Kill Your Lawn | NYT Opinion

#killyourlawn :: Kill Your Lawn | NYT Opinion

– Seen from above, it’s not the undulating rows of square houses that make American suburbia so recognizable. It’s the wide rivers of lush, almost neon-green grass that cut through the landscape. And on long, hot summer days, the lawn is where suburban living reaches its idyllic peak.

But while the lawn may be a powerful symbol of American postwar prosperity, it’s also an ecological dead zone that’s sucking the nation’s aquifers dry.

In this video essay we argue that it’s time to kill your lawn, not just to save the planet, but for your own health and sanity too. And while the idea of euthanizing such a beloved member of the family might seem harsh, we show the alternatives that could make the loss more bearable.

BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT, KILLYOURLAWN, PLANTS, WATER, NATIVE PLANTS

#environment #climate #plants #water #nativeplants #suburbia

Kill Your Lawn Season 2 Teaser

Mar 30, 2024

First Episode Airs April 24th on EarthxTCrime Pays But Botany Doesn't

Maps Give Detailed Look at Dramatic Land Use Change Over Two Decades - Yale E360

Landscape change between 1992 and 2015. White reflects little change. Darker shades reflect the greatest rate of change in each category. CREDIT: TOMASZ STEPINSKI/UC

A new map that stitches together 24 years of satellite observations provides a detailed look at striking changes in land use and widespread environmental degradation. According to the map, 22 percent of Earth’s habitable surface has been significantly altered since 1992, primarily from agricultural-driven deforestation.

“We already knew about deforestation or wetland loss or increasing urbanization,” said Tomasz Stepinski, a geographer at the University of Cincinnati and a co-author of the new map. “But now we can see exactly where all of that is happening… What makes this so depressing is that it’s examining a timescale that is shorter than our lifetime.”

The map illustrates widespread losses of wetlands in the Southeastern United States; the rapid disappearance of the Aral Sea, which “dried up in the 1990s after farmers in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan diverted its tributaries for cotton fields,” a press release explained; deforestation in the tropics; and the expansion of the Sahara Desert…

more: Maps Give Detailed Look at Dramatic Land Use Change Over Two Decades - Yale E360

Trump's EPA Chooses Foreign Mining Interests Over Critical Alaska Watershed | Common Dreams

"If the Trump administration's strategy is to put a foreign mining company first—and America's greatest wild salmon fishery dead last—then sadly it's succeeding"

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Donald Trump has shelved a lawsuit against a proposed Canadian gold and copper mine that would endanger Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed, allowing the mining company to revive the controversial Pebble Mine project.

"If the Trump administration's strategy is to put a foreign mining company first—and America's greatest wild salmon fishery dead last—then sadly it's succeeding," wrote the NRDC's (Natural Resources Defense Council) Taryn Kiekow Heimer.

The legal settlement was reached late Thursday, the Washington Post reported, and reverses an Obama-era determination that Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. could not apply to a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for the project because Pebble Mine would cause "significant near- and long-term risk to salmon, wildlife, and Native Alaska cultures" in the region. The EPA's 2014 decision has now been removed from its website.

Alannah Hurley, executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, told the WashingtonPost that local Alaskans who have spent years opposing the mine "are outraged that this is happening…"

more: Trump's EPA Chooses Foreign Mining Interests Over Critical Alaska Watershed | Common Dreams

Victory for Standing Rock: DAPL Easement Not Granted | Earthjustice

Victory: The Dakota Access Corporation was not granted the easement needed for construction under Lake Oahe; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moves to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for alternative routes

December 4, 2016:

Standing Rock — Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would not be granting an easement under Lake Oahe for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross the Missouri River a half mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. The Corps further stated that it plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for alternative routes. These actions trigger a new round of public involvement processes to permit the final piece of the pipeline as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The decision is major victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all who stood in solidarity over the last few months...

more: Victory for Standing Rock: DAPL Easement Not Granted | Earthjustice

#NoDAPL Tweets

#NoDAPL Tweets

Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL (Official Video)

Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL (Official Video) - YouTube

Published on Dec 4, 2016

Tell President Obama to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline and protect water for 17 million people and our planet for future generations: SIGN THE PETITION at PEOPLESCLIMATEMUSIC.COM

Hip Hop Caucus, creator of People’s Climate Music, has partnered with Taboo, solo Hip Hop artist and member of the Grammy Award-winning pop group Black Eyed Peas, to debut “Stand Up/Stand N Rock”. This song and video were created in support of the Standing Rock Reservation and the Sioux Tribe, as they lead a peaceful, powerful, and diverse movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). 

