March 25th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
From heat waves to rainstorms to droughts, climate change has a significant impact on your organic lawn.
As hundreds of communities endure record-breaking temperatures, homeowners’ lawns are stressed out—brown, weakened and dying.
There are, however, effective ways to reduce and reverse the toll climate change takes on your yard:
- Top Dress. This simple technique can reap huge rewards. This spring, use a rake to spread 1/4” to 1/2” of sphagnum peat moss over your lawn. This will gradually condition your lawn throughout the year, strengthening grass so it can resist weather damage, disease, weeds and thatch. Peat moss slowly releases water and nutrients as grass plants need it, so you won’t need to water or fertilize as frequently.
- Aerate. This season, remove plugs of sod to loosen soil and allow water, air and fertilizer to reach grass plants’ root structure. For smaller yards or concentrated trouble spots in larger yards, use a manual aerating tool to remove plugs from turf. If you have an extremely large yard, consider renting a power aerator.
- Start from Scratch. Is your lawn so far gone that you need to scrap it and start over? Proper soil preparation can help lay the groundwork—literally—for a healthier, more trouble-resistant lawn. Before you seed or lay sod, dig or rototill 2” of peat moss into the top 6 inches of soil to help provide extra protection from the elements. The next time Mother Nature unleashes weird weather, your lawn will be better equipped to cope.
For free online brochures and educational videos, visit the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association.
Read More: Climate Change: 3 Tips to Revive Your Lawn
Tags: climate change, grass, lawn care, organic gardening, peat moss
Posted in Organic Living | 7 Comments »
March 13th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
The Hip Hop Caucus, an organization that encourages urban youth to become active in elections, policymaking and service projects, recently traveled more than 2,000 miles, through nine states, to promote clean energy.
The Hip Hop Caucus’ Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour closed on the Capitol’s steps after hosting events at churches, nightclubs, job training centers and five college campuses, including three historically black colleges and universities. Organizers distributed energy efficiency kits to attendees.
“The clean energy choices we make today will have a profound impact on the environment of our young people and communities of color—the very people this tour is bringing together and the voices we need to hear,” said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re going out and meeting people where they live, work and learn, to talk about how we create clean energy jobs, protect our planet and break our dependence on foreign oil.”
The tour “helped amplify and unite the voices of young people, African Americans, the hip hop community and the faith community around the critical need for clean energy jobs now and a clean energy future for our country,” said Caucus President Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. “People around this country are hurting because our economy has failed them. Comprehensive clean energy policies will help our communities create a brighter future through solutions that will fight poverty and pollution at the same time.”
Studies show comprehensive clean energy and climate policies could create up to 1.9 million new entry-level, professional and entrepreneurial jobs nationwide.
Such policies would also save households up to $1,175 per year by 2020 through investments in building insulation and other efficiency improvements, while also reducing medical bills and protecting communities from environmental threats.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Urban Meltdown: Cities, Climate Change and Politics-as-Usual
Photo: Tracy Russo/Flickr
Read More: Reaching Out to Communities of Color
Tags: clean energy, climate change, environment, EPA, green jobs, lisa jackson
Posted in The Environment | 1 Comment »
March 2nd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Climate change is responsible for some of the weird winter weather we’re seeing in the northern United States, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
“Oddball winter weather is yet another sign of how uncontrolled carbon pollution amounts to an unchecked experiment on people and nature,” says NWF climate scientist Amanda Staudt, PhD. “While global warming means shorter, milder winters on average, some snowbelt areas will see more heavy snowfall events.”
Among the report’s findings:
- In areas where winter is milder, ecosystems are disrupted.
- Natural habitats and agriculture are vulnerable to changing winter weather.
- Many communities will face greater economic uncertainty and losses.
- Snow removal and flooding will tax community resources.
“Disruptions to tourism and recreation economies will become increasingly common—for example, to skiing and ice fishing, which depend on predictable conditions,” Dr. Staudt says.
“More oddball winter weather is terrible news for skiers,” adds former Olympic slalom skier Chip Knight, an NWF project coordinator. “The mountain snow sports that depend on reliable snow conditions provide about $66 billion to our economy, and the local economies that rely on those dollars are becoming increasingly vulnerable. The extreme efforts necessary to provide snow for the Vancouver Olympics are a startling example of what’s at stake.”
Despite what some may think, we can take steps to minimize the severity of weather events by:
- Curbing pollution
- Safeguarding wildlife, fish and habitats from more unpredictable winter weather
- Planning for greater variability in snow-removal and flood-management programs
Ultimately, however, “we can no longer plan based on the climate we used to have,” Dr. Staudt says.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Read More: Expect More Weird Winter Weather
Tags: agriculture, climate change, environment, snow, weather, winter
Posted in The Environment | 4 Comments »
February 21st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
I have relatives in Virginia who have been hoping their roof doesn’t collapse from the extraordinary weight of recent snowfalls.
