16th Episode of GreenNews4U

Welcome to the 16th Episode of GreenNews4U In this episode I interview Trebbe Johnson. She is the founder of Vision Arrow and Radical Joy for Hard Times. She has written a book entitled The World Is a Waiting Lover: Desire and the Quest for the Beloved. Her articles about people's emotional and spiritual relationship with nature have appeared in Sierra, The Nation, Harper's, Spirituality and Health and other magazines, and she is a Consulting Editor and frequent contributor to Parabola. Among the awards she has received for her work are the John Masefield Award of the Poetry Society of America; the Telly Award for "Only One Earth," produced for the United Nations twentieth anniversary celebration of Earth Day; a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to produce "A Mountain Split in Two," about the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute; gold, silver and bronze awards from the International Film and TV Festival for her work in multimedia; and a grant from the Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forest Program to plant 75 trees in her home village of Thompson, PA. She is a member of the Wilderness Guides Council and has served on the stewardship committee of the Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve in Thompson for more than twenty years. For more information, click the links to Radical Joy for Hard Times and Vision Arrow. To download or embed this episode to your web page please go here or follow the Podcast Media links on the sidebar.   I hope you enjoy this episode of GreenNews4U.

http://www.archive.org/download/16thEpisodeofGreenNews4U/16thepisodeofgreennews4u.mp3  

Melvin Wylie

Green Police

Entertaining, makes you think

Melvin Wylie

BPA Problems

Fred Vom Saal researches the adverse effects of plastic additives

Melvin Wylie

Feacal Attraction

From water to water - If there are humans, there will be excreta.

Melvin Wylie

15th Episode of GreenNews4U

Welcome to the 15th Episode of GreenNews4U In this Episode I interview Craig Busch the Founder and CEO of Busch Group of Companies. We focus on Bush Systems, the Leader of Recycling Container  and go over how containers are made, the trend in recycling, composting and so much more! Busch Systems has the world's largest, most complete line of recycling, waste and compost containers. As the industry leader for over 25 years, their innovative products have revolutionized the marketplace with unique, customized bins that maximize participation rates without sacrificing durability, function, economy and style. Busch Systems specializes in providing waste diversion solutions for home, office, government, educational, commercial and industrial settings. If you would like to contact or find more information on Busch Systems go here. I hope you enjoy the 15th Episode of GreenNews4U http://www.archive.org/download/15thEpisodeofGreenNews4U/15thepisodeofgreennews4u.mp3 To download or embed this episode to your web page please go here or follow the Podcast Media links on the side bar.

Melvin Wylie

Corn-Based Ethanol's - Main Cause of Rising Meat & Poultry Prices

The connection between rising food prices and federal support for corn-based ethanol is explained in a new website launched today by organizations whose members produce and process the majority of meat and poultry in the United States. Food prices are up – meat and poultry prices specifically are up 8.5 percent from a year ago – and many consumers are asking why. According to the new website, the government's federal subsidies for corn-based ethanol are key contributors. About 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop is now devoted to ethanol production, because nearly all ethanol produced in this country is derived from corn. This increase in corn demand drives its cost higher, putting tremendous pressure on the livestock and poultry industries that traditionally have been major users of corn as feed. Corn prices have roughly tripled since the government in 2006 mandated ethanol be blended into gasoline and the Consumer Price Index for meat and poultry has risen steadily with it. The new website outlines for consumers how these rising corn prices have contributed to increased meat and poultry costs at the grocery store and asks them for their help in ending federal support of the corn-based ethanol industry, by signing a petition that states: "Federal energy policies need to move beyond corn-based ethanol and look for the next generation of alternative fuels that don't pit food, feed and fuel needs against each other." The site is sponsored by the American Meat Institute (AMI), National Chicken Council (NCC), National Meat Association (NMA) and National Turkey Federation (NTF). "When consumers see the 'Contains Ethanol' sticker at the gas pump, many don't realize the connection between the sticker and their grocery bills," said AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle. "This new website aims to provide the facts and allow consumers to raise objections to this policy in an online petition. It also offers tips on stretching your meat and poultry dollar." "The policies and rules of the game for corn-based ethanol must be re-balanced and the playing field must be leveled to permit chicken producers and other animal agriculture producers to more fairly compete for the very limited supplies of corn this year and most likely for the next few years," noted NCC President Mike Brown. "Chicken companies and all of animal agriculture are bearing the burden and feeling the disastrous effects of competing for corn on a field that is heavily tilted toward the ethanol industry," he said, adding that some companies have been forced to limit production and lay off workers due to the high cost of corn. "The facts on this site show that food prices are in an escalating competition with ethanol due to its tariffs and subsidies," added NMA CEO Barry Carpenter. "These short-sighted policies have done too little to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and too much to pull feed ingredients off the market, which is radically increasing food costs without benefit." "Consumers will be able to use this website as an informative resource on food-to-fuel policies," said NTF President Joel Brandenberger. "It also will help them urge their elected officials to make better decisions to balance food and energy needs. There is also a section to help families cope with rising grocery prices by making a few modifications to their food purchasing and cooking techniques."

Melvin Wylie

Largetooth Sawfish an Endangered Species

Shark Advocates International is applauding the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision to list largetooth sawfish (Pristisperotteti)under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Largetooth sawfish occur in coastal waters and rivers in Mexico, Central and South America, as well as West Africa. In the U.S., the species has been found in the Gulf of Mexico, primarily off Texas, but not since the 1960s. "Sawfish are among the most endangered fish in the world," said Shark Advocates International President, Sonja Fordham. "By adding largetooth sawfish to the Endangered Species List, the U.S. government is taking an important step toward preventing extinction of this remarkable animal and raising awareness about the plight of all sawfish species." Sawfish are rays characterized by long, tooth-studded snouts. They are exceptionally vulnerable to overexploitation due to slow growth, late maturity, and small number of young. All species are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered. The only other sawfish species native to the U.S., smalltooth sawfish (Pristispectinata), was listed under the ESA in 2003 and is now the subject of a recovery plan. The biggest threats to sawfish are incidental take (or "bycatch") in fishing gear, particularly shrimp trawls, and degradation of near-shore habitats. Sawfish "saws" are sold as curios; their fins are prized for shark fin soup. In 2007, a U.S. proposal led to the listing of all sawfish species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES); international trade is essentially banned for all but one species. Beginning August 11, largetooth sawfish will receive federal protection; the U.S. will also encourage other range countries to take similar steps. Shark Advocates International supports ESA listing of largetooth sawfish as well as:

• National protection for all species of sawfish in all range countries
• Better monitoring of South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico shrimp fisheries
• Fishing measures to minimize sawfish bycatch
• Research to inform sawfish conservation, and
• Development of an IUCN Shark Specialist Group global strategy for sawfish conservation.

Melvin Wylie