lets give up a day for mother earth

*care2.com

Last September, the chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC), Dr. Rajendra Pachauri asked people to reduce their intake of meat. “In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,” said Pachauri. “Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,' said the Indian economist, who is a vegetarian.”

Meatless Monday, a non-profit initiative of the Monday Campaigns, in association with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and 27 other public health schools, is asking people to give up meat on Mondays. The goal of Meatless Monday is to reduce meat consumption 15 percent.

Livestock industry’s effects on the environment

Meatless Monday lists the benefits to the environment of eating less meat:

• Reduce your carbon footprint. The meat industry generates an estimated one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The demand for meat continues to grow every year, so giving up meat one day a week can help slow down the trend.
  


• Help reduce fossil fuel dependence. It takes an average 40 calories of fossil fuel energy for every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S. It only takes 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy to grow plant-based protein.

Eating less meat also reduces what I call your “methane footprint.” Methane is a GHG with a warming effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide. Cows that chew a cud, cows and sheep for example, produce method. In Chris Goodall’s book, “Live a Low-Carbon Life,” he pointed out that “dairy cows are particularly important sources of methane because of the volume of food, both grass and processed material, that they eat.”

A report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest stated that methane produce by cattle “has a global warming effect equal to that of 33 million automobiles,” the Center reports in its book Six Arguments for a Greener Diet.”

Henning Steinfeld, author of a 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.S. called livestock “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.” Livestock cause 37 percent of GHG emissions, according to the report.

Read more: global warming

AFTER an hour of EARTH hour..

It's nice to know that people nowadays are more aware of certain issues regarding health,politics,and earth conservation. I our own little way,millions of people participated on the earth hour from 8:30 to 9:30 pm,lights were switched off to be part of one of the most anticipated earth conserving advocacy of all time,blogs were posted,ads were flashed,and news heard days before the said advocacy to make it's way to history.

I was lucky enough to be awake when earth hour started,here in our neighborhood,lights were all switched off for an hour,by us and of our neighbors,I guess they were all aware and willing to participate in the said event. Only shows that ignorance and lack of awareness is one of the factors that makes us powerless to help make change to make this world a better place,it also made me realize that if we are concern and have a will,all of us can make a difference

say no to BATAAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Say "NO to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!"

Dear Greenpeace activists,

Lawmakers in the Philippines are recently going all out with nuclear power.

Recently they have proposed a House Bill proposing to revive the 'mothballed' Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). That's why we would like to invite you to join us in saying: “NO TO BNPP!”

This Sunday, (February 22, 2009) 9AM, we are hoping to gather at least 500 people in a human banner to say "NO TO BNPP", at the Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

The image of this human banner will be sent as a solidarity message to the people of the Bataan as well as to send a clear message to our lawmakers that the message is clear: “NO TO BNPP”.

If you would like to be part of this activity, please call +6322414 8643 ext.111 or 117.

Hope to see you there!

Peace,

Francis Dela-Cruz Public Campaigns Coordinator

P.S. Since Greenpeace does not accept money from government or corporations, we are dependent on your financial support to achieve our goals to protect the environment.

saving the corks

ReCORK America has started a recycling program to reclaim a small portion of the estimated 13 billion natural cork wine stoppers sold in the world each year. The six-month trial will involve 25 Northern California Whole Foods Market stores. Each store will have a collection box situated in the wine department. Customers will be encouraged to add wine corks to their list of recyclable packaging.

Roger Archey, program manager for ReCORK, is pleased with the partnership. “Whole Foods Market is a benchmark for environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices,” says Archey. “We are pleased to be able to provide Whole Foods Market customers with a convenient recycling option that extends the useful life of corks for years to come.”

Unlike plastic or metal screwcap closures, recycled cork can be turned into flooring tile, building insulation, shoe soles, fishing rod handles, bulletin boards, and even soil conditioner. Natural cork is biodegradable, sustainable and a valuable source for carbon retention.

Adesina Stewart, green mission specialist for Whole Foods Market’s Northern California Region, likes the idea of providing customers with more recycling options. “What’s not to like about recycling corks?” says Stewart. “With billions of corks ending up in landfill each year, you can see how a seemingly insignificant packaging product like a wine cork can have a positive impact on our environment if we reuse it.”

For a listing of the Northern California Whole Foods Market stores participating in this recycling program, visit www.recorkamerica.com.

ReCORK America is a recycling program sponsored by Amorim, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures, and their U.S. affiliates, Portocork America and Amorim Cork America. For information about Amorim’s sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship, visit their Web site at www.amorim.com.