Song produced by Printz Board.

Video directed and edited by Johnny Lee, filmed by Baxter Stapelton and includes actress and Divergent series star Shailene Woodley; artists: TABOO of Black Eyed Peas, Tony Duncan (flute), Perry Cheevers (intro/native chant), PJ Vegas (hook), Kahara Hodges (hook), Emcee One (2nd verse), Drezus (2nd verse/pos-hook), Supaman (bridge) Gerald Danforth (bridge), Spencer Battiest (last verse), Doc Battiest (last verse), and MC My (verse), Martin Sensmeier, Bethany Yellowtail, Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle, Shalene Joseph, Temryss Lane, Gina Tiger, and Indigenous Enterprise. Additional footage provided by Heather Rae, BEN, and Cody Lucich - Thank u all for Standing Up 4 Standing Rock.

Subscribe to Taboo's YouTube Channel:
http://bit.ly/SubscribeTaboo

Follow Taboo:
http://facebook.com/OfficialTaboo
http://twitter.com/TabBep
http://instagram.com/OfficialTaboo
http://soundcloud.com/TheOfficialTaboo

Taboo's Official YouTube Channel

 

Taboo

More than 100 Native American tribes have joined a protest in North Dakota against a major oil pipeline. As the the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline continues + Federal Bill Seeks First Native American Land Grab in 100 Years

PBS NewsHour | posted on Facebook by Indigenous People Of America


PLUS –

Federal Bill Seeks First Native American Land Grab in 100 Years

The proposed bill also seeks to remove protection from 18 million acres of land in eastern Utah and prevent President Obama from designating the Bears Ears area a national monument.

Adjoining Canyonlands National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Bears Ears is an unprotected culturally significant region that contains more than 100,000 Native American archeological sites. These sacred sites are subject to continual looting and desecration. More than a dozen serious looting cases were reported between May 2014 and April 2015.

The area has been inhabited for at least 11,000 years. Many Southwestern tribes have longstanding connections to this land, including Navajo, Ute and Paiute peoples. The Navajo Nation and the White Mesa Ute Reservation border Bears Ears. Rock paintings and petroglyphs are found throughout the area...

more @ EcoWatch

more –

Find out why #StandingRock #Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault was at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva today. https://t.co/pALENJqoTq

— The Last Word (@TheLastWord) September 21, 2016

The Last Word ‏@TheLastWord  Sep 20

Find out why #StandingRock #Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault was at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva today.

Ever wondered what happens when an oil pipeline bursts underwater?

Ever wondered what happens when an oil pipeline bursts underwater? 

This footage of a oil spill in Moscow that caught on fire last week will give you an unforgettable picture.

via Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Facebook

SAY NO TO THESE THREE URANIUM MINES AT GRAND CANYON

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is preparing to issue permits to allow the operation of three uranium mines in greater Grand Canyon watershed. Of course, this would benefit Energy Fuels Resources, Inc., the mining company that's requesting the permits. But what do the rest of us get? Radioactive pollution that threatens human health, wildlife, and ground and surface water.  

Allowing private companies to profit at the expense of public health and the environment is just wrong -- and we can't let it happen.  

Uranium mining creates fine dust containing radioactive particles, lead and arsenic. Because the dust is so fine, it travels far from mines into our waterways, recreation sites and communities. It can increase the risk of lung cancer, birth defects and kidney disease. Uranium mining exacts other costs as well: The federal government has spent billions trying to clean up old uranium mines, and the costs continue to mount. 

The Center for Biological Diversity has been working to end all uranium mining in the greater Grand Canyon region. Stopping these three mines is a very important part of that greater goal, and we need your help to make it happen. 

