon Intensity Changes Sharply (but…) Read More 👉
More on all things coal From OpenSecrets.org: Coal Mining: Top Recipients (and MUCH more) From Second Nature: Coal-Fired Plants Linked to Asthma (and the disprportionate amounts of coal-related asthma cases in the black community) From Grist: We could replace coal power with geothermal—10 times over From OnEarth: Coal on a Roll From CoalTattoo: Jeff Goodell:
There’s no denying it — reports of massive earthquakes have been rocking the news lately. All this recent seismic activity has caused many to wonder: has the earth always been this shaky? Or is human activity causing some of these earthquakes? While some earthquakes are due to the shifting of tectonic plates above the earth’s
Man-Made Earthquakes? Read More 👉
Tar Sands activists in the US and UK weren’t the only ones fighting climate change and bringing awareness to its causes this weekend. Greenpeace activists near Johannesburg, South Africa chained themselves to the gates of a coal power plant construction site and climbed a construction crane last night to protest overuse of coal, a main
Climate Change Activists Climb Coal Power Crane in South Africa Read More 👉
Today is “Bank Transfer Day.” There are a lot of reasons to join the 650,000 people who switched from a big corporate bank to a credit union last month, and one of them we’ve written about for years is to help stop mountaintop removal coal mining. While some banks have cut some of their involvement
Leave Your Bank Today! Help Stop Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Read More 👉
The Internet uses more electricity than the entire auto industry’s production of cars and trucks combined. IT companies and users need to discover renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to provide electricity for the Internet.
How Much Energy Does the Internet Consume? Read More 👉
Everything is connected: the things we do, the things others do, affect people’s lives. The aura of our material planet is a body of energy that is part of us and extends around us from the inside out. This connectivity is showing up willfully in our streets. Bill Mikkiben points out: “We cannot solve the carbon problem until we solve the power problem.” He also acknowledges the good timing of now-linking movements of activism. The time of putting positive energy into a collective force is in action now as a space to heal these gaping wounds in culture and environment unfolds.
Everything is Connected: Currents of Activism, Occupy Wall Street, Tar Sands Read More 👉
This is a truly excellent piece from the good folks over at Skeptical Science that I have to share in full. I’m sure they’re happy to get the message out. Check it out:
True Cost of Coal (New Analysis) Read More 👉
Here are three good activism stories I wanted to cover in more depth this week but never found the time to:
Activism Link Drop (3 Stories) Read More 👉
A few weeks ago we were sorely reminded of the extremism of the majority of the current Republican candidates. Among many other alarming things said, Republicans suggested eliminating or privatizing: FEMA, NASA, the EPA, the Federal Labor Relations Board, Medicaid and food stamps. Herman Cain promised not to appoint any Muslims who want to kill Americans to his cabinet. Michele Bachmann supports states’ rights on gay marriage, but also supports a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Rick Santorum wants to “a system of discipline” to “punish” gay soldiers, which suggests that his problem with pornographic Google results is not likely to abate. Tim Pawlenty views Iraq as “one of the shiniest examples of success in the Middle East.”
Current Extremism and it's Toll on the Environment Read More 👉
Tar Sands activism and arrests continue at the White House, and activists around the world are now joining in from a distance in solidarity. Check out this note and call-to-action from 350.org that I received yesterday (and then more activism stories of the past day or so below that):
Tar Sands Arrests Now 595 (+ Top Activism Stories) Read More 👉
The Tea Party’s got a number of mistakes to its name. And the #1 mistake really depends on who you’re talking about when you’re talking about the Tea Party — the citizens or the political leaders. In this case, I’m referring to Tea Party citizens.
