home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Environment Action
Alerts for December 1 - December 7, 2000

from Global Response December 1, 2000

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

Before the end of the year, please send a contribution to Global Response.

Send us a check (Global Response, PO Box 7490, Boulder CO 80306, USA), or
call or fax us your Visa or Mastercard number (Tel: 303/444-0306; Fax:
303/449-9794).


"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the
goal of justice requires ?the tireless exertions and passionate concern of
dedicated individuals?This is no time for apathy or complacency.  This is a
time for vigorous and positive action."

                                                                         
--Martin Luther King, Jr.


We're celebrating 10 years of vigorous and positive action at Global
Response.  In just the last two months, we've celebrated very important
victories with the people of Guatemala, India and Kenya.  These victories
reward the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated
individuals - including you!

In Guatemala, our Global Response letter campaign helped convince the
government to cancel new oil concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Local villagers and environmentalists sought international support to
prevent destruction of the Reserve's tropical forests and wetlands - home
to more than half the animal species found in Guatemala.

     "During the months of April, May and June of this year, we received
hundreds of letters and emails, demanding that Guatemalan authorities
respect one of the last remaining tropical forests on our planet.  We are
very happy to inform you that the ? international campaign was a complete
victory! ... The government recognized the severe social and environmental
impacts that oil development could provoke, and made a decision that is
without precedent in our country: oil development will not proceed as long
as it is opposed by the people of Guatemala.

     "Your letters were very important in winning this victory, and we want
you to know that we will always remember your gesture of solidarity."

--Piedad Espinosa, President
  Tropico Verde


In India, our letters stopped German financing for construction of the
Maheshwar Dam on the sacred Narmada River -

       "This is a major victory for the people of the valley and for
friends and supporters like you?We do not know you personally, nor do you
know us, but we are brothers and sisters in the struggle for justice and
the affirmation of life that transcends all geographical and national or
cultural barriers.  The joy at our victory is yours, too.  We thank you for
your support."

--Chittaroopa Palit, Mangat Verma, Urmila Patidar, Alok Agarwal
   Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada River Movement)


And in Kenya, our letters helped convince the government to put a
strip-mining project "on hold" while it conducts further environmental
impact studies in cooperation with local communities and organizations.  -

       "We think this is a great step in the right direction.  It is a step
which would not have been achieved without the support of all Kenyans and
international organisations, Global Response being one of them.  To this I
say ASANTE SANA.
By working closely with your organization, we have developed the courage
to fight on, knowing quite well that we are not alone and that we have
reliable partners who are, though far away, standing by our side."

--Ojiambo Elphas Victor
  Coast Mining Rights Forum, Kenya

In each of these countries, the formula for success was the combined
impact of local activism and international letters.  Without the support of
caring people worldwide, few of these local battles would be won.  As we
celebrate these successes, we also think about the communities in Ecuador,
Pakistan, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Thailand who are asking for our
help now.  To respond to their pleas and increase their chances of success,
we need your renewed commitment to Global Response.

First, and always, we need your financial support.  Please give a generous
gift before the end of the year.  Consider what we accomplished last year
on a bare-bones budget of $80,000.  Now our aging computers and our
in-house printing press are on their last legs.  There's great demand from
teachers and young people for our Youth environment action and Education
programs, but we have no funds to hire a staff coordinator to develop this
very important youth outreach.  To carry forward Global Response's unique
programs and services for the next 10 years, we need to raise $150,000 this
year.

There are many other ways you can help, too. This holiday season, be
creative in your gift-giving.

Who are the children and teenagers in your life?  Wouldn't they be thrilled
to learn that their letters can persuade world leaders to make
environmentally sound decisions?
Do you know teachers in schools and churches who would like to encourage
young people to become global citizens and earth stewards?
Consider giving Global Response gift memberships to young people and
teachers - or make a donation in honor of a friend or relative.
Make a special donation in multiples of 10 ($100; $1,000) to celebrate our
10th anniversary.

You might take some inspiration from Global Response member David
Rosenstein, who introduced Young Environmentalist's Actions at his
children's school in Santa Monica, California.  David writes,

     At our elementary school we have a Community Service Committee that
gets the kids, parents and teachers involved in a variety of activities
including helping the homeless, collecting and delivering books to
inner-city schools, etc.  We want to get everyone more involved in
environmental issues, and Global Response seems like a great way to do it
for the 4th and 5th graders.  This is especially true for the 5th grade
classes who are taught "Persuasive Writing."

To David's delight, the school's Community Service Committee bought six
Global Response memberships for Canyon Charter Elementary School
classrooms!  A year from now, we hope Santa Monica students will be
celebrating victories for the planet that they helped win with their
persuasive letters!

We're counting on you to help us expand Global Response's membership and
increase the effectiveness of our letter campaigns.  Your financial
contributions always have been and always will be the backbone of Global
Response.

Please send in your special 10th Anniversary gift today.  Send us a check
(Global Response, PO Box 7490, Boulder CO 80306, USA), or call or fax us
your Visa or Mastercard number (Tel: 303/444-0306; Fax: 303/449-9794).

Thank you for the important role you play in helping Global Response win
victories for the environment, and for your financial support.

Sincerely,

Jeff  Kodish, Chair
Board of Directors

--------------------------------------
GLOBAL RESPONSE is an international letter-writing network of environmental
activists.  In partnership with indigenous, environmentalist and peace and
justice organizations around the world, GLOBAL RESPONSE develops "Actions"
that describe specific, urgent threats to the environment; each "Action"
asks members to write personal letters to individuals in the corporations,
governments or international organizations that have the power and
responsibility to take corrective action.  GR also issues "Young
Environmentalists' Actions" and "Eco-Club Actions" designed to educate and
motivate elementary and high school students to practice earth stewardship.

P.O. Box 7490 Phone: 303/444-0306
Boulder CO, USA 80306-7490 Fax:   303/449-9794

To receive Global Response "Actions" and "Emergency Actions" by email:
Send a blank message to: globresmembers-subscribe@igc.topica.com

Visit our website at: http://www.globalresponse.org

from Global Response December 1, 2000

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

Some of you may have received our 2000 Annual Report by regular mail.  For
those who have not, here it is:

GLOBAL RESPONSE
ANNUAL REPORT 2000
(September 1, 1999 - August 31, 2000)

MISSION
Global Response empowers people of all ages, cultures, and nationalities to
protect the environment by creating partnerships for effective citizen
action.  At the request of indigenous peoples and grassroots organizations,
Global Response organizes urgent international letter campaigns to help
communities prevent many kinds of environmental destruction.  Global
Response involves young people as well as adults in these campaigns to
develop in them the values and skills for global citizen cooperation and
earth stewardship.

GOALS
Help grassroots organizations and indigenous peoples prevent environmental
destruction;
Create an international network of environmental activists and
organizations that work together to preserve  the environment and
sustainable economies;
Educate young people and adults about critical environmental issues and
motivate them to take personal action as responsible global citizens and
earth stewards;
Form a new generation of environmentally conscious young people who know
how to collaborate with people of all countries and cultures to solve
environmental problems.

"The earth is not dying - it is being killed.
And the people who are killing it have names
and addresses."    ----  U. Utah Phillips

Global Response issues printed and e-mail Actions to an international
network of environmental organizations and to its letter-writing
membership:

Global Response Actions (GR Actions) for adults
Eco-Club Actions (ECA) for high school students and youth environmental
clubs
Young Environmentalist's Actions (YEA) for elementary school students,
families, teachers, and classrooms.  Teacher's Packet accompanies the YEA.


GLOBAL RESPONSE FAMILIES

Nine-year-old August Freirich and his dad, Evan, make a great team.  When
they receive their Global Response Actions and Young Environmentalist's
Actions, they study them together and write a joint letter.  Here's how
August describes it:
"Pretty much I say what I think we should write, and Dad types it into the
computer.  If he thinks something should be changed he says, 'Are you sure
you want to put it that way?' or 'Can you put that in a good sentence?'  He
always wants me to make good sentences.  That way the people can see that
we spent a lot of time thinking about this.  That's why I like to write
letters with Dad."
How does August feel when they finish a letter for Global Response?
"Hopeful that it will work!  I know sometimes it really helps," he says
with a grin.
This year, August was excited to get letters back from the President of
the World Bank and Kenya's Minister of the Environment.  His favorite YEA
was about sea turtles, "because they are one of the oldest species, and
because they're an endangered species.  And I just like them a lot!"


Board of Directors

Jeffrey Kodish, Chair
   Environmental attorney
Denise Bebbington
    Researcher, Sustainable Development
Arden Buck
    President, Buck Research, Inc.
Mariella Colvin
    Environmental writer
Robert Golten
    International human rights attorney
Doris Hass
    Community leader
Larry Lewarton
    Owner, Nature's Own - Breckenridge
Roy Raphael
    Graduate student, Environmental Leadership
Barbara Werner
    Middle school teacher
Roy Young
    Owner, Nature's Own

Staff
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Brenda Fraser, Development Director
Ron Aggabao, Office Manager


ACTION IMPACTS 2000

Global Response members in three age groups - adults, teens, and children -
participated in these Global Response Action Campaigns during the 2000
fiscal year.  For the texts of these alerts, please visit our website:
www.globalresponse.org

#5/99 Protect Environmental Laws
        WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Before the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle, Washington,
Global Response members urged U.S. vice president Al Gore to propose
changes in WTO rules so that national environmental laws (the Clean Air
Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, etc.) cannot be
challenged as "trade barriers."  Our letters called for "No New Round" of
trade negotiations and thorough, objective and transparent studies of the
environmental impacts of all WTO agreements.  Requested by Friends of the
Earth, Global Trade Watch, Sea Turtle Restoration Project.

VICTORY!  Our letters and fifty thousand protesters in Seattle forced the
Clinton administration to raise environmental concerns and helped prevent
the WTO from initiating a new round of negotiations.  The WTO protests gave
birth to an international movement to stop the human rights, labor and
environmental abuses of corporate globalization.



#6/99  Stop Dam Construction
INDIA
Our letters urged the German Chancellor to cancel loan guarantees for
construction of the Maheshwar Dam. The dam would displace millions of
people along the Narmada River and destroy the river's ecology.  Requested
by International Rivers Network and Narmada Bachao Andolan (Movement to
Save the Narmada).

VICTORY!  Under international pressure, the German Chancellor commissioned
a study of the Maheshwar project.  The findings were so negative that the
German company Siemens and a private German bank withdrew from the project.
No German financing for the Maheshwar Dam!

"We do not know you personally, nor do you know us, but we are brothers
and sisters in the struggle for justice and the affirmation of life that
transcends all geographical and national or cultural barriers.  The joy at
our victory is yours, too." - Chittaroopa Palit, Narmada Bachao Andolan



#1/00  Support U'wa People vs. Occidental Petroleum
COLOMBIA
We urged U.S. presidential candidate Al Gore to influence Occidental
Petroleum to abandon its oil exploration in U'wa traditional territories
(Gore owns stock in Occidental and receives campaign contributions from
them).  We also called on Fidelity Investments, a major Occidental
shareholder, to insist that Occidental abandon U'wa traditional
territories.  Requested by Tribal Council U'wa Traditional Authorities,
Project Underground, Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network.

"We U'wa people are willing to give our lives to defend Mother Earth from
this project which will annihilate our culture, destroy nature, and upset
the world's equilibrium.  Caring for the earth and the welfare of our
children and of future generations is not only the responsibility of the
U'wa people, but of the entire national and international society." -
Roberto Perez, Tribal Council U'wa Traditional Authorities.


#2/00 Stop Oil Exploration in Maya Biosphere Reserve
GUATEMALA
Our letter campaign urged the president of Guatemala to cancel concessions
for oil exploration and drilling inside the Maya Biosphere Reserve, a vital
lowland tropical forest habitat for jaguar, puma, over 300 bird species and
3,000 plant species.  Requested by Tropico Verde.

VICTORY!!  Tropico Verde reports:  "During the months of April, May and
June of this year, we received hundreds of letters and emails, demanding
that Guatemalan authorities respect one of the last remaining tropical
forests on our planet.  We are very happy to inform you that the ?
international campaign was a complete victory! ... The government
recognized the severe social and environmental impacts that oil development
could provoke, and made a decision that is without precedent in our
country: oil development will not proceed as long as it is opposed by the
people of Guatemala."

     "Your letters were very important in winning this victory?.we will
always remember your gesture of solidarity."
--Piedad Espinosa, Tropico Verde


#3/00  Protect Snow Leopard Habitat
RUSSIA
We wrote to Siberian government officials, urging them to re-route a gas
pipeline to China so that it does not cross the pristine Ukok Plateau which
provides critical habitat for snow leopards and 20 other endangered
species.  Requested by Fund for 21st Century Altai, Pacific Environment and
Resource Center, and Sacred Earth Network.

"Thanks for your timely and dedicated work on this.  It's inspiring to be
working with people like you."
- Alyson Ewald, Sacred Earth Network

"I have already heard from our colleagues in Siberia that local leaders
are complaining about all the international faxes they are receiving?. I am
sure they will be a huge help in halting this dangerous road and pipeline
project." - Dave Martin, Pacific Environmental & Resources Center


#4/00   Stop Irresponsible Mining on Tropical Coast
  KENYA
Our letters called on Kenyan government officials to assure strict
enforcement of Kenyan environmental laws and international accords in its
negotiations with Tiomin Resources, a Canadian company that wants to
strip-mine the Kenyan coast for titanium.  Requested by Coast Mining Rights
Forum.

VICTORY!  The Kenyan government put the titanium strip-mining project "on
hold" to investigate environmental impacts, after receiving over 1,000
letters demanding environmental protection for the coastal forests, rivers,
mangroves and coral reefs.

"By working closely with Global Response, we have developed the courage to
fight on, knowing quite well that we are not alone." - Ojiambo Elphas
Victor, ActionAid Kenya


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EMERGENCY ACTIONS

Global Response issues Emergency Actions by e-mail to our Quick Response
Network when the lives and safety of environmental activists are
threatened, and in response to urgent requests from collaborating
organizations.  To join the Quick Response Network, send a blank e-mail
message to:
globresmembers-subscribe@igc.topica.com; or go to the JOIN page on our
website: www.globalresponse.org.

