Greenspiration News: jobs, smoking, nukes, ghost bikes
Angela Bischoff
greenspi at web.ca
Tue Feb 10 09:50:43 EST 2009
Greenspiration News
“The earth does not belong to humans.” — Deep Ecologist Arne Naess,
(1912- Jan. 12, 2009)
http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=317&Itemid=1
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Green Jobs, Yes We Can
Tar Sands, No We Can’t
On February 19th President Obama will make his first foreign visit to
Canada.
Let’s make sure that President Obama doesn’t give Stephen Harper a
free pass on the Tar Sands.
In the build-up to President Obama’s visit individuals and groups in
Canada and the United States will be standing up and speaking out
against the Tar Sands and its many social, environmental and economic
costs.
Take Action Now!
1. Say “no” to the Tar Sands and sign the new open letter to
President Obama: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/green-jobs-yes-we-
can-tar-sands-no-we-cant
2. Encourage your friends and colleagues to add their names to
the open letter to President Obama.
Thanks,
The Tar Sands Watch Team
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How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic
On this site is a complete listing of the articles in "How to Talk to
a Climate Skeptic," a series by Coby Beck containing responses to the
most common skeptical arguments on global warming. A fantastic resource.
http://gristmill.grist.org/skeptics
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Stop Dumping Radioactive Water in the Ottawa River
Ottawa – Sierra Club Canada is calling for the Canadian Nuclear and
Safety Commission (CNSC) to end the dumping of radioactive water into
the Ottawa River, and the drinking water of millions of residents
downstream from Chalk River. A recent high reading for tritium in
water from the Ottawa River is a cause for concern. Recently-
announced plans by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to
deliberately dump radioactive water have also increased concerns
about public safety.
“Radioactive water is a threat to our health and the environment, and
there is no safe level of exposure. It is easily incorporated into
our DNA, and can cause birth defects and cancer. We need better
drinking water standards, and we need a public investigation to see
what is going on at Chalk River,” says Mike Buckthought of Sierra
Club Canada.
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/media/item.shtml?x=2870
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Green Investments Needed for Canada's Economic Recovery: Prime
Minister Harper's Budget Fails to Deliver
The 2009 federal budget is a far cry from the "green stimulus"
package called for by thousands of Canadians. Unfortunately, Prime
Minister Steven Harper's budget, announced January 27, was a missed
opportunity to invest in the green economy of the future. In the 2009
budget, investments in "clean energy" account for a mere five per
cent of the total stimulus package, much of which appears to be
destined for carbon capture and storage. In comparison, President
Obama's stimulus package includes at least $55 billion for clean
energy over the next eighteen months or so, four times more per
capita than Canada's government proposed.
The federal budget leaves Canada lagging far behind the U.S. in
fighting global warming. Moreover, the government's decision not to
renew the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program puts millions of
dollars of green investment and thousands of future jobs at risk.
This failure to renew support could leave Canada without any
meaningful renewable energy funding in six months, while countries
around the world are doubling and tripling their efforts to invest in
renewables.
Read related media releases from the Pembina Institute:
Over 850,000 Canadians Call for Focus on Green Jobs, Green Stimulus
Dark Days for Green Energy in Canada
Seven Ways Canada Could Have Stimulated A New Clean Economy
In December, the Pembina Institute submitted a set of recommendations
to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty for the 2009 budget. The policies we
support produce significant new investment in clean technologies that
have a track record in creating jobs and generating economic growth.
They include:
Major new support for retrofitting and re-commissioning Canada's
homes and buildings.
A Smart Energy Fund providing low-interest loans for energy
efficiency and small-scale renewable energy systems.
Expansion of the successful ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program.
A pan-Canadian research network focused on overcoming technical
barriers to increased renewable energy deployment.
Major new direct investment in bus and light rail infrastructure.
Green retooling and higher fuel efficiency standards for the
automotive sector.
A cap-and-trade system for GHG emissions that puts a price on global
warming pollution and provides revenue for green investments.
Extending the government's home energy efficiency program was a
positive step; however, overall the budget failed to make a
meaningful investment in Canada's green energy future.
