This is the 527th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the Sept. 20 Green Spotlight. More than 27,850 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
DocDawg writes—Cold Comfort: Trump's refusal to send hospital ship tips his plan to abandon Puerto Rico (UPDATED!) “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. Eight hundred and ninety-four feet long, 106 feet wide, and weighing 69,360 tons, USNS Comfort is a complete ocean-going medical facility with 1,000 patient beds including 80 for intensive care patients. Along with 12 operating rooms she boasts a complete dental clinic, optometry lab and pharmacy, X-ray machines, CT scanners, oxygen and fresh water production plants, capacity to store 5,000 units of blood, laundry operations, and a morgue. She’s the size of a 20th century supertanker. Indeed, she was a supertanker — the SS Rose City — until purchased by the Navy in 1987 and converted to serve her current lifesaving mission. She and her sister ship in the Pacific, USNS Mercy, are among the rare few assets of the obscenely wealthy US military devoted exclusively to saving, rather than to taking, lives. But today, as Puerto Rico and its 3.4 million American citizens slowly die with the island’s hospitals without power and in ruins, Comfort remains snugly berthed in her home port of Norfolk, Virginia.”
SWalkerwillgotojail writes—The People of Puerto Rico Deserve Better: “When I travel to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, I see the US/American flag flying the same as I would in Houston Texas and Florida. Why is it that the urgency of providing care and services was so much greater in Texas and Florida? Actually why is there no urgency to help the citizens of the United States that live in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico? • Is it because many people are not White? White Enough? • Is it because Puerto Rico voted for Hillary Clinton? • Is it because Puerto Rico is in Debt? If that is the case with the amount of debt that US has, how could be help our Florida and Texas? • Is it because neither Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands have a vote in the US House or have an electoral vote in US Presidential Elections?”
A Siegel writes—“Have you no sense of decency, sir?” Trump Cabinet member slanders 20,000 civil servants: “Yes, Secretary Zinke said that 30 percent of the 70,000 Federal employees in the Department of Interior are in violation of their Oath: in essence, asserting that they merit prosecution of disloyalty to the nation. This sort of ’30 percent’ attack is eerily reminiscent of McCarthy’s anonymous ‘lists of commies’ and other attacks that created questions about whole blocks of civil servants, dedicated federal employees, with that slandering typically not directed at individuals (though that occurred too often as well) and without any real basis. I wonder when and where America’s civil servants will have their chances to emulate Joseph Nye Welch in challenging such slanderous attacks on those who have dedicated their lives to serving the American people. Zinke made these comments to an oil industry conference. As with EPA Administrator Pruitt, Team Trump is spending its time with those seeking to privatize profit while socializing costs, socializing with those seeking to ravage public lands with minimal attention to those who seek to protect them.
Desert Scientist writes—Dragons on the North Pacific Coast: ”In late June I drove to Scriber Lake State Park, a few blocks east of Highway 99, in Lynnwood, Washington. The park is a very wet one and the paths are often muddy. The lake is bordered by spatterdock, reminding me of the boat ramp area of Steven Foster State Park in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp. My visit this time was sort of random — I had some shopping to do nearby and thought I would stop and see what photos I could get. As I worked my way down the path I spotted a tiny damselfly with blue dots on the thorax. This pattern was new to me and I later discovered that this was the Pacific forktail, a species that I had never seen before. I spent the next few minutes trying to avoid getting my shoes muddied (I had already gotten my pant’s knees wet taking photos of the forktail) and arrived at Scriber Lake itself and the boardwalk that is often used by fishermen. The air was full of dragonflies! I had never seen it like this in Washington, but then I had not visited the lake in June. There were at least three species of dragonflies involved, plus at least one damselfly species that was not a forktail. The most numerous dragonfly seemed to be my old friend, the blue dasher, followed by the blue-eyed darner and the eight-spotted skimmer. The damselfly seemed to be the northern bluet, but could have been its close brother, the boreal bluet. Add to these my own discovery of several autumn meadowhawks last fall, and there is a respectable fauna!”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
glb3 writes—The Forest Through The Trees: “The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of alder, fir, and maple trees that I was sitting under. Yesterday, I had come to visit the forest where I buried my dog three weeks earlier; the same forest where we took many enjoyable walks together over the last 12 years. It was my first trip back since I had to let her go. She's free to wander wherever she pleases; free from fences, collars, leashes, and cables. She belongs to the forest now. As I sat alone in the forest, the silence was broken now and then by a variety of native bird species competing for my attention. The robins had the most to say. Clearly, my presence has disturbed the natural order of life around here. [...] A piece of my heart belongs to the forest now.”
Kestrel writes—Dawn Chorus: Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall: “Friday, September 22, was the autumnal equinox or the day we mark the beginning of fall. What does that mean exactly An equinox is the moment in which the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the center of the sun's disk, which occurs twice each year in the spring and fall. On an equinox, day and night are of approximately equal duration all over the planet. A solstice, on the other hand, is the day that has either the most sunlight of the year (summer solstice) or the least sunlight of the year (winter solstice). Birds know our changing seasons instinctively. Our change from summer to fall brings many clues — temperature changes, later sunrises and earlier sunsets, changes in food availability, daylight, tides and more — that signal times for mating, nesting and migrating. Where I live in Northern California, one of the surest indicators that fall is approaching is the arrival of warblers. Late August and September are heavenly for warbler opportunities here. Other fall birds that will begin arriving soon include juncos, certain sparrows, waxwings, avocets and stilts, many shorebirds and, a bit later, the wintering ducks and Sandhill Cranes which start arriving very soon.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: Mirror Alphabet - "M": Photo Diary.
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - Friendly Seal's new pup? ”Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest. September 2017. I missed seal-pupping season this summer due to a back injury. From mid-June until well into August I was unable to walk or bicycle down to my favorite beach, and kayaking was out of the question. I was sad to miss boating offshore where ‘a-big-one-and-a-little-one’ pairs revealed what was going on in our local Harbor seal pupping season — how the little ones were learning their seal skills around the rocky shoals in this part of the Salish Sea, following mom through kelp beds, watching out for orcas and sealions, practicing holding their breath, negotiating the sharp steep rocks at haul-outs, and generally getting to know the aquatic neighborhood. But even worse was knowing that Friendly Seal, the lively inquisitive young female I’ve come to know over the past four years, might be pupping and possibly even bringing her baby into the bay where she spends so much time near my favorite beach. I didn’t even know she was a she until the summer of 2016 when FS appeared twice with a new pup — I think her first, since in previous years I saw her alone in July. [...] So you can imagine my delight a couple of weeks ago when I was able to go out kayaking again for the first time in months. At first, it wasn’t FS I saw, it was a seal pup snoozing in the bay quietly.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Autumnal Equinox - [& some effects of the light] *open thread*.
