Take Action!

TELL NORTH CAROLINA-QUIT KILLING PETS USING CRUEL GASING METHODS

2011-12-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

This is unbearably, unbelievably cruel. I didn't watch the video. I don't need to, because I know the horrible suffering animals face at the hands of humans. Please sign the petition. This goes on in several states, and in Canada, I know it happens in Quebec and Ontario, if not the whole country. Shameful!

Why This Is Important

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO. IT IS A REAL GAS CHAMBER IN NORTH CAROLINA-LISTEN HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN ANIMAL CONTROL EMPLOYEES TURN ON THE GAS. THIS IS A REAL VIDEO. THE SOUNDS ARE REAL. THIS IS WHAT IS LEGAL IN NORTH CAROLINA-WHICH WAS BANNED IN 13 STATES DUE TO ANIMAL CRUELTY.

If gas chambers were so "humane" then why was this practice banned for the worst serial killers in America, yet it's "okay" to do it to our innocent pets which is senseless and cruel. These animals suffer horrendous terror losing bowel and bladder control due to fear, and often drown in their own vomit. Contrary to popular belief, is not humane.

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians has stated, "...the use of carbon monoxide for individual or mass companion animal euthanasia in shelters is unacceptable due to significant humane, operational and safety concerns." Please read their document available online at: http://www.sheltervet.org/associations/4853/files/CO%20Position%20Statement.pdf

HSUS states, "Carbon monoxide (CO) gas is, without question, an unacceptable method of euthanasia in states where shelters can legally obtain and administer sodium pentobarbital." Source: http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/policies_and_guidelines/statement_on_euthanasia.html

Further these tanks can leak that can damage employee health (leading to litigation) and is highly explosive. Many cats and dogs went in a coma and were buried alive, or put in the freezer, still alive.

Elderly and pregnant animals often require several gas chamber sessions due to reduced lung capacity-and many animals are thrown into a single chamber.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0411_050411_peteuthanasia_2.html

"The animal is in a warm or hot box, usually with other animals. They don't know what's going on. The hiss of the gas is going on inside. They get dizzy, and they panic," he said. Fights can break out, and animals' calls can be heard.

Today most private and city animal shelters euthanize animals with sodium pentobarbital, a controlled substance that is injected into one of a dog or cat's veins. Animals die in seconds, experts say, and without pain or suffering.

Private-practice animal hospitals also use sodium pentobarbital to euthanize sick and old family pets.

The American Humane Association (AHA), an animal- and child-welfare nonprofit, says that lethal injection is the only acceptable method for putting down dogs and cats.

Currently 13 states, including California, Florida, and New York, require animal shelters to perform death by injection, according to the AHA."

Death by heart stick (intracardiac injection) should also be banned-the needle doesn't always hit is target and the animal screams in agony and does not die right away, even if it does enter the heart. It's a horrible way to die. A poison-filled syringe is jabbed through an animal's chest wall. This method also causes excruciating pain."

TAKE ACTION:
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-north-carolina-quit-killing-pets-using-cruel-gasing-methods

Out-law Animal Gas Chambers in Canada

2011-12-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

We have learned that MAPAQ, Quebec will soon propose to continue the use of gas chambers in pounds FOR ANOTHER 5 YEARS before discussing it again!! We need a lot more signatures as quickly as possible, as we wish to present this petition to the governments. Thank You !

TAKE ACTION:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/out-law-gas-chambers-in-quebec-and-throughout-canada-rendre-illgales-les-chambres-a-gaz-au-qubec/

Logging in the Castle Wilderness Starts This Week: Be a Voice of Change

2011-12-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

Target: Alberta Premier Alison Redford
Sponsored by: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

The Castle Special Place is a ribbon of forested wilderness along the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta. It is an ecosystem rich in biodiversity, with incredible landscapes including alpine lakes, old growth forest and wetlands, and is home to wildlife like grizzly bears.

For more than 20 years conservationists have been campaigning to increase protection of Alberta's Castle Special Place, but parts of the Castle are due to be logged starting next month.

Alberta's new premier, Alison Redford, has promised to bring change to the province and listen to the voices of Albertans and concerned Canadians. Let her hear your voice loud and clear for the permanent protection of the Castle Special Place and an end to the imminent logging plans.

Please sign this petition to express your concerns about the future of the Castle and make the Premier aware that people care deeply about this issue.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/263/487/971/?z00m=20104952

US ONLY -- Support the Safe Cosmetics Act!

2011-10-31T12:48:00.000-04:00

What are all those chemicals in your lipstick? your aftershave? your child's shampoo? Some of them are linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility and other health problems. We need your help to convince Congress that the beauty industry needs a safety makeover!

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 (H.R.2359) gives consumers, parents and environmental health advocates a real chance at national legislation that will eliminate harmful chemicals from the products women, men and children put on their bodies every day.

Tell your Representative that safe cosmetics are important to you and ask him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Safe Cosmetics Act. Or, if you're represented by one of the bill's authors, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) or Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), send them your thanks!

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1421/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8561

Prosecute Boy Scouts of America For Protecting Sexual Molesters

2011-10-31T12:44:00.000-04:00

Target: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder

Goal: Prosecute Boy Scouts of America for concealing information regarding sexual offenders and force them to release files kept on suspected sexual molesters.

Having concealed pedophiles from due justice, thereby allowing sexual deviants to violate children over many years, the Boy Scouts of America organization has shattered our faith in their ability to guide our youth towards brighter futures.

Throughout its over a century existence, the Scouts have promised to safeguard our children while providing leadership and life skills; instead, it has safeguarded pedophiles by not disclosing suspected molesters to the police. In fact, a Scouts policy memo from 1972 has surfaced indicating that the organization insisted officials “indicate to the accused molester that the Scouts will not share this information with anyone and only wish him to stop all Scouting activity”.

Not only does this endanger the security of children in the Boy Scouts, conceal invaluable information from the authorities, but it also has proven to be a completely inadequate procedure for protecting the children in Boy Scouts. Indeed, a court case in 2010 ruled that the Scouts were insane for allowing assistant Scoutmaster Timur Dykes to continue to participate in the Scouts with his sexual victims after he confessed to a bishop that he had molested 17 boy scouts by 1983.

In another horrifying example of the organization’s egregious misconduct, it was discovered that Richard Turley, who began molesting boy scouts in 1971, but was subsequently arrested and then released in 1976, molested three boy scouts again in 1979. Still, Scouts officials as well as the victims parents merely told Turley to return to Canada and did not report the incident to the police.

Yet, the most astonishing detail of this entire sordid affair is that the Boy Scouts of America has been keeping detailed records of all suspected molesters, but refuses to turn these records over to the authorities who would be able to pursue past molesters in addition to current ones.

Government officials must regard the Scouts’ procedure for hiding suspected molesters from police as being an accomplice to sexual molestation. Sign this petition to protect all children from sexual assault by demanding further prosecution of the Boy Scouts of America, forcing the Scouts to change their policy regarding molesters, and imploring authorities to demand the records of sexual offenders within the Boy Scouts.

http://forcechange.com/7651/prosecute-boy-scouts-of-america-for-protecting-sexual-molesters/?utm_source=ForceChange+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e5e0addfe1-NL21110_27_2011&utm_medium=email

Don’t Let Dems Cut Medicare, Social Security for the 99%

2011-10-31T12:28:00.000-04:00

The so-called Super Committee took a disturbing step this week, when Democratic members made a major concession to Republicans – proposing $200 billion in cuts to Medicare. And, there are reports that Democrats will make another concession to appease Republicans, changing the cost-of-living formula and cutting future Social Security benefits. With private pensions of the 99% being ransacked by the 1%, the last thing we need to do now is weaken our pillars of retirement security. Sign the petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Pelosi: Don't let the Super Committee cut Social Security and Medicare.

http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=156

Tell the U.S. to Lead at the Next Climate Summit

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-04:00

Join WWF in calling on the Obama Administration to take ambitious action at next month's climate summit in Durban, South Africa.

U.S. leaders taking part in the summit - COP17 - have the opportunity to set a path to a more secure future in which people live in harmony with nature.

COP17 takes place on the continent of Africa, one of the regions in the world most heavily impacted by climate change. When global policymakers meet on African soil, they must stand with the communities and wildlife of Africa.

Take Action: Tell the Obama Administration to play a leading role at COP17 and lay out a clear plan for how it will meet its carbon pollution reduction targets and commit to helping developing countries confront climate change.

https://secure2.convio.net/wwf/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=457&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=z8763o88s3.app227a

Stop the Spread of Invasive Asian Carp Into the Great Lakes

2011-10-31T12:07:00.000-04:00

Target: The United States Congress

Goal: Pass legislation to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to finish their study on closing the waterways between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, to control the spread of the invasive Asian Carp and prevent it from becoming established in the Great Lakes.

Asian carp were brought from China in the 1970s to control parasites on fish farms, but escaped into the wild, where they out-compete native species of fish. Although the Asian carp are not direct predators of threatened native species, they deplete shared food sources and can starve native species out. Asian Carp have already displaced native fish in some sections of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers: in a few areas they account for 90 percent of the fish. Evidence of Asian carp has been found in Mississippi watersheds connected to the Great Lakes, and action must be taken quickly to block their advance.

In the past, invasive species like zebra mussels have used waterways like the Chicago Sanitation and Shipping Canal to enter the Great Lakes. These connections must be closed to prevent new invasions. There are roughly 30 different invasive species whose spread would be controlled by closing these waterways, including the Asian Carp.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a study of how to block these aquatic connections, but their study is not expected to be complete until 2015, by which time the Asian Carp may be well established in the Great Lakes. Furthermore, without a Congressional Action the Army Corps lacks the authority to take measures like closing lock and dam facilities. They have deployed electric barriers in an attempt to prevent the Asian Carp’s advance, but some evidence of Asian Carp has already been found upstream of these barriers, and they are very expensive. According to John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, preventing the carp from advancing during a routine electric barrier maintenance procedure costs as much as $250,000.

The five Great Lakes states are currently involved in a court battle to force the Army Corps of Engineers to complete their study more quickly, so that action can be taken to address the threat. Additionally, both the House and the Senate are considering legislation which would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to complete their study in a timely manner. Time is of the essence: tell Congress to support this legislation, so that action can be taken quickly to contain the spread of this invasive fish!

http://forcechange.com/8011/stop-the-spread-of-invasive-asian-carp-into-the-great-lakes/

US ONLY -- Tell the ASMFC to Protect Menhaden

2011-10-31T12:02:00.000-04:00

Menhaden have been called "the most important fish in the sea" and it's true—they are the most important fish for sustaining the Atlantic ecosystem. Fish we love to eat, like striped bass, and birds of prey, like the osprey, depend on menhaden for survival. Unfortunately menhaden are a severely depleted species with only 8% of their unfished levels left in our coastal waters. We grind it up and put it into pet food, health supplements and a variety of other uses when there are alternative sources of fish that don't negatively impact the heath our coastal waters.

Right now, we are at a critical point for the menhaden. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is re-evaluating management for this important fish, and they have opened up the dialogue to public comment. It's time the ASFMC hears your voice.

Tell the ASFMC to adopt conservation measures to rebuild the menhaden population allowing it to once again feed our ocean wildlife.

https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=932

US ONLY -- Sharks Need Your Help!

2011-10-31T11:57:00.000-04:00

Every year, tens of thousands of blue sharks are caught and killed.

These awesome swimmers travel long distances across international boundaries and this leaves them particularly vulnerable – especially since there are no global rules about catching these amazing creatures.

The U.S. has some protections in place for blue sharks. But sharks swim in many countries' waters, so international protections are vital.

We have to do more than pass local and national measures to protect sharks. The US will soon be attending a meeting with the power to create international shark regulations, where we have a real chance to make a difference.

Speak up by November 8 to protect vulnerable sharks in the Atlantic Ocean.

http://act.oceana.org/sign/p-iccat-sharks/?akid=2218.172264.nGKChM&rd=1&t=2&utm_campaign=sharks&utm_medium=mailing&utm_source=mailing

US ONLY -- Tell HHS: Protect Women's Access To Private Insurance Coverage For Abortion

2011-10-31T11:52:00.000-04:00

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is on the verge of issuing new rules that will determine whether millions of women are able to purchase private health insurance that includes abortion care.

