Greenspiration News: good news everywhere
Bischoff Angela
greenspi at web.ca
Sun Sep 6 10:36:14 EDT 2009
Greenspiration News
"Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you
can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do
something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely
critical moment in the history of our planet." - C. Sagan
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Who Killed the Electric Car - Passionate Eye Sunday
Murder style investigation into who was responsible for killing the
electric car when it was first introduced in the nineties.
Click here to read more and watch video.
Sunday September 6 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld
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9/11 Conspiracy Files: The Third Tower - Passionate Eye Monday
We all know what happened on 9/11 or do we? Investigates conspiracy
theories that continue to swirl around 9/11 including why a
mysterious Third Tower also collapsed.
Click here to read more and watch a promo.
Monday September 7 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld
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Take the bus for $1 on smog days!
Congratulations to the Societe de transport de Laval! Two weeks ago,
they helped to fight a three-day smog alert by temporarily dropping
their fare from $2.60 to $1. 24,000 residents took the bus during
those three days, an increase of 4400 riders. STL considers the
experiment a great success, especially because it took place on only
one day’s notice, and plans to repeat it if there are any more smog
alerts before Labour Day. STL has a strong environmental ethic, and
continues to look for ways to encourage new riders.
http://www.stl.laval.qc.ca/communiques/20090818-fr.shtm
http://envirolaw.com/2009/08/30/smog-take-the-bus-cheap/
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Cyclists Cause Less Than 10% of Bike/Car Accidents
While convalescing after being hit by a truck, Dr. Chris Cavacuiti of
the University of Toronto had some time to study the statistics of
accidents between cyclists and drivers. After studying Toronto police
collision reports, he got to conclude that collisions have far more
to do with aggressive driving than aggressive cycling.
http://tinyurl.com/nkr4re
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Why Ontario Needs to Make Better Energy Choices
http://screenr.com/428
An excellent 5 min. video on Ontario's energy choices.
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100 Days to Change the World
Today marks 100 days out from the critical UN climate change talks in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Over 10,000 world leaders, scientists, NGOs and
delegates will meet to hammer out an agreement to cut global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the post Kyoto Protocol period
of 2012 onward (the “Kyoto Plus” period).
Scientists agree that to prevent catastrophic climate change we must
keep the average increase in global temperature as far below 2 degree
Celsius as possible (relative to the pre-industrial level). In order
to do that we must achieve an unprecedented international agreement
in Copenhagen that will see countries agreeing to substantial cuts in
their GHG emissions in the coming years.
Over the next 100 days our job is to turn up the heat on Prime
Minister Stephen Harper, his ministers and opposition parties in
Parliament, pushing them to take an aggressive stand on cutting
greenhouse gas emissions.
Sign the Kyoto Plus petition here http://kyotoplus.greenpeace.ca/
petition/ calling on the Canadian gov't to:
Set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per
cent from 1990 levels by 2020.
Implement an effective national plan to reach this target and help
developing countries to reduce their emissions and adapt to climate
change.
Adopt a bold, strengthened second phase of the Kyoto Protocol at the
pivotal United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark,
December 2009.
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Bicycle Commuter Superhighways in Copenhagen
The City of Copenhagen is currently planning to expand the existing,
extensive network of bike lanes to extend farther out into the
suburbs. A network of 13 high-class routes - 'bicycle superhighways'
if you will - dedicated to bicycle commuters and aimed at encouraging
more to cycle to work.
Currently 55% of the citizens in central Copenhagen ride a bicycle
daily and the number is 37% for Greater Copenhagen.
The routes will be developed on the existing bike lanes but they will
have a number of improved features, according to the City's vision:
- Smooth, even surfaces free of leaves, ice and snow.
- As direct as possible with no detours.
- Homogenous visual expression, for example, with signage and the
trademark blue bike lanes through larger intersections.
- 'Service stations' with air and tools along the routes.
