EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - May 3, 2018

[Emerald]

​EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS  

Welcome to the people who have joined recently.  This is a simple weekly newsletter.  Your participation is encouraged.  Please share information and actions about climate change, climate justice, GMOs, toxic chemicals, and Earth-related topics.  Please refrain from posting petitions or donation requests without OSC approval.  Thank you for joining us.

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​

​1) ​Agroecology is Advancing Around the Globe. Will the U.S. Take Part?
https://civileats.com/2018/04/24/agroecology-is-advancing-around-the-globe-will-the-us-take-part/

Civil Eats: "Earlier this month, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held the 2nd International Symposium on Agroecology at its headquarters in Rome. The gathering attracted almost 800 participants, with representatives from 72 governments and 350 “non-state actors,” including civil society, academia, and the private sector. Farmers from Senegal, academics from the U.S., French parliamentarians, and staff of CropLife International, among others, gathered to debate the FAO’s claim of the urgent need to “scale up” agroecology as a means of achieving a more sustainable food system."

2) EFSA Boss: EU Food Law Overhaul ‘A Big Step Towards Transparency’
https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/04/25/efsa-boss-eu-food-law-overhaul-a-big-step-towards-transparency/#.WuauyLjLezZ
"An amazing interview with the EFSA boss on glyphosate and other new transparency policies on pesticides in Europe!"

3) Study: Organic farming reduces nitrogen pollution
https://www.fooddive.com/news/study-organic-farming-reduces-nitrogen-pollution/519777/

Food Dive: "A new study has found that organic farming is much more efficient at recycling nitrogen than conventional farming, helping reduce global nitrogen pollution, New Hope reports. The research, from the University of Virginia in conjunction with The Organic Center, shows conventional farming heavily relies on newly created reactive nitrogen, primarily through the production of synthetic fertilizer, while 80 to 95% of organic farming’s inputs are from recycled nitrogen sources, like manure and compost for fertilization. Reactive nitrogen is essential for plant and animal growth, but contributes to many environmental problems, including ozone depletion, acid rain and ocean pollution. "

4) Bike-Sharing Companies Transform U.S. Cities
https://www.ecowatch.com/bike-sharing-companies-us-2562590169.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=194df2d814-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-194df2d814-86095421

The Conversation: "The modern concept of bike sharing—offering bikes for short-term public rental from multiple stations in cities—was launched in Copenhagen in 1995, but U.S. cities only started piloting their own systems in the past decade. Washington, DC led the way, launching SmartBike DC in 2008 and an expanded network called Capital Bikeshare in 2010. This program now boasts more than 480 stations and a daily ridership of 5,700. Within a few years, bike-share systems launched in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and dozens of other cities. In 2016 there were 55 systems across the country with more than 40,000 bikes. And momentum continues to grow. In 2017 Citi Bike in New York City added 2,000 bikes, increasing its fleet to a total of 12,000. San Francisco is expanding its system from just 700 bikes to 7,000."

5) Exclusive New Video from Greenpeace Reveals Massive Deforestation in Indonesia
https://www.ecowatch.com/massive-deforestation-in-indonesia-2563843601.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=194df2d814-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-194df2d814-86095421

Boycott palm oil and the companies using it!  You might already be boycotting the companies responsible for deforesting Indonesia: Nestle, Pepsi, Unilever and Mars. An article in last week's newsletter stated that there may be no such thing as sustainable palm oil due to these terrible practices.