Our opponents want to ban insurance coverage for abortion for every woman in America and make it impossible for millions to get affordable care — and they're sending a flood of messages to HHS. We can't let them drown us out. Fill out the form below to submit your comment to HHS before the October 31 deadline.

https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=13785&autologin=true&s_src=NelsonRule_1011_c3_e3&JServSessionIdr004=eet4n0wng5.app210b

US ONLY -- Urgent: Stop land grabs in Uganda

2011-10-31T11:49:00.000-04:00

There have been major developments in Uganda, where at least 22,500 people have lost their homes and land. Evictions – some violent – have left many destitute, without enough food or money to send their children to school.

Recently, members of the evicted community had reported feeling intimidated and harassed after questioning by workers from the New Forests Company (NFC), a British timber company operating in the region. Since we first starting putting pressure on NFC, the company has assured us that it will halt this questioning of community leaders and conduct an external investigation.

We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground, but we need to maintain pressure on the company to ensure that the external investigation results in justice for these vulnerable communities in Uganda.

Send an email to the Chairman of NFC, Robert Devereux, demanding he take immediate action.

https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1273&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=534qpcwku5.app220b

Keep it Wild with Betty White!

2011-10-31T11:43:00.000-04:00

5,000 acres of open space are disappearing each and every day.

Join me, Betty White, in signing the pledge to "Keep it Wild."

Oil corporations are polluting some of America’s most magnificent places, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Coal companies are removing entire mountaintops and polluting our waterways.
That’s why I need your help.

Join me in pledging to "Keep It Wild."

This is my heartfelt declaration to continue to help the Wilderness Society:

* Establish new parks, monuments and wilderness and heritage areas;
* Support water conservation and protect key rivers; and,
* Improve the management of America’s wild places.

Please sign the pledge. We can do this together.

Thank you,

Betty White

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2283

US ONLY -- Help End Big Oil Handouts

2011-10-31T11:41:00.000-04:00

The Senate is expected to vote soon on whether or not to end subsidies for Big Oil. Help make that a reality by asking your Senators to vote to eliminate subsidies for Big Oil. Remember, your letter has more impact when you personalize it in some way.

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2293

Tell the Administration that wilderness protection is a priority

2011-10-31T11:35:00.000-04:00

Tell Interior Secretary Salazar that the public must be part of the decision making for the future of America’s western wilderness.

Please, help us ensure that the Obama Administration hears that such a retreat on wildlands protection will not be tolerated. Send your email now.

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2299&JServSessionIdr004=ieoz5dw281.app339a

US ONLY -- Nightmare legislation threatens wilderness, refuges, wildlife. Help us stop it now.

2011-10-30T17:35:00.001-04:00

Even if you’ve already sent a letter to your representative, please do so again. The House will vote this week on some measures that could be devastating to our wild lands and conservation programs and policies. Once you’ve taken action, please ask your friends and family to do so as well. And thank you for all you are doing to protect America’s wilderness legacy!

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2351&autologin=true

US ONLY -- Help Protect Arctic Waters from an Oil Spill Disaster

2011-10-30T17:24:00.001-04:00

If we don’t act swiftly, next summer will see drilling rigs being assembled in the Arctic Ocean. We can’t let a repeat of the Gulf oil spill happen in the arctic, home to an astonishing variety of whales, seals and sea lions, walruses and polar bears. Sign our petition below urging the Interior Department to block drilling in this ecologically sensitive area until we can be certain that drilling can be done safely.

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2365&autologin=true&AddInterest=1202

US ONLY -- Tell Edison International to Quit Coal and Shut Down Fisk and Crawford

2011-05-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Pollution from Chicago's Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants prematurely kills 42 people every year. That human cost is paid entirely by the communities who live in the shadows of these two aging plants. You won’t find it on Edison International’s bottom-line.

But Chicagoans are fighting back. And Greenpeace is supporting them. That’s why Greenpeace activists climbed up the smokestack at the Fisk power plant on Tuesday to send a simple message to Edison International: Shut down these plants and quit coal.

Edison International is an international company and is part of a broader industry that affects all of us. They need to hear the message not just from community activists, but from the American public.

Tell Edison International CEO Ted Craver to shut down the Fisk and Crawford plants by 2013. International: Shut down these plants and quit coal.

https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=851&s_src=GPnav

Take Action: Senate Republicans Block Wage Discrimination Fix

2011-05-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

I watched last night the Senate Republican leadership orchestrate a filibuster of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, preventing this critical bill from going to the floor of the Senate for an up-or-down vote. We must stop this Republican Filibuster!

Ledbetter will correct the recent Supreme Court decision that guts the ability of women workers to sue for wage discrimination. It also restores the rights of people of color, older and disabled workers to sue for wage discrimination.

I hope you are as outraged as we are with the current outcome. Let the Republican leadership of the Senate - Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. KY) and Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R. AZ) hear from you. Tell them that women workers will not stand for their assault on women's right to sue for wage discrimination.

As you know, the Supreme Court decision in the Lilly Ledbetter case reversed decades of precedent on wage discrimination cases, making it virtually impossible for women who are being suffering pay discrimination to go to court.

The House has already passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. But now, we must break the filibuster and bring the bill to a floor vote this session before the 2008 election. We need only three votes to break the Senate filibuster. We must pressure the Republicans to allow this floor vote. If the bill gets to the floor, it will pass.

Take action today. Tell the Republican leadership to represent women workers not those business interests that choose to profit from discrimination. It's bad for women and bad for business.

For Equality,
Ellie Smeal
Eleanor Smeal
President

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1269/t/184/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2148

US ONLY -- Help Us Ensure Renewable Energy is Developed Responsibly

2011-04-24T14:13:00.000-04:00

America’s future depends on sustainable, renewable energy, but as our nation moves to develop more solar, wind and geothermal energy sources, it must take care not to destroy important wildlife habitat, water sources, or wilderness. We can protect natural heritage and promote sustainable energy, but only with clear policies that focus on the right places.

Help ensure federal agencies put renewable energy on the ‘smart track’ by signing our petition to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in support of policies that would protect wild lands and promote green energy.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2197&autologin=true

US ONLY -- Tell your Rep. to make wilderness protection a priority

2011-04-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

This week, Rep. Nancy Pelosi handed over her gavel to Rep. John Boehner, as the 112th Congress was sworn in. The day marked a new GOP leadership in the House (the Senate remains narrowly Democratic). What will this new Congress mean to America’s wilderness, wildlife and public lands?

Judging by recent press reports and a review of the brand-new website for the House Natural Resources Committee, House congressional leaders may attempt to roll back the new wilderness policy released Dec. 23 and to open more areas onshore and offshore to oil and gas drilling.

Take action now. Tell your representative to make protection of wilderness and wildlife a priority during the 112th Congress.

With your help, we’ve been leading this nation to wilderness protection for more than 75 years, and experience has shown that wilderness and wildlife protection have never been partisan issues. Help us remind this new Congress of that right out of the box, by sending a letter to your representative today.

Sincerely,

Melanie Beller
Vice President, Public Policy

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

It’s a new year, and a new Congress has been sworn in. Some new members are aligning themselves with the oil and gas industry and other developers who wish to roll back recent gains in wilderness and wildlife protections, onshore and off. Use our letter below to tell your member of Congress to make wilderness and wildlife protection a priority in the 112th Congress.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2207

US ONLY -- Tell Congress that cuts to conservation and wildlife programs are unacceptable

2011-04-24T13:54:00.001-04:00

Some House Republicans are pushing deep, even crippling, cuts in conservation and environmental programs, cuts that threaten public health, wildlife and wilderness, and economic growth.

We must mount a nationwide protest against these radical measures. Please take action now.

The proposed cuts are some of the worst we’ve ever seen. They would eliminate funds entirely for a host of programs that Americans count as important.

GONE: The Antiquities Act, used by every president since Theodore Roosevelt to protect special places

GONE: Funds for research into global warming

GONE: EPA regulation of greenhouse gases

GONE: New policy to protect western wilderness areas

GONE: The Land and Water Conservation Fund

GONE: Forest planning that keeps off road vehicles under control

These deep cuts and elimination of programs is simply unacceptable. Please tell your members of Congress that right now.

There’s no doubt that these programs -- some of them in place and successful for decades -- are being targeted by anti-environmental ideologues. They are also taking aim at the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which provides for public input into lands decisions and is arguably the most important conservation tool we have to fight polluters on our lands.

Even America’s beloved national parks and wildlife refuges would experience cuts so severe that closures would be required.

A vote in the House will take place this week. Your urgent action is needed, as is the activism of everyone you know who cares about America’s great wildlands and wildlife. Please take action today, then forward this email to your friends and family, and share this campaign through Facebook.

Thanks for anything you can do!

Kathy Kilmer

P.S. After you take action, we’ll direct you to a page where you can learn the latest on the budget battle. Thanks!

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

Some House Republicans are pushing deep, even crippling, cuts in conservation and environmental programs, cuts that threaten public health, wildlife and wilderness, and economic growth. A vote in the House will take place this week. Your urgent action is needed, as is the activism of everyone you know who cares about America’s great wildlands and wildlife. Please tell Congress today that these cuts to conservation and wildlife programs are unacceptable.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2237&autologin=true&AddInterest=1224

US ONLY -- Help defend America's environmental safety net

2011-04-24T13:49:00.002-04:00

Last week, the House Majority -- on a virtual straight party-line vote -- passed an extreme bill that terminated funding for dozens of important environmental programs. One example: the bill would block Interior Secretary Salazar’s new policy that restored protection to millions of acres of wilderness -- quality public lands across the West.

If the bill becomes law, we will return to a Bush-era policy of degrading and even destroying America’s wilderness through oil and gas development, off road vehicle abuses, and other forms of development.

Help us stop this runaway train. Urge your Senators to stand firmly for the environment.

This radical legislation if passed in the Senate would:

* Cut EPA’s budget by 30 percent and cripple the agency’s ability to reduce greenhouse gases that endanger public health and contribute to global warming;
* Slash the Land and Water Conservation Fund by 87 percent;
* Eliminate $1.2 billion in science funding needed to move away from fossil fuels towards sustainable, non-polluting sources of energy;
* Prohibit EPA from enforcing Clean Water Act protections for thousands of American streams and wetlands, and eliminate all funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund;
* Cut in half funding for cleanup efforts in the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, Great Lakes and Lake Champlain;
* Eliminate all funding for the Forest Legacy Program, which restores ecosystems damaged by logging and other forms of development;
* Cripple Endangered Species recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, the bill leaves untouched $4 billion in annual oil, gas and coal subsidies!

This legislation is reckless and extreme. Please, tell your SENATORS to oppose the House “Continuing Resolution”.

The Continuing Resolution would block Secretary Salazar’s new Wild Lands policy, which directs the Bureau of Land Management to identify wilderness-quality public lands and adopt management plans that protect them, while ensuring public input.

Please, help us ensure that Congress does not silence the new Wild Lands policy or the laws that protect our air, water, and lands from degradation. Tell your Senators that you support Secretary Salazar’s Wild Lands policy, and ask them to reject the assault of the House Majority on land protection and other programs that protect our air, water, and land.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kilmer

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

We need your help to defend America’s environmental safety net and the new BLM Wild Lands policy! Tell your Senators that you oppose the provisions of the House-passed "continuing resolution" that would strip away funding for our conservation heritage and eliminate initiatives to protect our sensitive lands such as Secretary Salazar’s Wild Lands policy.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2239&autologin=true&AddInterest=1225

Show the world what Real Mama Grizzlies stand for!

2011-04-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

Sarah Palin uses the term ‘Mama Grizzlies’ to describe herself and women of her ultra-conservative movement. But we think the term better describes women in the conservation movement, as well as everyday mamas (and papas) who do their best to lovingly defend our natural treasures.