This year, Global Response issued 11 Emergency Actions and 24 Follow-up
Actions that called on authorities to:

Release unjustly imprisoned environmental and indigenous activists in
Mexico and Brazil.  We issued six alerts on behalf of Mexican peasant
activist Rodolfo Montiel Flores, who won the 2000 Goldman Environmental
Prize for organizing protests against logging in Guerrero, Mexico.

Investigate deaths of environmental and indigenous activists in Indonesia,
Guatemala, Colombia and India. In Colombia, the U'wa and Embera Katio
people suffered deaths by military and paramilitary forces for their
opposition to oil drilling and dam construction in their territories.

Stop police/military mistreatment of non-violent environmental protesters
in India, Thailand, Mexico and Colombia.

Guarantee the safety of environmental and activists being threatened,
harassed and ransacked in the Philippines and Honduras.

Stop construction of dams in Uganda, Pakistan and the Philippines, and of a
road through Qurum Natural Park in the Sultanate of Oman.

Protest denial of visas to activists who wanted to participate in protests
at the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, USA.

Take nuclear weapons off alert on December 31, to avoid Y2K-related
disasters.


******************
FINANCIALS
(September 1, 1999-August 31, 2000)

Global Response makes a few dollars go a long way - and their impacts are
felt around the world!  Global Response is a 501c(3) organization; all
contributions are tax-deductible, and 85% of your money goes directly into
programs!   Please make a contribution today.  We need your support, and we
appreciate it!

Cash Accounts $35,562.50
Property and Equipment (net)     1,556.31
TOTAL ASSETS $37,118.81

Liabilities $  1,092.36
Equity   36,026.45
TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY $37,118.81

Revenue
Member contributions $25,489.61
Bussiness gifts      30,241.50
Foundation, NGO grants     6,265.00
Events     7,769.00
Other     7,730.99
TOTAL REVENUES $77,496.10

Expenses
Program services $70,744.77
Support services/ Admin          4,498.52
Fund Raising     7,747.30
TOTAL EXPENSES $82,990.59


Sincere thanks to all Global Response members for writing the letters that
make our campaigns successful and for your financial support!  We are
especially grateful to these supporters, who gave $500 or more this year:

Will Berliner
Martin and June Cobin
Wendy Emrich
Mark Gross
Cary Hopper and Susan Sypolt
Barbara Kelsey
Liquor Mart
David Manelski
The Martin Foundation
University of Colorado Environment Center
Nature's Own
The Colgate-Palmolive Company
1 Anonymous

In-kind Contributors

These individuals and businesses help keep our costs low and the quality of
our work high.  Please thank them if you see them and patronize their
businesses.

Ron Aggabao
Alternative Radio
A Quality Copy and Laser
George Banks
Anne Becher
Stephanie Beecher
George Blevins
Boulder Bookstore
Boulder Community Network
Boulder Theater
Randy Brokaw
Buffalo Exchange
Mark Castator
Chautauqua Association
Cheesecake Factory
Jack Collom
Colorado Symphony
Mariella Colvin and Will Toor
Cooking School of the Rockies
Melinda Crocker
Joanne Del Carpine
Deb Delman
Louise and Bob Dudley
Dushanbe Teahouse
Roger Echo-Hawk
Marlo Edwards
E-trinsic
Estey Printing Company
Tyler Finn
Fox Theater
Brenda Fraser
Tony Furtado
Global Greengrants
Grandrabbits Toy Shoppe
Gritz Printing
Growing Gardens
Gary Hacking
Doris Hass
Information Design
Linda Jacobson
Jade Mountain
Susan Kamins
KGNU Community Radio
Kingsbery Baris
Ellen Klaver
Jeff  Kodish
Louise Koulermos
Kevin Krasnoff
Marilyn Krysl
Carolyn Kuban
Kutandara
KWAB AM-1490 Working Assets Radio
Lick Skillet
Lighthouse Bookstore
Liquor Mart
Kris McFarland
Mountain People's Coop
Mountain Sun
Nature's Own
Original Impulse
Penny Lane
Planet Bluegrass
Planetmind Internetworks
Plenty
Q's Restaurant
Carol Rankin
Redfish Brewhouse
Regal Harvest House Hotel
Resource 2000
Rhumba's
Joe Richey
Devan Riley
Rockies Brewery
Dilia Salvador
Dee Ann Sands
Reg Saner
Danny Shafer
Robin Sharp
Kit Shupe
Sow Seeds
Jennifer Sheridan
Silver Canyon Coffee
Silver Star Printing
Sunflower Restaurant
Sushi Zanmai
Mark Swanholm
David Terner
Trios Restaurant
Jack Twombly
U.S. West
Gina Walter
Dave Watts
White Wave Soy Foods
Barbara Werner
Whole Foods
Renate Wood
Word is Out!
Roy Young

Volunteers and Interns contributed over 3,000 person-hours this year!
Please contact us if you'd like to help promote GR's programs for
children, teens and adults in your community.

Student Interns bring youthful enthusiasm to GR; many thanks and good
wishes to:
Jonathan Daniel, University of Colorado
Deb Delman, Naropa Institute
Tiffany Hervy, Fairview High School
Kara Martin, University of Colorado
Laura Sido, College of William and Mary

from an Anonymous Source December 1, 2000

(Written to Earthhope Action Network November 30, 2000)

from Environment News Service December 1, 2000

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
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ENVIRONMENT IN THE BALANCE AS SUPREME COURT HEARS ELECTION ARGUMENTS

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - The U.S. Supreme Court made history
today by delving into the legal morass surrounding Florida's disputed
Presidential election, the final outcome of which will propel either Texas
Governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore into the White House.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-15.html

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HYDROELECTRIC POWER NOT FREE OF GREENHOUSE GASES

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - The reservoirs of many
large dams built to generate hydroelectric power do produce greenhouse
gases, the World Commission on Dams says in a comprehensive report issued
earlier this month. This finding is in contrast to the widespread
assumption that such emissions are zero or negligible.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-01.html

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MISSOURI RIVER REPORT FAVORS MANAGING WATER FOR WILDLIFE

WASHINGTON, DC, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - The Missouri River should be
returned to a more natural flow, conclude the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and Army Corps of Engineers in their final biological opinion on
current Missouri River dam operations. The report concludes months of
consultations and controversy, and sets the stage for recovery of troubled
Missouri River wildlife.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-06.html

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CLAMS HOLD STORY OF AILING COLORADO RIVER DELTA

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - The biological productivity
of the Colorado River Delta is just five percent of what it was before the
river's water was diverted for human uses. Researchers from the U.S. and
Mexico used shellfish to examine the delta's health, pioneering a technique
that could be used in other waterways around the world.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-07.html

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EUROPE CUTS QUOTAS TO HALT FISHERIES COLLAPSE

BRUSSELS, Belgium, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - The European Commission
wants to cut fishing quotas by up to 74 percent to protect populations close to
collapse.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-12.html

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LAKE VICTORIA BATTLES BIODIVERSITY BREAKDOWN

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - For a lesson in how quickly
ecosystems fragment across international borders, a report today suggests
looking no further than Lake Victoria.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-11.html

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AUSTRALIA'S CHAMBER SHEDS LIGHT ON SMOG

SYDNEY, New South Wales, Australia, December 1, 2000 (ENS) - Australian
scientists have built a high tech chamber to understand the chemistry of
smog and help predict its precise impact on human health.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-10.html

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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: DECEMBER 1, 2000

Global Warming Could Reduce Rice Harvests

Forest Service Vulnerable to Lawsuits over Timber Contracts

Bridge Builders Fined for Dumping Debris

Congregations for Cleaner Air Promote Green Power

Microbes Make Mine Waste Drinkable

Last VX Landmines Destroyed at Johnston Atoll

WTO Protest Veterans Vow to Fight On

Student Summit Dives into Ocean Issues

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-01-09.html

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.

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          SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com

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TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

             Student-Designed House Demonstrates Eco-
                Friendly Living without Compromise

PRESCOTT, AZ, Dec. 1, -/E-Wire/-- Brad Tito wants to show people they don't
have to sacrifice or compromise modern day conveniences to be
environmentally friendly.

     /CONTACT:   Karlyn Haas, Prescott College Institutional Advancement
Office, 520/778-2090 ext. 4503, khaas@prescott.edu/

     /Web site:  www.prescott.edu/news/news.html/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Nov00/01Dec0004.html

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TO BUSINESS AND FEATURES EDITORS:

                    Grinch Movie Forgets the Real Meaning of Christmas

                        The Grinch is a star, his own movie in the can.
                       But what would he think of the marketing plan?

                          Visa and Hershey's, with products to plug,
                 Are hawking their wares with the mean one's green mug.

     WASHINGTON, D.C., December 1, -/E-Wire/--  Need story ideas about a
low-consumption Christmas? Think maybe, perhaps, the holiday means a little
bit more? Check out Environmental Media Services' Christmas page at
http://www.ems.org/green_holidays/grinchpromo.html.

     /CONTACT:  Jan Vertefeuille, Environmental Media Services, 202/463-6670

/Web site:  http://www.ems.org

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Nov00/01Dec0001.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

                              IRG and AED Merge

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 -/E-Wire/-- International Resources Group, Ltd.
(IRG) and Alternative Energy Development, Inc. (AED) of Silver Spring,
Maryland, announced today the merger of the two companies, effective January
1, 2001.  With the addition of AED, IRG augments its $40 million a year
business providing international technical advisory services in energy,
environment, natural resources and relief and reconstruction.  

    /CONTACT:  Cynthia Pflugh of International Resources Group, Ltd,
202-289-0100; or Ann Herendeen of Alternative Energy Development, Inc.,
301-608-3666/

    /Web sites:  http://www.irgltd.com
    /Web site:  http://www.aedglobal.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Nov00/01Dec0003.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

               TripleE Announces a Greener Way to Travel

        U.S. travel agency becomes the first to offer travel  with
              a net zero impact on global climate change

     PORTLAND, OR, Dec. 1 -/E-Wire/-- TripleE (www.TripleE.com) unveiled a
"first-of-its-kind" Travel Cool program at the United Nations conference on
Global Warming in the Netherlands last week.  The Travel Cool program
offsets greenhouse gas pollution to prevent air travel from contributing to
global warming.

     /CONTACT:  Mitch Rofsky:  503-223-2626;  Erica Bollacasa:  503-223-2626

     /Web site:  http://www.triplee.com/member/join.cfm

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Nov00/01Dec0002.html

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  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS

***********************************************************************

                     ENVIRONMENTAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT!
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation / Richmond District's Environmental
Section is seeking experienced individuals to provide guidance, assistance
and leadership to the residency and field personnel to ensure operations are
performed in compliance with environmental regulations and in accordance
with best management practices.

For more information, go here:
http://www.naturalist.com/environetwork/displayjob.cfm?job=808

                             Courtesy of EnviroNetwork.com
                 The leading job network for environmental professionals.

************************************************************************

from Global Response December 1, 2000

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

Please send one more letter to U.S. President Clinton to strengthen his
plan for protecting roadless national forest lands.  This Alert is
circulated by Forests.org, Inc.  A model letter is provided, below.

ACTION ALERT!!
Fully Protect America's Remaining Roadless National Forest Lands

By Forests.org, Inc.
November 25, 2000

The U.S. Forest Service recently unveiled its preferred plan for
protecting nearly 60 million acres of roadless lands in American's
National Forests.  The proposal would prohibit road construction in
49.2 million acres of inventoried roadless areas, increasing to 58.5
million acres in April 2004 when the Tongass National Forest would be
included.  Roads through intact forests increase erosion, disrupt
wildlife habitat and make it easier for logging trucks and mining
operators to reach remote public lands.

Under the plan, timber harvest would be banned in undeveloped areas,
unless necessary for "stewardship" purposes.  The roadless protection
plan represents a shift away from logging, and toward preservation,
in America's National Forests - recognizing that they are more than
tree farms.  As most of the American landscape has been fragmented by
agricultural, urban and other development; these relatively few
unfragmented and natural landscapes represent the last best hope to
maintain operable and intact large-scale ecosystems along with their
constituent biodiversity.

The plan to protect pristine wilderness areas was endorsed by 1.6
million supportive comments from the public, the largest response
ever recorded.  The Forest Service was pressured to close some
"loopholes" in its earlier draft, which would have banned road
building, but not helicopter or other types of logging in pristine
roadless areas.  In another major win for environmentalists, Alaska's
Tongass National Forest - the nation's largest and most biologically
significant roadless area - was added to the plan.  Progress from
earlier drafts represents a major victory for our movement's lobbying
efforts - yet important work remains to be done.

URGENT NEED TO FIX REMAINING FLAWS
Despite being potentially historic, the roadless protection plan
still contains several serious and perhpas fatal flaws.  These
loopholes threaten successful long-term protection of these large
roadless expanses, and must be closed:

1. Full and Immediate Protection for the Tongass.  The Tongass'
protection does not come into effect until 2004, allowing critical
old-growth ecosystems to be commercially harvested until then, and
making it more likely that protections will be overturned.  Full and
immediate protection for the Tongass was one of the most commonly
articulated requests made by the public. 330 eminent scientists
declared that there is "no scientific basis" for excluding the
Tongass from the protections of the roadless initiative.

2. Carefully Define and Constrain Allowable "Stewardship" Logging.
The innocent-sounding, but potentially disastrous "stewardship"
logging, must be fully defined.  Intended to improve habitat, reduce
the risk of severe fire, or to carry out ecological restoration; past
congresses have used such loopholes to justify widespread commercial
logging -- such as the infamous 1995 salvage timber rider.  The
provision must be carefully constrained or scrapped all together.

3. Prohibit All Motorized Vehicles in Roadless Areas.  The proposal
does not control off road vehicles that can devastate pristine
roadless areas through pollution and trampling.  Failure to prohibit
off road vehicles threatens the long-term biological integrity of the
preserved forests.  These forests should be protected as more than
mere thrill parks -- they represent America's last best chance to
maintain fully-operable ecosystems as biological benchmarks.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
President Clinton is expected to give final approval to the plan
after a 30-day waiting period that ends December 18.  There is still
the possibility that more changes will be made before the final rule
is published.  Urge President Clinton to pursue strengthened roadless
area protection before the opportunity is lost forever.  Please email
President Clinton at president@whitehouse.gov , or call the comments
line at (202) 456-1111, to make demands of the sort found in the
sample letter below.  It is always best to use your own words and add
more detail if you can.


