EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - May 31, 2018

[Emerald]

​EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS  

Welcome to the people who have joined recently.  Our Earth Action listserv membership is now 200. 

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. 

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​1) The Peril On Your Plate – Watch the New RT Documentary on GMOs and Glyphosate Here​
https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/05/24/the-peril-on-your-plate-watch-the-new-rt-documentary-on-gmos-and-glyphosate-here/#.Ww-th7jLezZ

AND
We’re asking the wrong questions about glyphosate
https://newfoodeconomy.org/glyphosate-safety-debate/

AND
As Landmark Glyphosate Case Moves to Trial, Man Dying of Cancer to Have Day in Court With Monsanto
https://www.ecowatch.com/landmark-glyphosate-case-2571385642.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=787ba90456-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-787ba90456-86095421
AND
Glyphosate shown to disrupt microbiome 'at safe levels', study claims
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/16/glyphosate-shown-to-disrupt-microbiome-at-safe-levels-study-claims

AND ONE MORE
Is Your Pet Exposed to Glyphosate? New Study to Offer Tests and Investigate Risks
https://www.ecowatch.com/glyphosate-pet-health-2573246280.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=fc43cb4a73-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-fc43cb4a73-86095421

Organic Consumers Association: "In a pilot study, we noticed that dogs' glyphosate levels were, on average, 50 times higher than people's," said Dr. John Fagan, chief scientist at HRI Labs and former researcher at the National Institutes of Health. "Recent biomedical research suggests harm to health at these levels, and even lower," he added. Pet owners throughout North America can participate in the study by requesting a collection kit, sending a sample of their pet's urine to HRI Labs and completing an online survey about their pet's diet, health and lifestyle. Learn more about the study here."

2) Hilton to halve environmental impact, starting with plastic straw ban
https://www.edie.net/news/9/Hilton-to-ban-plastic-straws-in-first-step-of-approved-science-based-targets/

AND
UK's Largest Grocer Takes on Food and Plastic Waste
https://www.ecowatch.com/tesco-plastic-waste-2572013924.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=59b9810f2d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-59b9810f2d-86095421
"It's been a green week for Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket. First, the chain said it would remove "Best before" labels from around 70 pre-packaged fruits and vegetables in an attempt to stop customers from discarding still-edible food, BBC News reported Tuesday. Then it announced plans to ban all non-recyclable plastics by 2019... "Tesco could be a game-changer on plastic packaging," Greenpeace UK oceans campaigner Elena Polisano told The Independent. "By pledging to quickly eliminate some of the plastics that are difficult to recycle, it has raised the bar for action on problem plastics," she said... Friends of the Earth plastics campaigner Julian Kirby said that recycling, while important, wasn't enough to combat plastic pollution. "What's missing is the long-term vision—we need system change, and we need all stakeholders to step out of the comfort zone of thinking we can just recycle our way out of this," Kirby told The Independent."

3) Food Labeling Rule Threatens to Further Undermine Consumer Trust
http://www.justlabelit.org/food-labeling-rule-threatens-to-further-undermine-consumer-trust/

AND

What the Proposed GMO-Labeling Standards Seem to be Telling Us
https://organicinsider.com/newsletter/reading-between-the-lines-your-weekly-organic-insider/

Take one quick look at the symbols being considered for labeling GMOs!

4) Jamie Oliver Wants You to Go Meat-Free for 5 Days
http://www.organicauthority.com/jamie-oliver-wants-you-to-go-meat-free-for-5-days/

His pasta photo is a little misleading.  Please don't replace meat with pasta.  Replace meat with beans, nuts, legumes, and leafy green veggies.  For pasta try spiralized raw zucchini or buckwheat soba.  Vegan junk food isn't sustainable either.

5) Deadlier than Katrina & 9/11: Hurricane Maria Killed 4,645 in Puerto Rico, 70 Times Official Toll (video)
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/5/30/deadlier_than_katrina_9_11_hurricane?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=a4fd9f4b2b-Daily_Digest_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-a4fd9f4b2b-191276697

6) 5 Reasons Getting USDA Organic Certification Is Really Difficult
https://www.ecowatch.com/getting-usda-organic-certified-2571756061.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421

Modern Farmer: "USDA certified organic-food sales topped $43 billion in 2016—emphasis on "USDA certified." Ask around at your local farmers market and you're likely to run into a few "all-but-certified" farms."