For further details, download Pembina's Recommendations for an
Economic Stimulus.
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Champix - quit-smoking aid - causes mood swings, depression,
suicidal thoughts
A drug commonly used to help people quit smoking is the focus of more
than 800 complaints from Canadian users, many of them reporting mood
swings, depression or suicidal thoughts.
Of the 818 complaints about Champix (varenicline tartrate) Health
Canada has received complaints on its adverse reaction database, 520
involved psychiatric problems.
Angela's note: Champix is marketing name for Zyban, or Wellbutrin -
an antidepressant.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/02/04/champix.html
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Nuclear Power Can’t Be a Solution to Global Warming Precisely because
of Global Warming
Extreme Weather Events Multiply Existing Risks and Vulnerabilities of
Nuclear Power: From Natural Disasters to Nuclear Disasters
The irony is that while nuclear proponents cite global warming as the
key impetus for expanding nuclear power, it is precisely global
climate disruptions and the associated extreme weather events which
will significantly multiply and amplify the existing risks and costs
of nuclear power to make it more costly, risky, lethal, and
unreliable. With global warming, nuclear power threatens to turn
ordinary natural disasters (such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes,
wildfires, and droughts) into potential nuclear disasters. <snip>
The sensible solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not
with more nuclear power, but with small, deconcentrated (as opposed
to corporate monopolies), and decentralized power systems that can
adapt to local conditions.
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2009/02/nuclear-power-can’t-be-a-
solution-to-global-warming-precisely-because-of-global-warming/
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Smart Transportation Economic Stimulation:
Infrastructure Investments That Support Strategic Planning Objectives
Provide True Economic Development
www.vtpi.org/econ_stim.pdf
Summary
This timely new report discusses factors to consider when evaluating
transportation economic stimulation strategies. Transportation
investments can have large long-term economic, social and
environmental impacts. Expanding urban highways tends to stimulate
motor vehicle travel and sprawl, exacerbating future transport
problems and threatening future economic productivity. Improving
alternative modes (walking and cycling conditions, and public transit
service quality) tends to reduce total motor vehicle traffic and
associated costs, providing additional long-term economic savings and
benefits. Increasing transport system efficiency tends to create far
more jobs than those created directly by infrastructure investments.
Domestic automobile industry subsidies are ineffective at stimulating
employment or economic development. Public policies intended to
support domestic automobile sales could be economically harmful in
the long-term.
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Ghost Bikes
Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are
killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and
locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small
plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an
otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support
of cyclists' right to safe travel.
Ghostbikes.org is intended to be a site for the worldwide cycling
community. For information on ghost bike work being done in your city/
country, click here.
http://www.ghostbikes.org/
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Book Review
THE INSTINCT TO HEAL: CURING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WITHOUT
DRUGS AND WITHOUT TALK THERAPY
2003, RODALE PRESS
BY DAVID SERVAN-SCHREIBER, MD, PHD
This remarkable book is the record of a physician’s search for real
cures to the most common ailments physicians see. More than 50% of
physician visits are related to stress. Servan-Schreiber shares his
personal story of his search for solutions, stating clearly his
belief that a pill is not a cure if it only relieves symptoms (and
only for some people) and does not cure the underlying cause.
Servan-Schreiber demonstrates that our emotional experiences affect
us in many ways, including our heart rate variability. He shows how
‘heart coherence’ - a healthy pattern of heart functioning that
corresponds to a positive emotional state - can be achieved. He
shows how visualization, meditation, and yoga can help to bring us
into positive states even when dealing with very stressful situations.
Servan-Schreiber describes several other methods with strong track
records for mood improvement, including EMDR (eye movement
desensitization and reprocessing, a way of processing traumatic
experiences), dawn light (waking to natural light), acupuncture,
omega-3’s, exercise, touch, improved communication and enhanced
meaning in our lives.
I found myself uplifted by this book; very grateful that a mainstream
researcher is seriously considering alternatives that up to now have
been eclipsed by reliance on chemical substances. Servan-Schreiber
is instead pointing us in the direction of a natural and long-lasting
cure in the form of practices that enhance our lives.
by Lyn Adamson
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