A short ride away, some Washington politicians, including science-challenged Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), have been using Snowmageddon to ridicule those who seek action on climate change. DeMint tweeted: “It’s going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries ‘uncle.’”
The brain freeze appears to be contagious. Sen. James Inhofe’s (R-OK) family constructed an igloo near the Capitol, with a sign reading: “Al Gore’s New Home.”
Time magazine’s Bryan Walsh correctly dismissed such juvenile antics, explaining what’s clear to most people: “Weather is what will happen next weekend; climate is what will happen over the next decades and centuries.”
If Al Gore made any mistake, it was one of nomenclature. In a recent interview with MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, Newsweek Senior Washington Correspondent Howard Fineman said conservative skeptics would have less to mock if the former vice president had used the term “climate change” instead of “global warming.”
“I do think that labels matter,” Fineman said. “And in retrospect, simply focusing on warming was a mistake, just in terms of the politics and the salesmanship of what is undoubtedly a really, really big problem.”
Nonbelievers should heed the interests of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will inherit a sickly Earth. Padding their pockets with hefty contributions from Big Oil is what will happen next weekend. The ability to survive is what will happen over the next decades and centuries.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country, by Howard Fineman
Read More: Climate Change and the Big Picture
Tags: al gore, climate change, environment, Political Action
Posted in Political Action, The Environment | 4 Comments »
February 9th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
After President Obama delivered his State of the Union address, the National Wildlife Federation was quick to urge Congress to enact comprehensive energy and climate legislation.
“Last year, the president showed the leadership and determination to help the House pass the energy reform legislation that is overdue for America,” said NWF Senior Vice President Jeremy Symons. “His call for action was clear. He is ready to help the Senate take on Big Oil and move a bipartisan clean energy and climate bill that creates jobs, limits pollution from energy companies and reduces our dependency on oil from hostile nations.”
Big Oil and its beneficiaries “are spending millions of dollars to block progress,” Symons said. “They are standing in the way of clean energy jobs, energy security and clean air. The Senate must deliver this year, and senators will need the president’s help to overcome the obstruction that has stalled past efforts at real energy reform.”
Symons also praised Obama for making environmental education a priority—one that prepares “America’s workforce for a clean energy economy.”
Click here for an update on what’s happening in Washington. We also encourage you to call or write to your elected representatives to express your views on the environment.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Green: Your Place in the New Energy Revolution
Photo courtesy of the White House
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Read More: Supporting Obama’s Energy Agenda
Tags: climate change, energy, environment, green jobs, legislation, Obama
Posted in The Environment | 1 Comment »
February 1st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
When President Obama gave his State of the Union address on Wednesday, he highlighted the importance of clean energy and green jobs.
“We should put more Americans to work building clean energy facilities and give rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy-efficient, which supports clean energy jobs,” he said. “And to encourage these and other businesses to stay within our borders, it is time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America.”
The president also cited the need for U.S. innovation.
“Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history—an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells, but leaves healthy ones untouched,” he said. “And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy. You can see the results of last year’s investments in clean energy—in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide helping to make advanced batteries, or in the California business that will put a thousand people to work making solar panels.”
The president called upon Congress to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill, “with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.” And while he acknowledged the costs involved in moving forward, Obama said we cannot afford to sit on our hands.
“I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change,” he said. “But here’s the thing: Even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future—because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
Read More: Obama Pushes for Comprehensive Energy, Climate Legislation
Tags: climate change, energy, green jobs, legislation, Obama
Posted in The Environment | 3 Comments »
January 28th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
“Warning! General Mills Destroys Rainforests.”
This text recently appeared on a 30’ x 70’ banner (above) held outside the company’s Minneapolis headquarters by 42 activists who say the company is irresponsibly sourcing palm oil.
More than 100 General Mills products, including brands like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper and Toaster Strudel, contain palm oil or its derivatives, according to the Rainforest Action Network (RAN).
Demand for the oil has steadily increased worldwide in recent years, and palm-oil plantations are expanding rapidly into tropical forests, RAN notes—growth that contributes to climate change, species extinction, and the displacement of indigenous and local communities.
“Palm oil is a leading cause of rainforest destruction in places like Indonesia,” says RAN representative Ashley Schaeffer. “As long as General Mills is using irresponsibly sourced palm oil, their customers will have to worry that they are contributing money to rainforest destruction.”