Or you can just buy a roll of "USDA Organic" stickers on Amazon - no questions asked.  Yes, really.

7) Climate Litigation Against Big Oil Heats Up
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-litigation-california-big-oil-2571971191.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421

Sierra Club: "Last year, seven California cities and counties sued the oil majors, claiming that their production and sale of fossil fuels—even as they were aware of the risks of CO2 emissions—constitute a public nuisance. Since then, similar suits have been filed by New York City; Boulder and two Colorado counties; and King County, Washington, home to the city of Seattle."

8) Atlantic Coast Pipeline to Sideline 100 Miles of Construction in Virginia and West Virginia
https://www.ecowatch.com/atlantic-coast-pipeline-endangered-species-2571382531.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=787ba90456-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-787ba90456-86095421
AND
Stopping a Dakota Access Pipeline Leak in Under 10 Minutes? A Fairy Tale, Say the Standing Rock Sioux
https://www.ecowatch.com/dakota-access-pipeline-leak-2571433356.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=11b5b651f6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-11b5b651f6-86095421
AND
How Enbridge Helped Write Minnesota Pipeline Laws, Aiding Its Line 3 Battle Today
https://www.ecowatch.com/enbridge-minnesota-pipeline-2571392418.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421

DeSmog Blog: "The Minnesota section of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline accounts for nearly 300 miles of the longest crude oil transport system in the world, and it is failing. The multi-billion-dollar transnational corporation has applied for a permit to replace it. Opposition from tribes in the region and environmental groups is slowing the project, but the process at times appears so tilted in Enbridge's favor that, watching the court battles and utility commission meetings, it almost feels like Enbridge wrote the rules."

9) Chemical Industry Lacks Preparation for Extreme Weather, Investigation Finds
https://www.ecowatch.com/chemicals-extreme-weather-2571999981.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421

Climate Nexus: "A Houston chemical plant company did not properly prepare for hurricane season, resulting in a toxic accident during Hurricane Harvey last year, federal regulators have found. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Thursday released an extensive investigation into the flooding-induced chemical fires at the Arkema plant in Crosby, Texas, finding that while the company's insurers flagged the high potential for flooding a year before Harvey, plant employees were unaware of the risk."

10) Swimmer Plans to Cross Pacific to Highlight Plastic Pollution
https://www.ecowatch.com/pacific-ocean-swimmer-plastic-pollution-2571992686.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421
"On Tuesday, the 50-year-old Frenchman and his crew will set out from Tokyo for a 5,500-mile swim across the Pacific, Reuters reported. If all goes as planned, Lecomte will arrive in San Francisco six to eight months later. "The mission of my historic swim is to bring to light the current state of our oceans," Lecomte said in a statement, adding that the research he and his team collect "will ultimately help us better protect our oceans." Along the trans-Pacific journey, the team will collect more than 1,000 samples to help understand the ocean's state, from mammal migrations to plastic pollution. The route will cut through the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive trash vortex floating off the coast of California... Among other endeavors, the team will also collect data on the spread and concentration of radioactive seepage from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011."

11) Tesla's Massive Virtual Power Plant in South Australia Roars Back to Life
https://www.ecowatch.com/tesla-australia-power-plant-2572035489.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1acc2a7ce-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1acc2a7ce-86095421
"The $800 million (US $634 million) project—struck in February by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill—involves installing solar panels and batteries on 50,000 homes to function as an interconnected power plant... The virtual power plant involves installing a 5-kilowatt solar system and a Powerwall 2 battery on roughly 50,000 low-income and social housing units across the state over the next four years. The setup would be installed at no charge to the households and financed through the sale of electricity. Participants would save an estimated 30 percent on their power bills."

12) China’s Global Infrastructure Initiative Could Bring Environmental Catastrophe
https://www.ecowatch.com/china-global-infrastructure-2571414709.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2b8ab52702-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2b8ab52702-86095421

13) Do You Know Where Your Meat Comes From?
https://www.ecowatch.com/country-of-origin-labeling-meat-2572003641.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2b8ab52702-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2b8ab52702-86095421

Organic Consumers Association: "According to a lawsuit filed in June 2017, by American ranchers and cattle producers against the USDA and Sec. of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, millions of pounds of beef are now being imported from various countries and labeled as "Product of the U.S.A," despite only undergoing repackaging in the U.S... If you want to support American-grown grassfed meat and dairy, buy directly from a trusted farmer near you or look for products that bear the American Grassfed Association logo."

