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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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          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 Nationšs 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 env