- Possibility to maintain a high speed and with sufficient width to
overtake other cyclists.
- Safe and quick crossing priority for cyclists when they approach
cross streets.
- Green Wave for cyclists through sections with frequent stop lights.
[ The Green Wave is in place on three main routes into Copenhagen
already. Cycle 20 km/h and you hit green lights all the way.]
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/08/bicycle-commuter-superhighways-
in.html
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Please join 10:10 today. By committing to cut your emissions by 10%
in 2010, you will join thousands of individuals, schools, hospitals,
businesses and organisations all actively helping to combat climate
change by making simple changes to their lifestyles, homes and
workplaces.
http://www.1010uk.org/
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Entire UK cabinet signs up to 10:10 climate change campaign
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/03/cabinet-signs-up-10-10
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Site 41 garbage dump halted!
Simcoe County councillors voted this afternoon in favour of a one-
year moratorium on the controversial development of the "Site 41"
garbage dump in Tiny Township northwest of Barrie.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/686373
Environmental activists won a significant victory in the 25-year
battle over the construction of a contentious garbage dump in Simcoe
County Tuesday after the county council voted to impose a one-year
moratorium on the development of Site 41.
It was a victory for the environmental movement, which has tried for
years to block the dump. The moratorium sets the stage for another
vote next month on whether to kill the project entirely, a vote
opponents of Site 41 expect to win based on Tuesday's broad council
support.
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/contentious-landfill-put-
on-hold/article1264456/?service=mobile.
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ZERO WASTE
A Japanese village aims at being the country’s first by 2020: 98% of
the population uses home composters, and waste is separated into 34
categories. Watch this 2 minute video clip.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
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SPRAWL KILLS
This 3 minute video explores New Urbanism as the foundation for
greener more livable communities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGJt_YXIoJI
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Living Planet City
The Living Planet City is intended to be an inspiring, fun and
interactive website that illustrates how sustainable, climate
friendly cities are being built right now. This is a vision of a
green city that runs entirely without coal or dirty oil from the tar
sands and highlights real world examples of green technology in action.
http://community.wwf.ca/livingplanetcity/
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Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance
A 4 minute cartoon explanation of why the US needs a public health
insurance option. It's relevant to Canadians too as we discuss the
future of Medicare.
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010373.html
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Great stuff from Green Communities Canada
BANK FOOTPRINT. Clean Calgary tells you whether your bank account
is funding global warming … According to The Better World Handbook,
banking is one of the top ten actions individuals can take to create
a better world … Check your bank’s carbon footprint.
ECO-POLL. Voters do not want governments to ease off on measures to
protect the environment and combat global warming, says survey: 67%
say the environment should be just as much as priority for
governments as tackling economic problems and 74 % say governments
are not doing enough on the environment.
SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE TERRORISM. As part of an artistic / political
movement, Quebecers gather along busy city streets at rush hour
holding signs that say "Encore Seul(e) dans ton Char" (Driving alone
once again).
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Pharma's clout weakens care
Another ghost-writing scandal has broken over the pharmaceutical
industry -- this one over estrogen-based medicines.
But it is, unfortunately, only the tip of an iceberg. There have been
numerous cases of drug companies employing what some might consider
fraudulent publications to boost sales.
According to the New York Times, Wyeth also used this strategy to
promote hormone replacement therapy for women. The company arranged
for the publication of 26 ghost-written articles, to help create the
impression of a scientific consensus which may not have existed.
This allegedly enabled Wyeth to publicize the benefits of the
treatment, while de-emphasizing its risks. Sales of the company's
therapy reached $2 billion, before independent research linked
hormone treatments to breast cancer, heart disease and stroke in
menopausal women. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/health/research/
05ghost.html
And GlaxoSmithKline created a program called CASSPER to promote an
antidepressant called Paxil. Sales staff enticed physicians to put
their name on articles co-authored by company ghost writers (hence
Cassper -- the friendly ghost.)