Dear President Clinton:

Long-term forest preservation, achieved through a strong roadless
area policy, is one of the most important legacies we can leave for
our children.  I am writing to urge strong protection of America's
remaining roadless areas in its National Forests.  I thank you for
the courage you have displayed in formulating the roadless protection
plan to date.  Despite real progress, some troublesome aspects
remain.  I call upon you to ensure that the final rule:

1. provides full and immediate protection for the Tongass National
Forest's roadless areas;
2. carefully defines and constrains allowable "stewardship"
logging;
3. and prohibits off-road vehicles in roadless areas.

Mr. President, you have so little to lose, and generation upon
generation to come have so much to gain.  Please close these
remaining loopholes, thus making the prospects for long-term success
of the plan much greater.  Only such a strengthened roadless
protection plan will be ensured its place as the most important lands
conservation legacy of the last 100 years.  Heed the friendly advice
-- protection delayed or left vague is protection denied.  This
opportunity to provide strong and ecologically rigorous protection to
the last great natural American landscapes is too important to be
left half done.  Please do your duty to our children and the Planet.

Sincerely,


This action alert was compiled by Forests.org, Inc. on the basis of
numerous press and environmental group accounts that can be found in
the American directory of the Forest Conservation Portal
< http://forests.org > at: http://forests.org/forests/america.html

The four volume environmental impact study of the roadless protection
plan is available online at:
http://roadless.fs.fed.us.

Please distribute this action alert widely, with credit given to
Forests.org, Inc., and the contact and author listed as Glen Barry,
grbarry@students.wisc.edu .

from Save Our Environment Action Center December 4, 2000

SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACTION CENTER UPDATE

By using the Save Our Environment Action Center
[http://www.saveourenvironment.org], you are working
together with the nation's most influential environmental
advocacy groups in the crucial battles to protect our air
and water, forests and oceans, climate, wilderness, and
wildlife.

To send a free fax to President Clinton on this issue,
just reply to this email.

December 4, 2000

************************************************************

Last spring, in response to President Clinton's direction to
develop a plan to safeguard the remaining roadless lands in
our National Forests, the U.S. Forest Service announced a
proposed plan that contained two giant loopholes that would
have left millions of acres of wild forests open to logging
and other development. While the proposed plan prohibited
new roadbuilding through roadless forests, by the Forest
Service's own estimate, 73 percent of logging inside
roadless areas nationwide would have been allowed to
continue. Further, the plan exempted the 17-million-acre
Tongass National Forest in coastal southeast Alaska from
protection.

Public response to the draft plan was swift and strong (the
Forest Service received more than 1.5 million comments in
support of closing the loopholes and strengthening the plan)
and, on November 13, the Forest Service announced that the
proposed plan will now prohibit most logging activities and
would include the Tongass beginning in 2004. While a huge
step forward, the reality is that by 2004, logging companies
will have done unspeakable harm to much of the Tongass'
virgin old growth valleys. And while the proposed plan
prohibits commercial logging in roadless areas, strong
environmental safeguards are still needed for "stewardship"
logging provisions.

The administration's final plan is expected to be issued in
mid-December, so this may be our last opportunity to
convince the president to make the necessary changes to the
plan that will truly protect all wild forests.

Please send the president a message today. We've made it
easy for you -- just reply to this email and we'll
automatically fax the message below to President Clinton.
Or, if you prefer to call the president, the White House
comment line is 202-456-1414.

Once again, thanks for being part of the Save Our
Environment activist network and for taking action to help
preserve and protect the Earth's natural treasures and
quality of life.

Save Our Environment Action Center --

http://www.saveourenvironment.org/

************************************************************

Fax message -- just reply to this email and we'll send this
message to President Clinton.

Dear President Clinton,

I was encouraged by your administration's November 13
announcement to include the Tongass National Forest in your
upcoming Roadless Forest Protection Plan. While a great step
forward, I am writing today to urge you to further
strengthen the plan to truly protect our country's public
forests.

The final plan must include significant environmental
safeguards for stewardship logging in roadless areas.
Furthermore, the Tongass rainforest needs to be included in
the plan now. Waiting until 2004 gives greedy timber
companies far too long an opportunity to run the Tongass'
old growth through their mills and destroy this magnificent
part of our country's wild heritage.

Please ensure your initiative is truly historic and truly
saves our last best public forests, by banning all logging
in them and fully including the Tongass rainforest now, not
in 2004. Leave our children a legacy, not a loophole.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

from Sierra Club December 4, 2000

SC-ACTION Volume II, #279
     DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
     November 29, 2000

     ******************* FEATURED TAKE ACTION ITEM ************************
     PROTECT WILD FORESTS: WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
     In a few short weeks, the Forest Service will finalize their plans to
     protect the last wild areas in our National Forests. On November 13,
     the Forest Service unveiled their near final plan to protect millions
     of acres of wild forests. The plan would place a ban on commercial
     logging as well as roadbuilding in our last wild forest roadless
     areas!  While the plan represents a great step towards protecting
     millions of acres of wild forests -  it falls short of fully
     protecting our wild forests because it delays protection of the
     Tongass National Forest-the largest temperate rainforest on earth--
     until April 2004 and it leaves the door open for destructive logging
     under the guise of forest "stewardship".
     The final plan can still be improved between now and the signing of
     the Record of Decision which is scheduled for December 19. The Sierra
     Club is calling on the President to strengthen the final wild forest
     roadless plan by further restricting salvage logging and providing
     immediate protection to the wild areas in the Tongass.  You are
     probably one of the thousands of Sierra Club members to participate in
     our efforts to collect more than a million comments in favor of a
     final plan that fully protects wild forests or who attended a local
     hearing last summer to speak out on behalf of forest protection.
     Now you can help again by writing a letter to the editor of your local
     newspaper! Since the November 14th announcement of the near-final
     plan, dozens of newspapers have printed editorials in support of a
     stronger final plan and many more papers have written stories covering
     the issue. When available, use stories and editorials as a "hook" for
     your letters. And when they are printed, send a copy to Sierra
     Club-Wild Forest Campaign,  408 C St NE, Washington DC 20002.
     Some points to cover in your letter to the editor: This summer, more
     than a million Americans called on the Forest Service to fully protect
     the remaining unspoiled fragments of our National Forests, and the
     Forest Service clearly heard that cry. The proposal that the Forest
     Service released on November 13 sets the stage for a final plan that
     fully protects the last pristine areas of our National Forests. I urge
     President Clinton to strengthen the final rule by providing immediate
     protection to the last wild areas of the Tongass National Forest in
     Alaska and by further restricting the "stewardship" logging loophole
     so it cannot be used for destructive logging. If possible, include
     information about why you want to protect your local National Forests
     (i.e. for hiking, fishing, exploring, source of drinking water, etc).
     Thank You!

     *********************************************************************
     ACTION ITEMS:
     1. TAKE ACTION: SAFEGUARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIBIOTICS USED TO
     TREAT HUMAN DISEASES: END THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN FACTORY FARMS
     2.  ACT NOW TO HELP SAVE WETLANDS FROM "YAZOO PUMPS" (COMMENTS NEEDED
     BY DECEMBER 8, 2000)
     IN THE NEWS:  Green groups bare teeth at ESA moratorium Environmental
     News Network
     **********************************************************************

     1. TAKE ACTION: SAFEGUARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIBIOTICS USED TO
     TREAT HUMAN DISEASES: END THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN FACTORY FARMS
     Imagine getting a really nasty case of food poisoning. You drag
     yourself to the doctor, who prescribes an antibiotic known as a
     fluoroquinolone that works against many of the bacteria that cause
     this kind of illness. However, what if the drug doesn't work because
     the bacteria have become immune to it?
     These drugs are starting to lose their effectiveness against certain
     types of bacteria, largely because a closely related drug known as
     Baytril is used on immense "factory farms" that raise chickens and
     turkeys.  While these poultry farms produce food for your table, they
     are also a breeding ground for bacteria that are immune to medicine
     that you may need some day.
     To ensure that doctors don't come up empty-handed when they need to
     treat foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration has just
     proposed to ban Baytril, which is produced by Bayer, the maker of
     Bayer aspirin, One-a-Day vitamins, and a host of other consumer
     products and medicines. Bayer has until the end of November to decide
     whether to voluntarily comply with the proposed ban.
     If Bayer refuses, months or even years will
     pass before the matter is resolved. Meanwhile, Baytril will stay on
     the market and human-use fluoroquinolones will become less and less
     effective.
     Let the CEO of Bayer know you don't want his company to play chicken
with
     your health.  Please send a letter asking Bayer to end the use of
Baytril
     in poultry.

     Helge H. Wehmeier, President and CEO The Bayer Corporation
     100 Bayer Road
     Pittsburgh, PA  15205-9741

     2.  ACT NOW TO HELP SAVE WETLANDS FROM "YAZOO PUMPS" (Comments needed
     by December 8, 2000)
     Help is needed to stop an outrageous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'
     project.  The Corps wants to spend $181 million of your tax dollars to
     drain and damage over 200,000 acres of wetlands in the Mississippi
     Delta. Draining wetlands to increase agriculture production will add
     even more pesticides to a region already suffering from toxic
     contamination due to the heaviest use of pesticides in any watershed
     in the nation.
     Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt has called the Yazoo Pumps the
     "most cockamamie" project he has ever heard of. EPA and Fish and
     Wildlife have told the Corps that the project must not proceed.
     Tell the Corps that you are fed up with projects that destroy entire
     ecosystems while wasting huge sums of tax money. Why should the
     taxpayers spend $181 million for a project with maintenance costs of
     $14.9 million a year and maximum benefits of only $20 million per
     year?
     Please take a few seconds to help on this important environmental
     justice issue. The web site listed below makes it easy to take action
     and contains a lot of important information about Corps of Engineers
     projects nationwide. But if you have time, original letters are even
     more valuable
     Click on this fun graphic to take action:
     http://www.freerangegraphics.com/clients/dumpthepumps/flash.html
     Or go directly to www.dumpthepumps.org and tell President Clinton,
     Vice President Gore and the Army Corps of Engineers to Dump the Pumps!

     IN THE NEWS:  Green groups bare teeth at ESA moratorium Environmental
     News Network
     Wednesday, November 29, 2000
     By Margot Higgins

     Conservation groups are roaring mad over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
     Service's decision to put a moratorium on all endangered species
     listings until September 2001. The groups have long claimed that
     politics, not science, determines whether or not a species is
     protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the FWS' decision
     smacks of the same motivation, they say.
     "The moratorium is indicative that we have reached a crisis
     situation," said Heather Weiner of the Earthjustice Legal Defense
     Fund. "This decision is completely irresponsible and will do nothing
     but harm the very species and habitat (the FWS) is supposed to be
     protecting."
     The moratorium will delay protection for more than 300 species that
     are proposed for listing or are already considered candidates for
     listing. At the front of the line for ESA protection are the
     Chiracahua leopard frog, the Aleutian Otter, the Pacific fisher and
     the island fox. Without ESA designation, the species are vulnerable to
     continued habitat destruction, poaching and trafficking of their parts
     and products.
     The FWS blames litigation over critical habitat designation launched
     by environmentalists for eating away at its listing budget. Having
     missed the deadline for designating critical habitat for about 90
     percent of the 1,200 species listed under the Endangered Species Act,
     the FWS faces court-ordered designations for nearly 300 species.
     "Complying with all of those court orders and set agreements is going
     to consume all of the Service's listing budget until 2001," said FWS
     spokesman Chris Tollefson.  "Any funding we may have available will be
     allocated for emergency listings only. We will make sure we take care
     of any species in immediate danger."
     But conservation groups claim the financial problem stems from the
     fact that FWS requests for congressional funding are too low and have
     dropped in recent years.  This year's request of $7.2 million for
     fiscal year 2001 is less than last year's $7.5 million request and
     almost $3 million less than the 1992 request under the Bush
     administration.
     Moreover, the groups point out, the Clinton administration
     specifically asked Congress to limit its endangered species funding.
     According to a 1990 report by the Interior Department's Inspector
     General, $144 million was needed to list all species thought to be
     endangered at the time. Since then, the endangered species roster has
     grown and the FWS has not asked Congress for even a tenth of the
     necessary funds to address the backlog.
     "Whenever the agency has asked for more funding, it has gone up,"
     notes Keiran Suckling, director of the Center for Biological
     Diversity.  "The FWS is more concerned with creating controversy than
     protecting endangered species. You cannot name a single controversial
     species that has been listed without a petition or a lawsuit."
     The northern goshawk, for example, lives in every old-growth forest in
     the western United States. "Listing the goshawk as an endangered
     species would threaten the entire western timber industry," Suckling
     said. "This could cause a level of political crisis that would dwarf
     the spotted owl, and the FWS has twice denied listing petitions."
     While Suckling and Weiner allow that the Clinton administration has
     done good things for clean air, clean water and national monument
     designation, they say it has been at the expense of wildlife.
     "The public has a different perception of clean air and clean water
     because it impacts human health," Weiner said. "With endangered
     species, it seems more esoteric and it is harder to transform public
     opinion."
     Nevertheless, Weiner notes, a recent poll conducted by the University
     of Arizona  found that 84 percent of Americans believe ESA should
     remain the same or be strengthened.
     WILDERNESS NEEDS NO DEFENSE, ONLY MORE DEFENDERS! VISIT
     www.sierraclub.org and find out what you can do!
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
     Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
     Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
     Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/

     White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
     White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
     Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
     Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
     White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
     US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121

     To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
     To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

from Environment News Service December 4, 2000

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************

10 Natural Sites Placed on UNESCO Heritage List

CAIRNS, Australia, December 4, 2000 - Ten of the Earth's most fragile and
precious places have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List which
now contains 690 sites.