#1 Tea Party Citizen Mistake… (+ Top Activism & Politics Stories) Read More 👉
Ride BART! (If you’re in the area and it’s an option, that is.) It’s a great green living option. But also get out and voice your concern about BART’s lack of interest in democracy when you get the chance! Tons of BART riders and protesters did just that yesterday…
Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has made head lines lately as he fights public health efforts that would raise costs for the coal industry, while financially he is making millions of dollars from a private coal company…
Sen. Joe Manchin Makes Personal Coal Fortune While Acting As Mouthpiece For Coal Read More 👉
Leading up to and since Tim DeChristopher’s sentencing, there’s been a lot of talk around the internet regarding the direct action that’s needed, and not needed, today. Everyone who cares about the environment seems to be getting into it. DeChristopher has now spent over one week of his two years in prison now, and people are trying to find a way to make his sacrifice worth it, to take his message to a louder megaphone, to bring about the change he (and all of us) have been striving for quite unsuccessfully…
Top 15 Activism Stories of the Week Read More 👉
More on Koch Industries From SourceWatch: All About Koch Industries From Greenpeace: Koch Industries: Still Fueling Climate Denial (2011 Update) From Daily Kos: Koch Brothers Limerick & Song Challenge From Me: Koch Brothers–Tilting at Clean Energy (cartoon and article=”cartoonicle”) More on Coke From SourceWatch: All About the Coca-Cola Company From Slate: Coke and Pepsi’s plant-based
Take the Koch Challenge (cartoon) Read More 👉
A team of medical and environmental researchers at Beijing University have confirmed the causal relationship between exposure to high levels of organic pollutants (primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs) by pregnant women and the occurrence of neural tube defects. Organic pollutants result from the burning of natural substances such as coal, wood, and plant matter. A similar link was found with DDT residue exposure, even thought the pesticide has been banned in China since 1982.
Common Organic Pollutants Linked to Neural Tube Defects Read More 👉
Two young people took to the trees this morning in an effort to halt the destructive practice of strip-mining on Coal River Mountain. Becks Kolins 21, and Catherine-Ann MacDougal 24, have perched themselves roughly 80 feet in the air on wooden platforms on trees on the outskirts of the actively mined areas of the Bee Tree surface mine.
Tree Sitting Protests Resume on Coal River Mountain Read More 👉
Some top environmental, climate, animal activism news from the past week or so….
Activism Stories {Weekly Round-Up} Read More 👉
Starting July 12th, the Sierra Club started taking over all of the ad space inside Washington, D.C.’s Farragut North Station. They are sharing their message about the dangers of air pollution from coal-fired power plants and the related health risks. Around 80 metro cars have carried similar ads since April.
Disturbing Anti-Coal Plant Ads Take Over D.C. Metro Station Read More 👉
As always, there has been a lot of crazy environmental (or anti-environmental) and climate change political news over the past week. Here’s a weekly link drop of what I thought were the top stories…
Crazy Environmental & Global Warming Politics News {Weekly Round-Up} Read More 👉
You have to love this — if only we had such warning labels! Would we pay more attention to the threats caused by coal power?
Warning Labels for Coal Power Plants, Like on Cigarette Boxes? {CARTOON} Read More 👉
Yet another reason to love mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired electricity — it causes birth defects! Yippee! In all seriousness, though, this is concerning and it is no surprise. Mountaintop removal harms the environment and people’s water supply and that (something tons of people still don’t seem to comprehend) translates into harm to human health.
Birth Defects MUCH More Common Near Mountaintop Removal Read More 👉
Some top green activism stories form the past week or so (that we didn’t cover,.. or pieces of them we didn’t cover)….
Environmental Activism News of the Week Read More 👉
I briefly wrote about a new documentary, The Last Mountain, which covers the insane mountaintop removal coal mining industry in January, and included a trailer of the film. Well the film just premiered in New York City and the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Eric Goldstein made it to the premiere and has shared his experience of it. I thought it was worth a share.
The Last Mountain: New Documentary on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Read More 👉
I wrote several months back here on Planetsave that one of the most important things you can do to go green is cut the coal (it was my going green tip #6). Now, there’s a new 30-second video out on “how to quit coal” from Greenpeace USA, so it’s logical that I would share it with you 😀
30-Second Video on How to Quit Coal Read More 👉
Follow the rest of the Hank D and the Bee series at JoeMohrToons.com. For cartoon updates and other green goings-on, follow Joe on Twitter @GreenCartoons.
Hank D and the Bee: Solar+Wind=____ Read More 👉
A recent Harvard Medical School study took a long look at the entire industrial coal process – extraction, transport, processing and combustion — crunched the numbers, and came up with a rather shocking tally:
“We estimate that the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually.”
Calculating the True Cost of Coal Read More 👉
Cartoonist’s note: This cartoon is inspired by the House Energy Action Team (HEAT). More on HEAT after the cartoon.
