The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Welcome to EcoLink, your online connection to the Ecology Center – and our bi-monthly newsletter – From the Ground Up. The Ecology Center works for a safe and healthy environment where people live, work, and play. This EcoLink features links to hot green news, events, and highlights from our May/June 2006 newsletter, From the Ground Up. Help the Ecology Center continue protecting your health: http://www.ecocenter. org/actionmembership.shtml TAKE ACTION House Honcho Fiddles As Trash Piles Up Speaker DeRoche Blocking Dumping Fee Legislation It costs $7.25 in Pennsylvania, $3 in Wisconsin, and 21 cents in Michigan. That’s the Tipping Fee Surcharge to dump a ton of garbage in a landfill in each state. Is there any wonder why the amount of out-of-state trash dumped in Michigan landfills grew in 2005 for the sixth year in a row? The big question is why Speaker of the House Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) refuses to allow a floor debate and vote on proposed legislation that would raise the state’s dumping fee. Go to this article Join more than 4,000 other concerned people by sending Speaker DeRoche an e-letter Take Action Now! UPCOMING EVENTS EcoRide 2006 Sunday, June 25 The Ecology Center’s annual bike-a-thon at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor. Fun ride for all ages and all levels! Ride our scenic 2, 8, 15, 30 or 65-mile routes, followed by food, music, massages, kids activities, and bike-related demos. For more info or to volunteer, contact Stephanie Feldstein at (734) 761-3186 ext 110 or email stephanie@ecocenter.org. Learn more EcoFriendly EcoRide For the first time in its history, the Ecology Center’s annual EcoRide is going to be “climate neutral” thanks to the generosity of Clif Bar. From carbon credits to sugarcane-based plates to good old-fashioned conservation and recycling, the Ecology Center proves that big events don’t have to be big polluters. Go to this article ARTICLES Ecology Center Continues the Fight to Ban Toxic Pesticide Not safe for pets, but still used on children's heads! The Ecology Center, with the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health (MNCEH), has launched a campaign to ban lindane -- a toxic pesticide used to treat head lice and scabies. Lindane is a persistent, bioaccumulative environmental toxin that contaminates water, and is no longer registered for use on pets because it it too hazardous. California banned it, yet the state of Michigan has yet to prohibit its use on people. Go to this article Green Light for Green Chemistry? Wave of the Future Here Now Solvents and inks from soybeans, plastics from sustainably grown corn, and biodegradable fire-extinguishing foam are but a few examples of products engineered by the emerging science of green chemistry. The Ecology Center is now at the forefront of Michigan organizations pushing green chemistry as a job-producing opportunity to protect human health and the environment. Will the state be a leader or follower? Can green solutions overcome a brown legacy? Go to this article National Agreement Targets 80 Tons of Mercury Next to coal-fired power plants and municipal incinerators, auto switches from pre-2003 automobiles represent the largest manufacturing source of mercury. A five-year Ecology Center-led campaign to remove mercury switches from cars before they are recycled has spurred a preliminary agreement between representatives from the EPA, various state governments, the auto manufacturing and recycling industries, and environmentalists to capture the toxin on a national level. Go to this article Growing the Greenbelt Ann Arbor’s greenbelt recently expanded by 156 acres with the purchase of property development rights on two parcels of farmland located in neighboring Salem and Superior Townships, guaranteeing that the land farmed by the Fishbeck family for over 40 years will be preserved as agricultural property forever. Read why the Greenbelt Commission considers these properties, just the second and third purchases of the program, such a high priority. Go to this article Affordable Green Absolution For Only $99 If you’re an average American, you generate over 24 tons per year of carbon dioxide, a primary greenhouse gas. But there’s no need to lose sleep from guilt because for only $99, yes that’s just $99, you can buy enough carbon credits to offset a whole year’s worth of nasty emissions. Cranky Consumer goes behind the screens of glossy websites like Green-e.org and NativeEnergy.com. Go to this article NEWS BRIEFS Earth Day Party a Blast! Dance for the Earth was once again a fantastic Earth Day party! Thanks to all of the sponsors, volunteers, and musicians who helped make this happen. Go to article Learn more about the Mary Beth Doyle Environmental Health Fund Ecology Center Honors Volunteers, Installs New Board Members On April 9 the Ecology Center’s Board of Directors, staff, members and others gathered in the Michigan Union to recognize this year’s awardees -- Webster Neighbors for Responsible Growth, Rachael Baker, Aparna Bole, and Rachel Steel -- and to elect new board members Diana Torres-Burgos, Bena Burda and Jacqueline Phelan-Hand. Learn more

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