Whether you’re conservative or liberal, furry or not (daddy grizzlies are welcome, too!) take our pledge to be a Real Mama Grizzly.

Edit our pledge below to select one or more of the actions, and then submit it using the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page.

TAKE ACTION:
http://tws.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/Action%20Pages/Mama_Grizzly_Pledge.html

US ONLY -- No Lease Sales for the Arctic Ocean!

2011-04-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

The Arctic Ocean is home to polar bears, bowhead whales, walruses, seals, migratory seabirds, and other wildlife. This nearly pristine ocean is the "garden" for Alaska Natives who live along its shores and depend on the ocean’s resources for subsistence.

But a plan being formulated right now could result in lease sales in these waters, bringing drilling platforms, pipelines, ship traffic and the threat of devastating oil spills. We can stop this short sighted plan.

The Gulf oil spill last summer demonstrated that even under temperate conditions with nearby infrastructure, oil spill cleanup cannot be done well and that even exploratory drilling can pose serious risks. Arctic Ocean drilling would take place in icy waters that would make cleanup nearly impossible; if there were a spill, the closest Coast Guard station that could respond would be hundreds of miles away.

The federal government has acknowledged that a large spill in these Arctic waters is likely. Why on earth would they move to lease?

While Shell Oil recently withdrew from plans to drill in Arctic waters this summer, these proposed lease sales could draw Shell and other corporations to bid on additional leases with exploratory drilling to take place soon after.

We simply can’t let that happen. Please take action now.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kilmer

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

The Arctic Ocean is rich in wildlife -- home to polar bears, bowhead whales, walruses, seals, migratory seabirds, and other species. If offshore oil development were to take place here, it would almost certainly lead to a large spill within decades, according to the federal government. And a spill here would be devastating to wildlife and Alaska Native coastal communities.

Help us convince the federal government to cancel planned 2012-2017 lease sales in the Arctic Ocean. Feel free to edit our letter below to Michael Bromwich, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Then, click on Send Message in the bottom right hand corner.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2261

US ONLY -- Don't Let Congress Gut the Clean Air Act

2011-04-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

The Clean Air Act has been successful in reducing dozens of different air pollutants, protecting the health and the environment of millions of Americans — all while contributing to America’s economic prosperity.

But a dangerous bill introduced in Congress by Rep. Fred Upton and Sen. James Inhofe aims to gut this important protection that Americans currently enjoy. Help us protect the EPA’s ability to protect Americans from carbon pollution.

TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2263

DONATE -- Help The Wilderness Society stop Congress from Rolling Back Protection for Millions of Acres of Wilderness!

2011-04-24T13:26:00.002-04:00

Last Friday Rep. Kevin McCarthy(R-CA) introduced a bill that is the biggest attack on wilderness we have seen in the history of The Wilderness Society. This proposal flies in the face of values Americans hold dear with respect to the stewardship of our public lands. It also threatens to undo of nearly fifty years of legislation designating new wilderness areas. Please stand with us today we can’t protect these precious wild lands without your help.

https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=2566&2566.donation=form1&autologin=true&AddInterest=1224&JServSessionIdr004=h80srg1i41.app316b

Hands Off! Ocean Protection Petition

2010-04-14T10:53:00.001-04:00

Globally, our oceans are in deep trouble (pun intended). Overfishing, pollution, bycatch and global warming are endangering the lives of marine creatures and habitat. Hell, we’re also endangering our lives if we don’t protect the oceans. We rely on the oceans for food, our livelihood and survival!

Hands Off! In order to protect the world’s oceans, portions have to be left alone. That’s where marine reserves come into the picture. A marine reserve is like putting a giant “Do Not Disturb” sign around an area of the ocean. These protected areas are so important to the future of our oceans—giving wildlife a safe haven free from danger.

Help today by signing our petition to set aside 40% of the world’s oceans as marine reserves. By convincing governments and the United Nations that marine reserves are critical to the oceans' future—we can put an end to global fisheries decline and habitat destruction.

https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=633

US ONLY -- Our Treasured Forests Need Your Help‏

2010-04-13T18:30:00.003-04:00

Our national forests have been a treasured American legacy since they were established by President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago. They provide vital fish and wildlife habitat, clean drinking water and world-class outdoor recreation opportunities for millions. And they're one of our best tools for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate.

Now the Obama administration is developing new management regulations that will affect all 155 national forests. These new regulations will shape the conservation and restoration plans that will determine the fate of America's forests for generations to come. It's essential that we get our public lands policies right - and we need your help to do so!

Please help ensure that our forests meet the needs of present and future generations by attending a public meeting. Visit the Our Forests, Our Future website to find out how you can become involved - the future of America's national forests lies in your hands.

With almost 200 million people visiting and recreating on our national forests and grasslands each year, we must be better stewards of our national forests and manage these prized public lands to meet the needs of the present and honor future generations by ensuring permanent protections for our forests, sustaining fish and wildlife habitat and guaranteeing that these lands continue to offer world-class recreation.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kilmer
The Wilderness Society

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

Our Forests Our Future:
The future of America’s national forests lies in our hands

Our national forests have been a treasured American legacy since they were established by President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago. They provide vital fish and wildlife habitat, clean drinking water and world-class outdoor recreation opportunities for millions. And they’re one of our best tools for combating climate change.

Now the Obama administration is developing new management regulations that will affect all 155 national forests and grasslands. These new regulations will shape the conservation and restoration plans that will determine the fate of America’s forests for generations to come. It’s essential that we get our public lands policies right by incorporating the following forest fundamentals in this process and final outcome.

As part of this effort the Administration is holding a series of Roundtables throughout the country to have a dialogue with the American public on important issues facing our national forests, and you are invited!

Find a Roundtable near you --> http://wilderness.org/files/Roundtable-Information.pdf

More info: http://wilderness.org/ourforestsourfuture

Help Retire the 26 Elder Chimpanzees at the New Iberia Research Center

2009-11-07T21:54:00.005-05:00

Of all the stories to come out of the undercover investigation of the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC), some of the saddest are those of chimpanzees like Simba, who was caught in the wild in 1967 (nearly 40 years ago), and Karen, who was caught in the wild in 1958 (more than 50 years ago), both of whom have spent their lives since then behind bars in laboratories. Simba and Karen are two of 26 elderly chimpanzees at NIRC who have languished in laboratories after being taken from their mothers in the wild.

Please contact Dr. Barbara Alving, the Director of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)—the center under the National Institutes for Health (NIH) responsible for the oversight and maintenance of the federally-owned chimpanzee colony—and ask her to retire these chimpanzees to sanctuary before it's too late. It is estimated that within the next five years at least half of these 26 chimpanzees will have passed away.

Fill in and submit the form to automatically send a message to Dr. Alving. Government officials often get a lot of email, so it is important to personalize the subject line and text to make your message stand out and have a greater impact.

Take action:
https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=690

Take the Fur-Free Pledge

2009-11-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

Take a stand against the fur industry: Say NO to cruel fashion.

Wearing fur or fur trim is cruel and unnecessary. Help save foxes, rabbits, and other furbearers from suffering in the name of "fashion" by signing the fur-free pledge. Whether caught in steel traps in the wild or anally electrocuted after life in a cage on a fur farm, these animals suffer immensely. When compassionate consumers like you take a stand against the fur industry by refusing to purchase its products, designers will stop using fur, retailers will stop selling it, and fashion writers will stop reporting on it as an acceptable trend. You have that power with every purchase you make.

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2819

Tell Land O' Lakes to implement and enforce a 12-point animal welfare plan

2009-10-14T19:44:00.003-04:00

Undercover Investigation Reveals Cows Suffer for Land O' Lakes

A PETA undercover investigation inside a Land O' Lakes supplier in Pennsylvania has revealed routine neglect and cruelty to cows who are milked for the Fortune 250 company's products. Over the course of several months, the investigation documented deplorable, filthy conditions for cows on the farm, such as pens that were filled with deep excrement (see video and photos) and cows who suffered from ailments and conditions so severe that they collapsed and became "downers" but were not put out of their misery or given veterinary care in a timely manner, if at all.

Land O' Lakes "inspected" the farm as recently as June 2009 and even noted that there were areas in need of cleaning (including the milking parlor walls!) but approved the facility nonetheless.

Cows on dairy factory farms are not given much more than the numbered tag that is punched through their ears to identify them. Read the stories of a few of the cows who lived and died miserably at one such farm (available by following the link at the end of this post).

The farm's owner and one of his sons were caught on video electro-shocking cows who were in too much pain to stand up. One of the farmer's sons kicked a cow and jabbed her with the blade of a pocket knife. Both the father and son have now been charged with cruelty to animals.

The dairy industry's standard forms of cruelty also led to suffering for these cows. In order to make milking easier, cows' tails were amputated by tightly binding them with elastic bands, causing the skin and tissue to slowly die and fall off and leaving the animals unable to swat away flies, which in turn led to the spread of disease. Tail-docking is unnecessary and cruel, which is why it has been condemned by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Dairy farmers don’t allow cows―whose pregnancies last for nine months, just like human pregnancies―to spend any significant time with their calves, who are taken from their mothers shortly after birth. Cows are intelligent animals who can remember things for a long time, and they have the capacity to worry about the future.

PETA's investigation also shows cows and calves who were kept in pens and barns whose floors were covered with deep excrement, which caused foot and hoof problems and the spread of disease. Calves rescued from the farm had pneumonia, "manure scald," ringworm, pinkeye, and parasites. Some cows suffered respiratory distress and had pus-filled nasal discharge streaming down their faces. Abscesses were common on the farm—some of them burst and oozed pus, even as cows were being milked, as can be seen in our video.

PETA is calling on Land O' Lakes to implement and enforce a 12-point animal welfare plan to govern all cooperative members' dairy-farming operations, which will eliminate some of the worst abuses to cows raised for their milk. Write to Land O' Lakes President Christopher Policinski now and urge him to implement the plan today!

Of course, the best way you can help prevent cows from suffering these abuses is to go vegan and stop consuming dairy products. Explore our Vegetarian Starter Kit for recipes and tips to get started today.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2521&autologin=true&c=peta2_enews&s_src=p2enews&JServSessionIdr002=wqjebijcw5.app333a

Fur Free Friday

2009-10-14T19:26:00.003-04:00

FACT: Each year, more than 50 MILLION fur-bearing animals are slaughtered for fashion.

It’s a fact. A BRUTAL fact.

This fact drives us here at IDA as we re-launch our anti-fur campaign. The kick-off fox fur fundraisertakes place annually on Fur Free Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is one of the most widely attended demonstrations in the animal protection movement, always occurring simultaneously outside fur-selling retailers in high-visibility locations nationwide, on the busiest shopping day of the year.

We need your support NOW! It is critical that this event and our entire anti-fur campaign have the resources necessary for real impact.

With your help, we can continue and expand our annual campaign, AND we can intensify our education and outreach campaign for one retailer in particular. With 176 stores in 28 states, and with over FOUR BILLION DOLLARS IN SALES THIS YEAR, Nordstrom is one of the country’s foremost fashion retailers.

Nordstrom is perfectly positioned to make an ethical choice and be the first upscale department store to stop selling fur, leading the way for competition like Saks, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus to follow suit.

Nordstrom, a fourth-generation family-run business, has come a long way. They no longer have fur salons in their stores, and have removed fur from their private line. Blake Nordstrom, the pleasantly unconventional president of this multibillion-dollar corporation, clearly has a heart. His family loves animals, and they refuse to wear fur themselves. Blake even sat his entire family down to watch undercover footage shot by IDA’s Matt Rossell inside an Illinois fur farm, and was appropriately disgusted.

Working four months undercover on that fur farm left Matt more than disgusted. He now spearheads our anti-fur campaign. Matt shared some of his experiences:

“My heart was breaking every day, and I was so depressed, and even more furious that these poor creatures had to endure the stench, the boredom, and the depravity of this living hell hole, for something as frivolous as a fur coat.

