Thursday, March 20, 2008

Ethical Globalization, GMO Crop Bans, Hydrogen Buckyball and Much More


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Thursday, March 20, 2008
News of Note

Tackling issues of international ethics is Michael Doyle's day job. A former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, he is currently the Harold Brown Professor of U.S. Foreign and Security Policy at Columbia University, where he teaches global governance.

Top Stories

HOUSTON, March 20, 2008 -- Hydrogen could be a clean, abundant energy source, but it's difficult to store in bulk. In new research, materials scientists at Rice University have made the surprising discovery that tiny carbon capsules called buckyballs are so strong they can hold volumes of hydrogen nearly as dense as those at the center of Jupiter. The research appears on the March 2008 cover of the American Chemical Society's journal Nano Letters.

Changes in the growth and species composition of tropical forests cannot be fully explained by global environmental changes, say researchers. Recent studies in the Amazon rainforest have suggested that changes such as the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (see Carbon emissions 'may alter forest growth patterns') and other factors such as nutrient deposition, temperature, drought frequency and irradiance are increasing the productivity and biomass of forests.

Madrid -- The European Court of Justice refuses to grant this fleet a temporary exemption to permit the use of driftnets. Oceana has reported the French fleet on numerous occasions for using this illegal fishing gear in the Mediterranean, which operated with support from the French government. Driftnets, a fishing gear that can reach dozens of kilometres in length, were prohibited in the European Union in 2002 because they constitute a threat to the conservation of cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks.

After unsuccessful attempts over the last 2 years, this was the final one during this nesting season to locate and satellite tag a hawksbill nester, a first for Fiji. One of the major challenges has been the lack of funds to reach isolated islands which are now thought to support what remains of a once thriving Fiji turtle nesting population.

ENN Spotlight

PARIS (Reuters) - France's top legal authority on Wednesday upheld a government decision to ban commercial use of the only genetically modified (GM) crop grown in the country by rejecting an emergency injunction filed by the pro-GM camp. France issued decrees banning the use of MON 810 maize seeds in February after a government-appointed committee said it unearthed new evidence of damage GM products could inflict on the environment.

More Top Stories

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), at their core, create an opportunity for anyone to purchase, or make a contribution to, electricity generated from renewable sources whether or not the electricity is generated in their service area or the power grid their home or business is connected to. RECs are also intended to be a source of funding for the construction of renewable energy projects. RECs, when invented, were meant to help lower the cost of renewable energy thus be an encouragement to build more capacity.

WAILUKU - A resolution urging a hold on research involving genetic modification of taro was advanced Wednesday by the County Council Public Works and Facilities Committee. The resolution supports a bill pending before the state Legislature that would put a 10-year moratorium on developing, testing and growing genetically modified taro plants. Supporters in the audience, many of them taro farmers from East Maui, applauded as the committee voted to recommend the resolution with a 5-0 vote.

There hasn't been a lot of good news in the general economy lately; from a complete collapse of sub-prime mortgage loans, to slumping property values, whip-sawing stock markets, $110+ barrels of oil and colossal brokerage houses that suddenly run out of cash – it isn't pretty. At first blush, it might appear that this is no time for green builders to forecast increased orders through 2008. But that's exactly what Rob Moody is doing. Owner of The EcoBuilders based in Asheville, North Carolina, Moody started the business in 2003 and states in a recent Newsweek article that he expects orders to double this year, after doing the same last year.

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Member Press Releases
By: Low Impact Living, Inc.
LOS ANGELES (March 20, 2008)— Low Impact Living.com, the largest green home improvement site online, has launched a groundbreaking new Household Environmental Impact Calculator and rating system. These tools will help Americans understand their environmental impacts and chart a course to a more eco-friendly home and lifestyle. (Please see the calculator at www.lowimpactliving.com) By: African Wildlife Foundation
KENYA--The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is pleased to announce the opening of Satao Elerai Camp, a luxury lodge set on 5,000 acres of communally conserved lands in southern Kenya. The camp is owned by the Entonet/Elerai Maasai community, which planned and created the enterprise with strategic support from AWF. Southern Cross Safaris, a leading private company, will operate the lodge and the conservancy as a single high-quality, highly efficient enterprise. By: the Jane Goodall Institute
Dr. Jane Goodall is coming to Chicagoland to celebrate the first anniversary of the Roots & Shoots Great Lakes Regional Office and to laud the community service efforts of Roots & Shoots groups across the Great Lakes region. Attendees at the event will include local dignitaries, the principal of the Richard J. Daley Academy and local Roots & Shoots members from the Chicago area. By: The Fields of Green Team
Burnaby, British Columbia CANADA, March 18, 2008 – The Fields of Green Team, (http://www.fieldsofgreenteam.com) in response to the high price of fuel is pleased to announce the creation of the Business to Business master pack program featuring Ultimate ME2 eco-fuel saving product. By: AAMCO Transmissions, Inc
Hastings, Mn.—March 18, 2008—AAMCO Transmissions, Inc recently announced another of its centers has passed the rigorous 'Eco-Green' certification process. The AAMCO center, located at 460 Spiral Blvd. in Hastings, Mn. met a rigorous new standard established by AAMCO as part of a national effort to green the auto industry. By: Center for Biological Diversity
Based on new science that documents health hazards of moving desert tortoises, the Center for Biological Diversity and Desert Survivors filed notice of their intent to sue three government agencies Monday over the relocation of hundreds of these charismatic and imperiled animals as "mitigation" for the impacts on tortoises from the expansion of the Fort Irwin army base. By: Environmental Law Institute
(Washington, DC) A report released this week, Design of U.S. Habitat Banking Systems to Support the Conservation of Wildlife Habitat and At-Risk Species, a joint effort of the Environmental Law Institute and Environmental Defense (both DC-based), assesses the potential for habitat banking to contribute to the conservation of priority wildlife habitat identified in the state wildlife action plans. By: The Atlantic Salmon Federation
Thanks to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, two schools in Oromocto and one in Gagetown will be participating in the Atlantic Salmon Federation's popular Fish Friends education program this year.

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