World Wildlife Fund Says: Buying Products Made From Sustainable Forests Saves the Great Apes

African eastern lowland gorillas. Photo courtesy of thewildsource.com

When we commonly think of voting power, we think of political elections, or calling into television talent shows, but possibly where we show our greatest voting power is when we shop.

The World Wildlife Fund is working to encourage people to use their day-to-day shopping decisions as a way to foster a more sustainable planet for all creatures. One area where the WWF believes this strategy can be most effective is in the preservation of forests around the world.

“U.S. consumers can use their purchasing power to promote responsibility and species protection by buying Forest Stewardship Council-certified products, which are increasingly available,” said Linda Kramme, manager of the WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network of North America.

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Aluminum Recycler Forced to Clean Up its Act

Aluminum smelter photo courtesy of International Rivers.

Showing that the federal and state governments won’t sit idly by while the aluminum industry pumps pollutants into the environment, the U.S. Justice Department in conjunction with 11 states have negotiated a consent decree with Aleris International Inc., requiring the Beachwood, Ohio-based aluminum recycler to pay a $4.6 million civil penalty to resolve violations to the Clean Air Act.

As part of the settlement, Aleris and 13 of its subsidiaries have committed to implementing environmental improvements and controls projected to cost about $4.2 million in the 11 affected locations (Goodyear, Ariz., Post Falls, Idaho, Chicago Heights, Ill., Wabash, Ind., Lewisport and Morgantown, Ky., Coldwater and Saginaw, Mich., Uhrichville, Ohio, Sapulpa, Okla., Loudon and Shelbyville, Tenn., Richmond, Va., and Friendly, W. Va.)

“This settlement, including the significant penalty, will help to protect human health and the environment by brining one of the country’s largest aluminum companies into compliance with the Clean Air Act’s rules for the industry,” said John C. Cruden, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s environmental and natural resources division.

“It will also serve as a notice to the rest of the industry that we will vigorously enforce the Act and rules,” added Mr. Cruden.

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The Arctic is Melting, But Fishermen Won’t Benefit From the Expanding Seas

Photo courtesy of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

There is little dispute anymore that global warming is real. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to National Geographic’s review of a number of climate studies.

About the best piece of news is that most people, and especially important, world leaders and government agencies are starting to acknowledge the issue and taking measures to both combat its causes and ramifications.

One of the most visible affects of global warning has been the increased summer retreating of the Arctic ice sheets. While no one yet has figured out how to stop it, the U.S. government has put into effect a plan to stop commercial fishing from entering into the seas opened by the newly melted ice.

Gary Locke, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, just approved a plan to prohibit the expansion until researchers gather enough information on the fish and the Arctic marine environment to prevent adverse affects to the ecosystem.

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Scientists Discover Select Bug to Pit Against UK Invasive Plant Species

Japanese Knotweed photo courtesy of Y2U.co.uk.

Most of us don’t like bugs. And if your like me, if you see one in the house, your immediate reaction is to find a slipper to kill it. Sorry to the bug lovers!

In nature though, as with all other creatures, they serve a particular useful function. Researchers at the British University of Leicester have found an insect to combat the Japanese Knotweed, a widespread invasive plant species that was inadvertently let loose upon the country a little over a century ago.

Most people in the UK are very familiar with the problem, but to get everyone else up to speed, this knotweed causes the country problems, which according to the CABI (a nonprofit with expertise in agriculture and the environment) include the following:

• Infrastructure Damage: pushing through asphalt, building foundations, and concrete retaining walls.
• Recreational Nuisance: impeding access for anglers and boaters.
• Impeding Biodiversity: crowding out native vegetation and limiting animal species diversity. CABI describes it as having “the biodiversity of concrete.”

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EPA Set to Spend Millions for Projects and Job Training in Environmental Clean Up

Redevelopment image courtesy of Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, R.I.

In its continuing efforts to clean up America’s brownfields, the Environmental Protection Agency has just announced that it will award $55 million in supplemental funding to qualified loan/grant applicants, in addition to currently operating projects.

The agency also announced that it will provide about $6.8 million in funding to be invested to train workers to clean up brownfields sites, which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants. The goal is to turn these sites into revitalized and productive properties.

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