To see the entire list of 61 newly designated World Heritage Sites visit:
http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/unescopress/2000/00-131be.shtml

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-02.html

***********************************************************

FIRST WING OF WORLD'S LARGEST SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYED IN SPACE

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston, Texas, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - How and when
to finish unfurling the world's largest set of solar panels 235 miles above
the Earth on the International Space Station is a decision that will be
made today by officials at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-09.html

************************************************************

FISHING PRESSURES HURTING STELLER SEA LIONS

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - Commercial fishing activities in
the Gulf of Alaska and the Bearing Sea are jeopardizing the endangered
western population of Stellar sea lions and other imperiled species,
declares a long awaited biological opinion released by the
National Marine Fisheries Service.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-16.html

************************************************************

TOXIC LEGACY RESTS WITH POPs TREATY NEGOTIATORS

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - Delegates from more
than 120 countries are poised to finally agree on a legally binding global
treaty to reduce or eliminate 12 persistant organic pollutants.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-10.html

************************************************************

CLINTON SAFEGUARDS HAWAIIAN CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - President Bill Clinton today took
action to preserve and protect the pristine coral reef ecosystems of the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a remote archipelago of atolls, reefs and
submerged lagoons home to a vast array of fish, invertebrates, birds, sea
turtles and marine mammals.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-15.html

************************************************************

INUIT EYES ON MANDELA DURING POPs CONFERENCE

IQALUIT, Nunavut, Canada, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - Canada's Inuit people
hope former South African president Nelson Mandela will support efforts to
reduce persistant organic pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic.

Produced in cooperation with Nunatsiaq News
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/nunavut/index.html

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-11.html

************************************************************

PESTICIDE LEVELS IN UK BABY FOOD ABOVE NEW LIMIT

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 4, 2000 (ENS) - Tests on baby food carried
out by a UK government watchdog have discovered pesticide residues that may
disrupt the hormone system.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-12.html

************************************************************

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: DECEMBER 4, 2000

Midwestern Highway Projects Get Streamlined Approval Process

Scientists Look For Ozone Recovery

Aventis Sued Over StarLink Marketing

Battery Maker Agrees to Clean up Lead Pollution

National Campaign Seeks End to Public Lands Grazing

Central California Gets First Coastal Wildlife Refuge

Louisiana Project Traps Sediment to Protect Wetlands

Engineered Microbes Could Aid Future Cleanups

Angel Forum Presents Eco-Friendly Investment Opportunities

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-04-09.html

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.

************************************************************
          SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ANNOUNCE SETTLEMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSUIT AGAINST EXIDE CORPORATION
FOR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS AND LEAD CONTAMINATION

READING, PA, Dec. 04, -/E-Wire/--  The L.E.A.D. Group of Berks County (PA)
and Clean Water Action, Inc. today announced a settlement of their
environmental federal lawsuit against Exide Corporation, the world's largest
automotive battery manufacturer, arising from environmental violations and
lead contamination of the community near its Laureldale, Pennsylvania
facility. The lawsuit had alleged hundreds of violations of state and
federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water
Act. A consent decree setting forth the terms of the settlement was entered
as a court order by the United States District Court (Eastern District of
Pennsylvania) on November 21, 2000.

     /CONTACTS  :  Gerald J. Williams, Esquire, WILLIAMS, CUKER &
BEREZOFSKY, 215-557-0099 ;  Charles W. Elliott, Esquire ELLIOTT & ELLIOTT,
610-252-4338 ;  Wendy E. Carr, Esquire, MID-ATLANTIC  ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
CENTER, 302-477-2072/

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

                EnvironMax.com Amends Registration Statement

     SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 4 -/E-Wire/--EnvironMax.com, Inc. a company
engaged in hazardous materials and waste management and tracking software,
has modified the terms of its initial public offering previously announced
on July 5, 2000.

        /CONTACT: Coltrin & Associates Albert Choules, 801/350-9412
Albert_Choules@Coltrin.com or EnvironMax.com Cindy Radford, 801/424-0200
cradford@environmax.com/

               /Web Site: http://www.EnvironMax.com/

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         GreenMarketplace.com Acquires Competitor EthicalShopper.com;
         Responsible Product Web Retailers Merge to Make a Difference

    PITTSBURGH, PA, Dec. 4 -/E-Wire/-- While others in the Internet natural
products arena close their doors, two leading competitors are growing stronger
by combining forces.  Today, GreenMarketplace.com announces plans to acquire
competitor EthicalShopper.com, merge operations, and maintain both consumer
brands.

    /CONTACT:  Deborah Ellman of GreenMarketplace.com, 317-876-1550 or
deb@GreenMarketplace.com/

    /Web site:  http://www.ethicalshopper.com
    /Web site:  http://www.greenmarketplace.com /

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

THE NATIONAL ZOO STORE ENTERS CYBERSPACE!

     WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 4, -/E-Wire/-- In time for the arrival of giant
pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian in Washington, D.C.-and for the holiday
shopping season-Friends of the National Zoo (www.fonz.org) announces the
launch of its new online store at: http://store.fonz.org. The National Zoo
Store Online features the wildest stuff on the web-plush animals, games and
puzzles, books, apparel, toys, tickets to special events at the National
Zoo, an amazing selection of panda-themed paraphernalia, and much, much
more! Online shoppers can browse by category, or search for products
featuring their favorite wild animal.

     /CONTACT:  Susan Lumpkin, Friends of the National Zoo, 202-673-4993,
susan@fonz.org; Alex Hawes, Friends of the National Zoo, 202-673-4711,
alex@fonz.org/

     /Web site: www.fonz.org/

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TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

             Student-Designed House Demonstrates Eco-
                Friendly Living without Compromise

PRESCOTT, AZ, Dec 4, -/E-Wire/-- Brad Tito wants to show people they don't
have to sacrifice or compromise modern day conveniences to be
environmentally friendly.

     /CONTACT:   Karlyn Haas, Prescott College Institutional Advancement
Office, 520/778-2090 ext. 4503, khaas@prescott.edu/

     /Web site:  www.prescott.edu/news/news.html/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/01Dec0004.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

               TripleE Announces a Greener Way to Travel

        U.S. travel agency becomes the first to offer travel  with
              a net zero impact on global climate change

     PORTLAND, OR, Dec.4 -/E-Wire/-- TripleE (www.TripleE.com) unveiled a
"first-of-its-kind" Travel Cool program at the United Nations conference on
Global Warming in the Netherlands last week.  The Travel Cool program
offsets greenhouse gas pollution to prevent air travel from contributing to
global warming.

     /CONTACT:  Mitch Rofsky:  503-223-2626;  Erica Bollacasa:  503-223-2626

     /Web site:  http://www.triplee.com/member/join.cfm

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/01Dec0002.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

                              IRG and AED Merge

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -/E-Wire/-- International Resources Group, Ltd.
(IRG) and Alternative Energy Development, Inc. (AED) of Silver Spring,
Maryland, announced today the merger of the two companies, effective January
1, 2001.  With the addition of AED, IRG augments its $40 million a year
business providing international technical advisory services in energy,
environment, natural resources and relief and reconstruction.  

    /CONTACT:  Cynthia Pflugh of International Resources Group, Ltd,
202-289-0100; or Ann Herendeen of Alternative Energy Development, Inc.,
301-608-3666/

    /Web sites:  http://www.irgltd.com
    /Web sites:  http://www.aedglobal.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/01Dec0003.html

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  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
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from Sierra Club December 5, 2000

SC-ACTION Volume II, #280
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
December 1, 2000

"My soul, sit thou a patient looker-on;
Judge not the play before the play is done:
Her plot hath many changes; every day
Speaks a new scene; the last act crowns the play."

Epigram, "Repice Finem"
Francis Quarles

***Note: Formatting may be irregular. Apologies! Problems should be solved
soon***

**********************************************************************
ACTION ITEMS:
1. RESPONSIBLE TRADE: Celebrate a year since WTO in Seattle
2. FACTORY FARMS: Safeguard the use of antiobiotics
3. END COMMERCIAL LOGGING ON FEDERAL LANDS: Say it to the Forest Service
4: GLOBAL WARMING: Decry U.S. Apathy at The Hague Summit

**********************************************************************

RESPONSIBLE TRADE: Commemorate 1st Anniversary of Seattle WTO Summit

On Nov. 30 of last year, the Seattle Summit of the World Trade Organization
opened to massive street protests organized by trade unions,
environmentalists and students.  Under pressure from the demonstrators, the
trade talks collapsed on Dec. 3.

The Sierra Club protested the WTO to "make trade clean, green, and fair."
While we do not oppose trade, we oppose WTO rules that regard our laws to
protect environmental, health and safety  as "barriers to trade." Already
under the WTO and NAFTA -- the North American Free Trade Agreement -- food
safety, clean water, clean air,and wildlife protections have been
undermined as "trade barriers."

The next American President, regardless of who he is, should focus on
fixing the WTO, not expanding its powers.

TAKE ACTION:  1. Write letters to the editor!   2.  Call into talk radio
shows!
You may borrow statements and information from the joint Sierra
Club/FAL-CIO press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2000

Washington, DC: John J. Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, and Carl Pope,
executive director of the Sierra Club, today jointly declared plans to
carry on the fight for global fairness launched last year during the
Seattle Summit of the World Trade Organization (WTO). November 30th  marks
the one-year anniversary of the coalition of "turtles and teamsters" formed
to protest the WTO's neglect of labor and environmental concerns in global
trade pacts.

"Together with our coalition partners in the religious, student, consumer,
and family farm organizations, we have put the issues of workers' rights,
environmental protection, sustainable development, and democracy on the
table of the globalization debate," said John Sweeney. "The tens of
thousands of people who came together peacefully on the streets of Seattle
one year ago signaled the beginning of an international movement that is
gaining strength and momentum as it moves forward."

"We have only just begun to fight for global fairness," said Carl Pope.
"The Sierra Club pledges to work with our labor allies to carry the spirit
of Seattle to America's main streets. In the coming year, we will organize
citizens across the country to join the effort to make trade clean, green,
and fair."

The two organizations plan to deepen their cooperation by organizing joint
town hall meetings, visits with elected officials, and other activities
over the next year.

Sweeney and Pope also celebrated concrete achievements, including
development of guidelines for environmental review of trade agreements,
negotiation of a trade pact with Jordan that includes enforceable
environmental standards and workers' rights in its core provisions, funding
of debt relief for some of the world's poorest countries, and deepened
dialogue and debate at the WTO, IMF, World Bank, and ILO over how best to
address the issues raised by the Seattle protesters.

"During the past year, we have provided education to our own members, taken
our concerns to our government, and worked directly with trade unions and
civil society organizations from developing countries to insist that global
economic policy address the concerns of workers and communities, as well as
those of multinational corporations," said John Sweeney. "We are building a
new consensus that trade and investment agreements can no longer merely
ignore citizens' concerns, but we have a tremendous amount of work still to
do.'

"We need to move trade off the "fast track" onto a "right track" that puts
workers' rights and the environment on a par with commercial concerns,"
said Pope.

*************************************************************************************

2. FACTORY FARMS: Safeguard the Effectiveness of Antiobiotics

     Imagine getting a really nasty case of food poisoning. You drag
yourself
     to the doctor, who prescribes an antibiotic known as a fluoroquinolone
     that works against many of the bacteria that cause this kind of
illness.
     However, what if the drug doesn't work because the bacteria have
become
     immune to it?

     These drugs are starting to lose their effectiveness against certain
types
     of bacteria, largely because a closely related drug known as Baytril
is
     used on immense "factory farms" that raise chickens and turkeys.
While
     these poultry farms produce food for your table, they are also a
breeding
     ground for bacteria that are immune to medicine that you may need some
day.
     To ensure that doctors don't come up empty-handed when they need to
treat
     foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration has just
proposed to
     ban Baytril, which is produced by Bayer, the maker of Bayer aspirin,
     One-a-Day vitamins, and a host of other consumer products and
medicines.
     Bayer has until the end of November to decide whether to voluntarily
comply
     with the proposed ban.  If Bayer refuses, months or even years will
pass
     before the matter is resolved. Meanwhile, Baytril will stay on the
market
     and human-use fluoroquinolones will become less and less effective.

     Let the CEO of Bayer know you don't want his company to play chicken
with
     your health.  Please send a letter asking Bayer to end the use of
Baytril
     in poultry.


     Helge H. Wehmeier, President and CEO
     The Bayer Corporation
     100 Bayer Road
     Pittsburgh, PA  15205-9741



***************************************************************************
     WILD FORESTS: Roadless Policy Can be Even Better!

The U.S. Forest Service has released the environmental impact statement for
the roadless initiative.
  You can read it on-line at http://roadless.fs.fed.us/.
The good news is that the new preferred alternative bans commercial logging
as well as roadbuilding in roadless
areas and provides a framework for including the Tongass!  However, the
plan does crack the door open for
logging in roadless areas under the guise of "stewardship" and delays
protection of the Tongass National Forest
until April 2004.

   The Final EIS can still be improved between now and President Clinton's
   signing of the Record of Decision which will be at least 30 days from
   today. We are calling on the President to strengthen the Final EIS by
   restricting salvage logging to only that truly needed to restore forests
   or protect communities from uncharacteristically intense fires and
   providing immediate protection to the wild areas in the Tongass from all
   logging and roadbuilding.

   Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
*************************************************************************************

GLOBAL WARMING:  U.S. Inaction Leads to Failure at Climate Change Talks

Instead of heading to The Hague Summit armed with emissions
reductions, the U.S. position was brimming with loopholes and risky
pollution-trading schemes that would have caused the Kyoto Protocol to
lose any and all environmental integrity.  The recent climate change
negotiations broke down because the U.S. - the world's largest global
warming polluter - failed to be a leader in reducing its global
warming pollution.  Instead of working with other nations to reduce
the pollution that causes global warming, the United States
continually pushed bogus "emissions trading" schemes which would
substitute delay for action.
In a recent Washington Post article, Sierra Club Executive Director,
     Carl Pope said, "As the world's biggest global-warming polluter, we
     should be taking the lead in cutting our production of greenhouse
     gases.  Unfortunately, America is shirking its responsibilities by
     promoting a risky system to trade pollution instead of reducing it.
     This leadership by inaction approach is indefensible."  Full text of
     the article can be seen at:
     www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52927-2000Nov22.html

The U.S. committed to reducing its global warming pollution and we
     must meet this obligation by cutting our domestic emissions, not with
     smoke and mirrors.  The United States bears the greatest
     responsibility for solving the global warming problem because it is
     the world's top polluter.