The only thing worse than death for one of these furbearers is their life. Confined inside tiny cages and exposed to harsh weather extremes, they run back and forth across the wire desperate to escape, going mad, sometimes even cannibalizing one another. I personally witnessed … a fur farmer who denied water to foxes dying of dehydration. His rationale: “that’s one less fox I have to kill”. And in the end, death came by anal electrocution, a crude and horribly cruel process.

I made a silent promise to each fox that I wouldn’t let their death be in vain. I would do everything in my power to help end forever this needless suffering.”

Please help end this suffering!

Here is what I need you to do today:

* Mark November 27, Fur Free Friday, on your calendar. If possible, please join with the thousands of other caring people who will march, picket, and educate on this most important day. Visit FurFreeFridayIDA.org for a list of the times and locations of every Fur Free Friday event in the country.
* Please make the most generous tax-deductible donation you can to IDA today. Your donation will be used to produce and distribute videos, place advertisements, and supply thousands of activists across the nation with flyers, brochures, signs and banners.

IDA has a long history as a leader in the anti-fur movement. We have coordinated Fur Free Friday for over 20 years. And the promise that Matt made to each fox that their deaths would not be in vain drove him to lead a campaign that, after a year and a half of weekly demonstrations, forced the 112-year-old Oregon-based Schumacher Furs to close their doors for good! With IDA’s determination and your support even greater victories lie ahead.

Thank you for opening your heart, for being there for our animal friends and for all that you do to make the world a more just and compassionate place for all our fellow beings.

Respectfully,
Elliot M. Katz, DVM
President, In Defense of Animals

DONATE: https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Donation2?df_id=1840&1840.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr002=7l91gaj5s3.app43b#signature

Urge Smithfield Foods to enact animal welfare reforms

2009-10-11T08:47:00.002-04:00

Investigation Reveals Torture of Mother Pigs and Piglets

Video footage obtained in a new PETA undercover investigation reveals horrific abuse to mother pigs and their piglets at a supplier to the largest pig-killing company in the world, Smithfield Foods.

In addition to the confinement of mother pigs to cruel "gestation crates" so small that the animals can't even turn around or lie down comfortably, the following cruelty was documented at Smithfield supplier Murphy Family Ventures, LLC:

* Workers dragged injured pigs out of the facility by their snouts, ears, and legs before killing them with a captive-bolt gun. Some of the pigs had "KILL" spray-painted on their backs.
* A farm supervisor admitted that he violently beat pigs, saying of one that he "cut the sh** out of his God damn nose with a f***ing gate rod."
* Workers cut off a piglet's tail and pulled out piglets' testicles—without using any pain relief—as the baby animals screamed in pain in front of mother pigs.
* Two workers and a supervisor hit and jabbed pigs—sometimes in their faces and near their ears—with 2-foot-long metal gate rods on 31 of the 41 days that PETA's investigator worked.
* A worker gouged the eyes of four pigs with his fingers. Pigs suffered from ailments including cysts, sores, and a uterine prolapse for which they were denied treatment.

View the video footage taken by PETA's undercover investigator for more examples of the horrific cruelty to animals at Smithfield's supplier. (Video available at the link below.)

Every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from abuse by the meat industry. To learn more about going vegetarian, order peta2's free "Vegetarian Starter Kit" today.

Take action: Urge Smithfield Foods to demand that Murphy Family Ventures fire the workers responsible for this cruelty and work with PETA to enact meaningful animal welfare reforms. Also, tell Smithfield that while it's good that it has promised to phase out the use of gestation crates at its own farms, the company needs to make the transition faster and require independent suppliers to phase out these cruel devices too.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1558

US ONLY -- Cap Global Warming Pollution Now

2009-10-10T22:17:00.001-04:00

We have an historic opportunity to cap America's global warming pollution and put people back to work building America's green energy future.

The House has passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act. Now it's time for the Senate to act.

We need your help to make sure the Senate gets the message: The time for climate action is now!

Take action to deliver this message to your Senators.

https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=118

Urgent: Do you use these marine areas?

2009-10-10T20:51:00.000-04:00

IFAW needs your help in carrying out a very important next step in a lawsuit to protect marine wildlife from mid-frequency active sonar used by the U.S. Navy. This sonar is known to cause the death of and seriously injure whales and other marine mammals.

If you have spent and plan to spend time in the future boat touring, deep-sea fishing, scientific study, whale watching, underwater diving, or engaging in any other recreational activity out on ANY of the bodies of water listed below, your participation is urgently needed:

* The North Coast of Scotland;
* The Gulf of Lyon, mainly off France, in the northern Mediterranean Sea;
* The coast of Queensland, Australia, home to the Great Barrier Reef;
* The US Navy’s Marianas Islands Operating Area: the southern part of a submerged mountain range that extends 1,565 miles (2,519 km) from Guam to near Japan and the northernmost islands of a larger island group called Micronesia.

Please send an email to msakoh@ifaw.org or call 1-202-296-3860 today if you can help!

In order to maintain this case in court, IFAW needs to show that it has members who are harmed by the Navy exercises we are challenging. This is called the “standing” requirement.

Once you respond, IFAW will conduct a brief interview with you to create a statement explaining which bodies of water you use and how you use them, your concerns about the threats posed by the use of mid-frequency sonar, and the ways that your enjoyment of these areas is diminished by harm to the area’s marine wildlife.

IFAW will file your signed statement in U.S. Federal Court along with others as part of our Opposition to Defendants Motion to Dismiss. Rest assured, you would NOT become a party to this lawsuit. The whole process is quick and easy and will bring us one step closer to saving countless whales and other marine mammals.

Please consider taking a few minutes to help me out with this. I would really appreciate your help!

For the whales,

Olivier Bonnet
Director IFAW Canada

P.S. If you know of someone else who uses these bodies of water and is willing to support IFAW, please forward this email to them as soon as possible.

CLICK DAILY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! :-)

2009-10-10T20:28:00.002-04:00

http://ecologyfund.com/ecology/_ecology.html

http://ecologyfund.com/ecology/donate_home.html

http://ecologyfund.com/ecology/_donate_rainforest.html

http://ecologyfund.com/ecology/_donate_pol.html

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

RACE FOR THE RAINFOREST
http://rainforest.care2.com/

RACE TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING
http://stopglobalwarming.care2.com/

RACE TO SAVE BABY SEALS
http://babyseals.care2.com/

RACE FOR THE OCEANS
http://oceans.care2.com/

RACE FOR THE BIG CATS
http://bigcats.care2.com/

RACE FOR THE PRIMATES
http://primates.care2.com/

RACE TO HELP CHILDREN IN NEED
http://children.care2.com/

RACE FOR PETS IN NEED
http://pets.care2.com/

RACE TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
http://stopviolence.care2.com/

CLIMB TO END BREAST CANCER
http://breastcancer.care2.com/

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

FUND FREE MAMMOGRAMS
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

HELP FEED THE HUNGRY
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1

PRESERVE ENDANGERED LAND
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4

FUND HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=5

FUND BOOKS FOR KIDS
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=6

FUND FOOD FOR ANIMALS
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Sign up for the International Coastal Clean-up

2009-10-10T20:12:00.000-04:00

Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash in 104 countries and 42 U.S. states during the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup - the world's largest volunteer effort of its kind.

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=icc_home

Save the Amazon Rainforest Frontier

2009-10-10T20:04:00.000-04:00

Tell the Peruvian government to do its part to curtail illegal mahogany exports.

http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_amazon_0109

Save the Polar Bear

2009-10-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

Urge Interior Secretary Salazar to use the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear against the deadliest threat it faces -- global warming pollution -- as well as Arctic oil development.

http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_polar_0109

Petition: Hunting of bears near the McNeil River

2009-10-10T19:55:00.000-04:00

Sign the petition to stop the hunting of Brown Bears near the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Alaska.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mcneil66/

Grizzly Bears in Peril

2009-10-10T19:50:00.001-04:00

The Cline Mining Corporation wants to gouge a heavily polluting
coal mine out of the Flathead River Valley, a thriving Rocky
Mountain habitat for grizzly bears that straddles the border of
Montana and British Columbia.

We need your immediate action to block this dangerous open-pit
mining scheme, which would poison the headwaters of the Flathead
River and jeopardize the survival of downstream populations of
imperiled grizzly bears, wolves, cutthroat trout and other
wildlife.

Please urge the British Columbia government to protect the
spectacular wildlands and wildlife of the Flathead basin by
rejecting the Cline Mining Corporation's reckless plan.

Cline's mining proposal calls for removing mountain tops and
building waste dumps and settling ponds right on top of the
headwaters of the Flathead River in British Columbia.

Hazardous pollution from the mine would travel downriver into
Montana, putting the endangered grizzlies and other wildlife of
Glacier National Park at even greater risk.

Please join Governor Brian Schweitzer and Senator Max Bauchus of
Montana in speaking out against this scheme.

Thank you for helping to protect grizzly bears and other
imperiled Rocky Mountain wildlife.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org/bears/takeaction

Pledge to Live a One Planet Life

2009-10-10T19:44:00.000-04:00

If everyone consumed as much as North Americans, we would need five planets to sustain our high-waste, high-pollution habits.

Each of us can make a difference. By learning more about our individual impact, we can significantly reduce the amount of pollution and waste we produce as a whole. It can start with something as simple as buying fewer pieces of clothing or driving one less day per week.

Please watch the video, and show your commitment to decreasing your impact on our One Planet by signing this pledge and learning more from the resources provided by Care2. Pledge to live a One Planet Life, learn more and teach others about how it can be done!

I pledge to start practicing One Planet living by:
- Educating myself about how to reduce my impact on the Earth
- Telling my friends how they can reduce their impact on the Earth
- Reducing the amount of clothing and luxury items I buy
- Reducing energy consumption in my home
- Buying healthy, local, organic food
- Cutting down on transportation
- Buying environmentally-friendly home and personal care products
- Cutting down on water use and waste in my home
- Offsetting my impact by supporting organizations that work to preserve natural resources

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/666393111

Stop the Commercial Seal Hunt

2009-10-10T19:24:00.009-04:00

The facts:

* Over 300,000 seals, mostly babies, will be bludgeoned or shot to death for their fur.

* The income generated by the commercial seal hunt doesn't go as far as the Canadian government would like you to think; it accounts for less than one percent of Newfoundland's GDP - an average of only $1,000 per sealer.

* The seals are slaughtered in the most inhumane fashion during the hunt - routinely clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice, then dragged over the side of boats with sharpened metal hooks. Some are even skinned alive.

* When Danny Williams, Premier of Labrador and Newfoundland, was given the chance to tell the truth about the hunt during a recent episode of "Larry King Live" on CNN, he chose instead to lay false claims about the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and their documentation of the hunt's cruelty.
Claiming to speak on behalf of Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Williams said: "IFAW representatives, veterinarians and other experts have said the seal hunt is humane."
The truth? There isn't a single reputable "expert" or "veterinary group" that has observed the seal hunt and called it humane. In fact, IFAW experts concluded the slaughter to be inherently cruel and horrific.

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

MORE:

Baby seals are drowning.

The lack of ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has led to a mortality rate for seal pups that could exceed 90%. And yet the cruel hunt to kill baby seals continues.

The Canadian government has announced that 270,000 seals can be taken in this year's hunt. Yet according to the government's own scientists, this number is well above the amount of seals needed to maintain a sustainable population.

Your voice is urgently needed to protest this unnecessary and irresponsible hunt. StoptheSealHunt.org is your number one resource to help these baby seals, 98% of which will be between two weeks and three months old when they are cruelly clubbed or shot.

Surveillance flights are reporting that there are virtually no harp seal pups to be found in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Without ice, mothers are forced to give birth to their pups in the water before they can swim.

In light of these tragic ice conditions, the responsible thing for Canada's government to do would have been to call off this year's seal hunt. Tragically, the Canadian government continues to put politics ahead of science.

Add your voice along with thousands of others from around the globe to create a unique online community that celebrates your participation in putting an end to this cruel hunt.

1) Act: Visit StoptheSealHunt.org

2) Join: Upload your photo and protest message.

3) Share: View images and comments from other activists around the world.