14) EU Moves to Ban 10 Most Harmful Single-Use Plastics
https://www.ecowatch.com/eu-plastics-ban-2573215290.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=2b8ab52702-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-2b8ab52702-86095421

15) New Oceans Study Could Alter Climate Predictions
https://www.ecowatch.com/oceans-climate-change-surfactants-2573262579.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=fc43cb4a73-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-fc43cb4a73-86095421
"Currently, around one-fourth of human generated carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by oceans, making them the world's largest carbon sink. But researchers from Newcastle, Heriot-Watt and Exeter Universities found that surfactants, invisible biological particles on the ocean's surface, can reduce the exchange of gases between the ocean and the air by up to 50 percent."

16) 236 Civil Society Groups to Justin Trudeau: 'The Time for Investment in New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Is Over'
https://www.ecowatch.com/justin-trudeau-fossil-fuels-2571674194.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=11b5b651f6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-11b5b651f6-86095421
AND
Canada to Buy Controversial Tar Sands Pipeline
https://www.ecowatch.com/canada-kinder-morgan-pipeline-2573283566.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=fc43cb4a73-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-fc43cb4a73-86095421
"The Canadian government plans to spend $4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.5 billion U.S.) to buy Kinder Morgan's existing Trans Mountain pipeline and its controversial expansion project that will triple the amount of tar sands transported from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The pipeline has been at the center of widespread protests by environmentalists and some Indigenous groups. The announcement was met with condemnation from 350.org organizers, who slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government for "turning Canada into a fossil fuel company."

17) Police Open Fire on Pollution Protesters in India, Killing at Least 9
https://www.ecowatch.com/india-protestors-killed-2571458993.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=787ba90456-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-787ba90456-86095421

18) Earth's Shifting Crust Linked to Climate Change, Scientists Propose
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-plate-tectonics-2571356546.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=11b5b651f6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-11b5b651f6-86095421

19) High CO2 Levels Make Rice Less Nutritious, Study Finds
https://www.ecowatch.com/rice-nutrition-carbon-dioxide-2571718781.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=11b5b651f6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-11b5b651f6-86095421
"Rice has been a dietary staple for thousands of years for many populations in Asia and is the fastest growing food staple in Africa," study co-author and Director of the UW Center for Health & the Global Environment Kristie Ebi said in the release. "Reductions in the nutritional quality of rice could affect maternal and child health for millions of people."

20) 10 Families Bring First Ever 'People’s Climate Case' Against the EU
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-lawsuit-families-europe-2572055045.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=59b9810f2d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-59b9810f2d-86095421
"The "People's Climate Case," as it is being called, challenges the climate policies of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, saying they will not reduce emissions quickly enough to stop rising temperatures from disrupting the plaintiffs' lives. While an increasing number of communities and individuals have taken fossil fuel companies and governments to court over climate change in recent years, this is the first such case to be brought against the EU as a whole."

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!

Monday, June 4, 6-8 PM

Water-wise Habitat Gardening For Pollinators

Petaluma Regional Library - Free

Suzanne Clark - Sonoma County Master Gardener, Veronica Bower - Native Songbird Care & Conservation, Ellel Sherron - Sonoma County Beekeepers Association

Sponsored by Daily Acts and The City of Petaluma

Contact: more...@DailyActs.org or 707-789-9664​

Saturday, June 9, 3-5 PM
Sonoma Solidarity with Standing Rock Meeting
3:00-5:00 Main Meeting (no public banking 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.

Monday, June 18, 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, June 20, 7pm
350 Sonoma
General Meeting with 350 Petaluma and Jeff Creque, Director of Carbon Cycle Institute talking about carbon farming

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. 30 (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.

Wednesday, July 18, 7pm
350 Sonoma
Summer social with a Zero Waste potluck

For more info go to​ Facebook350 Sonoma or webpage 350sonoma.org. Email 350Sono...@gmail.com

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.

Please submit campaign proposals in advance to the SoCoCAN listserv.

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

There are 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.

• 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.

• Set up help is needed prior to our teach-ins

Help with taking down tables, setting up chairs, and bringing things in from the car.

• Growing plants for our plant sales

Especially vegetables, herbs, perennials and pollinator plants.

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.