Big Cats!

...are the coolest. I love my kitty cats, but, c'mon...a lion? a cougar? a bear?...oh, wait...

 I stole this from the Sierra Club Petition page:

"Although the Florida Panther was originally declared an endangered species by the federal government in 1967, the amendment to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which required each species so listed to also have 'designated critical habitat' did not go into effect until 1978. As a result, no critical habitat exists for America's only big cat east of the Mississippi.

Once roaming throughout the southeastern United States from east Texas to the Carolinas, a single population of 80 to 100 individual panthers now remains, surviving on only about 5 percent of its former range. Florida's schoolchildren overwhelmingly selected the panther as the Florida State Animal in 1982. It is the iconic symbol of the world famous Everglades and all that is wild in Florida.

The Florida panther is a solitary and wide ranging species where males can have a range of up to 200 square miles. Scientists have concluded that existing habitat is the bare minimum the remaining population needs to survive. Five panthers have already been killed on south Florida highways this year, with an additional 24 panthers killed by vehicles in the preceding two years."

Organizations I support:

• Sierra Club
• World Wildlife Fund
• Nature Conservancy
• Riverkeeper 
• Center for Biological Diversity
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• National Audubon Society
• Greenpeace
• Rainforest Action Network
• Defenders of Wildlife
• The Wilderness Society
• Earthworks
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• Environmental Defense
• Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
• United Mountain Defense
• Tennessee Clean Water Network
  

You may ask: Why so Many?

      2 Reasons:  One, it's hard to say no, and, Two,  I think it's important that such a variety of organizations exists. We can cover all our bases this way, so to speak. They all offer very different services. My current favorite is RAN (Rainforest Action Network.)

Petition of the Month:

$50 million to support our Beyond Coal campaign!

Here is a letter from my former mayor, Michael Bloomberg:

Dear Friends,

As the Mayor of New York City, I know first-hand the effects of air pollution on a community. I have been working for years on initiatives to clean our air, prevent climate change, and create a clean energy future.

As a New Yorker, I'm pretty hard to surprise. But as I have been watching the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign do the unthinkable -- stop over 150 coal plants from being built over the past several years -- I have been truly impressed. The power of Sierra Club members and supporters from around the country to lead their communities beyond dirty coal is just astounding. And I want to join this growing movement.

As of today, Bloomberg Philanthropies is committing $50 million to the Beyond Coal Campaign. Together we can build an unprecedented level of support in local communities to get off of coal and usher in a new era of clean energy innovation and jobs. 

I'm doing my part to move our country Beyond Coal. Are you with me?

Join me by making your own pledge to do a specific activity in your community to move us to a clean energy future.

We're not waiting for Washington. Moving away from coal will save us money -- the costs of coal are going up while wind and solar are coming down. What's more, coal causes over $100 billion in health costs each year. Mining, burning, and disposing of coal are very costly to our health and our pocketbooks. Wind and sunshine are free.

I'm committed to this fight. I believe in the power of this grassroots movement to fight climate change and bring about our clean energy future. I know communities across America are ready to continue the work that will lift up the world we live in, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the families we raise.

Whether it's writing a letter to your newspaper, recruiting ten of your friends and family to get involved or volunteering a couple hours a week at your local campaign office, tell us what you will do to move the U.S. Beyond Coal.

Thank you for inspiring me.

Sincerely,


Michael Bloomberg
Sierra Club Supporter

GOOD NEWS!

America’s Favorite Food Company Leads the Food Industry Away From Rainforest Destruction

Today, General Mills announced a comprehensive palm oil policy that puts them at the front of the pack when it comes to American companies addressing the problems with palm oil.

As a company with some of the most beloved brands in the nation, including Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Hamburger Helper, General Mills’ decision to address deforestation in its supply chain is a major industry signal that palm oil is a problem that can and should be addressed.

The company’s new policy respects Indigenous rights, protects rainforests and peatlands and sets a goal for sourcing 100 percent environmentally responsible palm oil by 2015.

  Read more here.

Journey of the Forsaken

This is an interesting website following the progression of the building of 40 gas wells within a mil radious of a homeowner. 

Coal=Dirty

Currently, China is the #1 emitter of CO2 gases. Our beloved United States of America is #2. Coal power plants account for about 30% of this. There are plans of about 150 new Coal Power Plants in the making.

Learn more here.

GOOD NEWS!

However, just recently, a court ordered that the EPA could no longer ignore a law that had been passed earlier this Spring: CO2 emissions are a pollutant that must be more thoroughly regulated. In effect, these new Power Plants have been halted until these new regulations are dealt with.

PAST PETITIONS

Write to Philips CEO Gerard Kleisterlee

60 Days to Save the Polar Bear

Save Critical Habitat for the Florida Panther

Help the Florida Panther

Stand up for Your Rice!

Save Rainforests and Stop Climate Change

Chernobyl in the Amazon

Thank You Trader Joe's

Protect the Sequoias!

BIG TRUCKS only get 6 MPG?

Chevron Is Guilty

 One million electric vehicles