The new interactive site features a Seal Hunt blog with daily updates from Canada, audio podcasts, and videos and photos from IFAW hunt monitors at the scene of the hunt.

You'll also receive information on how to take action as well as multiple ways to enlist others to support our fight against this inhumane practice.

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

Top three seal hunt myths

Here are the top three myths told by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) about the upcoming commercial seal hunt:

Myth #1: The seal hunt is humane.

All available evidence, including veterinary reports and independent observations, indicates that each year tens of thousands of seal pups die in an unacceptably cruel manner inconsistent with contemporary animal welfare standards.

Year after year, observers report abuses such as the hooking and dragging of live seals across the ice, seals clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice, and seals skinned while conscious. While all recent veterinary reports recommend reducing the suffering of seals, their recommendations have not been fully implemented. There is no doubt that Canada’s commercial seal hunt continues to result in considerable and unacceptable suffering.

Myth #2: The seal hunt is closely monitored and well managed.

The seal hunt involves thousands of sealers competing for a limited number of seals during a relatively short period of time. Sealers are concerned with killing as many animals as quickly as possible instead of checking to see if a seal is dead before moving on to club the next one.

Year after year, IFAW hunt observers encounter seals that have been clubbed and left to suffer on the ice, bleeding profusely, crying, breathing and attempting to crawl. These are not “reflexes” as the DFO claims, which are easily recognised and familiar to those observing the seal hunt.

During 2006, the DFO claimed to have had 12 monitors for the Gulf hunt, the largest enforcement effort ever. Yet sealers in one region were allowed to take three times their quota without any consequences. In fact the Total Allowable Catch has been exceeded in four of the past five years.

Myth #3: The seal hunt is sustainable.

A recent study by IFAW scientists found that the current management approach risks depleting the harp seal herd by as much as 70% in the next 15 years. Seal catch quotas set by the Canadian government are much higher than government scientists’ estimates of what is sustainable, and these quotas are then allowed to be exceeded.

The DFO often states that the harp seal population has tripled since the 1970s. However, this ignores the fact that between 1950 and 1970 the harp seal population was reduced by as much as two-thirds from seal hunting. Since 1995, harp seals are being killed at levels similar to those that caused a dangerous decline in the past, and the DFO now admits that the population has declined.

Climate change is also presenting a new threat to the harp seal population by negatively impacting their breeding habitat. Increasingly, poor ice conditions off the east coast of Canada are causing higher than normal seal pup mortality. Government scientists estimate that in 2002, 75% of the pups in the Gulf of St. Lawrence died due to a lack of ice before the hunt even began. Yet the government continues to increase the total allowable catches for harp seals, putting the population at increased risk.

Visit http://www.stopthesealhunt.ca to learn more

http://www.stopthesealhunt.com/c.ihKPIWPCIqE/b.5015401/k.8FB6/Action_Item_TEST/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx

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

MORE:

Urge Olympic Committee to Help End the Canadian Seal Slaughter

All eyes are on Canada as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. This extra attention will bring increased scrutiny and comes with the added responsibility of setting a positive example for the world. That's why we are calling on the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use its clout to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter.

During Canada's annual seal massacre, hundreds of thousands of baby seals are shot or have their skulls crushed, all for the sake of "fashion." Sealers routinely hook seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging the pelt, then drag the seals across the ice, in many cases without checking to ensure that they are unconscious.

Baby seals stand no chance against club-wielding trappers, and they must look on as fellow pups are bludgeoned to death before meeting the same bloody fate. The anguish that a mother seal feels as she watches her baby being beaten to death just a few feet away from her is horrifying and can be heard in her desperate cries and seen in her attempts to get to her baby.

The 2009 seal slaughter has ended, but PETA's campaign to stop the massacre permanently has just begun. It's clear that the Canadian seal slaughter is quickly losing favor and support: This year, about three-fourths of the seals who were scheduled to be bludgeoned or shot to death were spared. But we still need your help to make sure Canada doesn't think the protests will end just because the killing slowed. Urge Canada's prime minister and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to help stop the slaughter forever.

Please write to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee and demand that it help bring an immediate end to the seal slaughter. Share this action alert with everyone you know. A few minutes of your time will make a huge difference for baby seals.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1858

Save wild Patagonia from "electrocution"‏

2009-10-10T19:07:00.002-04:00

Tell the Chilean government to reject the HydroAisen dam project and to pursue a sustainable energy future.

Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,

A European energy company is now scheming to build massive
hydro-electric dams on every major river in Chilean Patagonia.
We need your immediate action to stop this proposed
"electrocution" of one of the wildest regions on earth.

Please urge Chile's President Bachelet to consider the
full range of alternatives before sacrificing this
world-renowned wilderness to destructive hydro-development.

Endesa-Spain's disastrous proposal would flood thousands of
acres of irreplaceable habitat for a vast array of rare wildlife
including South American deer, southern river otters and many
birds found only in Patagonia.

For the sake of its own profits, the company is claiming that
stopping up Patagonia's mighty rivers to produce electricity --
which would then be transmitted thousands of miles -- is the
only way to fuel Chile's economic growth. As part of the same
plan, Brookfield Consortium, a Canadian company, would clearcut
a 1,200-mile swath through five national parks and two
wilderness reserves to make way for the world's largest
transmission line.

But smarter alternatives to strengthening Chile's economy --
such as stricter energy efficiency standards and the use of
localized, clean and renewable energy sources -- are readily
available.

Chile's new president, Michelle Bachelet, has pledged to make
environmental protection a priority in her administration. To
fulfill that promise, she should take a hard a look at every
possible alternative before sentencing wild Patagonia to
electrocution.

Please tell President Bachelet to spare the life of this untouched
expanse of breathtaking rainforests, glaciers, fjords and
rivers.

Thank you for helping to save Chile's last wilderness frontier.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction

Save the Tongass National Forest

2009-10-10T18:59:00.005-04:00

Tell Congress to end logging subsidies in the Tongass National Forest once and for all.

We need your urgent action to make sure that Congress stands
firm against taxpayer subsidies for destroying America's
greatest temperate rainforest.

Please tell your senators and representative to protect
the Tongass, a thriving habitat for grizzly bears, salmon runs,
bald eagles and the elusive Alexander Archipelago wolf.

Thanks to pressure from you and other online activists, the
House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in June to halt
taxpayer subsidies for destructive new logging roads in Alaska's
Tongass National Forest.

But Alaska's senior senator, Ted Stevens, is now working
feverishly behind closed doors to make sure that this
long-overdue legislation never sees the light of day. And he's
drafting his own, underhanded, amendment to restrict sharply the
public's ability to halt wasteful and devastating Tongass
logging in court.

Over the last 25 years, more than 1 billion taxpayer dollars
have been spent to clearcut and build roads through this
irreplaceable BioGem.

NRDC activists like you have spoken out again and again against
these wasteful handouts, which have enabled timber companies to
expand their reach into the unspoiled heart of America's
rainforest.

Please demand that House and Senate negotiators stand up to Senator
Stevens and his destructive logging-road subsidies in the
Tongass!

Thank you for helping to defend this priceless rainforest refuge
for imperiled Alaskan wildlife.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org/tongass/takeaction

Help Cows Skinned for Leather in India

2009-10-10T18:46:00.001-04:00

Almost all leather in America is imported from foreign countries, and one of the top leather producers is, surprisingly, India. Six years after a PETA video exposé of it, the leather industry in India continues to subject cows and other animals to illegal cruelty during transport and slaughter. Cows and other animals are forced to endure transport in extremely crowded trucks, suffering broken bones and dehydration, before having their throats slit in full view of other animals and sometimes being skinned and dismembered while still conscious.

If you're wearing leather, you're probably wearing leather from India or China, and conditions for animals in China are at least as bad as they are in India. Even if your shoes were manufactured in Italy, the United States, or another such country, the raw materials (skins) are probably from India or China.

Please contact the Indian ambassador and ask him to take steps to stop the cruel transport and slaughter of Indian animals for the country's leather industry. And please, don't buy any leather—whether it's on your boots or on your belt, leather is just plain cruel.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1424

Become a Sustainable Seafood Activist!

2009-10-10T18:26:00.001-04:00

You've got the pirates in your sites now! More than 12,000 of you have taken action and written to the U.S. government demanding stronger regulations on pirated fish. And 2,200 of you have really gone after the pirates by downloading our seafood toolkit and collecting data to reveal supermarkets that are selling red list seafood that they caught.

But, we still need a bigger crew! Help us gather enough data to eliminate pirated fish from our local grocery stores. If retailers stop buying the stolen catch, then pirates will go out of business. And, isn't that what we're rallying for? It's up to YOU to protect endangered fish, marine mammals, and pristine habitat from the destruction of pirate fishermen.

Download your Activist Treasure Chest now!

X marks the spot where pirate fishing ends, and only you have the map to get us there.

If you've already downloaded the toolkit, thank you! Please ask your friends and family to jump in and join our crew. Healthy oceans depend on us taking action and putting an end to ocean destruction and pillaging. Let's work together to apply the right amount of pressure so supermarkets will change their policies.

For the oceans,
John Hocevar
Oceans Campaigner

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

Collectively, supermarkets sell a massive amount of seafood and consequently can influence if the products they sell contribute to over-fishing, pirate fishing and destructive fish farming.

Greenpeace needs your help monitoring supermarket seafood policies and practices. The sustainable seafood toolkit will provide you with what you need to survey your local supermarket and report to Greenpeace on whether they support healthy oceans. The information you gather will be used to update our supermarket scorecard and will let supermarkets know Greenpeace has its eye on them.

To become a Sustainable Seafood Activist and download the toolkit, please fill-in the information below and hit the "Submit Answers" button. After you hit the button, you'll see a link where you can open a PDF version of the toolkit in your browser. Just click on the disk icon in the top left corner to save a copy to your computer.

We'll also send you an email with the link just in case. Good luck!

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

Info from the Toolkit:

Overfishing and destructive fishing are among the most significant threats facing our
oceans. The UN reports that three-quarters of global fish stocks are either fully exploited
or overexploited. Scientists estimate that 90% of top marine predators such as tuna and
sharks are already gone. Pirate fishing, estimated to account for up to a third of the
global catch, is notorious for targeting at-risk populations and using highly destructive
methods. Destructive fishing indiscriminately kills “non-target” species, including marine mammals and seabirds, and destroys habitats that marine species depend on for survival.
In addition to the direct and cascading effects on marine ecosystems, overfishing and
destructive fishing make our ocean ecosystems more vulnerable to global warming...

https://secureusa.greenpeace.org/survey/start/126/

Help Prevent Another Coal Disaster

2009-10-04T19:57:00.000-04:00

At the end of December 2008, a large swath of Tennessee was flooded with toxic coal ash when a containment pond ruptured. The massive spill -- bigger than the oil released from the Exxon Valdez -- covered hundreds of acres of land, knocking homes off of their foundations and flowing into streams and the Clinch and Tennessee rivers. The spill poses long-term threats to human health and the environment.

Most recently, a leak in a coal ash pipe has sent over 4000 gallons of coal ash into the Potomac River and those toxins are heading towards Washington, D.C. Perhaps now, members of Congress will understand that coal is public enemy number one.

Please let your member of Congress know that a ban on new coal-fired power plants is needed immediately and we must rapidly phase out existing coal facilities and replace them with clean energy alternatives and energy efficiency.

http://action.foe.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26388

Don't Buy It: Keep Cloned Meat Off Grocery Shelves

2009-10-04T13:17:00.000-04:00

The FDA has buckled to big biotech and agro-business despite more than 150,000 public comments opposing the lifting of the ban, and amendments to the federal Farm Bill and Omnibus Appropriations Bill calling for more research before lifting the ban.

Genetically speaking, meat eaters could eat burgers from the same cow for years. Don't let the marketplace support such experimentation with our ecosystem and the food we eat.

Don't eat meat or animal products? We still think this issue will interest you, given the risks taken by introducing cloned animals into our food system and ecosystem.

Sign the petition below and tell grocers you aren't buying it! Tell them you'll stop shopping at stores that can't promise not to sell such products.