And there are instances where it appears drug companies have gone
beyond fraudulent authorship, to outright manipulation of facts.
Merck and Co. are alleged to have arranged for dozens of ghost-
written publications for the anti-inflammatory drug VIOXX.
Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria,
had this to say: "Ghostwriting, fundamentally, is about deception and
fraud and is wreaking untold damage by gravely undermining our trust
in medicine."
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/editorials/Pharma+clout+weakens
+care/1944476/story.html
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Professor admits to ghost-written paper
The practice of ghostwriting, where pharmaceuticals companies
convince university professors to put their names on articles written
by someone else, was brought further into the light after a Canadian
professor admitted she wrote only a portion of a published paper,
despite being listed as sole author.
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090827174814448
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This excellent 2-part series debunks the corporate-driven myth that
black box warnings on anti-depressant drugs have lead to increased
suicides. Parts 3 and 4 delve into the marketing of psychiatric drugs
to mothers.
Suicide Prevention Drug Pushing Racket - Part I
Nearly every year, as part of the suicide prevention drug pushing
racket, drug company shills publish a bogus study with claims that
more people are dying from suicide due to a black box warning of an
increased risk of suicide in young people on the labels of SSRI and
SNRI antidepressants.http://www.naturalnews.com/
026789_suicide_suicide_prevention_Eli_Lilly.html
Suicide Prevention Drug Pushing Racket - Part II
The successful peddling of the new generation of psychiatric drugs,
evidenced in the ten year period above, was accomplished through a
suicide prevention racket. However, in 1996 there were 30,903
suicides in the US, and in 2006, there were 33,292, according to the
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026895_suicide_drugs_suicides.html
The Mothers Act Disease Mongering Campaign - Part III
http://www.naturalnews.com/
026742_depression_disease_postpartum_depression.html
The Mothers Act Disease Mongering Campaign - Part V
"SSRI usage dramatically increases the chances that a baby may be
miscarried, born prematurely or too small, suffer erratic heartbeats,
and have trouble breathing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026933_pregnancy_depression_SSRI.html
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"Psychiatric diagnoses are less reliable than star signs "
The psychologist Richard Bentall says that psychiatrists dish out
drugs but ignore the value of good relationships
Complain to your doctor about a mental health problem and you will
probably leave the surgery with a prescription for drugs, despite
increasing doubts about their effectiveness and fears about side-
effects. The prevailing wisdom is that psychiatric disorders are
genetically based brain diseases, biological abnormalities that can
be controlled with medication. Every year, doctors in England dole
out 31 million prescriptions for antidepressants alone.
It is a state of affairs that makes Richard Bentall furious. In 2004,
Bentall, professor of clinical psychology at the University of
Bangor, wrote Madness Explained, in which he argued that hearing
voices, hallucinations and other symptoms of “severe” mental
illness are just exaggerations of quirks experienced by us all. That
won him the British Psychological Book Of The Year award. Now, in
Doctoring The Mind: Why Psychiatric Treatments Fail, he criticises
mental health services, and psychiatry in particular.
According to Bentall, the evidence supports a treatment model that
relies on supportive relationships rather than pills. “What works is
being kind and listening to people, encouraging them to be optimistic
and treating them with respect. The tragedy of psychiatry is that it
makes patients feel that they are objects to be chemically tinkered
with by a bunch of arrogant people in suits.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article6538213.ece
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Labour Day weekend: A time to be thankful for union power
What are some of the social policies that unions have fought for and
won that also help us to weather the storm currently battering the
world economy?
Unemployment insurance is an obvious one. Old age pension, the Canada
Pension Plan and social assistance are others. Higher minimum wages too.
http://rabble.ca/news/2009/09/labour-day-weekend-time-be-thankful-
union-power
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Bike stand
Against a backdrop of tragedy, Toronto cyclists gather to honor slain
cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard killed by driver.
5 min. video doc
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/multimedia/bike-stand/article1274976/
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