Please: Write letters-to-the-editor bemoaning U.S. apathy towards reducing
global warming pollution.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Sierr a Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
     Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
     Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
     Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
     White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
     White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
     Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
     Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
     White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
     US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
     To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
     To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

from Gopal Pyakurel December 5, 2000

(Written to Earthhope Action Network November 30, 2000)

After 1990, Bhutanese Refugee Camping in Damak, a lot of
environmental disorders have been seen around this region like drinking water
crisis, devastating flooding caused by Ratuwa and Mawa rivers, energy crisis
and more unseen but burning issues like health, economic and in social field.
Though, Damak is a small town located in Jhapa district in eastern Nepal and
has very backward in economic status.
        I am inhabitant of Damak-13, and flood affected victim. Ratuwa river
is constantly washing ward No 2, 3, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 and 19 since 1992.
Thousands of families displaced and a lot of public and private properties
were damaged by the flood. We mobilized the local resources to control the
flood but could not. More people became homeless, unemployed. In 1998 we had
a great problem, a heavy damage, we requested the Nepalese government, I
talked to Primer Mr Girija Prasad Koirala to assist the victims. Government
supplied few kg of food and plastic tent for displaced people.But failed to
find the permanent solution.Sir, you know Nepalese Government is heavily
involved to fight against Maoist insurgency at present. So many development
work can't be launched by government, this is the bitter fact in Nepal. We
are now helpless, everything we lost.

from Environment News Service December 5, 2000

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************

CLIMATE CHANGE TOO SERIOUS TO IGNORE, TALKS RESUME

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, December 5, 2000 (ENS) - Informal consultations
are scheduled to begin Wednesday in Ottawa in an attempt to revive the
stalled climate negotiations.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-03.html

************************************************************

INTERFOR WORKERS PLEAD GUILTY TO ELAHO VIOLENCE

By Neville Judd

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, December 5, 2000 (ENS) - Five forestry workers
have pled guilty for their part in a violent attack last year on an
environmentalists' camp in the Elaho Valley, north of Vancouver. But
environmentalists claim dozens more escaped justice.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-10.html

************************************************************

RAIN WASTED IN ARID ISRAEL AS GOVERNMENTS QUARREL

By David Sugarman

JERUSALEM, Israel, December 5, 2000 (ENS) - Ongoing disputes between local
authorities in Israel may bring on the next infrastructure disaster with
the next rainstorm.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-01.html

************************************************************

RUSSIA DENIES LEAKED PLAN TO HANDLE NUCLEAR WASTE

MOSCOW, Russia, December 5, 2000 (ENS) - The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry
has denied reports by several Russian environmental organizations that it
is planning to store and dispose of radioactive wastes in Sarov, Nizhny
Novgorod region.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-02.html

***********************************************************

UK HORROR STAR'S ANTI-VIVISECTION AD BANNED

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 5, 2000 (ENS) - UK radio authorities have
banned a series of ads by an animal welfare group deeming them too
political. The ads feature movie star Christopher Lee warning that
donations to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) "cause suffering and death
for not one, but thousands."

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-11.html

************************************************************

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: DECEMBER 5, 2000

Bayer Refuses to Recall Poultry Antibiotic

Eco-Strategy for Off Road Vehicles on Public Lands Issued

Ute Tribe Receives Largest Native American Land Return

California Developers Fined for Stormwater Violations

Government Opens Renewable Energy Options for Navajo Nation

Poll: Americans Support Cleaner Diesel Trucks

Animal Welfare Group Decries Death of Circus Elephant

Weather Alert System to Bolster Tennessee School Safety

New York Plans for Rivers and Estuaries Institute

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-05-09.html

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.

************************************************************
          SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

NRDC Applauds Executive Order Establishing Northwest Hawaiian Islands Reserve
President's Action Will Protect 70 Percent of Nation¹s Coral Reefs

     WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 5, -/E-Wire/--  Calling it a "precedent-setting step
forward for ocean protection," the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)
hailed the executive order announced today by President Clinton establishing
the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.

     /  CONTACT: NRDC, Karen Garrison at 415-777-0220, Sarah Chasis at 212-727-4423;  
KAHEACha Smith, Isaac Harp, Buzzy Agard, Dave Raney  (202) 347-3000 : 12/3, 12/4; Dr. Stephanie Fried (808) 262-7128

     /Web site:  www.nrdc.org

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/05Dec0003.html

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Solpower Initiates Enzyme Products Division Announces Executive Appointment

     SCOTTSDALE, AR, Dec. 5 -/E-Wire/-- Solpower Corp. (NASD OTC BB: SLPW)
Tuesday announced the formation of an Enzyme Products Division.  This new division
will focus on enzyme technologies that have proven commercial value. The market for
enzyme technologies as a natural answer to many environmental problems, has created
the opportunity for simple, cost-effective solutions for both industry and the consumer.

     /CONTACT: Dominion Capital Trond Matteson, 480/947-4477
info@dominioncapital.com

           /Web site:  http://www.solpower.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/05Dec0004.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Papua New Guinea's National Forest
                     Service Form Research Collaboration

Expert in Sustainable Forest Management Martin B. Golman of Papua New Guinea's
            National Forest Service Named BRIT Research Associate

    FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 5 -/E-Wire/-- The Botanical Research Institute
of Texas (BRIT) and Papua New Guinea's National Forest Service (NFS) today
announced that they have signed an agreement forming a collaboration to seek
joint support for basic and applied research projects in botany and forestry.

    /CONTACT:  S. H. Sohmer, Ph.D., director of Botanical Research Institute
of Texas, 817-332-4441, or metro, 817-429-3200, or email, ssohmer@brit.org/

    /Web site:  http://www.brit.org /

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/05Dec0002.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Plastic Lumber's Product is Used to Construct the World's First
Suspension Bridge From Entirely Plastic Lumber

     BOCA RATON,Fla.-Dec. 5,-/E-WIre/--U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp.
(Nasdaq:USPL - news), announced today that its Trimax® brand of structural
plastic lumber was recently used to build the world's first suspension
bridge built entirely with plastic lumber. The bridge was built in the
Hudson River Interpretive Trail in New Baltimore, New York and is built
exclusively with the Trimax® product. The bridge was designed by McLaren
Engineering to be able to carry light truck traffic and it was funded by the
State of New York, Department of Economic Development.

     /CONTACT:  U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp., Boca Raton Mark S. Alsentzer John W.
Poling 561/394-3511

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/05Dec0005.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EARTH signs $4 Million Contract with MISR Environmental Services Company

     Montreal, Quebec., Dec 5-/E-Wire/--EARTH (Canada) Corporation (CDNX:
EAR), a leader in hydrocarbon remediation technology, today announced it has
received a C$4,000,000 (approx.) contract from MISR Environmental Services
Company, a leading environmental servicing company in Egypt, for the sale of
20 tons bulk of the Company¹s proprietary RPAÒ (Reusable Petroleum
Absorbent).  The contract does not include auxiliary revenue from services
and technology transfers.

     /CONTACT: EARTH (Canada) Corporation Investor Relations (514)-522-5550 Toll
Free:1-877-4RPA-TEC Email: investor@earthcanada.com/

    /Web site: www.earthcanada.com <http://www.earthcanada.com>

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/05Dec0001.html

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  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
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from Gopal Pyakurel December 6, 2000

THERE ARE A LOT OF ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF TINY HIMALAYAN KINGDOM NEPAL. ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER LIKE FLOODING, LANDSLIDE, SOIL EROSION ARE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR NEPAL. WE HAVE THE EXTRA LOAD OF TIBETAN AND BHUTANESE REFUGEE PROBLEM BY WHICH NEPALESE SOCIOECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENT SECTORS ARE BADLY AFFECTED. HUNDRED THOUSAND BHUTANESE REFUGEE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLEARANCE OF THE JUNGLE AND WILD LIFE IN EASTERN NEPAL AS A RESULT LOCAL PEOPLE ARE FACING FATAL CONSEQUENCES.
            POLITICAL INSTABILITY, VAST POVERTY AND CORRUPTED LEADERSHIP ARE
CAUSES TO EMERGE THE MAOIST POLITICAL PARTY. THE MAOIST ACTIVITY (VIOLENCE)SEEMS TO BE IN MATURE PHASE. SO NEPALESE GOVERNMENT IS VIOLENTLY FIGHTING AGAINST THEM. SO ALL THE DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE
GOVERNMENT IS INTERRUPTED. THE MAJOR NATIONAL BUDGET IS BEING SPENT ON WAR
AGAINST THOSE REBELS. IN THIS CRUCIAL SITUATION THE MAJOR LEADER AND DONOR
COUNTRIES SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT NEPAL'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM. IF IT IS
IGNORED, THERE MAY BE A LOT OF PROBLEMS AROUND THE REGION.
            CURRENTLY USA TAKES SOME DIPLOMATIC STEP TO SETTLE THE BHUTANESE
REFUGEE PROBLEM. IT IS VERY POSITIVE HOPE FOR NEPAL. NOW IT'S THE TIME TO DO
SOME MORE HELP TO UPGRADE NEPALESE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT. IF THERE REMAINS POVERTY FOR LONG TIME, NO BODY KNOWS WHO MISLEADS THE TINY COUNTRY. THANK YOU.
SINCERELY,
GOPAL PYAKUREL 

from Environment News Service November 6, 2000

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************

EPA, GENERAL ELECTRIC CLASH OVER HUDSON RIVER CLEANUP

By Brian Hansen

NEW YORK, New York, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency today recommended that the General Electric Company
finance a $460 million effort to dredge more than 100,000 pounds of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a 40 mile stretch of the Hudson River
in upstate New York.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-15.html

************************************************************

CAVIAR CRISIS LOOMS AS STURGEON NUMBERS DWINDLE

By Cat Lazaroff

WASHINGTON, DC, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - Caviar, long a symbol of luxury,
is emerging instead as a sign of environmental mismanagement as Caspian Sea
sturgeon populations - source of much of the world's caviar - plummet. As
sales of caviar increase this holiday season, environmental groups are
warning that demand for the prized treat could drive the long lived fish to
extinction.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-06.html

************************************************************

EU PROPOSES MARITIME SAFETY AGENCY AFTER OIL, CHEMICAL SPILLS  

BRUSSELS, Belgium, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - To deal with massive oil spills
such as the one last December from the tanker Erika off the French coast,
the European Commission today published a second set of legislative
proposals to improve maritime safety.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-02.html

************************************************************

CANADIAN SPECIES AT RISK LIST GROWS

MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - The list of Canadian
species at risk has grown by 11.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-10.html

************************************************************

LARGEST SOLAR SYSTEM DEDICATED IN CALIFORNIA

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - The largest
private commercial solar power system in the Western Hemisphere was
dedicated today in California.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-03.html

***********************************************************

EUROPEAN AWARDS RECOGNIZE GREEN FRIENDLY FIRMS

BRUSSELS, Belgium, December 6, 2000 (ENS) - A company's whose technology
allows medical images to be obtained without the use of chemicals was among
those recognized as the best and brightest at
the European Awards for the Environment 2000.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-11.html

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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: DECEMBER 6, 2000

POPs Treaty Needs Precautionary Approach

Diazinon to be Banned from Most Uses

Starlink Corn Called Potential Allergen

Deadly Disease Strikes Birds in Southeast

Nitric Oxide + Alcohol = Air Pollution

Alaska Glacier Melting Away

American Chestnuts May Make a Comeback

Photo Contest Highlights National Parks

Giant Pandas Land in Nation's Capital

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-06-09.html

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.

************************************************************
          SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com

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TO BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:

         Streaming Media Pioneer First to Receive GSA Approved Status

    ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- Streampipe.com, an industry-
pioneer, announced today that it has received approval to provide streaming
media services to the government based on the GSA Federal Supply Schedule.  As
the first GSA-approved Internet broadcasting service provider, Streampipe will
dramatically improve the way GSA's federal customers communicate with their
key publics.

    /CONTACT:  Kirk Monroe, 202-331-0175, or kirk@kmcpr.com, for
Streampipe.com/

    /Web site: http://www.streampipe.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0006.html

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TO BUSINESS, AUTO AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

     EPA Recognizes GM Facility for Achieving Environmental
                    Goals in Pontiac, Mich.

    DETROIT, MI, Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- On December 6, EPA Assistant Administrator
Timothy Fields, Jr., recognized the General Motors Truck Product Center in
Pontiac, Michigan today as the 500th high priority facility to meet two
environmental goals under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Corrective Action program.  EPA also recognized the facility for its nearly $1
billion redevelopment plan that turned the once abandoned site into a 650-acre
business park.

    /CONTACT:  Karen Thompson, 312-353-8547, Helen DuTeau, 202-564-7831, or
Dave Barthmuss - GM Communications, 313-665-9036, all of General Motors
Corporation/

      /Web site:  http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
     /Web site:  http://www.epa.gov/correctiveaction/reforms.htm/
     /Web site:  http://media.gm.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0007.html

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     E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

           Active Power's CleanSource to Protect State-of-the-Art
                Wafer Fabrication Facility

           51 CleanSource Units to Protect 10 Megawatt
                STMicroelectronics Facility

     AUSTIN, TX, Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- Active Power, Inc. (Nasdaq:ACPW -
news) of Austin, Texas, a developer and manufacturer of battery-free power
quality solutions, today announced it has received an order for fifty-one
240 kilowatt (kW) flywheel systems valued at more than $1.4 million from
Bergerat Monnoyeur Travaux Publics (BME), a Caterpillar dealer in France.
These flywheel energy storage systems will be used to backup the
STMicroelectronics wafer fab in Rousset, France and are being delivered
during the next two quarters.

     /CONTACT:  Active Power, Inc., Austin Bob Gray, 512/744-9284
bgray@activepower.com or PRTek, Inc., Austin Preston F. Kirk, 830/693-4447
preston@prtek.com/

         /Web site: http://www.activepower.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0005.html

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     E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

            Anheuser-Busch Sponsors Scholarships for Conservation

    WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- Outstanding college and graduate
students studying the nation's wildlife and their habitat will have a chance
to compete for scholarships to support and promote innovative research or
study.

    /CONTACT:  Meg Snyder, Director, External Affairs, of the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, 202-857-5676/

    /Web site:  http://www.nfwf.org/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0002.html

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     E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

    Shell Named First Recipient of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's
                               Director's Award

    WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- Shell Oil Company is the first
recipient of the Director's Award from the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the conservation of fish,
wildlife, plants, and their habitats by attracting diverse investments to
conservation and encouraging locally supported stewardship on private and
public lands.  Shell was selected in recognition of their corporate
philanthropic efforts in support of the Shell Marine Habitat Program.