(Recipients include: A&P, Costco, Wal-Mart, Food Lion, Giant, Safeway, Whole Foods, Hardings, Super Fresh and others.)

http://action.foe.org/t/901/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22275

America Must Kick the Oil Addiction

2009-10-04T13:13:00.001-04:00

Break the Addiction

Let's face it, our country is addicted to oil. Even George W. Bush, a former oil peddler, has admitted to this addiction. And like any sickness, our addiction to oil has serious consequences: higher temperatures, melting glaciers, more violent storms and $4 a gallon gasoline to name just a few.

The U.S. burns 25 percent of the world's oil, but we only have three percent of the world's proven oil reserves. Offshore drilling won't even deliver a drop of oil for ten years, according to the Bush Administration's own numbers. That means we'll never be able to drill our way to lower gas prices or energy independence.

Drilling for offshore oil is like giving an addict a bigger dose - it doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it worse for all of us.

It's time to quit oil, get clean, and make a permanent switch to renewable energy.

Tell our next President to just say no to offshore drilling.

Our addiction is making the planet sick while Big Oil is getting rich. Global warming threatens us all, and if we don't break our addiction, we'll ALL suffer the consequences.

The cycle of addiction must end now - and it's our generation that needs to stand up and make the change.

Yet Bush and many other federal politicians are touting more drilling as the solution. Drilling for offshore oil is like giving an addict a bigger dose - it doesn’t solve the problem, and actually makes it worse. Worse yet, our addiction to oil isn't just hurting us -- it's making the whole planet sick. Global warming threatens us all, and if we don’t break our addiction, we’ll ALL suffer the consequences.

It’s time to quit our addiction to oil and choose a healthier lifestyle. In order to get clean, we need to make a permanent switch to clean energy. The cycle of addiction must end now, and it’s our generation that must stand up and make the change, or there may not be generations to come...

Symptoms of Oil Addiction:

* Higher global temperatures
* Erratic temperature fluctuation
* Record sea ice losses
* Rising sea levels
* Stronger and increased storms and hurricanes
* Severe droughts and crop failures
* Increased wildfires
* Depleted fresh water supplies
* Rising food prices
* Spread of tropical diseases
* Increased flooding
* Massive species extinction
* Bleaching coral reefs
* Acidification of our oceans
* Global warming refugees worldwide
* Heightened international conflicts
* Gas prices reaching $4 a gallon or more

Tell our President and Congress to just say no to offshore drilling.

http://usactions.greenpeace.org/action/start/213/

Whales in Danger

2009-10-04T12:49:00.003-04:00

Ear-splitting military sonar and the industrialization of the oceans are threatening whale populations worldwide.

Threats to whales around the world are escalating, as the use of deadly military sonar spreads through the oceans and industrialization despoils critical whale habitat. In Alaska’s Cook Inlet, the beluga whale population has plummeted to only 375 animals as pollution increases. And ear-splitting military sonar is needlessly harming populations of whales as the U.S. Navy continues to refuse to use common-sense safeguards during training exercises.

NRDC is fighting on all fronts to protect imperiled whales throughout the world’s oceans. In 2008, under pressure from NRDC and other conservation groups, the National Marine Fisheries Service placed Cook Inlet belugas on the endangered species list. However, the state of Alaska -- in a move to protect oil and gas interests -- intends to challenge this decision. NRDC will go to court to protect Alaska’s most endangered whales.

NRDC is also waging a campaign of courtroom action, administrative advocacy and public pressure to compel the Navy to restrict its use of deadly sonar, which has been linked to hundreds of whale strandings and deaths around the world. NRDC has made enormous progress over the past decade in compelling the military to study the impacts of sonar and put precautions in place. But a set of eleventh-hour rules adopted by the Bush Administration would allow the Navy to harm whales more than 2 million times each year along the eastern seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico, California, and Hawaii. We are asking the new administration to revisit those rules and will continue to push for reasonable safeguards to ensure the Navy conducts sonar training in an environmentally responsible manner -- so that whales don’t have to die for practice.

Urge the Obama administration to reject a last minute Bush administration rule that would barrage whales along the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico, California and Hawaii with Navy sonar.

ALSO:

Tell the Navy to stop harming whales with high-intensity sonar

Although the Navy agreed to limit its use of low-frequency sonar, it continues to blast the world's oceans with mid-frequency sonar, which can be just as harmful to whales and other marine mammals. Tell the Navy to turn off the noise.

In the last several years, thousands of you have taken action to help stop the Navy from deploying harmful low-frequency sonar, and in 2004 NRDC reached a landmark agreement with the Navy limiting the use of this particular type of sonar. But the Navy continues to use mid-frequency sonar, another form of high-intensity sonar, to blast large expanses of the ocean with sound. This technology has been implicated in a growing number of whale strandings and even deaths around the world, from the state of Washington to the Bahamas to Greece.

Most recently, Navy training exercises off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, in early July coincided with a stampede to shallow water by a pod of up to 200 melon-headed whales. Melon-headed whales (which resemble dolphins) usually stay in deep water and are not known to beach themselves. Although concerned locals in kayaks and canoes were eventually able to herd most of the whales back out to sea, one young whale did become stranded and die. It's too soon to know for certain whether the sonar was the direct cause of the pod's distress, but the incident was similar enough to previous strandings caused by sonar that it warrants a full investigation by the Navy.

NRDC has sent a letter to the Navy, demanding that it stop using high-intensity, mid-frequency sonar in a way that harms whales. You can help by sending the Navy your own letter.

Learn more: http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp

Take action: http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_092506_a

Tell Canon to make a picture perfect decision to help end whaling.

2009-10-04T12:45:00.001-04:00

This campaign has always been about saving the whales - for good. We are proud that this year we've saved more than 100 whales here in the Southern Ocean, and I am personally relieved that I wasn't forced to witness a single whale being killed. But our efforts here in the Southern Ocean are just one part of a much larger effort to end commercial whaling forever.

After months at sea, and the last two weeks of chasing the Japanese factory whaling ship, Nisshin Maru, we've almost run out of fuel and have to return to port. The Australian government vessel, the Oceanic Viking, will continue shadowing the whaling fleet, and we are confident that no whaling will take place in their presence. We have put enormous pressure on the Japanese government, and they have made it clear that they want to hide their whaling from the public eye.

Now our attention must turn to increasing public pressure on the Japanese government. We're entering a new phase in our efforts to save the whales, and now we're relying on YOU to take action to achieve our goal of ending whaling, not just this season but forever.

We're turning our focus on Canon, the company known for its high quality cameras and its commitment to protecting endangered species. As the head of the Japanese Business Federation, Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai has the power to influence the Japanese Prime Minister and to condemn whaling. But Canon has refused to take a stand against the killing of thousands of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Is this really wildlife as Canon sees it?

It's time to zoom in on a permanent end to whaling. YOU can help Canon see the big picture.

I want to thank you for all of your support for us here on the high seas protecting whales. I hope you'll continue to support whales now by shifting the spotlight to the highest levels of Japanese business and politics, where the fate of whales will ultimately be decided. Whales should be shot with cameras, not harpoons, and Canon should be developing the same conservation philosophy behind the scenes that it uses in its ads.

Sincerely,
Heath Hanson
Boat Driver,
Greenpeace

Why use a harpoon... when you can use a Canon?

Canon is the world's number one digital camera company, and a major sponsor of wildlife initiatives, environmental groups, and efforts to save endangered species.

The CEO of a company that attracts support to its brand by associating itself with environmental issues ought to oppose lethal research whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Tell Mr. Mitarai, head of Canon Japan, that you want him to express Canon's disapproval of whaling in the Southern Ocean, and to call upon the government of Japan to use only non-lethal research methods.

http://members.greenpeace.org/action/start/175/

DONATE -- "Stop the Whale Hunt" Facebook Cause

2009-10-04T12:38:00.001-04:00

From Greenpeace:

Hi Friends!

For eleven days, we’ve been chasing the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru through Antarctic waters. Every day they’ve spent trying to outrun us has been a safe day for whales. In fact, we estimate that by shutting down the whaling operations, we’ve saved as many as 77 whales through our efforts.

But today, the Nisshin Maru engaged in a different type of illegal activity, and we were there to stop it. It attempted to refuel in Antarctic treaty waters. The Panamanian registered ship Oriental Bluebird arrived on the scene, in an effort to refuel the fleet and take on packaged whale meat, processed in the weeks before we located the fleet.

We immediately launched our inflatable boats, including mine. We steered a course between the Nisshin Maru and Oriental Bluebird. The Esperanza warned the vessels of our presence, but they continued to maneuver together, essentially trapping us between the two ships.

Join the “Stop the Whale Hunt!” Facebook Cause and Donate $10:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/54259

Please help us stop the whale hunt. If enough people give $10 today, the “Stop the Whale Hunt” cause will win $1000 from the Facebook Giving Challenge. This will raise the profile of our efforts to stop the whale hunt, support our work on the Southern Oceans, and build the Greenpeace network on Facebook!

Please – donate $10 today! If you want to give more, consider spacing it out over several days so we have a better chance at the daily $1000 prizes.

The two Japanese hunting ships were also on the scene, harassing our activists for more than an hour by performing close-quarter maneuvers near our boats, as we documented the exchange of whale meat and fuel between the Nisshin Maru and Oriental Bluebird.

Our boats are less than 26 feet in length, but we managed to keep the Goliath whaling ships apart long enough for another ship to appear on the horizon: Australia’s Oceanic Viking. Now the Australian government is on the scene and documenting the Japanese whaling fleet’s illegal activities for themselves.

Please help us stop the whale hunt. If you don't have the "cause" application installed on your Facebook profile yet, just click the "add application" link that appears when you join the cause.

We’re doing our part to protect the whales here in the Southern Ocean. You can too. You don’t have to place yourself in harm’s way to protect whales you can take action on Facebook today.

With the Facebook Giving Challenge, NOW is the best time to help us save whales.

Sincerely,
Heath Hanson
Boat Driver

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/54259

Pledge to Reduce Your Plastic Consumption

2009-09-06T17:43:00.004-04:00

The damage plastics are doing to our oceans is alarming. In one area of the Pacific, there's an "island" of floating trash that's the size of Texas. Marine debris washes ashore, from Alaska to Antarctica. It's not just an eyesore, it's a threat to marine life and ocean ecosystems.

You can do something about it. Please read the message below from our friends at Oceana, and take the first step to reduce your mark on ocean pollution.

Working individually and together, we can make a difference.

Best wishes,
Kathy Kilmer, The Wilderness Society

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

If you haven't already heard about this, it's mind boggling - there is a place in the Pacific Ocean where plastics have accumulated into a patch that is reportedly the size of Texas!

Plastic pollution in this "Garbage Patch" and elsewhere in our seas is a global threat that can harm or kill millions of marine animals, damage ocean ecosystems, and even affect human health.

The swirling ocean vortexes all contain sizeable amounts of floating plastic debris. The area in the North Pacific includes an estimated 150 million tons of plastic. Needless to say, cleaning something like this up is a tremendous undertaking. The first step is stopping the flow of plastics into the oceans.

Take Action: Pledge to Reduce Your Plastic Consumption!

The very attributes that make plastic so useful to humans - its durability, light weight and resistance to decomposition - are huge liabilities for oceans and marine life: these polymers can persist for hundreds of years.

According to reports, a majority of all marine mammals and sea birds have some amount of plastic in their digestive systems.

Besides the risks to wildlife that plastic itself poses, toxic chemicals can also adhere onto the plastics. When marine life mistakes the plastic debris for food, those toxic chemicals can be released into their living systems. As such, these contaminants may be passed up the food web, potentially even reaching our dinner plates. In effect, our use of plastics may come back to haunt us, full circle.

The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags every year. We need to make changes in our daily lives to reduce our plastic consumption, and recycle the products that we do use.

Join the growing community of ocean advocates that are pledging not to trash the oceans!

For the oceans,
Jackie Savitz
Senior Director, Pollution Campaigns

P.S. To read a recent New York Times piece on this topic, click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/magazine/22Plastics-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Restore Affordable Birth Control!

