Think ‘Poverty,’ Not ‘Pink’ to Make a Difference in Breast Cancer This October

The monthlong celebration of breast cancer awareness, now known as “Pinktober,” kicked off last week when the mailman delivered our family’s copy of Sports Illustrated for Kids. On the cover was a pink-clad NFL-er promoting — along with everyone else — breast cancer awareness month, or BCAM.

We have reached the happy point where Pinktober now targets a demographic group of 11.5- year-old boys with a vague “awareness” message. It’s hard for me to think of a bigger wasted opportunity for public health education of young men. And this is just the tip of the pink iceberg. Advocates and bloggers have done a nice job of cataloging the egregious examples of pink efforts or pink dollars headed in the wrong direction.

via Brian Reid: Think ‘Poverty,’ Not ‘Pink’ to Make a Difference in Breast Cancer This October.

A new chapter for children’s advocate against fracking

You won’t see Betty Tatham spending a lazy afternoon knitting, baking cookies or playing pinochle.

At age 76, the award-winning Bucks County children’s book author is working feverishly to put an end to natural gas drilling before it begins in our reg

via A new chapter for children’s advocate�

Reduce Food Waste And Save Money (PHOTOS)

Americans spend a lot of money each year on food we don’t even eat. The truth is that roughly 30% of the food we buy ends up right in our landfills where it slowly breaks down into methane gas.

Want to Do Your Part to waste less food and save more money? Here are Terri Bennett’s ‘Top 5 Ways to Waste Less Food.’

All images and captions courtesy of DoYourPart.com

via Reduce Food Waste And Save Money (PHOTOS).

Many CFOs Lack Involvement in Sustainability Strategy · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader

Some 31 percent of chief financial officers say they are rarely involved or not at all involved in sustainability strategy and governance at their companies, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte.

This hands off attitude is evident despite a majority of CFOs saying they are aware that sustainability will affect their “mainstream” duties, according to “Sustainable Finance: The risks and opportunities that (some) CFOs are overlooking.”

At the tactical level, however, many CFOs are meaningfully engaged with sustainability, Deloitte says. More than 70 percent of those surveyed expect sustainability to have an impact on compliance and risk management, and more than 60 percent foresee changes to functions like financial auditing and reporting.

via Many CFOs Lack Involvement in Sustainability Strategy · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader.

NYS Environment Chief In Hot Seat Over Fracking – WNYC

Department of Environmental Conservation Chief Joseph Martens submitted to nearly three hours of intense questioning by members of a New York State Assembly committee on an issue that has inflamed passions like few others: high volume hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as ‘fracking.’

Joe Martens Defends Fracking Plans Before Assembly CommitteeDepartment of Environmental Conservation Chief Joseph Martens submitted to nearly three hours of intense questioning by members a New York State Assembly committee on an issue that has inflamed passions like few others: high volume hydraulic fracturing, AKA fracking.A mild-mannered former leader of a conservation group, Martens kept his cool but must have felt some discomfort, playing the part of fracking’s defender. Even as he assured Assembly members his agency could force the gas industry to drill safely, Martens was repeatedly interrupted by angry �members of the public. As Martens took his leave, one yelled, “God have mercy on your soul!”Outbursts of incivility notwithstanding, a several issues came to the fore that will likely continue to draw scrutiny during the review process:HEALTH IMPACTSDEC is leading the review of fracking and will be the lead agency when it comes to issuing permits, while the Department of Health has played a far less visible role. But many of the questions around fracking are connected with public health impacts, such as recent reports of barium poisoning in Pennsylvania. Martens said DOH is very much involved in the regulations DEC is writing. The agency may come under pressure in the coming weeks to show that it is preparing to meet the challenges of fracking.ECONOMIC IMPACTSAssembly members criticized DEC’s Socio-Economic Impact Analysis (done by an outside firm), for relying industry-provided statistics, and failing to fully examine potential job losses caused by fracking – in addition to the economic benefits of gas drilling. Martens responded by saying that the report deliberately offered both high-end and low-end projections. Members did not seem impressed with his statement that it would be harder to assess likely job losses (in areas like tourism and farming) than job gains (in areas like well servicing.)FUNDING OVERSIGHT AND PREPARING FOR THE WORSTSome of the biggest unanswered questions about DEC’s fracking plans are to do with funding – both for day to day oversight, and for disaster response and remediation. A panel has been appointed to examine various options, including a severance tax and/or bonding. Martens said he expects to have recommendations in early November. He may have provided an early clue about his intentions by repeatedly mentioning Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s bonding plan, without specifically endorsing it.

A mild-mannered former leader of a conservation group, Martens kept his cool, but must have felt some discomfort, playing the part of fracking’s defender. Even as he assured Assembly members his agency could force the gas industry to drill safely, Martens was repeatedly interrupted by angry members of the public. As Martens took his leave, one yelled, “God have mercy on your soul!”

via NYS Environment Chief In Hot Seat Over Fracking – WNYC.