PHScott writes—The Daily Bucket: Wildflowers Yellow & Purple with a touch of Azure: “The cover photo is a native plant called Lopsided Indiangrass. The inflorescence on each head-high stalk is on one side and as the stalk leans over, it looks lopsided, thus the name. The Indian part I’m always hesitant about but it’s commonly used in common names for plants. This morning I stumbled across a website that gives a possible explanation for this usage. And after that bit of digression, there’ll be more wildflower photos from my walk around Spring Canyon last Sunday. [...] Sorghastrum secundum — I may remember this plant name by the time I am done today. Sorghastrum sounds sorta like sorghum, another grass, so I got that but secundum was bugging me. A Latin translation of secundus is second and secundummeans something like accordingly or following so that’s not much help. A few searches later I found this great website that lists the “Latin” words botanists use that was put together by a fellow amateur with a lot of time and interest. He says Secundatus and secundus in botany mean side-flowering and secundi- is side. That kinda fits but you have to be careful around botanists and the sly puns they put on the rest of us.”
enhydra lutris writes—The Daily Bucket - September 2017 Yard Report: “This is part of my ongoing project to document the changes in our yard from month to month. [...] We've done a lot of pruning, clean-up, some harvesting. This is as of the 7th.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Pakalolo writes—Stephen Chu shares some sobering climate change math: “This clip had escaped my attention when it was posted to You Tube in December of 2016. One of the most brilliant minds on the planet, Stephen Chu former Energy Secretary under President Obama, states that co2 is at 490 ppm equivalent today and not 400. The clip is short and explains why the ‘shit will hit the fan’.”
SFSister writes—There Goes the Food Chain: “I just wanted to call attention to yet another critical, but little known, consequence of climate change. We’re losing our plant nutrients. Politico has a piece about the work — and struggles — of Irakli Loladze, a mathematician with a fascination for biology. In 1998, he was puzzled, as were the biologists who conducted the experiment, by the odd results they got while working with zooplankton. Zooplankton are microscopic animals that live in the world’s oceans and lakes and rely on algae as their food source. Scientists found that they could make algae grow faster by shining more light onto them—increasing the food supply for the zooplankton, which should have flourished. But it didn’t work out that way. When the researchers shined more light on the algae, the algae grew faster, and the tiny animals had lots and lots to eat—but at a certain point they started struggling to survive. This was a paradox. The researchers concluded that even though the algae production had increased, it had a concomitant effect: a decrease in the nutrients. The algae was turning into junk food, and the zooplankton were starving.”
Pakalolo writes—Deep subsurface rift in Antarctica Pine Island Glacier center unexpectedly creates massive iceberg: “In yet another blow to our ability to slow climate change has occurred in the highly vulnerable West Antarctica ice shelves. This iceberg is more than 100 miles in size — 4 times the size of Manhattan- and it broke off the Pine Island Glacier (PIG). PIG holds 1.7 feet of global sea level rise (SLR) and by adding the ice of Thwaites Glacier a gut wrenching SLR of 10 feet. This will only add more fury to powerful tropical storms creating even bigger human catastrophes that boggle the mind with their devastation to coastal cities throughout the world. This break is not natural and it happens to be the fifth largest ice chunk loss from PIG since 2000. This crack had formed unnoticed at the very base of the ice shelf miles inland. The Pine Island Glacier and, “the Thwaites Glacier, sit at the outer edge of one of the most active ice streams on the continent”. They provide a buttressing effect to the ice stream, by creating a backward stress that balances the downward stress of the ice trying to flow out to sea.”
SusanCStrong writes—Reframe “climate change,” in 3 Steps! “Of course, ever since January, 2017 Trump and the GOP have been very busy destroying all U.S. rules, programs, and agreements to slow the pace of climate change. But the FF Gang’s forbidding government officials to say or write the words “climate change” is going to be the Achilles heel of their Trojan horse. Given that the rest of the world is moving toward a clean energy economy, this silly piece of government censorship clearly shows how much the FF Gang are head-in-the-sand fools. (2) However, the irony of it is this: we need to stop saying “climate change” too. It sounds mild, it sounds bland, maybe even nice. And it doesn’t begin to convey the level of nature’s fury happening now. It also fails to suggest anything about why that change is happening. Now I know that some recommend talking about “climate disruption.” But that is still a far too polite and academic way of talking. It fails to resonate widely because it is multisyllabic Latinate language that flies right past ordinary Americans. Even “climate crisis” is too mild. What we are seeing now is ‘climate chaos’.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Two cities sue 5 major oil companies to help pay for infrastructure needed due to climate change: “Big oil companies like to sue smaller municipalities in order to throw their weight around. Occasionally, human beings are able to sue back and get big oil companies to atone for a sliver of their greedy misdeeds. Right now, with the affects of climate change being felt all over the Untied States, San Francisco and Oakland have added their names to the lists of people suing big oil companies in order to hold them accountable. In the latest lawsuits, the cities argue that ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Royal Dutch Shell have known for decades about the climate risks created by their products while carrying out campaigns to ‘deceive consumers about the dangers.’ ‘Global warming is here, and it is harming San Francisco now,’ San Francisco's lawsuit begins. ‘This egregious state of affairs is no accident.’ This move is not unlike states that have begun to sue major opioid manufacturers in order to get some restitution; and states pay for the rising costs of dealing with the opioid crisis’.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Meet Roger Roots, Hitler-Praising Ex-Con Glacier Melt Denying “University” Professor and Attorney: “[E]nter Roger Roots, J.D., Ph.D., founder and president of Lysander Spooner University, libertarian politician and at least one-time Hitler admirer. Roots first came to our attention with his provocatively headlined WUWT post asking if Glacier National Park’s glaciers are growing. Roots’s post is basically just some pictures of glaciers, and assertions that they’ve grown compared to past pictures at local venues. He suggests that all the various photos of glaciers are taken at different times of the year to inaccurately show melting, but doesn’t actually attempt to prove this in any real way. (The pictures are nice, though.) Now, we were curious about Lysander Spooner University, which Roots apparently founded. Turns out it’s not exactly a university, but more of ‘a libertarian blog.’ It does, apparently, have classes, including a course on ‘Government Myths and Lies about Climate Change.’ It was held last year ‘in the sidewalk area in front of’ a coffee shop. If you’re worried about the cost for such a prestigious course, don’t worry: admission is free. [..] We went searching for the backstory on his legal troubles, and found the response to his 2000 application for admission to the Rhode Island State Bar Association. The doc provides full details of Roots’s checkered past (skipping required community service, driving with a suspended license, stockpiling loads and loads of unregistered or falsely registered guns and ammo in his dorm room).”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Zinke and Perry Play Petro-Pirates, Plundering Public Lands for Private Profit: “This administration has hardly kept its pro-polluter positions secret. But on Monday the pretense of working for Americans instead industry slipped even further: Ryan Zinke and Rick Perry showed some of their pro-polluter cards during a talk National Petroleum Council. Perry, who like all government employees swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, told a protester he still considers himself ‘proud to be part’ of the fossil fuel industry. To us, it seemed as if Perry was dancing to the tune of Alex Epstein, the guy who makes a living giving the fossil fuel industry the pep talks it wants to hear. According to Perry, the fossil fuel industry ‘is leading the world in affecting the climate and affecting the climate in a positive way’-- a talking point cribbed right from Epstein’s playbook. Surprisingly, Perry’s insane comment is true if you happen to be one of the very few countries who benefit from warming. (We’re looking at you, Russia.) But Perry’s fossil fuel fandom was tame compared to Zinke, who went so far as to accuse Department of Interior staff of not being loyal to their country. Zinke described how he felt he was entering hostile territory when assuming control of Interior. ‘I got 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag,’ told the assembled oilmen. (The next day, long-time Trump friend Roger Stone denied to the House Intelligence Committee that he played a role in Russia’s efforts to help elect the man who appointed Zinke to his this position.)”