2009-09-06T17:38:00.000-04:00

We are at a crucial stage in the fight for affordable birth control. Take action now to restore access to afforable birth control for college students and low-income women.

The Senate passed 75-22, a critical amendment reinstating discounts for birth control drugs and devices that were discontinued by the former Republican Congress. Millions of women across the country are being effected by the devasting spikes: doubling, tripling, and even quintupling in birth control prices. They simply cannot wait any longer for affordable birth control. We have been working hard to restore women's access to affordable birth control.

The Senate has done its part, now we must all urge House leadership to pass this critical amendment and restore affordable access to birth control for college students and low-income women.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1269/t/184/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2199

Support International Family Planning

2009-09-06T17:37:00.000-04:00

Please join the movement to reverse cuts to reproductive health programs, helping the poorest of women. During the Bush years, family planning funding has been cut some 40% in real dollars, and funding to the United National Population Fund (UNFPA) has been withheld.

We must demand that the US pays its fair share to meet overwhelming demand for family planning. Today, 200 million women lack access to contraceptives.

A bipartisan group of members of Congress, led by Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Michael Michaud (D-ME), and Diane DeGette (D-CO) are trying to reverse this horrific trend by requesting a $530 million increase from last year's level in family planning funding, which includes $63.5 million for UNFPA.

Without adequate access to birth control, more than 500,000 young women die each year from pregnancy related causes and complications in childbirth every year. Another 70,000 women and girls die from botched, unsafe abortions. Plus, 50% of infant deaths are the result of poor maternal health and unsafe delivery care. Women want access to birth control, but our government's policy of cutting family planning funding is contributing to unnecessary suffering and death.

Please let Congress know you support empowering women and increasing substantially international family planning funding. This increase will begin to reverse the horiffic trend of cutting family planning.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1400/t/1714/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24183

Act Now to Stop the Execution of an Afghan Journalist!

2009-09-06T17:21:00.003-04:00

Act now to save the life of an Afghan reporter!

Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh, a student at Balkh University and a reporter for Jahan-I-Now (New World) newspaper, was arrested in October and sentenced to death January 22, 2008, after he supposedly confessed to blasphemy. Kambakhsh has said his intent was to foster discussion on the role of women in Islamic societies. Instead, he was arrested in the Balkh province, tried before a secret court without legal representation and sentenced to death.

We must urge the Afghan government not to let this horrific ruling stand. Afghanistan must not go back to the days of Taliban-like oppression. We must also urge the U.S. State Department to protest this shocking decision and reverse policies leading to a return of Taliban-like authoritarianism.

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

In a move that has shocked journalists and human rights activists around the world, an Afghan religious court has sentenced a 23-year-old reporter and journalism student to death for downloading information on women's role in Islam from the internet and distributing it. Act now, before it's too late!

Tell the Karzai government to uphold the Afghan constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and women's rights, and tell the U.S. government to support the rights of Afghan citizens.

Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh, a student at Balkh University and a reporter for Jahan-I-Now (New World) newspaper, was arrested in October and sentenced to death January 22, 2008, after he supposedly confessed to blasphemy. Kambakhsh has said his intent was to foster discussion on the role of women in Islamic societies. Instead, he was arrested in the Balkh province, tried before a secret court without legal representation and sentenced to death

Other journalists were warned journalists by the deputy attorney general in Balkh that if they supported Kambakhsh they would be arrested. But journalists gathered outside his home in support and demonstrations have been held in Kabul.

We must urge the Afghan government not to let this horrific ruling stand. Afghanistan must not go back to the days of Taliban-like oppression. We must also urge the U.S. State Department to protest this shocking decision and reverse policies leading to a return of Taliban-like authoritarianism.

Take action now, before time runs out for this young journalist.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1400/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22702

Improve your vocabulary and fight world hunger

2009-09-06T16:47:00.000-04:00

Here's a cool and fun site! For every word you get right, they donate rice to help starving people. It is through the United Nations. Try it out! It's fun and for a good cause.

http://www.freerice.com

Help microfinance a 3rd world entrepreneur!

2009-09-06T16:45:00.000-04:00

If you ever wanted to help out and make a difference in this world, you might want to know about this cool site which allows you to make small loans to third world entrepreneurs. The site is http://www.kiva.org and it is legit! You can make loans as little as $25. Check it out!

http://www.kiva.org

Can you help protect marine wildlife?

2009-08-26T19:15:00.001-04:00

IFAW needs your help in carrying out a crucial next step in a lawsuit to protect whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles, fish, and other marine wildlife from mid-frequency active sonar used by the U.S. Navy. If you are an IFAW member who spends time in the Marianas Islands or The Gulf of Lyon, please help us protect marine wildlife.

These sonar systems can flood tens or even hundreds of square miles of ocean with sound waves which are suspected of causing injury and even mortality of whales and other marine mammals.

Yet the Navy is refusing to take common-sense measures to protect marine life. IFAW is a co-plaintiff in a case that, if successful, will set an important precedent for how this technology may be deployed in the marine environment.

With your help, we hope to send the message to the Navy that the military needs to adhere to protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act rather than granting itself a “national security” exemption.

As one of our strongest advocates for marine mammals, we are hoping that you might be able to help us. If you are an IFAW member who uses waters – recreationally or professionally – where the U.S. Navy has plans to use mid-frequency sonar, your participation is urgently needed! If you or someone you know, spends, or has ever spent time in the rich marine environment of the Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean (i.e. Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota) or The Gulf of Lyon in the northern Mediterranean Sea (for example, Marseille, Sete, Perpignan, Narbonne, Argelès-sur-Mer, and Agde) your participation is required to help us protect marine wildlife.

If you are interested in helping and meet the criteria, a representative from IFAW will interview you over the phone and write up a statement for you which you would print and sign. IFAW would file your statement in court along with others, but you would NOT become a party to the lawsuit. The whole process is easy and fairly quick and will lead us one step closer to saving countless whales and other marine wildlife. Please consider taking a few minutes to help us with this extremely urgent matter, we must act IMMEDIATELY.

If you think you or someone you know can assist us in our efforts, please email msakoh@ifaw.org.

As always, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Olivier Bonnet
Director IFAW Canada

P.S. If you know of someone else who uses these bodies of water and is willing to support IFAW, please forward this message to them as soon as possible.

DONATE - Help Ocean Conservancy Protect Marine Wildlife, Eliminate Marine Debris

2009-08-26T18:59:00.001-04:00

Imagine a day when our beaches are once again pristine, when marine wildlife is not threatened by debris that can entangle, choke, or poison. With that vision in mind, please make a generous contribution to Ocean Conservancy, and support real change for our ocean.

https://secure2.convio.net/toc/site/Dona....ho31 fd11.app5b

Preserve the Heart of the Boreal Forest

2009-08-25T20:33:00.000-04:00

The Manitoba government still has not honored its pledge to
permanently protect the Poplar-Nanowin Rivers traditional lands
in our Heart of the Boreal Forest BioGem.

Your urgent action is needed to ensure that Manitoba makes good
on its repeated promises. Mounting proposals for clearcut
logging, roadbuilding and industrial hydropower development loom
over this irreplaceable habitat for threatened woodland caribou,
moose and millions of songbirds.

Please urge Manitoba's premier to grant permanent protection to
these First Nation lands.

For thousands of years, the Poplar River First Nation has relied
on the trees, plants and wildlife of this expanse of rugged
granite cliffs, dense evergreen woods and tranquil marshlands
for food, medicine and the survival of its beliefs and
traditions. In 2004, the Canadian government recognized the
outstanding cultural and natural values of this wildland by
including it as part of a potential U.N. World Heritage Site.

Under pressure from BioGems Defenders like you, the Manitoba
government renewed interim protection of the Poplar-Nanowin
Rivers Park Reserve to allow for the completion of a land
management plan. Yet more than a year has passed now since the
plan was finalized -- and the Manitoba government has failed to
legislate permanent protection.

Please tell Manitoba's premier to take this long overdue next step
toward creating a World Heritage Site in this region.

Thank you for all of your efforts to protect the wildest reaches
of Canada's vast boreal forest.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org/boreal/takeaction

Tell ShopNBC -- 'Fur Is Dead'

2009-08-25T20:21:00.002-04:00

Less than a year after it pledged to adopt a permanent fur-free policy, ShopNBC—the television shopping channel and online retailer for NBC TV—has reneged on its promise, despite the fact that leading clothing retailers including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, and many others have pulled fur from their stores forever. PETA has been asking concerned customers to contact ShopNBC CEO William Lansing and ask him to stop selling fur. Instead of listening to his customers and ending ShopNBC's sale of fur, Lansing is redirecting customer complaints to PETA.

With so many fashionable, comfortable alternatives available, there is no excuse for ShopNBC to sell fur or fur-trimmed apparel. Please take a moment to let ShopNBC Vice President and CFO Frank Elsenbast know that you're outraged that ShopNBC went back on its promise not to sell fur and is now playing games with concerned customers rather than taking their complaints seriously.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=895

Join the Coca Cola boycott! Here's why.

2009-08-25T20:05:00.002-04:00

Coke Is Death
By Michael Blanding, The Nation. Posted April 14, 2006.

The softdrink giant's abysmal human rights record is finally catching up with it.

The ballroom at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware, is the picture of opulence. Paintings of Greek gods and goddesses peer down from the walls, lit by two crystal chandeliers the size of Mini Coopers. It's here in April that the Coca-Cola Company will hold its stockholders' meeting, an annual exercise designed to boost the confidence of investors. If the meeting is anything like last year's, however, it may do the opposite.

As stockholders filed into the room in April 2005, news hadn't been good for Coke, which has steadily lost market share to rivals. Investors were eager for reassurance from CEO Neville Isdell, a patrician Irishman who had recently assumed the top job. Few in the room, however, were prepared for what happened next.

As Isdell stood at the podium, two long lines formed at the microphones. When he opened the floor, the first to speak was Ray Rogers, a veteran union organizer and head of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke. "I want to know what [Coke is] going to do to regain the trust and credibility in order to stop the growing movement worldwide...banning Coke products," boomed the 62-year-old.

That was just the beginning of a ninety-minute slugfest that the Financial Times later said "felt more like a student protest rally" than a stockholders' meeting. One after another, students, labor activists and environmentalists blasted Coke's international human rights record.

Many focused on Colombia, where Coke has been accused of conspiring with paramilitary death squads to torture and kill union activists. Others highlighted India, where Coke has allegedly polluted and depleted water supplies. Still others called the company to task for causing obesity through aggressive marketing to children.

In the past two years the Coke campaign has grown into the largest anticorporate movement since the campaign against Nike for sweatshop abuses. Around the world, dozens of unions and more than twenty universities have banned Coke from their facilities, while activists have dogged the company from World Cup events in London to the Winter Olympics in Torino.

More than just the re-emergence of the corporate boycott, however, the fight against Coke is a leap forward in international cooperation. Coke, with its red-and-white swoosh recognizable everywhere from Beijing to Baghdad, is perhaps the quintessential symbol of the US-dominated global economy. The fight to hold it accountable has, in turn, broadly connected issues across continents to become a truly globalized grassroots movement.

Coke shrugs off the protests as coming from a "small segment of the student population," says Ed Potter, the company's director of global labor relations. "What I see are largely well-meaning attempts to put a spotlight on some reprehensible things--but which are unrelated to our workplaces."

Nevertheless, Coke has fought back with ads on TV and in student newspapers, part of a mammoth advertising budget that has increased 30 percent in the past two years, to a staggering $2.4 billion. However, as evidence against the company mounts ahead of this year's annual stockholders' meeting, so does the pressure for Coke to address its growing international image of exploitation and brutality.

On the morning of December 5, 1996, union leader Isidro Segundo Gil was standing at the gate of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Carepa, Colombia, when two paramilitaries drove up on a motorcycle and shot him dead. A week later, unionists say, paramilitaries lined up all the workers inside the plant and forced them to sign a letter resigning from the beverage union SINALTRAINAL, spelling the end of the union at the plant.

