Posted on January 6, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
In June the Trump administration took Yellowstone-area grizzly bears off the list of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. But there’s been a big problem with the legality of that decision that’s at last being addressed — and it could save these bears from dying in cruel, state-sponsored trophy hunts.
The Service is asking the public to weigh in on the legality of its delisting rule because of a recent case in the D.C. Court of Appeals. The D.C. court rightly voided a rule stripping protections from Great Lakes wolves because of the harm that rule would cause other recovering wolf populations. The flaws are identical to those in the grizzly bear rule.
Take a minute to tell the Service it can’t paper over these legal flaws and must restore protection to Yellowstone’s grizzlies. The comment period closes on Monday, Jan. 8 — so please send a letter today.
Goal: Save the rain forests of Papua by stopping the expansion of a destructive palm oil plantation.
A rare and untouched rainforest in Papua, Indonesia has seen an area the size of Washington, D.C. be destroyed to make room for a single palm oil plantation. In only three years, 77 square miles of forest have been cleared.
This deforestation has disastrous effects on our environment. Its CO2 emission equals the CO2 emission that over 2.1 million cars would release. In addition, the habitats of thousands of animals have been destroyed.
This rampant destruction should be put to an end immediately before the rest of this land is lost forever.
Sign the petition to demand that a permanent halt be placed on the expansion of this palm oil plantation. Protect what is left of Indonesia’s beautiful landscape.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Enembe,
In only three years, 77 square miles of Papua’s once untouched rainforest have been destroyed. This is the size of Washington, D.C. This causes an unimaginable amount of damage to the environment. CO2 emission has increased by the millions and habitats have been lost by the thousands.
What is left of Papua’s rainforest should be protected and preserved. This action begins with ending the expansion of the region’s palm oil plantations. Cherish what is left of your nation’s natural wonders. Don’t destroy it.
Over Winter, birds can sometimes struggle for food and resources due to frozen conditions. It’s always a good idea to give our feathered friends a helping hand in the colder months by keeping them well fed and hydrated, by leaving out some of their favourites and making sure they have plenty of drinking water.
Winter troubles: helping your garden birds
Winter can be a time a sheer hardship; a time, unlike periods of good harvest, when birds struggle to survive in the harsh realities of cold winter months; frost alone, causing ground to harden and become mostly inaccessible to many birds seeking grubs, caterpillars and worms, can be the tolling death knell for many a wild bird.
By providing an alternative source of sustenance in your gardens, many thousands of birds all around the UK will be helped throughout these incredibly tough times. A little helping hand, they say, goes a long way, and this applies more than anything to our garden birds.
It is a curious fact that our beloved Blue tit, in certain studies, was shown to have increased the time it spends searching for food in winter considerably; in fact, approximately 75% of daylight hours are spend in the search for food.
Handy winter tips for helping your garden birds
If there’s a consistent and regular supply of nutritious food in your garden, the birds will come. This rule generally applies for most key periods of the year, like the breeding season, but can be particularly relevant over winter.
Here are our top five winter tips to ensure your garden birds have the best chance of journeying through winter without harm.
Use a good quality seed mix. These generally have less filler, such as cereal content, which many cheaper varieties contain, and are usually created to cater for a range of dietary requirements.
Since it is possible for the ground to harden due to frost, use live mealworms as an alternative to earthworms and caterpillars. This natural food is ideal for Blue tits, Robins, Blackbirds and a variety of finches.
Use an instant-energy fix food such as suet balls, cakes and pellets. These are packed with nutritional goodness, and are often blended with peanuts, mealworm and fruit.
Ensure your birds have plenty of available water in dishes and bird baths. During this time, the water may freeze so use a ping pong ball to prevent some freezing. The ping pong ball can move around in the wind, disturb the water, and prevent it from freezing.
And finally, if you have any leftovers from Christmas, such as a few crumbs of cake, a bit of animal fat, cheese or pastry, these will go down a treat.
Look out for birds in the morning, and be mindful that this is an important time for feeding, as during the night birds attempt to replenish their lost energy and are often hungry in the morning. This is then followed in the evening by a flurry of feeding activity, as birds prepare for the long winter night ahead.
Posted on January 5, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
The Trump administration just pledged to open up 90 percent of America’s offshore areas to development as part of its new five-year plan for oil and gas drilling.
A reversal of President Obama’s offshore drilling ban,
this disastrous proposal threatens marine life and coastal communities and contributes to the ever-growing dangers of climate change.