Jen Hayden writes—Secretary Zinke tells Big Oil group a third of Interior Dept. staff are disloyal to Trump and flag: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke waded into The Swamp to deliver a speech to Big Oil and he delivered several comments that are raising eyebrows. From the Associated Press: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that nearly one-third of employees at his department are not loyal to him and President Donald Trump, adding that he is working to change the department’s regulatory culture to be more business friendly. Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, said he knew when he took over the 70,000-employee department in March that, ‘I got 30 percent of the crew that’s not loyal to the flag.’ Want to work in America’s National Parks? Apparently you need to prove your loyalty to Donald Trump and Ryan Zinke. How would they go about determining whether someone is personally loyal to the president? It’s entirely un-American to demand a test of loyalty to one party or one person.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
FishOutofWater writes—Puerto Rico Children's Hospital No fuel, No power desperately saves sick babies. CoC Trump is AWOL: “This is one of the most desperate sets of tweets I have ever seen by a hospital physician. Puerto Rico’s San Jorge children’s hospital in downtown San Juan ran out of fuel for its generators. With no electricity and back power about to run out because fuel was running out, a lead doctor at San Jorge Hospital desperately Tweeted for help then got back to the task of saving the most vulnerable babies and children. At the very same time, back in Washington DC, Senate Republicans were meeting to push Trumpcare legislation to slash the funds for health care for women and children. Trump was Tweeting them on because it would free up money for tax cuts for billionaires, including himself, who finance and control the Republican party. The Navy hospital ship Comfort, tasked with providing disaster assistance to the Caribbean, remains unstaffed and docked in port at Norfolk, Virginia while San Jorge doctors and staff are desperately trying to save children’s lives in San Juan. The story starts Saturday September 23 with a request by Dr Felix Seda for baby formula.”
Silent Spring writes—And down came the rains. Air quality and Megafires in the Pacific Northwest: “Hotter summers. Bigger, badder wildfires. What's going on? How did we get here? This diary isn’t really about that, yet if you scroll to the end, there is a must watch 15-minute TEDx Talk published in July 2017. It’s a fast-paced story of Western US forests — unintentionally yet massively changed by a century of management that has set the stage for continued and disastrous megafires. Following up on my September 10th diary Washington State wildfires: a personal picture diary of majestic beauty and destruction, I’m happy to say that the photographed skies above have replaced these skies below (temporarily at least) […] It’s been a horrific wildfire season this year beginning early summer and to-date here in my neck of the woods. Currently, although there has been some rain and decreased temperatures helping with control, there are active wildfires still being managed. [...] One area in particular still impacted by wildfire activity is in my ‘backyard’ here in central Washington state — anywhere from a 30-minute to 60-minute drive into foothills and forest areas in which my family hunts, fishes, hikes, swims and enjoys the beautiful outdoors. 217 persons (including sheriffs, firefighters and fire behavioral specialists) are currently assigned to this area alone. The rains have helped to stop some of the spreading, but due to the territory and the fuel for these fires, there is still burning and smoldering.”
elizawhig1 writes—Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean Nations Need Our Help, so here is a list.
Denise Oliver Velez writes—3.5 million Americans face disease & death in Puerto Rico. What the hell is Trump doing? “People with no drinking water. People with no food. People with no medicine. No dialysis. No insulin. No homes. Water full of feces. No fuel for generators. [...] Where the hell is the army, the navy, the marines? Why is there no massive airlift in and out?= Why the hell is the situation in Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands not being covered round the clock —and at the top of the headlines? I was looking at the notice to VI from FEMA — I was struck by the announcement that people could register on line. How do you do that if you have no internet? How do you call when phones aren’t working? This disaster was already brewing with Irma. I agree with Ricky Davila.”
Denise Oliver Velez writes—New York, and other states deliver aid to Puerto Rico. We are family: “Governor Andrew Cuomo at the request of Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico is taking a team to Puerto Rico to do assessment, and bringing needed supplies of food, water and generators. Just finished watching this moving press conference at the airport in NY. Cuomo stressed that we are family. Family supports family.”
Denise Oliver Velez writes—Puerto Rico S.O.S: Trump is lying, PR is crying and unless you help—more Americans will be dying: “The ‘after Maria’ disaster has already begun in Puerto Rico, where 3.5 million American citizens need our help. The gruesome irony in all this is that some people are close to dying in hospitals. Hospitals with no power. No diesel fuel to run their generators to keep life support going. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz keeps calling for help.
Meanwhile the occupant of the oval office brags about the great job he is doing to assist Puerto Rico as he sits on his ass “working hard.” He lies. His own Department of Defense has said that 44% of Puerto Rican’s do not have clean drinking water. Trump must have mentioned the Governor of Puerto Rico 15 times — in his tales of how great he is doing sending aid to PR. Sure Gov. Rossello has said great things to the Orange Narcissist in Chief. BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT TO PISS TRUMP OFF.”