Violence against union members is a fact of life in Colombia, where nearly 4,000 have been killed by paramilitaries in the past two decades. But Gil's murder was different, say his union brothers; two months earlier, they observed the plant manager meeting with a paramilitary commander in the company cafeteria. And just a week before he was killed Gil had been negotiating with the company over a new contract.

Workers see these events as an example of the collusion of bottling executives with the paramilitaries. "From the beginning, Coca-Cola took a stand to not only eliminate the union but to destroy its workers," said SINALTRAINAL president Javier Correa in a recent speaking appearance in the United States.

Nor was Gil's murder a unique occurrence, says Correa. In all, eight union members and a friendly plant manager were killed between 1989 and 2002. Even today, union leaders routinely receive death threats and attempts on their lives. In 2003 paramilitaries kidnapped and tortured the 15-year-old son of one union leader and killed the brother-in-law of SINALTRAINAL's vice president.

This past January, says Correa, managers at the Coca-Cola plant in Bogota attempted to get workers to sign a statement saying Coke did not violate human rights; a week later the leader of the union received a death threat against himself and his family.

"Coke has a long history of being a virulently antiunion company," says Lesley Gill, an anthropology professor at American University who has twice been to Colombia to document the violence. "It has been calculated and targeted, and it usually takes place during periods of contract negotiations."

A 2004 investigation directed by New York City Councilman Hiram Monserrate documented 179 "major human rights violations" against Coke workers, along with numerous allegations that "paramilitary violence against workers was done with the knowledge of and likely under the direction of company managers." The violence has taken a toll on the union. In the past decade, SINALTRAINAL's Coke membership has fallen from about 1,400 to less than 400.

Coca-Cola representatives deny involvement of the company or its bottling partners, contending that the murders are a byproduct of the country's civil war. In response, the company touts the security measures it offers union leaders, including loans for home security systems and reassignment for those in danger. Furthermore, Coke points out that it has been exonerated in several cases in Colombian courts.

However, charging those courts as ineffective--only five paramilitaries have been found guilty of murder, despite 4,000 killings--SINALTRAINAL reached out in 2001 to the International Labor Rights Fund, a Washington-based solidarity organization. Using a US law called the Alien Tort Claims Act, the ILRF and the United Steelworkers filed suit against Coke and its bottlers in Miami later that year.

In 2003 a judge ruled that Coca-Cola couldn't be held responsible for the actions of its bottlers and dropped it from the case, even while allowing the case against the bottlers to go forward. ILRF lawyer Terry Collingsworth finds that decision preposterous, noting that Coke has ownership shares in its Colombian bottlers and highly detailed bottling agreements. "I'm 100 percent sure that if Coca-Cola in Atlanta ordered them to change their uniform color from red to blue, they would do it," says Collingsworth. "They could stop these activities in a minute."

While the ILRF has appealed the decision, procedural rules require it to wait until the case against the bottlers is over before the case against Coke can be taken up again--a process that could take years. "We needed to figure out a way that Coke sees delay as bad," says Collingsworth.

In 2003 SINALTRAINAL put out a call for an international boycott of Coke products. At the same time, the ILRF contacted Ray Rogers, head of Corporate Campaign, Inc., an organization that consults with unions to win contracts through unorthodox methods. Over the past three decades, Rogers has forced concessions from a dozen companies--including American Airlines, Campbell's Soup and New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority--not through strikes or negotiations but through an aggressive strategy of publicly embarrassing anyone associated with his targets.

Rogers immediately saw Coke's weakness: its brand. "They are right at the top of the worst companies in the world, and yet they've created an image like they are American pie," he says. "When people think of Coca-Cola, they should think about great hardship and despair for people and communities around the world."

From the beginning, Rogers appropriated Coke's trademark red script to make the Killer Coke logo, and tweaked its advertising campaign with slogans like "The Drink That Represses" and "Murder--It's the Real Thing." He made a dramatic first appearance at a Coke annual meeting two years ago, when police wrestled Rogers away from the mike and forcibly dragged him out of the hall.

Early on, Rogers rejected SINALTRAINAL's call for a consumer boycott of Coke products, fearing it would be ineffective and might alienate unions working with Coke. He focused on "cutting out markets" by going after larger institutional ties.

He convinced several unions, including the American Postal Workers, several large locals of the Service Employees International, and UNISON, the largest union in Britain, to ban Coke from their facilities and functions, and he induced pension-fund managers, including the City of New York, to pass resolutions threatening to withdraw hundreds of millions in Coke stock investments unless Coke investigated the Colombia abuses.

He persuaded not only the SEIU but the largest US union of Coke's own employees, the Teamsters, to pass a resolution in support of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke and to speak out at last year's annual meeting (the Teamsters stopped short of banning Coke from their own facilities). "It's horrendous what we're hearing," says David Laughton, secretary-treasurer of the union's beverage division. "The company's lack of action is having a ripple effect all over the country in school and college, and that means reductions in jobs for us. It's time for them to wake up and admit their errors."

The campaign's greatest success has come at colleges and universities. Rogers set up a website with a step-by-step guide for students looking to convince their institutions to cut multimillion-dollar Coke contracts, and he's traveled to schools to hold rallies and advise students.

One by one, more than a dozen schools in the United States, as well as a handful more in Ireland, Italy and Canada, have decided to cut lucrative beverage contracts or otherwise ban Coke from campuses. The effort accelerated after it was joined by United Students Against Sweatshops--one of the main groups behind the Nike boycott of the 1990s--which helped organize its own chapters.

Anti-Coke campaigns are now active at some 130 campuses worldwide. "This campaign against Coke has politicized a new generation of students," says Camilo Romero, a national organizer with USAS. "It's something that students feel personally connected to, because it's something they can hold in their hand," says Aviva Chomsky, a professor at Salem State College in Massachusetts, which severed ties two years ago. "It's too easy to say, 'There are so many bad things in the world, I'm just going to concentrate on my own life.' It's the concreteness of this that's appealing."

While student campaigns have mostly focused on the abuses in Colombia, some have included demands from other countries as well. Few companies have the kind of global reach of Coca-Cola, which has set up a network of bottling partners around the world that allows it to maximize profits by keeping distribution costs down and exploiting lax environmental and labor laws abroad.

The first rumblings came from India, where villagers near several Coke bottling plants reported that their wells were dropping, sometimes more than fifty feet; meanwhile, the water they were able to get was tainted by foul-smelling chemicals.

Starting in 2002 villagers near Plachimada, in the southern state of Kerala, began a permanent vigil outside the local plant. They finally won an indefinite closure in March 2004, although the case remains an issue in the Kerala High Court.

Villagers started another vigil, at Mehdiganj in central India, this past March. Escalating protests there and at a third plant, in the desert state of Rajasthan, have ended in police attacks on villagers employing Gandhian tactics of nonviolence, which Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center (IRC) lays at Coke's feet. "We know the company has the power to stop the police from resorting to violence," he says, "but it has let this go on without saying a word."

The IRC has been joined in its mission by Corporate Accountability International (CAI), which has attacked Coke on its aggressive push to sell bottled water. "If water becomes a branded product, it's clearly going to undermine the demand and support for publicly managed water systems," says CAI executive director Kathryn Mulvey. "The people who lose out are those who don't have the means to pay top dollar for their water."

As a veteran anticorporate campaigner, Mulvey sees the Coke campaign as a new model. "People are taking these abuses that are happening all over the world and bringing them to Coke's headquarters," she says. "Transnational corporations are really surpassing the nation-state as the dominant economic and political institutions. Social change movements need to find ways to come together across borders and strategize."

The broad attack against the company has been a strength for the campaign, allowing diverse groups to share information and recruit greater numbers at protests, as well as making a more difficult target for counterattacks. "The company can't control it," says Rogers. "They realize they can't get rid of one person or group and hope the thing will die."

At the same time, the sheer number of charges against Coke raises the question of how and when the campaign can declare victory. On that score, the different groups are clear about their specific goals. The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, for example, has adopted seven demands by SINALTRAINAL, which include a human rights policy for bottling companies and compensation for families of slain workers. The campaign in India calls for closure of certain plants, cleanup of others and compensation for affected villagers.

Many student campaigns have made their top demand an independent investigation into the Colombia abuses. At last year's annual meeting, Coke tried to mollify critics by releasing the results of a company-funded study, which was rejected by students as woefully biased.

Still facing the prospect of boycotts at several universities--among them Rutgers, NYU and Michigan--Coke put together a commission of students, school administrators and labor leaders to come up with a protocol for an independent inquiry. "I was honestly hopeful, perhaps naively," says USAS's Romero. "It seemed like they were putting this new investment into making things work."

From the beginning, however, the company insisted it had a right to be on the commission; even after Coke was booted by the students, it kept putting strictures on the investigation, such as a moratorium on investigating past abuses. The final straw was Coke's insistence that anything uncovered be inadmissible in the court case in Miami, which Collingsworth says is against legal ethics. "We cannot prejudice our clients by agreeing to bury evidence that would support their claims," he wrote in an angry letter to Coke's Ed Potter.

At around the same time, new evidence of Coke's antilabor tactics emerged in Indonesia, where, according to USAS, workers were intimidated when they attempted to unionize; and in Turkey, where more than 100 union members were fired and then clubbed and tear-gassed by police during a protest. This past November the ILRF filed another lawsuit against Coca-Cola, based on the claims of the Turkish workers. By that point, students had had enough; all but one left the commission.

With the failure of the investigation commission, administrators at some schools ran out of excuses to keep the Coke contracts. Both NYU and Michigan suspended contracts in December. NYU's status as the country's largest private university earned the campaign national and international press. "We knew if we were to ban Coca-Cola, our statement would resound around the world," says Crystal Yakacki, a recent NYU graduate who helped lead the campaign while she was a student.

As this year's annual meeting nears, Coke has gone on the offensive, announcing a plan to draft a new set of workplace standards. At the same time, the company has asked the UN's International Labor Organization to perform a workplace evaluation of the Colombia bottling plants. Rogers and Collingsworth have already cried foul, pointing out that Potter has been the US employer representative to the ILO for the past fifteen years.

"Either they know something we don't know," says Collingsworth, "or they believe the ILO moves so slowly and bureaucratically that they can delay." In response, Potter claims the organization is so large that no one person can influence it. Regardless, the gambit is having some effect: In April Michigan, citing "the reputation and track record of ILO," rescinded its ban.

At the Hotel du Pont on April 19, organizers hope to stage a repeat of last year's grilling, with an even larger contingent of activists in attendance. Schools debating Coke contracts this spring include Michigan State, UCLA, the University of Illinois, DePaul and several campuses of the City University of New York.

In Britain, the campaign lost a close vote in April to convince the National Union of Students--which represents 750 campuses--to cut a multimillion-pound contract. Many British universities, however, are continuing individual boycotts, as are campuses in Italy, Ireland, Germany and Canada. "This is a moment in history that is very rare, where students have the power to change one of the largest corporations in the world," says Romero.

After recent campus victories, momentum seems to be on the side of the campaign. "Coke has a contracting market; we have an expanding market," says Rogers. "I want Coke to come to the realization that there is a lot more for them to lose by continuing to do what they do. They have to be made to do the right thing for the wrong reason."

Until they do, say activists, the violence against Coke's workers will continue. "It's very difficult for me to convince my family that they have to live with the worries, and that they will one day maybe have to receive bad news," says SINALTRAINAL's Correa. "My kids say that walking with Dad is like walking with a time bomb. But I can't leave this struggle seeing these violations happening all around me. The reality of the situation is that it's better being with a union than without one."

Michael Blanding is a freelance writer living in Boston. Read more of his writing at MichaelBlanding.com.

Sign up at ecologyfund.com to save land & animals

2009-08-25T19:46:00.005-04:00

If you register at the site, they protect land and animals on your behalf...for instance, just for registering I have saved 563.4 square feet of land, and they protect 500 more on your behalf when you sign up to other enviro sites and newsletters.

http://www.ecologyfund.com/registry/ecology/involve_register.html