Notes RAN:
“Worldwide, the degradation and destruction of tropical rainforests is responsible for 15% of all annual greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon emissions resulting from Indonesia’s rapid deforestation account for around 8% of global emissions—more than the combined emissions from all the cars, planes, trucks, buses and trains in the United States. This huge carbon footprint from forest destruction has made nonindustrialized Indonesia the third-largest global greenhouse-gas emitter, behind only the U.S. and China.”
But General Mills is defending the way it sources palm oil. A prepared statement reads, in part:
“We have analyzed our use of palm oil,” said Gene Kahn, General Mills’ global sustainability officer. “General Mills does not purchase any palm oil directly. However, we do purchase ingredients produced from palm oil from suppliers. Overall, we calculate that General Mills’ use of palm oil and palm derivatives is modest—approximately .0004% of world exports.”
Click here to sign the General Mills petition.
Click here to watch the video “Does Your Breakfast Cause Rainforest Destruction?”
Photo by Mercury Miller/RAN
Read More: Campaign Targets General Mills’ Use of Palm Oil
Tags: agribusiness, climate change, environment, General Mills, global warming, palm oil, rainforests, sustainability
Posted in The Environment | 1 Comment »
January 25th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
If you’re plugged into the climate-change debate, you know:
- Most scientists agree that global warming is primarily man-made.
- A skeptical minority blames Mother Nature’s normal cycles.
In truth, both sides agree on several core ideas, according to the Dec. 22 issue of Chemical & Engineering News:
- The Earth’s atmospheric load of carbon dioxide has increased since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution (late 1700s).
- This increase largely results from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels.
- Average global temperatures have been rising since 1850, with most of the warming occurring since 1970.
“But here is where the cordial agreements stop,” writes Senior Editor Stephen K. Ritter. “At the heart of the global warming debate is whether warming is directly the result of increasing anthropogenic [man-made] CO2 levels, or if it is simply part of Earth’s natural climatic variation.”
Click here to read the full article, which presents both sides of the increasingly contentious issue.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Global Warming: The Complete Briefing
Read More: Global Warming: Human Activity or Mother Nature?
Tags: climate change, environment, global warming
Posted in The Environment | Comments Off
January 17th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
The overwhelming majority of Americans support action to limit carbon pollution and move the United States toward a clean energy future, according to 1,000 registered voters polled in December by the National Wildlife Federation.
“The American people can’t be more clear when it comes to solving global warming: They want the U.S. to be Rudolph out in front of the sleigh, leading the world toward a clean energy future,” says NWF Senior Vice President Jeremy Symons. “There is overwhelming public support for the Senate to pass legislation with firm limits on carbon pollution that will stimulate massive new investments in clean energy technologies.”
The poll’s results show:
- 82% of voters support a federal investment in clean energy sources.
- 67% support limits on carbon pollution and other gases that may cause global warming.
- 91% of Democrats believe global warming is happening; 8% don’t.
- 43% of Republications believe global warming is happening; 54% don’t.
- 64% of Independents believe global warming is happening; 32% don’t.
Read More: Most Americans Want Action on Global Warming
Tags: climate change, environment, global warming
Posted in The Environment | 1 Comment »
January 9th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
A new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society reveals that more than a dozen animals are facing new risks related to global warming, including:
- Changing land and sea temperatures
- Shifting rain patterns
- Exposure to new pathogens and disease
- Increased threats from predators
- Deforestation
“The image of a forlorn-looking polar bear on a tiny ice floe has become the public’s image of climate change in nature, but the impact reaches species in nearly every habitat in the world’s wild places,” says President and CEO Steven E. Sanderson, PhD. “In fact, our own researchers are observing direct impacts on a wide range of species across the world.”
The affected wildlife includes:
- Flamingos. Climate change reduces the availability and quality of wetland habitats in the Caribbean, South America, Asia and Africa.
- Irrawaddy dolphins. This coastal species relies on the flow of fresh water from estuaries in Bangladesh and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Changes in flow and salinity may have an impact on the species’ long-term survival.
- Hawksbill turtles. Higher temperatures result in more female hatchlings, which could impact the species’ long-term survival by skewing sex ratios.
“Aside from all of the current political disagreements on meteorological data, we can say with certainty that climate change is threatening our planet with significant losses to wildlife and wild places,” Dr. Sanderson says.
For Your Organic Bookshelf: Saving Wildlife: A Century of Conservation
Read More: 3 Species Threatened by Climate Change
Tags: climate change, environment, global warming, wildlife
Posted in The Environment | 3 Comments »
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