Dartagnan writes—Just Try To Imagine Living For Months Without Electricity. Or Running Water: “No stove, unless you’re burning the remains of your house. No microwave. No way to charge your phone, and no phone lines. The phone company has no power. So little or no communication with any relatives, friends, or anyone that might be able to assist you. No TV, so you don’t really know when and if someone will ever come to help. The batteries for your radio aren’t much use because the radio stations you listen to are down. No music. No news. No movies, no entertainment. No power. For months. That is the situation facing Puerto Rico right now: [...] You have an infant? You have to heat up his/her formula on a wood-burning stove, if you have one, which you probably don’t. Matches and lighters are a premium. What will you do for medical care if he/she gets sick? There’s no hospital to go to nearby with any power. Even the ones that have generators are full. And how are you going to call them? You have a child a little older? What are you going to feed them? Where are you going to get the water to mix the formula or cook their food? There is none.”
BlueDragon writes—Puerto Rico: Forced Sterilization in 60s, now genocidal inaction post Hurricane Maria: “In my opinion, the US Government, under the orange, is about to have its long term genocidal wishes fulfilled by a natural disaster, Hurricane Maria. Most people do not know about the forced sterilization program in Puerto Rico deployed in the 60s by ‘our’ government. There was a desire to reduce the population of Puerto Rico to reduce pressure to move to the mainland. By not insuring the rescue of the island during this critical week after the storm, trumplandia is having its most fervent wishes fulfilled.”
gmoke writes—Crowd Funding an Emergency Solar Electric Grid for Puerto Rico and Other Islands: “Solar lights and cell phone chargers are now $1or less production costs and selling around the world for $5 or less retail. Add bicycle generators and you have independent indigenous emergency power now, day or night. AA battery to car battery and better microgrids. It is conceivable that we could crowd fund a basic emergency electrical system (lights, cell phones or radio, computers) for Puerto Rico (as well as the other islands destroyed by the recent hurricanes) within less time than the established grid can come back on line. There are examples of islands which are planning and working toward 100% renewable power: El Hierro, 7,000 people, one of the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, uses wind and pumped hydro energy storage to supply 50% of its power. http://www.dw.com/en/renewable-energy-on-el-hierro/av-38694579. Kodiak Island, 15,000 people, in Alaska has been running its grid with wind and hydro power since 2012 http://www.sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/southeastern/blog/2017/05/kodiak-island-100-renewables. Samsø, 4,000 people, in Denmark has spent over the last decade moving towards zero carbon with wind, solar, and biomass. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/feb/24/energy-positive-how-denmarks-sams-island-switched-to-zero-carbon.”
TexMex writes—ShelterBox diary 11: People are going to need shelter! “Reposting to give people an opportunity do read up on a great organization that is helping people in these difficult times. They are on the ground in the Carribean and in Mexico and in Bangladesh...Their main page. ShelterBoxusa. Donate to ShelterBox here…… www.shelterboxusa.org/… What they are doing for the Irma disaster…….www.shelterboxusa.org/… The Aid link has pictures and the details on the ShelterBox, Shelter kits and equipment and tents that are delivered!”
noweasels writes—As Darkness Falls: Puerto Rico Trying to Evacuate 70,000 People As Dam Fails; No Power: “A dam in northwestern Puerto Rico suffered structural damage on Friday, the governor said at a news conference, prompting evacuationsof areas nearby in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. ‘Close to 70,000 is the estimate of people that could be affected in the case of a collapse,’ the governor, Ricardo Rosselló, said about the Guajataca Dam, which is operated by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. ‘We don’t know the details. It’s time to get people out.’ The news about the dam was a dramatic sign that the scale of troubles left behind by the storm were just being understood. Power remained out and phone service was still limited. On Friday night, the governor was flying over to the dam area to see how serious the risk might be, said a spokeswoman for the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency.”
eeff writes—Rio Guajataca Dam failure.
Meteor Blades writes—Failing dam forces gov't scramble to evacuate 1000s in Puerto Rico, but many towns unreachable: “As if Puerto Ricans weren’t already battered enough by Hurricane Maria, which has left most of the island’s population without electricity and hundreds of thousands of people without drinking water, authorities last night rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of people downstream of a failing dam. But they said they could not reach more than half the downstream towns: Government spokesman Carlos Bermudez said that officials had no communication with 40 of the 78 municipalities on the island more than two days after the Category 4 storm crossed the island, toppling power lines and cellphone towers and sending floodwaters cascading through city streets. Officials said 1,360 of the island's 1,600 cellphone towers had been downed, and 85 percent of above-ground and underground phone and internet cables were knocked out. With roads blocked and phones dead, officials said, the situation may be worse than they know. Tweeted warnings about the dam went mostly unseen by the people they were directed to. The National Weather Service wrote.’This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION.’ ‘All the areas around the Guajataca River must evacuate NOW. Your lives are in DANGER’.”
jrooth writes—Hurricane Maria: The Turn North Has Begun: “Hurricane Maria was significantly weakened by crossing Puerto Rico. It fairly quickly recovered it’s structure and developed a large eye, approximately 40 nautical miles in diameter. This is a normal occurrence — storms that are not completely disrupted by land tend to emerge weakened but with an expanded wind field. The central pressure rose to 960 mb and maximum sustained winds declined to 115 mph. The storm appears to have been slowed in its recovery by crossing the cold wake of Hurricane Irma so there was some good news for the Turks and Caicos in that they got the open southwest quadrant of the eyewall. Maria has now entered warmer waters north of Irma’s wake and is showing signs of reintensifying, with very intense convection forming in the northern half of the eyewall.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Trump's excuse for Puerto Rico delays? The ocean is 'very big'—Yup, he said that (VIDEO): “While the white supremacist in chief has probably garnered some points with his morally bankrupt base—looking at you, evangelicals—the rest of the country has been watching aghast as our federal government has been incredibly slow to act on the natural disaster relief needed in Puerto Rico. This is a top-down problem as seen by the unpopular president’s tweets attacking black people in sporting events over their right to peacefully protest over the weekend. Tuesday, in front of the press, Trump had this to say about his administration’s response to the crisis in Puerto Rico. We got A+s on Texas and on Florida, and we will on Puerto Rico but the difference is this is an island sitting in an ocean. It’s a big ocean. It’s a very big ocean.”
otto writes—The Little Island in the Big Ocean By Donnie:
ursulafaw writes—Twitter Appalled Over Trump's Latest Gaffe, "This Thing Called The Atlantic": “Donald Trump is having a very difficult time grasping the awe and wonder apparently posed by the Atlantic, because he’s been commenting about it all morning. ‘It's very tough because it's an island … an island sitting in the middle of an ocean — and it's a big ocean. It's a very big ocean.’ Then Trump, in his inimitable fashion of saying things twice, said, “This isn’t like Florida … This is a thing called the Atlantic Ocean.This is tough stuff.’ [...] John Kelly has gotten him this far to grasp the concept and the nomenclature of “ocean.” Next Kelly will tutor Trump on the Caribbean Sea, how a peninsula differs from an island, and last but not least — the fact that Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory because it’s pretty clear that Trump doesn’t know. Stay tuned.”