    /CONTACT:  Meg Snyder of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
202-857-5676/

    /Web site:  http://www.nfwf.org/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0003.html

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     E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE   E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE
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        EUROTECH Ltd Forms a New Business Unit to Market
             Nuclear Waste Encapsulation Product

        Eurotech staffs Nuclear and Environment Division to
         capitalize on EKOR's global market opportunities

     FAIRFAX, Va., Dec. 6 -/E-Wire/-- EUROTECH, Ltd (AMEX :EUO - news)
announced today that it has put in place a nuclear and environmental
business unit (Nuclear and Environmental Division) to spearhead global
market penetration of EKOR, a material used to encapsulate and isolate
nuclear waste, and to push other specialized application techniques and
product formulations.

     /CONTACT: Investor Relations: Investor Ideas Dawn VanZant, 800-665-0411
dawnvz@direct.ca or Media Relations: Golin/Harris Kimberly Lutz,
212/697-9191 Kdlutz@golinharris.com/

     /Web site: http://www.eurotechltd.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0004.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS,

                    Helge Hellberg new CCOF Marketing Director

     SANTA CRUZ, CA, Dec. 06, -/E-Wire/-- California Certified Organic
Farmers (CCOF), the largest certification and trade association for the
California organic industry, has recently hired Helge Hellberg as their new
Marketing Director.  Mr. Hellberg previously worked for Wild Oats Community
Markets as the Northern California Marketing Coordinator, and for a variety
of clients in the eco-tourism industry as an independent marketing
consultant in Germany.  

     /CONTACT:      Keith Proctor, (831) 423-2263. CCOC, California
Certified Organic Farmers, 1115 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA   95060-3526,
Tel: 831.423.2263. Fax: 831.423.4528, ccof@ccof.org/

     /Web site:  www.ccof.org /

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/06Dec0001.html

************************************************************
  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
************************************************************

from Rainforest Action Network December 6, 2000

GRASSROOTS PRESSURE FORCES FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
TO DUMP 60% OF THEIR OXY STOCK!

U'WA SUPPORTERS NOW TURN TO OXY'S  NEW LARGEST SHAREHOLDER,
SANFORD C. BERNSTEIN/ALLIANCE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT!

U'WA PRESIDENT ROBERTO PEREZ TO CONFRONT SANFORD BERNSTEIN IN SF
AND DEMAND THEY DIVEST FROM OXY!

In this post:
1. ACTION ALERT!  Demand Sanford Bernstein/Alliance Capital
Management divest from Oxy!
2. U'wa Traditional Authority President Robert Perez
to come to SF Dec 11+12!
3. NYC Wetlands U. wa Action report
4. Interview with Roberto Perez, President of the
   Traditional U'wa Authority
5. Interview with Armando Valbuena President of the Indian National
      Organization of Colombia (ONIC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

#1
Activists across the globe (yes you!)  have taken to the streets on behalf
of the U'wa people of Colombia to demand that Fidelity Investments dump
their stock in Occidental Petroleum.  From Boston to San Francisco,
Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, Tokyo to London, people have been
demanding that Fidelity change their investment strategy and help the U'wa
people in their struggle to save their culture and ancestral territory from
Oxy's destructive oil project.

As of the second quarter reports, Fidelity Investments has dumped 18 million
shares of Oxy stock, approximately 60% of their holdings worth over $412
million dollars!  This divestment came on the heels of mass protest around
the world - thousands of people mobilized to demonstrate at over 75 Fidelity
offices, non-violent occupy Fidelity investor centers, symbolically dump
blood and oil and generate tons of bad publicity for Fidelity.   But of
course as a Fidelity spokesperson told Money magazine in October this
historic mobilization had no real impact and Fidelity's massive divestment
"was in no way related to the protests."  Surrrrreeee.  We believe that
about as much as we believe Fidelity's slogan that they help their customers
"invest responsibly".  Fidelity. s divestment is a huge step towards victory
and shows that coordinated grassroots pressure is starting to push investors
beyond just their bottom line to take the environment and human rights into
account.

However, as Oxy's test drilling continues at the Gibraltar 1 drillsite on
U'wa land we must channel our collective energies into exposing Occidental's
new #1 shareholder, Sanford C. Bernstein.   Over the past year New York
based Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC, a subsidiary of Alliance Capital
Management L.P., increased its shares by 10 million to become Oxy's top
investor. They currently control over 53 million shares of Oxy stock valued
at more than $1.1 billion dollars (as of November 29, 2000).  Sanford
Bernstein & Co., together with their parent company Alliance Capital, manage
assets of up to $470 billion and have over 20 offices worldwide.
It's time to start writing, faxing, calling and visiting Sanford
Bernstein/Alliance Capital offices around the world.  We can unite to make
Sanford Bernstein hear our voices raised in solidarity with the U'wa and
show them and all of Oxy's investor that we will not  tolerate them
investing in the destruction of the U'wa lands and culture.  We demand the
Sanford Bernstein invest responsibly and  "Stop investing in Genocide!" and
either get Oxy to cancel plans to drill on all U'wa ancestral territory or
divest entirely from Oxy stock.

U'wa President Roberto Perez will be in San Francisco to kick-off the
Sanford Bernstein campaign, so please stay tuned to the U'wa Updates list
for more information!

You can write, call or fax Sanford Bernstein's Vice Chairman Roger Hertog at
their US Corporate Headquarters at:

Mr. Roger Hertog
Vice Chairman
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10153-0185
Or fax him at : 212-756-4453
Or call him directly at: 212-756-4389

Offices are located in cities across the U.S and Sanford's parent company
Alliance Capital has offices around the world.
Below is a list of US office locations.  Check out their web site
<http://www.bernstein.com>  for more details.

Look over the list below and then organize, organize, organize! For more
information on this issue, or to let us know about
a demonstration planned in your area call Patrick at
415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN
or e-mail him at organize@ran.org <mailto:organize@ran.org>.


Bernstein Investment Research and Management

HEADQUARTERS: NEW YORK
767 Fifth Avenue  New York, NY 10153-0185   212-486-5800

CHICAGO
227 West Monroe Street Chicago, IL 60606-5016  312-696-7800

DALLAS
300 Crescent Court Dallas, TX 75201-1876  214-860-5200

LOS ANGELES
1999 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067-6123
310-286-6000

SAN FRANCISCO
555 California Street San Francisco, CA 94104-1708
415-217-8000

SEATTLE
Two Union Square 601 Union Street Suite 4650 Seattle, WA
98101-4050   206-342-1300

WASHINGTON D.C.
800 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006-2720
202-261-6700

WEST PALM BEACH
Phillips Point--West Tower 777 South Flagler Drive West
Palm Beach, FL 33401  561-820-2100

WHITE PLAINS
One North Lexington Avenue White Plains, NY 10601-1785
914-993-2300

Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd
HEADQUARTERS: LONDON
99 Gresham Street London EC2V 7NG United Kingdom
44-20-7367-7300

To find  other  offices  near you, go to:
<http://www.bernstein.com/locations.htm>

For additional US and international Alliance Capital locations
(UK, Germany, Africa, Australia, Japan, India, Canada, etc.)go to:

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=AC&script=11931&layou
t=11&item_id='offices.html'

For background info on the U'wa struggle and the international solidarity
campaign check out :

www.ran.org      www.amazonwatch.org    www.moles.org




#2
* * *please spread widely! * * *

The President of the Traditional U'wa Authority Roberto Perez is coming to
San Francisco!

Don't miss the chance to hear about this inspiring indigenous rights
struggle first hand!

Monday December 11, 7:30 pm
Community Forum : The U'wa Struggle for Survival
The Women's Building 3543 18th St (between Valencia and Guerrero)

Tuesday December 12,  12pm
Rally to stop Sanford Bernstein Corporation from investing in genocide!
Join U'wa leader Roberto Perez in confronting Occidental
Petroleum's largest investor Sanford Bernstein.
555 California (cross street Kearney) downtown SF near Montgomery BART


Colombia's U'wa people have been struggling for 8 years to defend their
ancestral homelands against efforts by Occidental Petroleum (Oxy)and the
Colombian government to drill for oil. As the U'wa have repeatedly mobilized
to blockade Oxy's drilling, they have been joined in nonviolent resistance
by local campesinos, students, striking workers and other indigenous
peoples, who see themselves in a common struggle. Backed by a $1.3 billion US aid
package with no human rights restrictions, the Colombian government has
militarized the U'wa homeland, and left three children dead and dozens of
peaceful protesters injured.

The U'wa's uncompromising resistance has inspired hundreds of solidarity
actions around the world, from Tokyo to India's Narmada Valley, from London
to Chile, San Francisco to West Palm Beach!  In early November Occidental
began test drilling but the U'wa resistance continues! Don't miss this
unique opportunity to hear directly from U'wa Traditional Authority
president Roberto Perez about the latest developments on the ground.

Then on Tuesday Dec 12 join Roberto Perez in directly confronting Occidental
Petroleum's largest shareholder asset management company Sanford Bernstein!
Activists around the world targeted Fidelity Investments (formerly Oxy's
largest shareholder) and demanded they stop investing in the destruction of
U'wa lands and culture.  After more than 75 actions at Fidelity offices
around the world they have dumped more half their Oxy stock - 18 million shares!
Now its time to do the same with Sanford Bernstein.  Last April Sanford
Bernstein president, Roger Hertog assured the U'wa that he would look into his
companies investments in Oxy and come to a "just and fair" solution.  Well
his solution was to buy 10 million more Oxy shares!  Now its time to hold
them accountable and get another major Oxy shareholder to divest.

Bring your instruments, banners and signs supporting the U'wa and calling on
SB to stop investing in genocide and destruction.

Work parties are being planned.  For more information contact
Rainforest Action Network at 415-398-4404 or email organize@ran.org

---------------------------------------------------------------


#3  NY activists rally for the U'wa at Colombian consulate call on Gore and
Colombia President Pastrana to get Oxy off U'wa land!

From: Adam Weissman, Wetlands Preserve [mailto:jun1022@cybernex.net]

We had activists in Irani, Gore, and Pastrana costumes,
an 8" tall mock oil derrick, oil drums with Oxy logos,  anti-Oxy
t-shirts, signs, banners, and leaflets in English and Spanish.  "Ray
Irani" handed fake money to Gore and Pastrana, who proceeded to dump
"oil" from the drums on an activist representing the U'wa.  We also
had a banner with the slogan, "The Real Cliffhanger: The U'wa vs.
Al Gore and Occidental Oil: Too Close to Call ,"

At the end of the demo, two of us entered the consulate and went to
the top floor to meet with or set an appointment with the Consular
General to express our concerns. We were told that he was out to
lunch.  We then proceeded to leaflet almost every person in the
building before leaving.

-------------------------------------------------
# 4
Interview with Roberto Perez   November 17, 2000

My name is Roberto Perez. I am the President of the U. wa community.

What makes you U. wa?

We U. wa are people that live nearby the Sierra de Cocuy. To be an U. wa means
that you can think, feel and protect.

What is the U. wa. s purpose in life?

It is to value your own culture and to keep contact with nature and all the
world that surrounds us.

What is your structure of government and each person. s role?

Our highest authority is our Traditional Authority. He rules over all of us,
he teaches us, he educates us, he the one who tells us how to interpret the world
around us.

Can you describe your culture - what you wear, eat, where you sleep?

Our culture is different from the peasant, non-indigenous culture. We are
born with it.  As I said, our purpose is to educate and our first teacher is our
mother when we are born, it is she who teaches us the names of the rivers, the trees,
the animals, the birds. Then there are the rights, I. m going to tell you about the
rights. We have songs about the fruit trees which we consider sacred. We have sacred songs
and the origin of the world and the way things are ordered in nature. We sing to
keep in touch with nature.

What is a day like in the cloud forest? What do you see, and hear?

There. s a very important fact about the place that I live in. When we get
out of our houses - we can see the mountains and then before the mountains - we see the
rivers, unpolluted, clear. We consume from its waters, we consume pure air - that. s
why we think we. re closer to nature. That. s why we think we are closer to
everything that surrounds us.

Can you describe your ceremonies throughout the year?

Yes, I. m going to tell you about the rite that we practice for the corn
harvest - we sing to the corn for it to give a plentiful and good quality harvest - we to sing
to the water - we sing to our origins - to the place that we are born - we have a song for
the sun too.
Those are the rites that we practice, that. s our school - our teachers are
our ancestral authorities - its no easy thing to be an authority in my community. You have
to study a lot - yet you don. t study with pencils or books. We learn in an oral way.
We learn the stories and the songs. In order to become an authority you must study more
than you can ever imagine. Sometimes it could take 20-25 years to become an eminent
authority. Then you could become a professional.

Tell us about the U. wa. s relationship with the earth, the animals and the
spirits.

First we have a strong bond with the earth - the mother earth - because she
nurtures us - she provides for us. She. s the one that gives the products that keep
our community alive. When we work, she gives. Without the mother, there is no life. We
respect all the things that grow in our mother. There. s even some medicine plants that
cannot be cut or misused. We have a lot of respect for our origins - there are sacred
places that have to do a lot with our origins that we cannot go to. There are sacred trees
that we cannot touch - only our Traditional Authority is authorized to communicate with
them. We have a lot of respect for water too because water is the fountain, we cannot live
without water.

Tell us the story about the U. wa and Occidental Petroleum.

First when the first settlers came, the culture of destruction came with
them. Then came the people who wanted us to convert to Christianity, with them, destruction
came to. With the settlers, the home of the animals were destroyed and the animals have a
right to live to. That. s why at the present time we. re not defending our territory only
for us, but for all the creatures who abide in it. We want to defend our territory. After
several years what we call the second invasion since the settlers came. After the destruction
caused by the settlers we started to see the destruction caused by this second invasion,
the invasion of the Occidental Petroleum Company.

I want to say more. I want to say that when we got a word that an oil
company was going to come to explore for oil in our territory we had a big meeting with all of
our authorities in order to agree on what we thought about this and what we thought about our
territory. From this meeting we concluded that we were not in agreement with the oil
exploration at all. We concluded too that we consider oil to be the blood of the mother earth and
the sustainment of all the balance of the things of nature. To make an oil exploration is an
attempt against all of the natural things in the world - it is an attempt to destroy its
balance - it has a lot of consequences too of which I am going to mention. One that you can see right
now and that is violence. Two is the destruction of your environment.


