Petition through Defenders of Wildlife
That’s John Watson, Chevron CEO, offering an absurd excuse I came up with for him to explain why his company consistently puts profits ahead of people and planet.
An $18 billion judgment against Chevron was upheld by an appeals court in Ecuador yesterday. Chevron’s guilt in Ecuador is so blatant, it’s no wonder the company’s excuses for its refusal to take responsibility have become increasingly absurd.So far, Chevron spokespeople have claimed everything from “Oil isn’t toxic” to “Just because we bought Texaco in 2001 doesn’t mean we have to clean up its mess” to “I have make-up on and there’s naturally occurring oil on my face, that doesn’t mean I’m going to get sick.” Seriously. That’s how callous these people are, and how stupid they think we are.
It’s obvious Chevron’s spokespeople can’t possibly justify their refusal to clean up Ecuador. So I created a little meme generator-type tool so that we can all suggest absurd new talking points for them. Go here if you want to help Chevron out with a new excuse.
Chevron and BP are permanently out. Support responsible oil companies! Shell and Conoco are two of the ones I know of that actively recycle and contribute money toward habitat restoration and protection.
(via greenpeaceusa)
Lots of people are familiar with Tom’s One for One project, where for every pair of Tom’s shoes purchased, a pair is donated to a child in need. Tom’s is a great company and definitely worth supporting.
I just found out that Airwalk is doing a similar project, called “The Good Shoe Project”, through the end of this year - their “Hope” shoe has a similar look to a Tom’s classic, and for every Hope shoe purchase, a pair of shoes will be donated to children in Central America. The Airwalk Hope shoe is sold at Payless, and might be a more affordable way for someone to help out a good cause (Tom’s are about $50, Airwalk’s are under $25).
This got me thinking about other charitable, thrifty, green ways to give back this holiday season. A few ideas:
Donate your hair - Locks of Love is a reputable charity that makes wigs for children (you need at least 10 inches), Pantene Beautiful Lengths makes (free!) wigs for women affected by cancer (you need at least 8 inches).
Donate blood - Find a blood drive near you
Give a gift membership - Support organizations such as the Sierra Club, The National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, or The Nature conservancy.
and of course, Donate your time - to a soup kitchen, animal shelter, local hospital - bringing cheer to others does everyone good!
Oil and gas projects are threatening this species’ habitat. Help ensure protection for this rare dunes lizard, found in NM and TX.
Nike, Adidas, Puma, and H&M have committed to clean up their acts in response to Greenpeace’s detox campaign. They have pledged to reduce and eventually phase out toxic chemical use and waste from start to finish of production, helping to ensure cleaner drinking water worldwide.
Click the link above to learn more; reblog or link on your own site to help Greenpeace rise in search engine results and raise awareness!
David Daniel, who is fighting TransCanada’s proposed oil pipeline from Alberta through Texas. Photograph: Rex Curry
Texas Activists Fighting Proposed $7bn Oil Pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf
Growing opposition to a Canadian project to pump crude from tar sands in Alberta across six American states to the Gulf coast could force the Obama administration to reconsider – and possibly delay – the project. The grassroots rebellion will come to Washington on 9 March, just as the state department is due to decide whether to grant final approval to the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline. If it orders additional environmental or safety reviews it would force a delay in the construction start date, now set for the end of the year.
Activists are worried about the dangers of pumping gritty, thick crude at high temperature and pressure through a pipeline with walls less than half an inch thick across vital sources of groundwater.
A report by a coalition of environmental organisations said piping oil from the tar sands was inherently more risky than other pipelines. The pipeline crosses one of the world’s largest aquifers in Nebraska, which provides drinking water to eight states and irrigates about a third of the farmland in the midwest. But environmental concerns alone did not turn people against the pipeline. They claim that bullying did.
Locals in east Texas accuse TransCanada’s agents of threatening them with compulsory purchase and of dismissing their concerns about safety in case of a leak. ”They just laid some papers down on the table and said: ‘Read these papers. We have eminent domain.’ That scared me nearly to death,” said Susan Scott.
TransCanada says it has reached agreements for nearly 90% of the route. “Whenever you build a project, especially a project of this size, you know not everybody will agree with you,” said a spokesman, Shawn Howard. He said the pipeline would be the safest ever built, with 16,000 sensors to detect the first sign of a leak.
About 750 landowners have refused to allow the company, TransCanada Corp, on their land, setting the stage for court battles over compulsory purchase.
The Environmental Protection Agency rejected TransCanada’s draft environmental study of the project last July.
(via jmek)
Here’s a post from a while back, related to the previous post on amphibian conservation action:
We’ve had the pleasure of hosting a dynamic, accomplished amphibian researcher over the past few days, Dante Fenolio. Aside from being an active amphibian conservation leader, Dr. Fenolio is also an accomplished photographer, and he uses his knowledge, his art, and his dynamic personality to explain the important issue of worldwide amphibian decline.
It’s sobering to hear throughout his talks that many of the species he has been lucky enough to observe and photograph may soon be extinct, and several species already are. The main issues threatening amphibians are infections through viruses and fungi, the pet trade, invasive species, and most importantly, habitat loss and environmental contaminants. Many people may not care about the health of frogs, toads, salamanders, and other amphibians, but these threats to extinction also pose real threats to human health, the food supply, and much more.
for more information:
amphibian conservation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
savethefrogs.com
amphibian specialist group
I saw an eye opening talk recently by Tyrone Hayes, a professor of biology at Berkeley. The talk centered on the shocking effects that common agricultural chemicals have on frogs - and a number of other species, including humans. The above link is a legitimate agency raising awareness about worldwide amphibian declines, and has lots more information if you are interested, including a petition to ban the use of atrazine - get involved!
thecaleb:amycarr:adultlifetaketwo:
The 3/50 idea has been posted here before, but with holidays and winter coming up, it’s a great time to start up, or re-commit if you’ve been thinking about it. Help out your local economy, maybe find some great deals, and get out and meet people in your community!
Of course there are many other ways to make the 3/50 project work - year round, and non-holiday centered. But knowledge is power - think about supporting your local economy today.
If you want to get inspired about making a positive change in the world, you want to read The Daily Ocean. Sara Bayles lives near the Pacific Ocean in California and has committed herself to go to the beach for 365 days for her special project.