Walter Einenkel writes—About one-half of all Americans don't realize that Puerto Rico is a part of the United States: “Americans in every section of our country, from New York to Hawaii and from Washington to Puerto Rico, wonder why the president of the United States is dragging his heels and attacking Puerto Rico instead of rushing aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastation to the island. Now, most of us realize that this is because Donald Trump is a racist, and Puerto Ricans look like Mexicans to him and his base—so, it’s clearly their fault and their problem. It’s almost as if Donald Trump doesn’t realize that the reason there were so many Puerto Ricans around him in New York City is because Puerto Ricans are Americans. A new poll of 2,200 adults by Morning Consult found that only 54 percent of Americans know that people born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, are U.S. citizens. (Because Puerto Rico is not a state, they do not vote in presidential elections, but they send one nonvoting representative to Congress.) This finding varied significantly by age and education. Only 37 percent of people ages 18 to 29 know people born in Puerto Rico are citizens, compared with 64 percent of those 65 or older.”
Jen Hayden writes—Trump Air sits idle as billionaires and celebrities lend private planes for Puerto Rico relief: “Billionaires and celebrities are answering the call, stepping up to help Puerto Rico residents by lending their planes to deliver food, water and critical medical supplies. From WGN:American rapper Pitbull and billionaire Mark Cuban are lending private planes to the ongoing relief effort in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island. On Tuesday, Puerto Rico Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzales tweeted, ‘Thank you Pitbull for lending your private plane to move cancer patients from PR to USA so that they can get chemo.’ Pitbull told the New York Daily News, ‘Thank God we’re blessed to help. Just doing my part.’ Singers Marc Anthony and his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez created a humanitarian alliance to use the power of social media to drive donations for critical supplies.”
ExpatGirl writes—Trump Tells Reporters Why He Won't Lift The Jones Act...And, Yes, It Is As Bad As You Think.
ExpatGirl writes—Murder? Ethnic Cleansing? What Will We Call It When The Puerto Rico Death Toll Starts Rising? “Puerto Rico managed to make it through Hurricane Maria without losing too many lives. Sadly, it becomes more clear by the hour that we will not be able to say the same thing about what happens going forward. The dying has already started. Hospitals have no power. How do you sustain life for the critical with no power? How do those with medical conditions survive without medication? How does anyone survive without food and clean water? The United States is the most powerful country in the world. We have sent men to the moon and a robot to Mars. But, apparently, a relatively short stretch of ocean stops us in our tracks. The United states has the world’s best equipped military. And yet it hasn’t been mobilized to tackle the largest humanitarian crisis to hit American citizens in our history. Why is that? And when the death toll starts climbing, as it most assuredly will, to what will we ascribe the horror? Malign neglect? Murder? Ethnic cleansing? We can stop the unthinkable from becoming reality. Call your Senators. Do it now. DEMAND action on Puerto Rico.”
ExpatGirl writes—The DKos Community Needs To Mobilize For Puerto Rico. Now: “The healthcare debacle is out of the way, it is now time to turn our eyes to Puerto Rico and do everything we can to turn the volume up to maximum. This site is powerful. If the community decides a story is important it makes waves. If you see a diary about Puerto Rico, Rec it. If you are freaking out about Puerto Rico, write about it. If you haven’t called your Senators and Congressional Rep to demand action, do it. Now. When you read this diary. They all have answering machines. If you are on Twitter and/or Facebook, ask your Congressperson what they are doing to expedite aid. Bug the crap out of them.”
noweasels writes—Puerto Rico: Trump Refuses to Waive Jones Act; Americans Stand Up to Help; Where is the Government? “No food. No water. No power. Hospitals running our of diesel for their generators. Our fellow citizens are dying while the Federal Government dithers.I am so sickened and ashamed. You know what to do. Where is our military? [...] The Trump administration on Tuesday said there was no need to waive shipping restrictions to help get fuel and supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, because it would do nothing to address the island’s main impediment to shipping, damaged ports. The Jones Act limits shipping between coasts to U.S. flagged vessels. However, in the wake of brutal storms, the government has occasionally issued temporary waivers to allow the use of cheaper, tax free or more readily available foreign-flagged ships. The Department of Homeland Security, which waived the act after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, did not agree an exemption would help this time.”
Mark Sumner writes—Trump refuses to lift the Jones Act as people across Puerto Rico receive 'nothing, nothing, nothing': “Almost all of the island is still without power. Most areas still have no communication. The number of small-scale and personal disasters still to be reported is difficult to assess. Meanwhile, following a press conference in which Donald Trump declared no fewer than a dozen times that he was doing a ‘great’ job in Puerto Rico, and said that his actions there received ‘great reviews,’ the administration continues to block an action that could provide relief to the island. The Trump administration on Tuesday denied a request to waive shipping restrictions to help get fuel and supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, saying it would do nothing to address the island’s main impediment to shipping, damaged ports. While the Trump White House says that temporarily lifting the Jones Act wouldn’t help — it also couldn’t possibly hurt.”
tharu1 writes—The Jones Act is not responsible for Trump's failure in Puerto Rico: “I have been continually chagrined today to see so many folks here adopt right wing conservative talking points regarding the Jones Act. Waiving and getting rid of the Jones Act has been a republican wet dream for decades now. Why — because it protects American industry, unions, and jobs from foreign outsourcing by vulture capitalists. The Jones Act is not what is preventing relief in Puerto Rico, Donald Trump is — waiving it — would have no effect on relief efforts. Sending the Navy and Army in full force would help tremendously — Waiving the Jones Act — not a damn bit! The Jones Act does not prevent the importation of relief goods from other nations. Any nation (e.g., Mexico, Peru, United Kingdom) is able to send supplies directly to Puerto Rico. The Jones Act doesn’t have a word to say about foreign imports. It simply says that if you ship a commodity (this includes our domestic fisheries) from a US port to another US port, you need to use a US boat (built in US), a US crew (75%), and a US captain.”