Please take action below -- tell the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality that you oppose the operation of the Canyon, AZ1 and EZ uranium mines.  

And if you can, join us on Tuesday, Aug. 30 in Flagstaff at Sinagua Middle School to voice your opposition to the issuance of new permits that will allow toxic uranium mining to continue on the rim of Grand Canyon. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Katie Davis.

SIGN NOW: Say No to These Three Uranium Mines at Grand Canyon

waterfall .gif

from a google plus post

Tyson Foods Dumps More Pollution Into Waterways Each Year Than Exxon

As shareholders of Tyson Foods, Inc. prepare to vote on a resolution that would require the food giant to institute a “water stewardship” policy, new data shows the company regularly dumps a higher volume of pollution into waterways than companies like ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical.

The Environment America analysis shows Tyson and its subsidiaries released 104 million pounds of pollution to surface waters from 2010 to 2014, nearly seven times the volume of surface water discharges by Exxon during those years...

more: Tyson Foods Dumps More Pollution Into Waterways Each Year Than Exxon

Federal Judge Blocks Review Of Alaska Mine's Impact On Salmon | ThinkProgress

‘King Salmon’, United States, Alaska, Naknek, Bristol Bay, 2013. 

CREDIT: FLICKR/ CHRIS FORD

A federal judge has dealt a procedural blow to the EPA’s efforts to protect a remote part of Alaska from the impacts of what could be the largest copper and cold mine in North America. On Monday, Judge H. Russel Holland of the U.S. District Court of Alaska issued a preliminary injunction in favor the Pebble Mine’s efforts to block the EPA, thus preventing the EPA from taking further steps in its Clean Water Act (CWA) review process. Under section 404(c) of the CWA, the EPA has the authority to veto projects in the interest of protecting important rivers and wetlands. Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, where the mine would be located is the most productive wild sockeye salmon fishery in the world, and native tribes and environmentalists want the mine halted.

The EPA initiated the 404(c) process to stop the mine earlier this year, alleging the Pebble Mine would have significant and irreversible negative impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed. According to the EPA, it has used this authority sparingly, and typically with major projects that could have “significant impacts on some of America’s most ecologically valuable waters...”

more: Federal Judge Blocks Review Of Alaska Mine's Impact On Salmon | ThinkProgress

Benny Zable - activist performance artist [FOTOS]

photo by Wanagi Zable-Andrews, who posts: "I'm honoured to have been accepted into the semi finals of the #moranprize with this photo of #bennyzable at the #bentleyblockade"

from Australia to New York City...

  

...and cheers to Kezia Geddes, who came up with the idea and got this exhibition Protest Songs: Artful Actions together. — at Lismore Regional Gallery.

photos are from Benny's facebook

facebook.com/benny.zable

• photos by/via Indigo Bay Photography, Wanagi Zable-Andrews, Megan Jack, Harsha Prabhu, D'un Renard, Sandra Nilsen, Scott Vidler, Hisashi Isogai, Kate Ausburn, Carly Woodstock, Tedi Davis, Greg Wilson, Andrea Kalkstein Lieberman, Diane Beeny

• with OWLS, Ena Okino, Pete Seeger 

• at Nimbin Enviro Center, People's Climate March (NYC), first anniversary of the Fukushima disaster via The Greens NSW, Lizard's Revenge, shut indian point (NRC?), #floodwallstreet, Woodstock Museum, #BentleyBlockade, Lismore Regional Gallery

FRACK BACK! PEOPLES LAWSUIT LAUNCHED TO STOP SHALE GAS IN NEW BRUNSWICK

#NoFRACKING #Fracking :: Frack Back Peoples Lawsuit
http://willinolanspeaks.com/shares/peoples-lawsuit/
https://www.facebook.com/peopleslawsuit/

FRACK BACK! PEOPLES LAWSUIT LAUNCHED TO STOP SHALE GAS IN NEW BRUNSWICK

Our Health Our Rights Stop Fracking

We are defending our rights to protect our WATER.