The Republican with the Heart of Gold Read More 👉
Greenpeace wrote an update on the Facebook Unfriend Coal campaign, its progress to date, and how Facebook has responded yesterday. Here are some highlights
Greenpeace Gives Us Updates on Facebook Unfriend Coal Campaign Read More 👉
This Earth Day, the Sierra Club and underwear company PACT have teamed up to fight coal-powered campuses with college student activism… in underwear, of course.
“Beyond Coal” Underwear Line & Underwear Activism Fight Coal Power for Campuses {VIDEO} Read More 👉
Greenpeace has been pushing Facebook continuously to “Unfriend Coal,” as we’ve covered from time to time here on Planetsave. The last time I updated you, last week, I mentioned that Greenpeace was going to attempt the World Record for the highest number of comments on a Facebook post within a 24-hour period.
Greenpeace Creaming World Record for Comments on a Facebook Post Read More 👉
From Kelly Mitchell – Greenpeace Coal Campaigner You have 24 hours to set a world record on Facebook and help get the social network to start powering their website from clean and unlimited energy sources like the sun and the wind, instead of the dirty coal-fired power they’re using right now. Are you in? Back
Clean Your Face(book)–Take Action Today! [cartoon] Read More 👉
Joe created an excellent cartoon to go with Greenpeace’s latest Unfriend Coal video last week, as well as a nice little write-up of the campaign and where it’s at. But we didn’t actually share the video. Here it is.
Greenpeace 30-Second Facebook Unfriend Coal Ad [VIDEO] Read More 👉
Back in February 2010, Greenpeace called on Facebook to unfriend coal and embrace renewables to power their massive data centers, giving them a deadline of April 22 (Earth Day) of this year. Since then, over 600,000 Greenpeace supporters have called on Facebook to take action and according to Greenpeace International Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, Facebook is listening (atleast the founder’s sister, Randi Zuckerberg is).
Facebook's New Logo — Which One's a No-Go? Read More 👉
Sometimes it seems as though change takes way too loooong… Joe’s cartoon archive and twitter ramblings…
Pessimistic Poetry Read More 👉
Perhaps not in your part of the world, but according to the latest report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, in many parts of the world, onshore wind power is now completely cost-competitive with coal. Over the past several years, the demand for wind turbines has increased. As a result, manufacturers have been able to lower their prices on
Wind Energy Now Cost-Competitive with Coal Read More 👉
Green tech has made some stunning advances in the past few years, so it’s tempting to look forward to the day when coal eases its headlock on the American power grid. Coal is an out-of-date fuel that costs an estimated $500 billion yearly in public health impacts. However, even if domestic coal use fades and
Fake Coal Grassroots Group FACES of Coal Still Causing Trouble Read More 👉
We love to vilify others, don’t we? Especially Big Government, Big Business, Big Oil, and so on. But let’s take a quick look at how we actually compared to CEOs of Big Oil and Big Coal, some of the most infamous or widely disliked “Big Boys” in the world (& certainly in environmental circles). Scale
Are You Acting Like a Coal or Oil Company CEO? Read More 👉
West Virginia’s new job growth brings landfills, drug rehab centers, 4-wheeler trails, and prisons. Now, that’s what I call progress. If coal is such a good thing for West Virginia, then why do they need more prisons and drug rehab centers in mining communities? West Virginia also became the first U.S. state to have “natural decrease” where deaths
Coal Continues To Destroy West Virginia Read More 👉
This sounds absolutely wonderful. A green underground data center. Building its facilities underground, Helsinki is cutting its carbon emissions by huge amounts. Instead of using electricity to cool the computers in the data center, it is using sea water. Which is also used to provide heat to the city. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXNyEiw28D0 Below Helsinki, Finland lies the
Helsinki:The Worlds Greenest Underground Data Center Read More 👉
A new series of short videos on climate change and numerous issues related to it help to explain these matters in a fun, easy-to-understand way to more people. I recently ran across the series on Climate Denial Crock of the Week. They are definitely worth a share and hope they will help more people to
Climate Science in a Nutshell [VIDEOS] Read More 👉
On the heals of a momentous new study on the true cost of coal released by leading Harvard economist Dr. Paul Epstein, Greenpeace engaged in some trademark direct action in Bridgeport, Connecticut this morning. Greenpeace activists climbed an old coal power plant there and hung a banner (above) reading “Shut It Down: Quit Coal.” Six schools
Greenpeace Activists Climb Old Coal Power Plant [VIDEO] Read More 👉