Mark Sumner writes—Trump says he's had 'tremendous reviews' in Puerto Rico, isn't distracted because 'All I do is work': “During a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Donald Trump found himself addressing a national crisis in terms better suited to a reality show. ‘As far as Puerto Rico is concerned, we’ve had tremendous reviews from government officials, as we did in Texas, and we have in Louisiana, and as we have in Florida from Governor Scott and … Greg Abbott. Great governors. And this morning the governor made incredible statements about how well we’re doing.’ ‘We understand that it’s a disaster. A disaster that just happened.’ Where ‘just happened’ means a week ago, plus the additional week or more in which it was clear Maria would strike the island. Then, after recounting the size of Maria, Trump went on to his new discovery—Puerto Rico is a, hold onto your hats, island. Plus more bragging.”
Mark Sumner writes—Donald Trump finally notices Puerto Rico—long enough to blame them for their problems: “On Monday evening, Donald Trump finally got around to mentioning Puerto Rico for the first time since Hurricane Maria finished passing over the island. And what he delivered was a level of cruelty usually reserved for four-year-olds holding a magnifying glass above ants.
Trump followed this initial tweet with a couple of followups. They did not make things better. It’s old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water, and medical are top priorities — and doing well. #FEMA.”
Mark Sumner writes—Puerto Rico is a disaster, moving toward catastrophe, that demands a massive, emergency response: “Donald Trump has not mentioned Puerto Rico since the day after Hurricane Maria brutally scourged the US territory. After making a trip to Alabama to call any athlete who takes part in peaceful protest a “son of a bitch” who should be fired, Trump doubled, tripled … pentadekaled down on that point by tweeting 15 times about his NFL hate. He’s also slipped in half a dozen mentions of the health care bill and even managed to talk about how nice the White House looks. But three and a half million Americans, many of whom are without shelter, struggling to find clean water and food, who are living about without power, lacking communications with relatives, and still searching for loved ones they haven’t seen since before the storm—that doesn’t merit a word. Trump isn’t alone in his disdain and neglect. The grand total of time all five Sunday morning talk shows devoted to Puerto Rico as they gathered the great and the good to cover the issues of the day was less than one minute.”
Silent Spring writes—'Hello, DC?' Call and share responses from your Senators! We are all Puerto Rico ...”What are Senators doing today? Seriously, I’d like to know. Especially those who have been obsessed with healthcare and ignoring all other issues in our nation. They have time on their hands now. Unless they are in back rooms continuing to plot the next move to destroy ACA. CALL, CALL AND CALL. WHAT RESPONSES ARE YOU RECEIVING REGARDING PUERTO RICO? SHARE SENATOR NAMES AND SPECIFIC REPLIES IN THE COMMENT SECTION.”
Kerry Eleveld writes—USS Comfort hospital ship, supposedly 'on the way,' is set to deploy Friday: “The cover photo is a native plant called Lopsided Indiangrass. The inflorescence on each head-high stalk is on one side and as the stalk leans over, it looks lopsided, thus the name. The Indian part I’m always hesitant about but it’s commonly used in common names for plants. This morning I stumbled across a website that gives a possible explanation for this usage. And after that bit of digression, there’ll be more wildflower photos from my walk around Spring Canyon last Sunday. [...] Sorghastrum secundum — I may remember this plant name by the time I am done today. Sorghastrum sounds sorta like sorghum, another grass, so I got that but secundum was bugging me. A Latin translation of secundus is second and secundummeans something like accordingly or following so that’s not much help. A few searches later I found this great website that lists the “Latin” words botanists use that was put together by a fellow amateur with a lot of time and interest. He says Secundatus and secundus in botany mean side-flowering and secundi- is side. That kinda fits but you have to be careful around botanists and the sly puns they put on the rest of us.”
annieli writes—Trump's Katrina is here: 1.5 million without water, six months without power expected in Puerto Rico: “And what reasons exist for Trump treating an island of Americans so badly … so much more badly than Texas. It could be four to six months before power is restored on the island. That’s half a year with Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents relying on generators, half a year without air conditioning in the tropical climate, half a year that electric pumps can’t bring running water into homes, half a year when even the most basic tasks of modern life are made difficult.”
annieli writes—Is Hurricane Maria coming to Le Cirque tonight in New York? Much Food and Water there...”
Will Trump donate the cost of 4 GOP couples to Puerto Rico relief ... and is this GOP fundraiser at Le Cirque part of a RNC deal to help the restaurant out of its chapter 11 bankruptcy filed in March. Because trickle down. Speaking of which, Trump’s continuing indifference to Puerto Rico might be due to his own golf course bankruptcy there. Then again, that’s one bigly ocean, the Atlantic.”
ENERGY
Fossil Fuels
VeganMilitia writes—Washington State Rejects Coal Export Permit on Columbia River: “This is a huge victory. Congrats and blessings to the First nations and all organizations and individuals who have opposed this for so long. Thanks to a State that is standing up to help take the lead when the national government is hobbled. Project on the Columbia River at Longview would have exported coal mined from Wyoming and Montana and shipped by train to destinations in Asia. Last year, a separate project to build a coal-export terminal at Cherry Point, in Whatcom County, was denied a federal Army Corps of Engineers permit, a decision based on protection of tribal treaty fishing rights’ komonews.com/… The Department of Ecology rejected a water quality permit that Millennium Bulk Terminals sought because the proposed facility near the city of Longview would have caused ‘significant and unavoidable harm’ to the environment. The department cited effects to air quality, noise pollution and tribal resources, among others.”