Can you tell us about the history of suicide with your people and why your
leader would tell you to do this, and what your people are thinking of this now?

This is a story that comes from the past. It is true that our ancestors
committed suicide when the Spaniards came in order not to become their slaves. They all jumped
from a cliff and that cliff has its name. Its called the Cliff of the Dead. In the
present time, though we know about this story, our leaders have told us not to talk about
it anymore. Because what we are going to do now is to defend our territory with the help
of non-indigenous entities and groups.

What have you done to stop the project?

First I want to say that the project has not been stopped. Just 20 days ago
the company started drilling. I want to say it has been a constant struggle for us - a
struggle that we. ve maintained for eight years now. And it has been hard and long. The
government doesn. t care about us. We care about our territory, we care about our resources, but
they say we just care about ourselves. The government say they are the part of a lot
of things - but we say they don. t care about the U. wa people, they don. t care about our
5,000 people. We say they want to destroy our resources, our non-renewable resources, they
want to take advantage of our territory and plunder it. To do so is a violation of
our legal, traditional and patrimonial rights. We. re still fighting but the government
hasn. t understood our position. They do not understand the consequences of what their doing .
They do not understand that we must protect our land.

What is happening at the drill site - what are your people doing?

Well, they are already drilling and the rest of it is that we have a
permanent group of 35 U. wa. s occupying the farm that we. ve bought from the peasants.

Tell us about the land deeds.

We say that, that land, that territory, is our property. Its is our
territory not because of any title, written deed or anything like that. Its because we were born
there. Its because that. s our mother land. We have to fight for this, we have to defend this
and this is not only a warning for indigenous people this is a warning for everybody out
there. For the peasants who have been expropriated of their land and no public deed or
title over the land have served their purpose. They have all been ignored by the ones who
want to have their lands.

What is the next step and the future of the U. wa?
The future for the U. wa is the conservation, no not the conservation - the
higher valuing of our culture because an indigenous people that has no culture is a
worthless community.
We were born with a culture -  and we are going to nurture it and we. re
going to know  everything about it - up to the last Indian alive. And that. s why I am
here - informing the world - asking for your support and your solidarity.

How can the people here help the U. wa?
The first step to help the U. wa is to spread this knowledge of our
situation. The first step is for you to open the spaces for us to give lectures - and talk to the
people - to open your ears and listen to us - then we can start a movement - an
international movement - of people that has solidarity toward us, and not only toward us,
it doesn. t have to be international just because - it has to be international
cause this is an international problem. We. re not the only nation that has this problem.
For example in Ecuador there is a community that. s facing this same problem of a company
invading their territory, destroying their resources. We have to communicate with
them, we have to share our experience, we have to learn about our experience and then look
for a common way out of our trouble. That. s what we can do.

Mucho Gracias.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#5
My name is Armando Valbuena and I come from the Watichyu (pronounced Y-you)
community from Northern Colombia and at the current time am the President of
the Indian National Organization of Colombia.

Describe the current political situation in Colombia.

The 40 million people that live in Colombia are facing a civil war. A war
that is fought for the possession of territories where the natural resources are located.
This war has various political elements, economic elements, military elements and social
activities such as racial segregation which is being applied to our people. There. s two
ongoing social genocides that. s part of this large scale war that being fought for the
property and the land.

Describe the US role in this and the role of the International Monetary Fund
and The
World Bank.

The IMF has issued some directives to the President of Colombia in order for
him to reform our Constitution to set up the stage for further interventions. The
World Bank is supporting changing the economic policies of Colombia in order for the
multinational companies like mining companies and oil extraction companies to profit even
more from the war in Colombia, so they can exploit more resources and get more profit
from each unit of the resources they get.  The US government through the actions and
decisions of the US congress has brought Plan Colombia which has two main phases. The
first phase or stage of the plan is the military phase which consists of seven
million dollars that is dedicated to bombing the sites where they consider a military
danger - a threat to national security. A second phase is the economic phase or social phase
of the plan which consists in signing Colombia into the North American Free Trade
Agreement.

What are the largest problems facing indigenous people in Colombia?

Following directives by the US Congress, that consists basically in adding
Colombia to NAFTA we could lose the judicial entity - the Indigenous Reserve or
Reservation. And through our constitution reform we could be facing the loss of the
territories that have already been legally established for the indigenous communities.  As soon as
Colombia enters NAFTA the massacres only won. t be targeted to the peasant communities
but they are going to be mainly indigenous massacres. These are going to be
ethnic cleansing massacres in order to free the land of any inhabitants that would
be an obstacle to the oil companies to enter and  plunder our natural resources.

How are the U. wa being affected by this global economy?

As soon as the drilling start the Uw. a people can very well be banished from
the land. Their culture is going to be destroyed, their language is going to be
destroyed their lives are going to be destroyed. The rivers are going to be polluted and
with the rivers, all of the environment will start to die slowly. Without the rivers and with
their pollution comes the death of everything that feeds off the river. The U. wa people feed
on the products of the jungle. The most important element of globalization is the
accumulation of capital. International governments and multinational. s see the U. wa
indigenous people as an obstacle for the accumulation of capital, so they must be eliminated.

Why would the US give Colombia 1.7 million dollars in military aid?

This aid is only given in order to protect and secure the region of Putamaya
which holds large oil sites, and its issued in order to displace the people from the
lands to drive out the peasants from their lands, to drive indigenous people out of their
lands, and to pollute the rivers - to pollute the environment to set the stage for the
destruction of these resources.

What kind of effect will Plan Colombia have on the U. wa?

Plan Colombia was supported in the US by the multinational Oxy. This plan
has within it a set of tools that will be use to exterminate the U. wa as well as other
indigenous people that live in Colombia.  This is a war that is not only military, but
economic and administrative. This second phase of plan Colombia means that the
constitution will be reformed so the rights that are written now are not going to be written
anymore and we. re not going to have any way to defend our territory and our reservation.

What do you think is a solution to these problems?

For the existence of the U. wa people, for the peace in all territories in
Colombia and for all the people of Colombia:  is organization, mobilization and discussion -
support - from people like you - citizens in the US.

And this is how people can help here in the US?

These are the basic ways - but in your struggle - in your support you. ll
find more transcending ways to help us that have been known to be used in other
conflicts like for example the use of human shields in the U. wa territories or the sending
of commissions and the mobilizations directly into those territories.

What is your hopes for the future of the U. wa and indigenous people
everywhere? The survival of the U. wa people and the indigenous people around the world
depend on the mobilization of citizens of the US and the support we can get from
every International community that we can have contact with.

Also, I would recommend that for the next election that you ask for a
commission from the Colombia government to review the process of elections and to give
some recommendations on how to do it.  (laughs)

from Environment News Service December 7, 2000

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS)      http://ens-news.com

               "We Cover the Earth For You"
************************************************************

CLIMATE CHANGE OFFICIALS EDGE CLOSER TO AGREEMENT

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - Two days of informal
climate talks have narrowed the gap between the European Union and other
industrialized nations on precisely how to limit the emission of greenhouse
gases linked to global warming.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-02.html

************************************************************

CORPORATE HOG FARM INDUSTRY HIT WITH LEGAL ASSAULT

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - A coalition of environmental and
family farm activist groups has recruited a powerful team of private sector
attorneys and law firms to launch what they are calling a "broad legal
assault" against the corporate hog industry.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-15.html

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INVESTIGATION PROBES WORKER RADIATION EXPOSURE AT ROCKY FLATS

GOLDEN, Colorado, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - Investigators are still trying to
determine how 10 workers were exposed to radiation in recent weeks at the
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a former U.S. government nuclear
weapons manufacturing facility located 15 miles northwest of Denver,
Colorado.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-16.html

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RISK BSE OR LOSE THE FARM? CANADIAN COURT DECIDES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - A Vancouver
Island farming family finally had their day in court yesterday to try to
save their herd of water buffalo, their farm and ultimately, their life
savings.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-11.html

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VARIETY, FLEXIBILITY ARE KEYS TO BIODIESEL MARKET

CHELSEA, Massachusetts, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - World Energy Alternatives,
the largest primary biodiesel supplier in the country, has built its
customer base with virgin soy biodiesel, the fuel the company says is the
most mature and widely recognized type of biodiesel. Now, after four years
of research and development, World Energy supplies biodiesel made from
every available feedstock, including reclaimed restaurant oil.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-01.html

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SPAIN WANTS STRICKEN NUCLEAR SUB RETURNED TO UK

MADRID, Spain, December 7, 2000 (ENS) - Spain has publicly stated it wants
a stricken nuclear submarine removed from Gibraltar, where it has
languished for six months awaiting repairs.

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-10.html

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ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: DECEMBER 7, 2000

750,000 Acres of Private Forest Land Win Protection

Texas Passes Comprehensive Houston Area Clean Air Plan

$50 Million for Long Island's Drinking Water

Ecoterrorists Strike Long Island Construction Site

Endangered Sea Lions Under Attack by Alaska Senator

Genetically Modified Rice Resists Insects

Environmental Groups Criticize Off Road Planning in Florida

Army Hosts First Worldwide Environmental/Energy Conference

Sea Shepherd Begins Five Year Galapagos Patrol

Three Floridians Honored for Ocean Conservation

For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-07-09.html

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2000 All Rights Reserved.

************************************************************
          SEND NEWS STORY TIPS TO news@ens-news.com

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TO BUSINESS EDITOR:

          Yosemite Park Concessionaire Ranks Among Top 10 Businesses
          In California for Recycling and Waste Reduction Practices

    YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif., Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- Yosemite Concession
Services Corporation (YCS) was named one of the Top 10 companies in the state
for its outstanding waste reduction, recycling, and reuse practices.  YCS, an
authorized concessionaire for the National Park Service, received the "Waste
Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) of the Year" award from members of the
California Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Waste Management Board
during a ceremony today in Yosemite National Park.

    /CONTACT:  Media - Karen Hales, 209-372-1492, khales@dncinc.com, for
Yosemite Concession Services Corporation, Public Information - 209-372-1000/

    /Web site:  http://www.YosemitePark.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0010.html

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TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND BUSINESS EDITORS:

               Startech Environmental Receives Letter of Intent
                     For Medical Waste Facility in Poland

    WILTON, Conn., Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- Startech Environmental Corp.
(Nasdaq: STHK), the world leader in plasma waste destruction and recycling
technology, announced today that Unistar Energy Services, LLC an authorized
Startech Distributor, has signed a Letter of Intent with Ark-Eko-Serwis
Company for the purchase of a 5 ton per day Plasma Waste Converter system to
be placed in Poland to process medical waste.  

    /CONTACT:  Robert L. DeRochie, VP of Investor Relations of Startech
Environmental Corp., 203-762-2499, fax: 203-761-0839,
e-mail: starmail@startech.net/

     /Web site:  http://www.startech.net/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0002.html


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TO BUSINESS EDITOR:

                     EarthCare Announces New Board Member

    DALLAS, TX, Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- EarthCare Company (Nasdaq: ECCO) announced
today that William W. Solomon, Jr., who recently joined the company as Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed to serve on the
Board of Directors for EarthCare.  Mr. Solomon will stand for election to the
Board at EarthCare's 2001 annual meeting.

    /CONTACT:  Lew Nevins, Vice President, Investor Relations of EarthCare
Company, 972-858-6025/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0001.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

      ECOLOGYFUND.COM LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO ESTABLISH
           NEW NATIONAL PARK IN EAST AFRICA

EcologyFund.com Joins Italian NGO & Tanzanian Government in
Plan to Protect 250,000 Acres of Rare Habitat and Wildlife
Including a 50,000-acre Closed Canopy Tropical Forest

     Boston, MA, Nov. 30, -/E-Wire/--  EcologyFund.com
(http://www.EcologyFund.com) today announced their partnership with the
Italian non-government organization Fondo per la Terra
(http://www.fondoperlaterra.org/) in an effort to secure an additional
70,000 acres that will be added to surrounding lands to create the new
Saadani National Park in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Minister for Natural
Resources and Tourism, Zakira Menji, has declared her desire to create the
new 250,000-acre national park.  Full national park status will protect the
rare habitats and diverse species in perpetuity.

     /CONTACT:  Jessica Frost, 734-213-7777, jfrost@ecologyfund.com/

     /Web site:  http://www.ecologyfund.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0003.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

                 Indonesia to Build IBR Plant

          Strategic investment of $1,000,000 in IBR secures territory
                 to build first plant in Indonesia

     VANCOUVER, Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/--  International
Bio-Recovery Corp. (IBR) is pleased to announce that it has signed an
agreement to build an IBR plant in Indonesia.

     /CONTACT: Ross MacLachlan, ross@ibrcorp.com    Daniela Louie,
dlouie@ibrcorp.com Director of Corporate Communications     Corporate
Communications  & Investor Relations    International Bio Recovery
International Bio Recovery Corporation    Corporation
Tel: 604.924.1023    Tel: 604.924.1023/

      /Web site: http://www.ibrcorp.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0004.html

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        Environmental Solutions Worldwide, Inc. Engages Continental Capital
         & Equity Corporation to Manage Financial           
                      Public Relations

    National Market Awareness Campaign Scheduled For Immediate Launch

     MARKHAM, Ontario, Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- Environmental Solutions Worldwide,
Inc. (OTCBB:ESWW - news), a multi-national company that develops,
manufactures and markets environmental technologies, today announced it has
engaged Continental Capital & Equity Corporation (CCEC), a nationally
recognized, full-service financial public relations firm, to launch a
comprehensive market awareness campaign targeting individual investors,
retail stockbrokers, institutional investors, analysts and other investment
professionals.

     /CONTACT: Environmental Solutions Worldwide, Markham
Mark Nicole, 905/947-9923 or Continental Capital & Equity Corporation Jill
Stephenson, 407/682-2001 jill@insidewallstreet.com/

            /Web site: http://www.clean-cat.com/
            /Web site: http://www.cleanerfuture.com/
           /Web site: http://www.insidewallstreet.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0005.html

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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

The Longaberger(R) Company Wins Award from Ohio Department of Natural Resources

    NEWARK, Ohio, Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- The Longaberger Company has been
selected by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the 2000 Cardinal
Award.  This award is presented to individuals and organizations demonstrating
exceptional awareness and concern for the balance between the wise use and
protection of natural resources.

