GoGreenNation.org » Environment

BP Tries To Block Release Of Oil Spill Research

Trish Riley — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:15:40 +0000

Faced with hundreds of lawsuits and a deep need for experts, BP has been offering some Gulf Coast scientists lucrative consulting contracts that bar them from releasing their findings on the company’s massive oil spill for three years.

Some scientists say the contracts constrain academic freedom. A few signed the agreements, then changed their minds.

via Gulf Oil Spill: BP Tries To Block Release Of Oil Spill Research.

E.P.A. Weighs Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas – NYTimes.com

Trish Riley — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:30:39 +0000

CANONSBURG, Pa. — The streams of people came to the public meeting here armed with stories of yellowed and foul-smelling well water, deformed livestock, poisoned fish and itchy skin. The culprit, these people argued, was hydraulic fracturing, a method of extracting natural gas that involves blasting underground rock with a cocktail of water, sand and chemicals.

via E.P.A. Weighs Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas – NYTimes.com.

Cave explorer, springs advocate Wes Skiles dies while diving

Trish Riley — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:20:52 +0000

Film maker Wes Skiles, who entertained Gainesville Environmental Film Festival attendees with his films, tales and wit last March, died while diving off Boynton Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Skiles’ death is a great loss, and our thoughts are with his family.

“Photographer and Florida springs advocate Wes Skiles died Wednesday while filming off the coast of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

Based in High Springs with Karst Productions, Skiles, 52, was a former member of the Florida Springs Task Force. During the past 15 years, Skiles produced and directed over a dozen major films on adventure and science. His work included most recently the IMAX film “Journey into Amazing Caves” and a film for National Geographic in Antarctica on exploring the largest iceberg in recorded history. He shot the August National Geographic cover photo of caves in the Bahamas.

via FloridaEnvironments.com: Cave explorer, springs advocate Wes Skiles dies while diving.

Product testing: Bill would require cosmetics to be tested for hidden hazards – chicagotribune.com

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:35:44 +0000

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced legislation Tuesday that would toughen safety standards for cosmetics, including requiring regular government testing of products for hazardous ingredients.

via Product testing: Bill would require cosmetics to be tested for hidden hazards – chicagotribune.com.

Paying the Price of Coexistence with Big Oil – CBS News

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:33:06 +0000

If you live on the Gulf Coast, welcome to the real world of oil — and just know that you’re not alone. In the Niger Delta and the Ecuadorian Amazon, among other places, your emerging hell has been the living hell of local populations for decades.

via Paying the Price of Coexistence with Big Oil – CBS News.

Are Everyday Consumer Products Making People Sick? – Scientific American

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:32:15 +0000

“We are continually exposed to a mélange of potentially toxic chemicals through the air we breathe, food and water we consume, and products that come in contact with our skin. Some of these chemicals are suspected of interfering with hormone function; causing cancer, asthma or other respiratory harm; damaging the brain and nervous system; and promoting reproductive disorders or negatively impacting developing embryos. More than 83,000 chemicals have been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 for use in U.S. commerce.”

via Are Everyday Consumer Products Making People Sick? A Q&A with Paul D. Blanc: Scientific American.

This year, we ought to apologize to the ocean

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:30:39 +0000

“I was in and out of the water until sunset, not getting home until dusk,” Shindo recalled. “I walked (to the beach) at a very brisk clip every morning, but my pace was much slower going home, taking me twice as long as in the morning … . The seas were my childhood itself.” This must have been around the end of the Taisho Period (1912-1926).

The last thing we want is for future generations to reminisce one day, “The ocean was dead when we were children.”

via asahi.com（朝日新聞社）：VOX POPULI: This year, we ought to apologize to the ocean – English.

Scientists from St. Petersburg find high methane readings near oil disaster site – St. Petersburg Times

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:27:28 +0000

“…levels of methane — a particularly potent greenhouse gas — are now 100 times higher than normal, SRI scientists said. They can’;t say for sure it’s from BP, said SRI director Larry Langebrake, but “it is a sign that says there are things going on here that need to be researched.”

via Scientists from St. Petersburg find high methane readings near oil disaster site – St. Petersburg Times.

Fantastic Video about Chemicals in Cosmetics

Trish Riley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:17:52 +0000

Grassroots summit could start rebellion for a better future

Trish Riley — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:43:43 +0000

Hmmmm… hope this turns out to be a viral trend!

“The attendance of more than 600 people, including some from Pottstown, at last week’s state summit, “Building One Pennsylvania” was encouraging.

Those attending the summit last Friday in Lancaster displayed a commitment to progress and change that is desperately needed for the future and for the economy.”

via Grassroots summit could start rebellion for a better future – The Mercury Opinion: Pottstown, PA and The Tri County areas of Montgomery, Berks and Chester Counties (pottsmerc.com).