Winter Rabbit writes—Big Mountain Navajo Elders Have Cattle Impounded Even Though Peabody Coal Mine Closed: “What might be “the largest forced removal of rural Americans since that of Japanese Americans during the Second World War?” It never is a good time to try to tell people about these issues; however, I had occasion this summer to meet a couple Navajo Elders from Big Mountain on the Navajo reservation, in which one specifically asked I not reveal their name or say that I had spoken with them. One elder, who was supposed to give my email address to someone else who was going to email me with a statement, did tell me, ‘We don’t get much press.’ Consequentially, since that email never came, I decided to tell what three Navajo Elders and one non-elder told me here and now. I didn’t have a recorder or notepad, but here is what they all said at different times within the same general time, which correlated with what I already knew. First, a non-elder said Peabody Coal Mine closed on Big Mountain, but the BIA (or people working for Peabody Coal) are still harassing the Navajo Elders. Furthermore, they said cattle are still being impounded. Why? The mine is closed.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls: Tariff plan on solar panels could kneecap the industry and kill demand: “If President Trump were honest about which industries are the biggest job-creation powerhouses, it wouldn’t be the sluggish coal industry. It’s solar. More than twice the size of the wind industry and roughly five times bigger than the coal industry, solar accounted for one in every 50 jobs created in 2016, according to an annual census by the Solar Foundation. But Trump will soon have the chance to cut off US solar from the cheap foreign panels that have led to the industry’s booming success the past few years. ‘An improper remedy will devastate the burgeoning American solar economy and ultimately harm America’s manufacturers,’ said one expert. The US International Trade Commission on Friday decided 4-0 that foreign imports of solar panels and cells have damaged the business of two domestic solar manufactures, Suniva and SolarWorld. Now that the ITC has found injury, it will likely suggest a price floor or tariffs. The decision on whether to regulate these imports will ultimately fall to Trump, and evidence suggests he’s likely to do it. ‘I would place the odds of the president agreeing to some type of remedy at 90 percent,’ an anonymous Trump administration official told the news site Axios.”
Pipelines & Other Fossil Fuel Transport
Ivy Main writes—New pipelines report shows the ACP is part of a widespread, systemic market failure: “A new report from Oil Change International concludes the U.S. is currently building unneeded fracked-gas pipelines as a result of FERC’s regulatory failures, including its failure to police self-dealing. The result will be excess pipeline capacity, paid for by regulated utility customers. The primary cause of the overbuilding, and the reason companies like Dominion engage in self-dealing to create the impression of ‘need,’ is that FERC sets an absurdly high rate of return on pipelines—14%, compared to a typical utility rate of return of 10%. FERC set the high rate back in 1997 when interest rates were double what they are now, so it was more expensive to build large infrastructure. FERC hasn’t changed the rate since then even though it is causing obvious market distortions—and creating an incentive for utilities to jump into the pipeline business.”
REGULATIONS & PROTECTIONS
Michael Brune writes—Interior Desecrator: “Although Interior Secretary Zinke can recommend stripping protections from Bears Ears and other national monuments, he can never sever the connection Native people have to these lands. That doesn’t mean it won’t be affected, though. Traditional practices certainly could be obstructed. What’s more, the door could slam shut on this important new way of incorporating traditional knowledge into public land management. As usual, the Trump administration has it exactly wrong. Less than 3 percent of the public lands in the United States are protected from commercial exploitation. Constant and increasing pressure from mining, drilling, logging, and other development — along with the pollution and accelerated climate disruption those activities bring — means that we should be doing whatever we can to protect those few places that haven’t already been despoiled. The American people certainly think so. They don’t want to see timeless views marred by fracking rigs, irreplaceable historical artifacts lost to looters, or cultural sites cut off in favor of mining access.”
poopdogcomedy writes—WV-Sen: Joe Manchin (D) A No Vote On Trump's Nominee To Head Mine Safety & Health Administration: “Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday said he plans to vote against confirming President Trump’s nominee to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). In his statement, Manchin recalled the numerous miner deaths in West Virginia, including 12 so far this year. Trump tapped David Zatezalo for the job earlier this month. Zatezalo is a retired former executive of Rhino Resources, which had frequent run-ins with MSHA for alleged safety violations during his tenure. [...] ‘After reviewing his qualifications and record of safety during his time in the coal industry, I am not convinced that Mr. Zatezalo is suited to oversee the federal agency that implements and enforces mine safety laws and standards’.”
Meteor Blades writes—Scott Pruitt dings taxpayers for a $25,000 cone of silence so he can keep his phone calls secret: “It’s not enough that the paranoid EPA-hating chief of the EPA Scott Pruitt has diverted a dozen of the agency’s already understaffed investigative team to do round-the-clock bodyguard duty, even when he is in his office at headquarters. Now Brady Dennis atThe Washington Post reports that Pruitt ordered an expensive customized acoustic booth to ensure his phone calls remain secret. No doubt this updated ‘cone of silence’ will make it easier to keep the contents of his lickspittle conversations with executives of the fossil fuel, mining, and automobile industries away from prying ears. Sources did not say whether the booth is big enough to allow both Pruitt and a bodyguard to occupy it at the same time.”
Mark Sumner writes—Ryan Zinke says a third of the Interior Dept. is 'not loyal to the flag' as he attacks environment: “Now that he’s completed his plan to bring mining and clear-cut logging to National Monuments, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zink has looked around his own department. And according to the AP, what he’s determined is that one third of the Interior Department is composed of traitors, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that nearly one-third of employees at his department are not loyal to him and President Donald Trump, adding that he is working to change the department’s regulatory culture to be more business friendly. The Trump regime is one in which you can head up a department whose name you’ve forgotten and whose purpose you never knew, run something that doesn’t even interest you, or head up a department you actively want to destroy, so long as you show the one critical trait: Loyalty to Trump. Dedication to the nation is off the table. Efficiency is not an issue. Knowledge is an actual detriment. Loyalty is what counts. People who don’t realize that are getting in the way of making arbitrary decisions and implementing ‘business friendly’ decisions.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Ojibwa writes—Public Lands: A Garden in the Arboretum (Photo Diary): “The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden occupies 127 acres in the heart of historic Rancho Santa Anita. Shown below is one of the gardens in the Arboretum.”
MorrellWI1983 writes—Expanding the National Parks System- #40 South Carolina: “This is the Fortieth diary in my Expanding the National Parks series. Last time I was in Rhode Island, this time I am in South Carolina. I took a break from this series after the election of Trump, and now after a few months of mourning about the wreckage he is likely to inflict on our national natural heritage, I’ve decided to resume. 2.9% of the state is federally owned, good for 33rd among the states, slightly behind New Jersey and slightly ahead of Maryland. South Carolina currently has 1 national park, 2 national monuments, 2 national forests , 8 wildlife refuges, and 7 historic sites and Other NPS units. I will propose adding more monuments to South Carolina’s tally. Prior diaries in the series are listed at the bottom of this diary.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Administration knew for months National Parks' plastic bottle ban was working before they ended it: “What makes someone greedy is their inability to know when they have more than enough. It’s not simply being wealthy and having power, it’s a pursuit of owning and having ALL the wealth and power. It led Republicans like Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, last month, to announce that the six-year plastic bottle reduction plan in our National Parks would be abruptly ending. At the time, this announcement was unbelievable—considering that the only people missing the bottled water were the bottle-water makers themselves. Yes, I know. That’s the point. The decision to end the plastic bottle ban is—like everything in this administration—even more egregious than you can imagine. A FOIA document of a NPS report on the program, requested and released this past Friday says the agency knew full well that the plastic bottle initiative was working exactly as hoped.”