6) Wisconsin Oil Refinery Explosion Injures at Least 15 People
https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-refinery-explosion-wisconsin-2563809937.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=194df2d814-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-194df2d814-86095421

7) Renewable Energy Dominates Early 2018 Power Plant Construction
https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy-plants-2018-2563854526.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=194df2d814-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-194df2d814-86095421

AND
Minneapolis Becomes 65th U.S. City to Adopt 100% Renewables Goal
https://www.ecowatch.com/minneapolis-renewable-energy-2564693137.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=00a9dc2b31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-00a9dc2b31-86095421

AND
China Tops Renewables Investment Rankings, U.S. Regains No. 2 Spot
https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy-country-rankings-2564938719.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421

8) More Than 40 Companies Sign Onto Historic UK Plastics Pact
https://www.ecowatch.com/plastics-pact-companies-uk-2563573289.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2ca48254b2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2ca48254b2-86095421
AND
Scientists Develop 'Infinitely' Recyclable Plastics Replacement
https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-recycling-science-2563822458.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=194df2d814-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-194df2d814-86095421

Only 9% of plastics ever made have been recycled.  All the plastic ever made still exists on our planet.

9) ​Will Scientists Develop a Zero-Waste Cell Phone?
https://www.ecowatch.com/cell-phones-electronic-waste-2562904710.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2ca48254b2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2ca48254b2-86095421

Nexus Media: "Consumer demand for the latest electronic devices contributes to the large amount of e-waste, and cell phones are the biggest problem. In 2006, the United Nations estimated annual global e-waste to be about 50 million metric tons. When these products are dumped or incinerated, they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—moreover, so does making those products in the first place."

10) Young Hive-Bound Bees Befuddled by Common Chemicals
https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/04/12/young-hive-bound-bees-befuddled-by-common-chemicals/#.WugHh7jLezZ
AND
EU Approves Ban on 'Bee-Killing' Neonicotinoids
https://www.ecowatch.com/bees-neonicotinoids-ban-europe-2563782231.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2ca48254b2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2ca48254b2-86095421

Happy dance!

11) Better Vehicle Standards Drive Innovation and Benefit Citizens

https://www.ecowatch.com/better-vehicle-standards-drive-innovation-2563561982.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=6662b21975-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-6662b21975-86095421

​David Suzuki: "Transportation accounts for about a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second-highest source, slightly behind the oil and gas industry. In the U.S., it's the largest source of emissions and pollution. Despite continued improvements in personal vehicle fuel standards since 1975, Canada's transportation emissions grew by 42 percent from 1990 to 2015, partly because of growing populations and increasing numbers of vehicles on the road, and because of huge increases in sales of trucks, SUVs and "crossover" vehicles for personal use. Clearly, we must do better."​

​12) ​Organic Agriculture Is Going Mainstream, But Not the Way You Think It Is
https://www.ecowatch.com/organic-agriculture-is-going-mainstream-2562961777.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=6662b21975-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-6662b21975-86095421

The Conversation: "One of the biggest knocks against the organics movement is that it has begun to ape conventional agriculture, adopting the latter's monocultures, reliance on purchased inputs and industrial processes. "Big Organics" is often derided by advocates of sustainable agriculture. The American food authors Michael Pollan and Julie Guthman, for example, argue that as organic agriculture has scaled up and gone mainstream it has lost its commitment to building an alternative system for providing food, instead "replicating what it set out to oppose."

13) Environmental Leaders Under Threat in Paraguay and Peru, Amnesty Reports
https://www.ecowatch.com/environmental-activists-amnesty-international-2563882266.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=6662b21975-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-6662b21975-86095421
"Authorities in Paraguay and Peru are unjustly criminalizing activists who speak out to protect their environment and land, an Amnesty International report released Thursday revealed. The report, A Recipe for Criminalization: Defenders of the Environment, Territory and Land in Peru and Paraguay, outlined the three "ingredients" both countries use to undermine the efforts of activists. First, they delegitimize activists through smear campaigns. Second, they apply laws and regulations that allow for forced evictions. And, third, they misuse the criminal justice system to prosecute activists for unfounded reasons. "Those who bravely stand up to defend their land and the environment are frequently targeted because of their work. These attacks have a devastating impact on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as that of their families and communities," Amnesty International Americas director Erika Guevara-Rosas said in a press release."