Conservationists sue to block TransCanada pipeline

U.S. officials illegally allowed a Canadian company to begin preparing the route for its proposed 1,700-mile-long oil pipeline from western Canada to Texas, even though the project hasn’t gained final government approval, three conservationist groups contend in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should not have allowed TransCanada Corp. to begin clearing a 100-mile corridor through northern Nebraska grasslands because the State Department hasn’t signed off on the Keystone XL pipeline project, the groups argue in their lawsuit filed in federal court in Omaha.

TransCanada was allowed to mow down delicate native grasses and to relocate an endangered species living there, the American burying beetle, they say.

via Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota.

PA to include fracking ban question on Nov 8 Ballot

A Pennsylvania judge has denied a request from a wealthy Pittsburgh suburb, apparently clearing the way for a controversial referendum that would ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot, according to Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness (PTMSA), an environmental group that drafted the proposed referendum.

via Welcome to NGI’s Shale Daily.

Why Occupy?

I recently(this morning) started a new blog called “Occupy The News” and throughout the day I have been voraciously devouring article after article about the Occupy movement.  There was a recurring theme among the naysayers and typical right wing media that insisted on the fact that “the movement” had no demands or direction.

This idea is comical to me.  Does it ever occur to these folk that we don’t need, even though we have, a declaration of demands for this movement?  When corporations and “big money” have become the sails, the wind, and the captain of our society’s ship, do we really need to tell you that this is not ok with us?  It blows me away that we have this movement building momentum, while Obama is trying to put Americans back to work, and we still have corporations trying to lobby for tax “holidays” that have been proven to take more jobs from the economy.  Why do I have to find that out on my own? Why is the mainstream media not talking about a half million jobs being lost?

The problem with the “1 %” is that they live in a bubble, the whole silver spoon mentality.  I thought it especially funny that traders in Chicago had the intestinal fortitude to actually make signs that said “we are the 1%” while the Occupy Chicago movement was mobilizing.  I can’t tell if these people are brainwashed or just voluntarily ignorant of what goes on around them.  Anyone with a computer and a few minutes can find a news story on the internet that outlines the blatantly un-democratic behavior of “the corporations” and the “1%”.

I’ll end with a thought and a challenge to the people who are opposing or minimizing the importance of this movement.  In 2010 over 100 billion dollars in tax revenue was lost due to corporations exploiting tax loopholes and hiding profits overseas.  How many jobs could we create with a 100 BILLION dollar injection into the economy of the United States of America?

Feds ‘confused,’ watchdog says – Woodstock Sentinel Review – Ontario, CA

via�Feds ‘confused,’ watchdog says – Woodstock Sentinel Review – Ontario, CA.�

The federal government is making environmental decisions and spending billions based on “incomplete, poor or non-existent information,” according to a new report from the federal environment watchdog.

The commissioner of the environment and sustainable development investigated the government’s handling of the environmental impact of the oilsands projects as well as its climate change plans.

Commissioner Scott Vaughan noted the government’s own scientists admit they don’t know the full impact of the oilsands on water quality, fish and fish habitat, land, air and wildlife.

But Ottawa did take one step earlier this year by committing to build a monitoring system that will gather information on the impact of the oilsands in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories.

Vaughan called the proposed new system “a game changer.”

Still, he said it was up to parliamentarians to decide whether the feds should halt current development in the Alberta oilsands until the system is up and running.

Vaughan also found the Conservative government earmarked $9.2 billion for climate-change measures across seven departments last year — but wasn’t able to track spending.

“Right now, it’s looking to us to be disjointed, confused and non-transparent,” Vaughan said of Ottawa’s management of the money, adding it came with mediocre results.

He pointed to internal Environment Canada analysis that found it cost up to $92,000 to reduce emissions by a tonne for at least one program.

“A tonne of carbon on the Alberta market today is about $15. So I think getting some basic financial information is important to do the value-for-money count on this.”

NDP environment critic Megan Leslie called the Conservatives “bad managers.

“We can’t even assess if these plans are working,” she said.

Vaughan also found Canada has overshot its greenhouse-gas emissions target under the 2007 Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act by 31%.

The Tories’ most recent commitment to address climate change is to drop greenhouse gases by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020.

Vaughan said it would be next to impossible for Canada to meet those commitments.

The government said it’s working to improve its policies and to meet its target.

Environment Minister Peter Kent said Kyoto was no longer on the table, but he was confident Canada would meet the other commitments made in Copenhagen and Cancun.

“Stay tuned and stay with us,” he said.

 

Fracking chemical “cocktails” aren’t dangerous?

As North Texans watched fire burn at the Magnablend plant in Waxahachie on Monday, EPA officials said no harmful chemicals had been detected in the air.

But WFAA has learned the plant operations may have been more dangerous than its management has let on.

via Charred Waxahachie plant blended fracking chemicals | kvue.com Austin.