FlBlueNeck writes—Plastic Water Bottles, First a Friend Then an Enemy: “That discarded water bottle will still be there 1000 years from now! Unfortunately it’s in our National Parks. Plastic water bottles are handy, easy to make, inexpensive, easy to refrigerate, and lightweight. And easy to discard, right? Wrong. They are not reusable (the polymers break down and become toxic), 2 million tons of plastic water bottles now fill our landfills. They too will be there for a 1000 years. THEY ARE RECYCLABLE. Two years ago, Subaru, a Japanese car maker, initiated a Natl Parks Program to eliminate discarded waste especially plastic water bottles. It was working until the Rump Administration got a hold of it.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
m2c4 writes—Environmental Racism Is A Local And Global Issue: “Numerous studies of environmental pollution show that it is far more likely to occur in poor, non-white areas. One study last year determined that just 5% of industrial chemical polluters in the US were responsible for 90% of the pollution and that virtually all those sites were located in poor, minority areas. A further study showed that polluting industries were almost always located in those poor, minority communities after they became low-income and non-white. As the one study noted, these communities became ‘sacrifice zones,’ in which polluters ‘can exist without the focus they might receive in other locations.’ Now a new study out of Flint, Michigan shows just how devastating these environmental pollutants can be to the communities they inhabit. In Flint, the water system became contaminated by lead when the city decided to save some money and not treat their lead pipes correctly. According to the Detroit Free Press, ‘Fertility rates decreased by 12% among Flint women, and fetal death rates increased by 58%, after April 2014.’ April, 2014 is when the city of Flint converted to using the Flint River with drinking water, stopped treating the lead pipes, and, accordingly, the lead content of drinking water in Flint spiked through the roof.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
kellisoto writes—#Don'tPolluteOurFruit: “On Tuesday, I had an opportunity to collaborate with one of our partner organizations, Food & Water Watch at their Los Angeles event aptly named #DontPolluteOurFruit. We're working with them to host a petition with a coalition of partners to tell The Wonderful Company and California legislators to stop allowing dirty oil wastewater to be used on the crops that we eat. Apparently this practice has been going on for a while by several major corporations looking to turn a profit at any cost. So now we have to tell big corporations in charge of our food production to please don’t poison us with waste product? Huh? [...] The event was well attended by dedicated and vocal activists, and other awesome partner orgs: Center for Food Safety, Center for Biological Diversity and Climate Hawks Vote who gave super rousing speeches about the need to put pressure on these rich corporations by boycotting their products until their harmful policies change.
gmoke writes—City Agriculture - September 25, 2017: “Newtown Creek Wildflower Roof - another green roof grows in Brooklyn. http://inhabitat.com/nyc/an-urban-oasis-springs-to-life-in-nycs-newtown-creek-wildflower-roof/ … http://www.alivestructures.com/projects Growing Local: A Community Guide to Planning for Agriculture and Food Systems - because city agriculture requires a community food system. http://www.farmlandinfo.org/growing-local-community-guide-planning-agriculture-and-food-systems. Davenport, Iowa grocery store grows greens in a vertical garden onsite, https://www.fridaysfreshmarket.com … http://inhabitat.com/iowa-store-grows-10-15-lbs-of-produce-on-outdoor-vertical-garden-every-week/.”
Joe Quigley writes—Would you like lettuce with that burger? It’s gonna cost ya: “In 2011 Alabama passed HB 56, and immigration law that was considered the toughest in the country. It had been promoted by the organization Grow Alabama to promote the state’s farmers using a community-supported agriculture model. The result of scaring any migrant workers away in order to give the jobs they had “stolen” from Americans in Alabama back to them was that after the abrupt departure of those workers, many of whom were undocumented immigrants that feared deportation, many farmers were left without the workers to harvest their crops. Many crops simply rotted unpicked in the fields, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. During the following year, the leader of Grow Alabama, Jerry Spencer, who had pushed the legislation, had to admit that many of the dozens of farmers he worked with in that organization retired early, while others switched from labor-intensive fruit and vegetable crops to fruit trees where there is less bending an picking up heavy boxes and buckets.”
MISCELLANY
EARTHWORKS writes—Dow Jones Sustainability Index is Unsustainable for Communities: “Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) recently announced its list evaluating the sustainability performance of the largest 2,500 companies listed on the Dow Jones Stock Market Index. US-based Newmont Mining scored high marks, earning it a spot as one of the world's most sustainable metal mining companies. Given Newmont’s abysmal environmental and human rights track record, this distinction raises the question, ‘How does DJSI define sustainability?’ If you took this question to communities living near Newmont’s Yanacocha mine in Cajamarca, Peru, or those opposing its recently stalled Conga mine in the same region, you would likely get a very different answer. The Yanacocha mine, the largest open-pit gold mine in Latin America, polluted critical and culturally significant water sources that threatens the health of communities and the environment now, and for generations to come. In June 2000, one of Minera Yanacocha's contractors spilled 150 kilograms (335 pounds) of mercury from the mine along a 43-kilometer stretch of road through the towns of Choropampa, Magdalena and San Juan. More than 1,000 people maintain they were affected by the spill and many continue to report adverse health effects.”
GreenpowerCA writes—This Week in the Environment 09.21.17: Knowledge is Power: “As climate change deniers do their best to muddy the waters with lies, obfuscation, and endless debate, they are often so successful that even a well-informed person can become confused about what exactly the truth is. With that in mind, I’ve chosen five climate science-focused articles from the past week as a reminder that there is still honest and responsible science being done. [...] 2. It Takes Just 4 Years to Detect Human Warming of the Oceans. The Guardian. Earth’s climate, simply put, is a balance. Energy comes in from the sun (and from hot radioactive rocks underground) and leaves through the atmosphere into space. Between entering and leaving Earth’s climate system, this energy can be stored in a variety of forms: in life, in the atmosphere, in the Earth’s crust, and in the ocean. The ocean in particular is one of the main sinks for excess heat, but the size and complexity of such a vast reservoir has made studying it a challenge. New research has overcome these issues and found that the oceans are an excellent record of temperature increases, and that recent warming is due to human activities.”