14) Hawaii Lawmakers Pass Ban on Coral-Damaging Sunscreen
https://www.ecowatch.com/hawaii-coral-reefs-sunscreen-ban-2565189657.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421
AND
Australia's $379M Plan to Save Great Barrier Reef Raises Skepticism
https://www.ecowatch.com/australia-great-barrier-reef-coal-2564609907.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=6662b21975-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-6662b21975-86095421
"If the Turnbull government was serious about saving the reef they would be willing to take on the industry responsible for the damage," said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. "To simultaneously promote Adani's coal mine, which would be one of the world's largest, pretending to care about the world's largest reef is an acrobatic feat only cynical politicians would attempt," he said.

15) FDA Finds Monsanto’s Weed Killer In U.S. Honey
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/fda-finds-monsantos-weed_b_12008680.html
This might be because cheap honey such as Sue Bee is adulterated with high fructose corn syrup which is made from genetically modified corn and heavily sprayed with glyphosate. To get real, pure honey, it is best to get it at a farmer's market directly from a farmer.

16) Climate Change Could Bring Drought to Amazon, Greater Rain to Pacific and African Forests
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-rainforests-2564692941.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=00a9dc2b31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-00a9dc2b31-86095421
"People tend to think that most of the disruption will come from heat going into the oceans, which, in turn, will alter wind patterns," University of California, Irvine (UCI) professor and study author James Randerson said in a UCI press release. "We have found that large-scale changes in rainfall can, in part, be attributed to the way tropical forests respond to the overabundance of carbon dioxide humans are emitting into the atmosphere, particularly over dense forests in the Amazon and across Asia."

AND
Climate Change Threatens Unique West Coast Forest Region
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-forest-ecosystem-2564720055.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421
"The Klamath is a unique region in Northern California and Southwest Oregon. In addition to being a haven for biodiversity— hosting plants that only live in its mountainous landscape and 29 different species of conifers—it also stores carbon in its diverse array of tall trees. But those iconic trees, and their carbon-storing power, are under threat from climate change, a study published Monday in Scientific Reports found. "

17) All Paris Agreement Signatories Now Have at Least One Climate Change Policy
https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-signatories-climate-policy-2564981300.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421
AND
Paris Agreement Needs a Boost: Climate Talks Underway in Bonn With 193 Governments
https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-2018-bonn-2564912213.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=00a9dc2b31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-00a9dc2b31-86095421
"Today the world is on course to heat up by 3°C under the impact of the increasing consumption of fossil fuels, double the amount that scientists say is likely to be sustainable by human civilization and the natural world. The talks are aimed at getting governments to be far more ambitious than their current national plans for greenhouse gas emissions cuts."

18) 'Great News For New Yorkers': Supreme Court Denies Constitution Pipeline Request
https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-constitution-pipeline-2564902494.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=00a9dc2b31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-00a9dc2b31-86095421

19) U.S. Air Pollution Falling More Slowly Than EPA Data Suggests
https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-us-epa-2564950809.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421

AND
States Representing 44% of U.S. Population Sue EPA for Blocking Auto Emissions Standards
https://www.ecowatch.com/epa-emissions-lawsuit-california-2565200374.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=09e291978b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-09e291978b-86095421
Common Dreams: "A coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia is suing the Trump administration for blocking greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles that aimed to reduce air pollution and curb U.S. drivers' contributions to the global climate crisis... This coalition represents approximately 43 percent of the new car sales market nationally and 44 percent of the U.S. population," the statement noted. States attorneys general or agencies from Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia have signed on to the lawsuit."

Call To Action!
We urge all groups including schools, neighborhood associations, organizations, clubs and groups of any kind to adopt a Climate Declaration.  Adopt ours or write your own.  Share your Climate Declaration with local governments, the media, write articles, and share information.
Occupy Sonoma County Climate Declaration

Occupy Sonoma County, along with concerned, forward thinking people all over the world, declares that climate change has reached catastrophic proportions as evidenced by the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere, the melting of polar ice caps, and the continual rising of global temperatures.  This is a global emergency, and we must act immediately.​  We invite all forces of life to join together for our survival.  We stand up for life.