We are dedicated to permanently removing the threat of shale gas development in and around our home communities by enjoining SWN (Southwestern Energy Resources Canada Inc.), the Attorney General of New Brunswick and the Attorney General of Canada together as named Defendants in the Peoples Lawsuit.

We are defending our rights to protect our HEALTH.

We believe that the governments of Canada and New Brunswick and their courts have attacked our rights to object to their granting illegal and impermissible approval to SWN shale gas development, unlawfully using police and wrongful SLAPP lawsuits against us to attack and repress civil and human rights protectors.

We are launching the peoples lawsuit because we have exhausted other lawful ways to protect our lives, lands and waters.

We believe that the Rule of law and the Law of Earth will triumph in our legal challenge to the corporations, governments and courts in Canada and New Brunswick that have broken laws and continue to attack our rights.

We are defending our rights to protect our WATER.

--

thanks to Willi Nolan for inviting me to like Frack Back Peoples Lawsuit on facebook!

Inspector General Finds EPA Justified in Intervening to Protect Drinking Water from Fracking | EcoWatch

 December 24, 2013

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General found EPA Region 6 was justified in legally intervening to protect Parker County, TX residents’ drinking water from drilling impacts. At Sen. Inhofe’s (R-OK) request, the Inspector General investigated to determine if Region 6’s intervention against Range Resources was due to political influence by the Obama administration.

Steve Lipsky, who lives near a fracking operation in Weatherford, TX with his flammable water. Photo credit: Gasland Part II.

“The EPA’s internal watchdog has confirmed that the EPA was justified in stepping in to protect residents who were and still are in imminent danger,” said Sharon Wilson, Gulf regional organizer of Earthworks. “Now we need an investigation as to whether political corruption caused EPA to withdraw that protection.”

The EPA invoked its power to protect drinking water in 2010, prompting Oklahoma Sen. Inhofe to request the Inspector General’s investigation in 2011. The EPA withdrew its legal complaint against Range Resources in 2012 despite having a report from an independent scientist showing that a gas well drilled by Range likely polluted nearby water supplies.

The EPA’s withdrawal from Parker County appears to be part of a larger pattern, in which the Obama administration has blocked or abandoned investigations of whether drilling or hydraulic fracturing polluted drinking water. In addition to the case in Parker County, reports in major news outlets indicate that the Obama administration caused the EPA to abandon studies of potential drilling or fracking pollution in Pavillion, WYand Dimock, PA despite evidence of drilling-related harm.

“The Obama administration appears to be more concerned about protecting corporate interests, not the public interest,” said Steve Lipsky, a Weatherford, TX homeowner who sued Range Resources after the EPA named the company the party responsible for contaminating his drinking water well. “President Obama promised that hydraulic fracturing would occur safely. With this IG report, it now seems clear that he is determined to squash any evidence to the contrary.”

Just prior to the release of the Inspector General report, the Texas Railroad Commission (regulator of oil and gas, not railroads) opened an investigation into the case. The EPA intervened in 2010 to protect area drinking water only after the commission refused to do so. The Commission’s new investigation prevents the EPA from legally intervening now as it did in 2010.

“Regulators shouldn’t have to be pressured into doing their job to protect people like me from drilling impacts,” said Shelly Perdue, a Parker County resident with drilling-polluted drinking water. “If what has happened to me is happening to others, I completely understand why communities across the country are voting to ban fracking and drilling.”

“Releasing this report at noon on Christmas Eve shows the Obama administration is obviously embarrassed by its findings,” said Earthworks energy program director Bruce Baizel. “As they should be. The withdrawal of Obama’s EPA is an abject failure of its mission to protect Americans’ health and environment.”

Visit EcoWatch’s FRACKING page for more related news on this topic.

Inspector General Finds EPA Justified in Intervening to Protect Drinking Water from Fracking | EcoWatch

***

California -

#NoFracking #FRACKING :: Gov. Brown, Be a true climate champ: Ban Fracking Now.

Jerry Brown talks a big game on #climate, but actions speak louder than words. Take action to join our latest campaign: www.BigOilBrown.org

LIKE and SHARE on Facebook to help spread the word!

> Timeline Photos - Oil Change International

Californians Against Fracking | The statewide coalition to ban fracking in California.