    /CONTACT:  Kathy Webner, 740-322-5072, or Holly Fulton, 740-322-5449, both
of The Longaberger Company/

         /Web site:  http://www.longaberger.com/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0006.html

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TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

                  Lawsuit Against EarthCare to Be Dismissed

    DALLAS, TX, Dec. 7 -/E-Wire/-- EarthCare Company (Nasdaq: ECCO) today
announced that the lawsuit filed by Sewer Management, Inc. d/b/a EarthCare USA
in early 2000 against EarthCare Company related to the use of trade names will
be dismissed by the court where the suit was initially filed.

    /CONTACT:  Lew Nevins, Vice President, Investor Relations of EarthCare
Company, 972-858-6025/

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0007.html

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To Environmental Editors:

          HYDROMET ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY LTD. ANNOUNCES

                  TEN YEAR TERM RCRA B ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT

     HAMILTON, Ontario, Dec 4-/E-Wire/-- HYDROMET ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY
LTD. ("Company") (CDNX:YHM.A) is pleased to announce that the State of
Illinois, through its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted to
our Company a ten year Hazardous Waste Management RCRA Part B Permit. The
effective start date for this EPA permit is December 26, 2000 and runs until
December 26, 2010, with provisions to further extend the term of this
permit.

     /CONTACT: Mr. Jim Lalonde Manager, Investor Relations Phone: 1 877 330 3370

     /Web site: http://www.hydrometcanada.com

For Full Text Visit:  http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Dec00/07Dec0008.html

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  SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASE ON E-WIRE -- 1-888-764-NEWS
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from Rainforest Action Network December 7, 2000

Rainforest Action Network Newsletter
December 2000
_____________________________________________________________

Greetings,

The RAN Newsletter is back, this time in a new monthly format.  Read on
for the latest news from the campaign trenches and learn how you can
help in the fight to save the Earth's precious rainforests.

In this issue:
1)   Twelve-story dinosaur flies over Boise!
2)   Is your money funding global environmental destruction?
3)   Give a gift that helps the rainforest
4)   We want your feedback
_____________________________________________________________


_______Old Growth Forest Campaign____________________________
1) Twelve Story Airborne Dinosaur Flys over Boise!

On October 24, 2000, RAN made history with our first hot air balloon
protest against dinosaur logging company Boise Cascade. RAN's Finance
Director Maureen Graney and Old Growth Campaigner Jessica Lawrence
co-piloted the giant balloon, which was three times the size of a
typical hot air balloon.  Dozens of activists from Boise joined the
protest against Boise Cascade's predatory logging.

Boise Cascade has closed down nearly all of its mills in Idaho after
decades of intense logging, exporting jobs and predatory logging
practices to old growth forests around the world.  In Chile, Boise
Cascade intends to build the world's largest chipmill in an intact
temperate rainforest.  In Mexico, peasant farmers Rodolfo Montiel and
Teodoro Cabrera are facing a decade in jail for protesting Boise
Cascade's logging operations.

Two-thirds of the species on Earth are projected to become extinct in
the next century (International Botanical Congress,
http://www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/news/press_ibc2.html).  The earth hasn't known
a mass extinction this large since the dinosaurs disappeared.  The top
cause of species extinction is loss of habitat as a result of practices
like clearcut logging of intact, old growth forests.

Companies like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kinko's have already committed to
phase out wood from endangered forests. Boise Cascade faces a simple
choice: end logging in old growth forests and invest in sustainable
alternatives, or continue destroying old growth forests and become a
dinosaur company unable to adapt to the 21st century.

Tell Boise Cascade to stop logging old growth today!

http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/old_growth/index.html

_______Citigroup Campaign____________________________________
2) Is your money funding global environmental destruction?

Citigroup, as the largest financial institution in North America and the
third largest in the world, holds an ever-expanding grip on global
financial markets, and as a consequence, the global environment and
local communities.

Research into the most destructive projects around the world repeatedly
reveals Citigroup's direct, financial involvement. From predatory
lending in US inner cities to burdensome debt payments from the global
South, Citigroup is there.  Citigroup is a top funder of devastating
projects such as mining in the Amazon basin and oil pipelines through
the rainforests of Africa.

Whether issuing bonds for the construction of the world's largest
Hydropower project slated to displace some 5 million people in China, or
arranging loans for palm plantations that encroach on critical orangutan
habitat in Indonesia, Citigroup's influence on the global environment
and communities is tremendous.  If you hold a Citibank credit card or
bank account or invest in mutual funds through Citigroup subsidiary
Solomon Smith Barney, your money is tied up in these projects and the
damaging impacts they create.

You have a choice.  Whether you are an investor, concerned citizen, or
activist, you have the opportunity to send Citigroup a strong message
that financial investments must support communities and the environment,
not harm them.

Read case studies and learn how you can make a difference at

http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/main.html


_______Join RAN___________________________________________
3) Give a Gift that Helps the Rainforest

This season give someone the joy of knowing that they can help protect
the world's rainforest treasures.  Give the gift of membership in
Rainforest Action Network!  From Alaska to Chile, from Indonesia to
Cameroon, our victories would not have been possible without our
member's support.  Help increase our clout--and give friends and family
holiday gifts that make a difference!

http://www.ran.org/scripts/ran/join_start.pl

___________________________________________________________
4) We want your feedback

Got feedback on our new newsletter?  Want to learn how you can help RAN
make a difference?  

Send us an email at ranmembers@ran.org.  We' d love to hear your
thoughts.

from Sierra Club December 7, 2000

SC-ACTION Volume II, #282
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
December 6, 2000


"Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears
will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change."

--Jesse Jackson


******************************************************************
ITEMS:
1. GE-HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN MOVING TOWARD VICTORY
2. CHICAGO SUN TIMES PROFILES CLUB LEADER
3. NOTE FROM SIERRA STUDENT COALITION NATIONAL DIRECTOR CAMILLA FEIBELMAN
ON SSC'S ELECTION 2000 ACTIVITIES

*******************************************************************

1. GE-HUDSON RIVER CAMPAIGN MOVING TOWARD VICTORY


JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM ARBOR HILL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CORPORATION,
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES, SIERRA CLUB


SIERRA CLUB CONTACT: Baret Pinyoun, 518-587-9166


UPSTATE NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTALISTS RESPOND TO EPA PCB PLAN

Albany, N.Y.--Three environmental groups that have fought for a cleanup of
Hudson River PCB's today expressed cautious optimism that New York is
finally moving in the right direction to get toxic PCBs out of our
environment. The comments came in response to the federal Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement today that they will order General
Electric (GE) - the corporation responsible for this environmental disaster
-- to remove, primarily by dredging, some 100,000 pounds of the suspected
cancer causing chemicals from the river. The World Health Organization has
identified PCBs as one of a handful of the most persistent and dangerous
chemicals on earth; once they enter the environment they can remain for
decades, traveling the globe and causing a host of serious ailments.

"We still don't know when the first of the PCBs will actually be removed
from the river, but we are pleased that the EPA stuck to its schedule,"
said David Higby of Environmental Advocates. "This is the most thoroughly
studied Superfund site in the nation's history. And the scientific evidence
says that at the very least, these PCB concentration should come out of the
river. Remember, this is barely a tenth of the total amount of PCBs GE
dumped into the river over the course of this environmental nightmare."

"The EPA has listened to our concerns about the health of people living
along the river, especially the poor, people of color and immigrants who
are most likely to be feeding contaminated fish to their families as part
of their diets," said Aaron Mair of the Environmental Hill Environmental
Justice Corporation. "To reduce the health risks to people living in the
Hudson Valley by reducing PCB levels in fish, the EPA has correctly
concluded that the chemicals must be removed from the sediments."


Commenting on the multi-million dollar ad campaign that GE has waged in the
Hudson Valley against a river cleanup, the Sierra Club's Baret Pinyoun
said:  "It's good to know that GE can't buy public opinion. Instead of
investing more money to mislead the public, GE should begin making plans to
help clean up the river." She was echoed by the Sierra Club's Chris
Ballantyne who added: "GE, with its wealth of technical know-how and
expertise, should accept its responsibility as a polluter, and put its
efforts to work on the most thorough and efficient cleanup possible. That
would go a long way to restoring GE's reputation among those who love the
Hudson River."

Jeff Jones, of Environmental Advocates, called on GE to drop its lawsuit
against the federal Superfund, filed in Washington, D.C. federal district
court last week. "It's shameful that General Electric would rather destroy
one of the nation's most important environmental laws than help restore the
Hudson River. It's time for them to stop obstructing a clean Hudson and get
to work on the cleanup."



2. CHICAGO SUN TIMES PROFILES CLUB LEADER

It's not every day that a Sierra Club leader is the subject of an article
in a major paper like the Chicago Sun Times. Then again, Chuck Frank is not
your everyday activist. As well as serving as a Sierra Club Foundation
Trustee, Chuck is President of one of Chicago's most storied car
franchises, Z Frank Chevrolet, the World's largest Chevrolet dealer.

With his feet in the auto world and his heart in the Sierra Club, Chuck has
unique insights into the changing interactions between the auto industry
and the environmental movement. Chuck is confident that auto companies will
adapt to a marketplace increasingly driven by environmental concerns. He
lobbies fellow car dealers to support cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars. As
Chuck told the Sun Times, "studies show that being environmentally right is
good for the economy and in almost every case, it's good for the companies
that do it."


However, Chuck is aware that the auto industry needs a push in the right
direction. Chuck claims to be "a free-market guy" but argues that by the
time the broad customer base demands environmentally sensible products,
it's often too late: The damage to the ecosystem has been done. "It's nice
to think that the free markets will work perfectly, but in some
circumstances, like the environment, it doesn't," he says. "We want our
government to provide the leadership and force us to do the right thing."
This summer, Chuck wrote letters to every Senator saying that after
spending his life in the auto industry, he knew that the government needs
to raise CAFE standards and that the industry needed the push.


"He has little patience for car companies when it comes to environmental
concerns. They 'squeak and squeal' about such regulations, complaining that
they'll cost too much money and destroy their business--the same thing they
did when the first government-mandated mileage requirements went into
effect in the mid-1970s, says Frank. 'Well, we're going to sell more cars
and light-duty trucks this year than ever before in the history of the
country. So you tell me: How credible are the manufacturers when they say
they can't do it?'"


Chuck says that "There's no doubt automobiles are one of the major problems
when it comes to the environment. But that doesn't mean that it should or
will always be that way...Given the right circumstances, being an
environmentalist is like being an American--you know, baseball, apple pie,
Chevrolet.

See the full article by Andrew Herrmann in the Chicago Sun Times, December
6, 2000
http://www.suntimes.com/output/herrmann/herm06.html


3. NOTE FROM SIERRA STUDENT COALITION NATIONAL DIRECTOR CAMILLA FEIBELMAN
ON SSC'S ELECTION 2000 ACTIVITIES

This election cycle has been an important one for the Sierra Student
Coalition.  We did a ton of work on local and national campaigns throughout
the country.  The SSC was able to hire its first EVEC organizer ever.  We
partnered with organizations like Campus Green Vote to do major voter
registration.  Our regional coordinators organized GOTV calls to student
members in swing states.   We also developed an important relationship with
the Young Democrats of America.  The Executive Director invited me to spend
several weeks speaking on behalf of Gore in Oregon and New Mexico.  Being
new to politics I didn't know that a little hard work for the right people
would get me into the White House for the first time since my eighth grade
trip to DC.  Since I was in town for the Airlee Conference the Young
Democrats invited me to a holiday party at the White House.  I've never
seen anything like the decorations, uniformed choirs, desserts, and
portraits in my life.  The receiving line was by far the best part of the
evening (besides my carefully planned outfit).  I got to shake Bill
Clinton's hand and tell him how much the SSC and Sierra Club appreciate his
work on Public Lands.  I said that I hoped he wouldn't forget Alaska.  He
smiled and then launched into a story about all the worked he'd done on
Coral yesterday.  As Mike Newman in the DC office said today, "You can't
hike in coral," which is true, but I still think he got the message.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
     Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
     Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
     Sierra Club Vote Watch Website - http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
     White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
     White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
     Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
     Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
     White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
     US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
     To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
     To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

from Alaska Rainforest Campaign December 7, 2000

Time is Short--final days of public comment period

                                          ****************
Demand Wilderness for Alaska's Wild Chugach National Forest
                    
The Forest Service in Alaska has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the country's wildest and second largest National Forest, the Chugach National Forest.  The 5.6 million acre Chugach is 98% roadless, yet not one acre is protected by Congress as Wilderness.  

The Forest Service's "preferred" alternative does not recommend any of the valuable wetland habitat of the Copper River Delta for wilderness protection and falls short on other protections like those for Prince William Sound.  

The Forest Service is now accepting the public's input in a comment period which closes December 14, 2000.  Now is the time for us, owners of our public lands, to speak up and demand Wilderness for the wetlands of the Copper River Delta as well as protections for other valuable parts of the Chugach National Forest like Prince William Sound.

Make comments easily online or get more info on the web @  http://www.nwf.org/copperriver/forestservice.html

or send letters to (talking points below):             

Forest Plan Revision
Chugach National Forest   
3301 C Street, Suite 300
Anchorage, AK 99503

Email: r10_chugach_revision@fs.fed.us
Fax: 907-271-3992

Tell the Forest Service to:

Recommend wilderness for ALL of the productive wetlands of the Copper River Delta, both east and west of the river.  

~~~Wilderness is the only way to permanently protect the Delta from being overrun by clear-cutting, coal mining, oil and gas drilling, and the sprawl of large-scale industrial tourism.

~~~Wilderness would permanently protect the habitat of the famous wild copper River salmon, 16 million shorebirds and waterfowl, brown bears, and wolves of the Delta.  

Recommend ALL eligible wild and scenic rivers on the Forest, including the Copper, Bering, Martin, and Katalla Rivers, Alaganik Slough, and Martin and Bering Lakes.

Please recommend wilderness for important areas in Prince William Sound like Knight and Montague Islands, Jack and Sawmill Bays to help species continue to recover from the Exxon Valdez oil spill and to protect the Sound from large-scale industrial tourism.

Recommend wilderness for all critical brown bear habitat on the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai River valley, Resurrection Creek, Snow, and Twenty-Mile River valleys.

Use logging only to protect the safety of communities.  Do not use "forest health" as an excuse for more logging in wild unroaded areas.


Thanks for your support.

Alaska Rainforest Campaign Staff.

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