We recognize that the root of climate change is a capitalist system run by money greedy corporations and the governments that they control.  We actively oppose greenhouse gas producers, nuclear power investors, and fossil fuel companies by boycotting their products, developing alternatives, divesting from corporations that endorse them and insisting that governments at all levels take action.  We call on all governments and corporations to adopt life-sustaining practices immediately.

The people must act now to stop this destruction from continuing and reverse the damage this has caused​.  The future is in our hands.  We are the 99%!

 

Take Action - Get Involved!

Thursday, May 10
2nd Annual ​Sonoma County Zero Waste Symposium
Zero Waste Sonoma is making great strides in reducing waste across Sonoma County through reducing, composting, reusing, and recycling.K​ick off Zero Waste Week (May 6 - 12)
For more info go to: https://zerowastesonoma.org/​

Saturday, May 12, 2-5 PM
Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock Meeting
1:00-3:00 pm Divestment & Public Banking
3:00-5:00 Main Meeting
Peace & Justice Center - 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
For more info: www.facebook.com/SonomaNoDAPL/, Email sonoma.solidarity@gmail.com​
Look for Public Bank Santa Rosa on Facebook or email them at in...@publicbanksantarosa.com.  Be sure to read and endorse their new resolution.

May 12, 5-10pm

Clean River Alliance annual Fun Raiser

Rio Nido Roadhouse

Monday, May 14, 7-9 PM
Attend our next Earth Action Campaign meeting
Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
This campaign meets monthly on the 3rd Mondays. Meet in person or call in from home.
For more information go to http://OccupySonomaCounty.org or call 707-877-6650.

Wednesday, May 16, 7pm
350 Sonoma
Peace & Justice Center​
Ongoing subgroups, Regenerative Agriculture, Zero Waste, Legislative Action.
For more info go to​ Facebook350 Sonoma or webpage 350sonoma.org. Email 350Sono...@gmail.com

Community Seed Exchange

Sat. May 26 (the last Saturday every month)
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 500 Robinson Rd., Sebastopol
For more info: communityseedexchange@gmail.com
9-10:30 Optional Work Party
11-12 Free Workshop
9-12 Seed Library

Saturday, July 14
Healdsburg River Palooza at Veteran's Memorial Beach
B-Rad Foundation, Russian Riverkeeper, & Clean River Alliance
For more information contact rrke...@sonic.net or Sign up here.

Monday, July 30
Sonoma County Climate Activist Network (SoCoCAN!), 7-9 PM

Peace and Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
Climate activist groups and individuals working together to address and reverse climate change. We meet on months with a 5th Monday. 2018 Next Meetings: July 30, Oct. 29.
For more info: (707) 595-0320 or SonomaC...@gmail.com (email preferred). Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SonomaCountyCAN/.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Event Tabling

Tabling season is year-round but Earth Day kicks off several outdoor events where we will have our booth.  Help us set up and take down our booth and enjoy the event or stay with us to share information and answer questions with the public.

• May Meat Challenge

Help is needed as we launch this new campaign.  We especially need links to plant-based recipes and nutrition information.  Join the discussion on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/159128031450231/.  Please help us promote it.  Go here for the information.  Please share your experiences and write a testimonial for next year.

• Video editing help is always needed - even one hour would help

We are behind in our video projects and could use some help in getting caught up. Our teach-in videos provide an ongoing opportunity to share important information with the public.  Go to our Youtube page to see some of our videos.

What Earth Actions are you taking?

707-877-6650
http://OccupySonomaCounty.org
http://OccupySonomaCounty.org/es ​ (en español)
http://www.facebook.com/OccupySonomaCounty
https://twitter.com/OcSoCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJoCP-ePUTPWNgHZwtBelg

Occupy Sonoma County embraces the egalitarian, deep democracy principles of the Occupy Movement with a regional strategy for effectively organizing countywide social justice campaigns that are globally relevant.