Published Date: 

08/26/2010

Byline: 

Amy B. Dean

News Source: 

The Nation

Watching the tall ships float through the Duluth-Superior Harbor this summer reminded me of how much we depend on our natural environs. The wind that filled the ship’s sails and the water on which they rode are critical but fickle partners in their journey.

The large sailing ships may be no more than a novelty today, but the health of Lake Superior is still critical for our communities.

San Francisco (KGO) - First it was plastic bags, now San Francisco city leaders are considering banning plastic water bottles. The idea to kick the bottle is still in the early stages, but it appears to be gaining traction at City Hall.

Whether it is a music concert at Golden Gate Park or a street festival in North Beach, changes could be coming. If environmental leaders in San Francisco get their way, people would no longer be able to buy a bottle of water at a public event on city property. Instead, people would be encouraged to bring one of their own.

Miriam Gordon of Clean Water Action addressed San Francisco's Policy Committee of the Commission on the Environment Monday evening. She explained how she was able to pull off a plastic bottle-free event at last year's Maccabi Games -- a youth athletic event. Instead of being handed bottled water, some 3,000 participants filled their reusable bottle at several water stations. Gordon believes, the same kind of thing can be done at even bigger events.

"Tickets can say 'bring your own bottle' on them," said Gordon. "When you go online to buy your tickets, there can be all kinds of information online about what to expect when you get to the event."

Read the complete article on KGO-TV's web site.

 NEWPORT — Nearly 3 tons of waste generated at this year’s Newport folk and jazz festivals will be composted or recycled, thanks to the efforts of Clean Water Action-Rhode Island.

It was the first year the environmental organization collected compostable materials. The total collected represented 30 percent of the waste generated at the weekend festivals and a 10 percent increase from 2009, when only recycling was offered, according to Nicole Poepping, campaign organizer for Clean Water Action.

The NJ Environmental Federation is calling for passage of a package of bills to protect Barnegat Bay and the Passaic River that the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees will vote on Thursday at a joint hearing in Toms River.

One measure, S-1410, would require post-construction restoration of soil similar to the area. A second proposal, S-1411/A-2290, would help reduce the use of phosphate and nitrogen-based fertilizers, the biggest sources of pollution for New Jersey's waterways. The remaining measures, S-1815/A-2577 and S-1856/A-2606, would help control storm water runoff and pollution.

Sarah DeMunn (left) of Belmar and Noah Brooks of Point Pleasant, both with the New Jersey Environmental Federation, hold signs at a press conference in Lavallette Tuesday as activists prepare for a legislative hearing this week on Barnegat Bay. (STAFF PHOTO: KIRK MOORE)

Without taxpayer bailouts, the bonds for Camden County's money-losing trash operation would barely be worth the garbage it takes in, according to credit agencies.

The Pollution Control Financing Authority of Camden County has received $152 million in state solid-waste subsidies during the last decade - more than any other county in New Jersey has gotten - to pay the debt on an incinerator built in the early 1990s.

But that's not enough.

In recent days, leaders of the authority, which handles trash disposal for all but one of Camden County's 37 municipalities, have pressed the state for yet another bailout. If their efforts fail, the Fitch rating agency projects, the authority will default on its $25 million final bond payment, due Dec. 1.

WASHINGTON, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A nationwide coalition of 120 environmental, public health, labor, business, consumer advocacy, faith and community organizations today applauded Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and 57 other House members from 15 states for introducing promising new legislation that would accelerate the speed and success of clean fleet turnover plans at U.S.

Every day, millions of us wake up and turn on the faucet to make our coffee, brush our teeth, or wash our faces. Not for a second do we think this water could be lethal. Billions of people around the world aren't as lucky. Since World War II, contaminated water has killed more people around the globe than all wars and other forms of violence combined.

The growing crisis is the result of increased pollution, increased water demand, and the corporate control of water access, making clean water one of the scarcest resources for the world's poor. This week we have the rare chance to address this problem head-on.

The collapse of efforts to pass climate change legislation in the U.S. Congress left many clean energy advocates disillusioned, but it was doubly disappointing here in New Jersey where residents and businesses already are footing the bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With New Jersey embracing cleaner technologies like solar and offshore wind power, some analysts suggested the higher costs reflected by those alternative energy sources are turning up in electric bills. The prospect of even higher utility costs because of national climate control legislation may have doomed the bill in a year with a weak economy and mid-term elections in Congress.