Tell U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to start putting the public good before polluter profits and protect our fragile coastal waters.
The Trump administration’s argument for coal only makes sense if you know nothing about how the electrical grid works. Watch this, and you’ll know more than they do.
Posted on January 5, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
SAV comment
So the wonders at Coke have been working hard on a new sustainability plan. Their thoughts or have they been forced to do this ? – they have never given a **** about their products and the environment before – up till now just how much money they can make out of sponsoring large sports events and the rest. Are things going to change or are they still going to be a top polluter ?
Every year Coca-Cola are producing more and more throwaway plastic bottles – an estimated 110 billion last year alone.
Hi Mark,
It’s a new year – and over at Coke’s global HQ in Atlanta, their team are working hard to finalise the details of a new sustainability plan.
We need to take this opportunity to show Coca-Cola’s executives how many of us want them to take action on their plastic pollution.
You’re one of 522,000 people around the world who have signed the petition so far – please will you ask your friends to sign too?
Greenpeace supporters in India are the latest to join the call for Coca-Cola to cut their plastic pollution.
Coke aren’t the only company producing plastic bottles – but as the biggest soft drinks producer in the world, they’re in the unique position to take the lead and set new standards for the whole industry.
That’s why from Africa to Australia, Greenpeace supporters like you are calling for Coke’s global CEO to take action now.
Many of us have seen the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans – whales with stomachs full of plastic, seabirds feeding plastic scraps to their young, or even plastic bottles washing up on our beach holidays.
Every year Coca-Cola are producing more and more throwaway plastic bottles – an estimated 110 billion last year alone.
As Coke’s decision makers debate their new plan for plastics, it’s vital that as many of us as possible add our names – to send a message loud and clear that for the future health of our oceans, Coke must reduce their massive plastic footprint.
Starbucks will test the impact of a 5p charge in 20 to 25 London stores.
A charge on disposable coffee cups is to be imposed in Britain to address the problem that only a tiny proportion is recycled.
Starbucks will test the impact of a 5p charge in 20 to 25 London stores in a three-month trial starting next month, the first time any coffee chain has required customers to pay extra for a cup.
The company announced the charge after learning that the Commons environmental audit committee would recommend today that the government introduce a minimum 25p “latte levy” on disposable cups.
A report by the committee says that disposable coffee cups should be banned unless almost all are recycled by 2023.
And the EU ? – they don’t give a toss about anything unless money is the prime motivation.
Posted on January 5, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
17 Ways Trump Attacked the Planet Over the Holidays
While the rest of the world celebrated the holidays, the Trump administration and its friends in Congress continued their assault on wildlife, public lands, the climate, science and our oceans.
The Revelator has the details about what Trump and co. were up to in late December — and a quick peek into what that means for 2018.
Georgia Snail Is First Species Declared Extinct Under Trump
The beaverpond marstonia, a freshwater snail from Georgia, was officially declared extinct last week in response to a 2010 Center petition to protect it. The snail was lost due to groundwater withdrawal for agriculture and urbanization, along with farming pollution.
The Service should’ve proposed protection for the snail in 2011 but didn’t act on the petition until we sued in 2016 for a court-ordered decision deadline. The species had been on the waiting list for federal protection since 1984.
Just hours ago Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced plans to dramatically expand offshore oil drilling in all oceans along U.S. coasts. This would include allowing new oil leasing along California’s shores for the first time in more than 30 years and in the remote Arctic.
The draft proposal for offshore leasing over the next five years shows that the Trump administration is serious about giving the fossil fuel industry exactly what it wants: unrestricted access to oil and gas reserves buried deep under our oceans. If allowed to stand, the plan will hurt wildlife and coastal communities, and risk even more oil spills and sea-level rise. We can’t let that happen.
Act now to demand that Secretary Zinke protect our oceans and climate by scrapping this plan.
Trump Left EPA Staff in the Dark Over Energy Star Cuts
Energy Star is a voluntary program that helps consumers find energy-efficient appliances, lighting and even homes. But the Trump administration wants to gut funding for the popular plan — which top EPA staffers didn’t even know until it turned up in media reports, according to documents partially released last week, obtained by the Center.
We’re now seeking the complete release of communications on Trump’s budget-cutting proposal.
“The Trump administration has a slash-and-burn approach to good ideas that help people and the environment, including Energy Star,” said the Center’s Greer Ryan, a renewable energy and research specialist.
