Recently I have been asked about soldiers posing with corpses…What I find most disconcerting is all this attention to what is done to these dead bodies and absolutely no question or curiosity about why they are dead in the first place. No questions about why U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan at all…”
David Zucchino of the Los Angeles Times reports one of the good stories of 2011:
December 25, 2011
Reporting from Yadkinville, N.C.
Loyd Bryant used to pump manure from his 8,640 hogs into a fetid lagoon, where it raised an unholy stink and released methane and ammonia into the air. The tons of manure excreted daily couldn’t be [...]
The Seattle City Council voted Monday to ban single-use plastic bags from groceries and other retail stores, joining a growing trend among cities that embrace green values.
The ordinance, which was approved unanimously following months of discussion and debate, takes effect in July 2012. It includes a provision to charge a nickel fee for the use [...]
Kathy Johnston reports in San Luis Obispo’s New Times on a project that needs some laws to change
Using fish heads and fish carcasses to help crops grow well—an ancient practice that pre-dates the Pilgrims—is an idea that recently caught on in San Luis Obispo County.
People enthusiastically jumped on board this fall to make a fish-composting [...]
KIEV, Nov 29, 2011 (IPS) – Ukrainian authorities are launching a massive nationwide project to transform the country’s dangerous and inefficient waste disposal network as officials admit the former Soviet state is facing an "ecological catastrophe".
Ukraine incinerates or recycles less than five percent of the more than 50 million tonnes of domestic waste produced in [...]
A new study finds that Britons are consuming less than they did a decade ago, with similar patterns being seen across Europe. Could this be the beginning of a trend in developed countries? Might we be reaching “peak stuff”?
by fred pearce
Will rich societies start consuming less? Could wealth go green? Might parsimony become the new [...]
Some 8 percent of Japan’s land area, or more than 30,000 square kilometers, has been contaminated with radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Spanning 13 prefectures, the affected area has accumulated more than 10,000 becquerels of cesium 134 and 137 per square meter, according to the science ministry.
via Radioactive cesium blankets [...]
California Watch reports:
In a push to expand across California without interference, Wal-Mart is increasingly taking advantage of the state’s initiative system to threaten elected officials with costly special elections and to avoid environmental lawsuits.
The Arkansas-based retailer has hired paid signature gatherers to circulate petitions to build new superstores or repeal local restrictions on big-box stores. [...]
Our food supply system is broken. Badly. 80 percent of the U.S. beef production is controlled by four industrially producing companies. Three of these companies also process 60 percent of the nation’s pork.[1] Too much chemical fertilizer and pesticides are used to produce our crops. The variety of crops produced around the world has diminished [...]
The warning came in an email to the supervisor of a complicated project at the Crystal River nuclear plant.”I just want to reiterate my concern … ”It was March 9, 2009. To replace aging steam generators, Progress Energy was about to cut a big hole in the concrete building that shields the nuclear reactor.Charles Hovey [...]
Karsten, a rescued loggerhead sea turtle, was able to be set free in Marathon, Florida Keys, last week. This video explains about the Turtle Hospital’s history and shows Karsten swimming away at about 7:48. You can see how animated he got as soon as he could smell the water.
We visited the Turtle Hospital and participated [...]
Here’s what I was doing yesterday…-TR
The Society of Environmental Journalists’ Miami energy tour forged forward today, pursuing better understanding of South Florida’s energy options in spite of a disinvitation by local nuclear reactor operator Florida Power & Light.
The SEJ group did not visit FPL’s Turkey Point nuclear plant because the utility, following the nuclear meltdown [...]
It is that easy being green — at work
October 18, 2011 21:10:37
Monica Weymouth
Metro World News
At home, most of us wouldn’t think about leaving the air-conditioner on full blast while leaving town for a couple days. Or tossing a luncheon’s worth of plastic bottles directly in the trash. Or using individually packaged creamers for a cup [...]
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has filed for bankruptcy, and according to the City Controller, their trash-to-energy incinerator is a hundred percent to blame.
"It’s easy to say now, that was a big mistake," said Dan Miller, Harrisburg’s City Controller.
Eight years ago, the city borrowed $125 million to upgrade the incinerator to meet EPA standards.
via Will Gainesville Be The [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives forwarded a bill on Friday that environmental leaders warn would undermine the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to curb air pollution and protect public health. Green groups are now urging the Senate and President Barack Obama to stand strong — and avoid a repeat of recent environmental health failures, such as [...]
Corporate polluters won two big victories recently, but you only heard about one. That was president Obama’s decision to block EPA from issuing cleaner smog standards. His decision provoked such outrage across the country that the White House switchboard was jammed by angry callers.
You didn’t hear about the second because, according to multiple sources, the White [...]
Single-use plastic bags such as those found at most grocery stores will be prohibited at stores countywide, and retailers will begin charging at least 10 cents for paper bags next year, if the San Luis Obispo County waste board approves the plan in November.
The county’s Integrated Waste Management Authority’s board of [...]
Paul Rogers of the San Jose Mercury News summarizes the California legislature’s environmental record:
The environmental movement bumped into a bad economy in Sacramento this year, and there’s little doubt who came up on the short end.
“For the environment, this is probably the least productive year in a decade,” said Warner Chabot, [...]
Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe urged Japan’s new prime minister on Tuesday to halt plans to restart nuclear power plants and instead abandon nuclear energy.
Oe cautioned Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda against prioritizing the economy over safety. Noda has said he will allow idled nuclear plants to resume operation when their safety is confirmed.
via Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel [...]
The New York Times takes note of the latest trend in school lunches: Waste Free:
Many retailers and schools are advocating waste-free options for back-to-school shoppers this year, especially when it comes to lunch. School lists call for Tupperware instead of Ziplocs, neoprene lunch bags instead of brown paper ones, and aluminum water [...]
The question — what size earthquakes can U.S. nuclear power plants withstand — seems urgent in light of this week’s surprising magnitude-5.8 quake on the East Coast. Alas, there’s no simple answer and that worries industry critics.
via Earthquake readiness of U.S. nuclear power plants is unclear – USATODAY.com.
Subscribe to our RSS feed to get automatic updates whenever we add a new post.
Gainesville's environmental film and arts festival.
GoGreenNation.org is a proud member of Green America.
One of a kind vintage finds for girls with sunny auras and kitten souls.
Join us for our monthly meetings the first Wednesday of each month.
Go to Gainesville Farm Fresh for information on local sustainable food.
Learn about Gainesville's city parks and natural areas here
A listing of vegetarian restaurants in the Gainesville area
The BUY LOCALLY, GAINESVILLE! group is intended to draw attention to all local businesses.
Find out what's recyclable and where you can take your recycling materials
Find out where to take your hazardous waste
