August 2006 | Choice News
Bush Proposes Sale of Some Forest Land
The impending sale of land in our national forests may have Theodore Roosevelt turning in this grave. The conservationist, who greatly added to the U.S. National Forest Service during his presidency, would likely be appalled to hear that 200,000 acres of national forest throughout 35 states, including Illinois, could soon go up for sale.
The Bush Administration is proposing the sale of protected land to raise $800 million over the next five years to fund rural schools in 41 states as part of the FY 2007 budget. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination program was established in 2000 to fund those school systems that lost revenue from a decrease in logging on federal lands. The program is up for renewal this year.
The proposal affects 206 acres of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. The Shawnee consists of 284,000 acres and offers camping, hiking, backpacking, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, horseback riding and rock climbing. Parcels that could go up for sale were chosen because the land is difficult to manage, either because they are surrounded by private property or they lack roads, said the Shawnee’s forest planner, Steve Hupe. He said selling the 206 acres would not eliminate any recreational activities or campsites.
According to Elizabeth Glasser, an information specialist with the National Forest Service, over 100,000 letters protesting the proposal have been received.
The proposal is in Congress right now, but Hupe isn’t worried, “I haven’t seen it gain a lot of momentum,” he said.
Updates will be posted on the U.S. National Forest Service website, at fs.fed.us.
— Taylor Swanson
National Mayors Find Alternative Ways to Fuel Fun
In the end, the visiting mayors and officials from out of town seemed most impressed that the alternative-fuel vehicles are just so normal.
“It’s fine, it’s exactly like my Prius,” said Mayor Marty Blum from Santa Barbara, Calif., after taking a maroon Prius for a spin around a Soldier Field parking lot. “Except this one has got writing on the outside,” she added, pointing to the billboard-size words “Ovonic hydrogen car” splashed across the side of the vehicle.
“This thing runs like new money,” said Peter Spatara, director of public works in West Palm Beach, Florida, while test-driving a hybrid Toyota SUV. “It’s a quiet ride. This thing has got pickup and got power, just like a regular car. I wouldn’t be afraid to take this out on any turnpike or parkway.”
The municipal leaders took the alternative-fuel vehicles out for a spin while on a break from the recent U.S., Conference of Mayors’ National Summit on Energy and the Environment held at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. The two-day summit featured presentations on such issues as green buildings, local solutions to global warming and fuel options for city vehicle fleets.
But after the first day of speeches and best-practices roundtables, the visitors were ready to have a little fun. They were driven —in the CTA’s new low-emission buses—to Soldier Field, where companies displayed the latest vehicle technology: hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen, E-85, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, propane, Segways and the eternally fashionable Vespa motor scooters that still only use gasoline but get as much as 70 miles per gallon.
Mayor Rita Mullins of Palatine, Ill., looked dashing in her leopard-print jacket as she rode a Segway Human Transporter, an electric scooter that you drive standing.
“It was wonderful,” she said after her test drive. “I was the only girl at the University of Illinois – this was in ’63 and ’64 – who had a scooter. It was a Honda 50. Riding it was a very freeing experience. This (the Segway) reminds me of it.”
The Segway, which uses lithium-ion batteries, can do 12.5 mph and are typically used by police and security personnel for patrolling parks, beaches, parking lots and the like. The vehicle made local news in June 2005, when a young man was fatally shot outside Taste of Chicago and a police officer on a Segway was the first officer to arrive at the scene.
The Illinois Institute of Technology was on hand with a hybrid bicycle uniting old-fashioned pedal power with a lithium-ion battery pack. On his trial ride at Soldier Field, Jostan LaMontagne, business development manager for Canadian engineering firm BPR CSO, hit the pedal a single time, then took a battery-powered ride around the lot, doing 15 to 20 mph, his suit jacket flapping.
The battery lends muscle when riding uphill, which is of particular benefit to the U.S. Army, for whom the hybrid bike was designed, according to Said Al-Hallaj, who coordinates IIT’s renewable energy programs.
— Jack Bess
Report: Business Giants Drop Bovine Growth Hormone Items
The United States is moving closer to dairy products free of Bovine Growth Hormone, thanks to decisions made by Wal-Mart and Dean Foods.
The Web-based trade newsletter Dairy & Food Market Analyst published the plans of the two U.S. companies to shift away from Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) dairy. This announcement came just weeks after a nationwide protest against Starbucks’ continued use of milk containing rBGH.
Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer with $312.4 billion in sales in 2005. There are over 3,800 stores in the U.S. Dean Foods is the nation’s largest milk processor and dairy producer with $10.5 billion in sales. Because of consumer demand, both companies are seeking suppliers with rBGH-free dairy products, according to the trade publication.
The hormone is associated with an increased risk for cancer and antibiotic resistance in the human immune system. According to Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, the hormone also increases disease rates in cows, causing increased pus in milk, diarrhea, and gynecological disturbances.
The injection is banned in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require dairy products from rBGH-injected cows to be labeled.
The action of Wal-Mart and Dean Foods may make hormone-free dairy readily available at lower cost. Starbucks is still serving rBGH dairy, but does offer soy milk at an additional charge.
For more information, log on to organicconsumers.org.
— Taylor Swanson
Freegans: Dinner Is Served At the Dumpster
Foraging through Dumpsters is a mode of dining gaining adherents in the United States and Britain. This method of meal-finding is part of a movement of people calling themselves “freegans,” a merging of “free” and “vegan.”
Not all participants are vegan, but everyone is aiming to break free from “the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources,” according to the website freega.info.
Freegans range from those concerned about the excess waste produced by consumers to others who are frustrated with manufacturers’ abuse of animals, workers and natural resources.
Instead of purchasing food, freegans live off discarded items from retailers, offices, schools, houses, hotels, groceries and restaurants. Some freegans completely live off natural environments, from forests to parks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 96 billion pounds of edible food are wasted by retailers, food service and consumers each year.
The freegan culture is not limited to food foraging. The group encourages eco-friendly transportation such as hitchhiking and biking. When using a car becomes unavoidable, freegans turn to leftover cooking oil from restaurants as fuel for converted diesel engines.
A subgroup of freegans called “squatters” seeks out abandoned buildings for housing. Squatters believe housing should be provided to all instead of as a means for cities and businesses to profit.
Events held worldwide include conferences to share ideas and free markets to exchange salvaged goods. Freegans encourage the use of craigslist.org and freecycle.org as a way to recycle goods through exchange.
Health issues of Dumpster diving for meals are addressed on freegan.info. The lifestyle may seem risky, but freegans do it in the name of a good cause and never have to spend a dime supporting it.
— Taylor Swanson
Yellow School Buses Turning Green
The black exhaust billowing behind big, yellow school buses is disappearing throughout Chicago, following the completed conversion of 627 Chicago Public School (CPS) buses. The Chicago Department of the Environment (DOE) received $400,000 in grants from the U.S. and Illinois Environmental Protection Agencies as a result of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Clean School Bus USA project.
The “retrofitting” began in January 2006 and will finish in time for the 2006-2007 school year. Retrofitting the vehicles with a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst will reduce emissions of particle matter by 20 percent, hydrocarbons by 50 percent and carbon monoxide by 40 percent.
This is a huge improvement for Chicago buses that used operate on diesel fuel said to contain 40 toxins. The Diesel Oxidation Catalyst converts these toxins into water vapor and carbon, producing less harmful emissions.
The district is proud of this improvement, said Mike Vaughn, secretary for the CPS communications department.
“When you’re doing things involving school children, it’s always important to be safe and conscious of the environment,” Vaughn said.
The 627 buses are only a quarter of the city’s total buses, but the DOE is seeking additional grants to convert the remaining buses. Chicago will breathe easier this fall with the estimated one million pounds of reduced emissions.
— Taylor Swanson
States Back Massachusetts in EPA Case
Illinois and 10 other states, along with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, are supporting Massachusetts in its case before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
In March, the coalition of states and advocacy groups requested the High Court to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not required to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. The Supreme Court agreed in June to hear the pivotal case this fall.
Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has asked for the appeal, arguing that the case “goes to the heart of the EPA’s statutory responsibilities to deal with the most pressing environmental problem of our time,” global warming.
The Bush Administration claims that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and cannot be regulated by the EPA like other chemicals that must be regulated to assure clean air. The federal agency prefers to rely on voluntary methods rather than government-imposed regulation. Parties against the EPA argue that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and pollutant requiring regulation based on the Clean Air Act.
The National Academies of Science from 11 countries, including the United States, issued a statement saying that “the threat of climate change is real and increasing,” based on studies the academies conducted in 2005.
All together there are 29 parties—12 states, three cities, and 13 environmental groups—siding against the EPA in the case Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, 05-1120. For more information, visit ago.state.ma.us.
— Taylor Swanson
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