You may forward Planet Waves Monsanto Eco to your friends. They can sign up for this free environmental newsletter from Planet Waves. View this edition as a webpage. Dear Friend and Reader: We all know that by caring for the planet, we benefit through clean water to drink, nourishing food to eat and many other ways. A group of recovering drug addicts in West Newfield, Maine, has discovered something even more profound: that by caring for vegetables and farm animals, they get their lives -- that is, themselves -- back.
"It felt like the most safest place I've been for a long, long time," Shane Scott, 29, told the Press Herald's Susan Kimball. "I didn't know how much I needed this place until I came here." Gardening and feeding pigs is no magic bullet; not everyone battling addiction is suited to this kind of program. But for those who are, the shift in focus from filling an insatiable, destructive need to giving back to the planet, one organism at a time, is profound. "When they're caring for a new seedling or a new piglet," said Megan Gendron, the program's development director, "when they're nurturing the crops and the animals, they're learning to nurture themselves." Form, Function and Funk: Ecological Architecture New York's Museum of Modern Art PS1 (an offshoot of the main museum) is hosting the winning project -- constructed entirely from bio-bricks -- from this year's Young Architect's Program, New Scientist reported Friday. The curious three-trunked structure, called Hy-Fi, was created by environmentally conscious architects The Living. The bio-bricks are grown in about five days from local agricultural debris such as corn stalks held together with mycelium (the vegetative part of mushrooms), and are fully biodegradable; the resulting structure, which has an open roof, directs airflow to create a relatively cool micro-climate inside.
Although Hy-Fi is currently providing shade for summer concertgoers (along with a slighty, um, 'earthy' funk of a non-musical sort), Brendan Byrne, author of the New Scientist article, notes that the design has potential as a temporary shelter or triage point, and could be instrumental in future disaster relief efforts. World Bank Guts Its Environmental Safeguards Leaked documents from the World Bank threaten to remove crucial protections for wildlife and local environments, The Guardian reported July 25. The draft of the new environmental and social "safeguard policies" appears to allow borrowers a much wider scope for exploiting variations in legal requirements, including between different nations, in carrying out projects -- even in the most ecologically sensitive areas. The article quoted Stephanie Fried, director of nonprofit watchdog group the Ulu Foundation, who described the plan as a "shocking attempt to eviscerate protections for the poor while giving a green light for the destruction of forests and the natural environment." The new plans could also effectively end safeguards for indigenous peoples and project employees in countries that opt out, as the World Bank essentially backpedals on its stated goal of ending extreme poverty and leaves all regulation up to individual governments. Iodine Tablets Distributed Prior to Reactor Restart Authorities have distributed iodine tablets, known to help protect the thyroid from radiation, to residents within 5 km of the Sendai nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan, according to The Japan Times July 27. Local officials handed out close to 3,000 tablets in emergency preparation for the restart of the Kyushu Electric Power Company-owned nuclear site. The Sendai plant, which has been offline since the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima in 2011, is set to resume operations this fall. This marks the first time iodine has been dispersed since the Nuclear Regulation Authority instituted stricter safety guidelines after the Fukushima disaster.
Snow Monkeys Show Fukushima Effects Japanese snow monkeys inhabiting a forest area in Fukushima City, Japan, may have suffered damage from radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, according to a recent study published July 24 in Scientific Reports. Between April 2012 and March 2013 blood and muscle samples were collected from monkeys residing in Fukushima City as well as the Shimokita Peninsula, a region approximately 400 km away. The Fukushima monkeys showed a significant reduction in red and white blood cell counts along with other markers compared to those from the Shimokita region. Additionally, immature monkeys from Fukushima revealed a significant negative correlation between white blood cell count and the concentration of cesium, a radionuclide, in muscle tissue. Crowd-Funded Dark Snow Research In the continued investigation of the causes of dark snow, a team of scientists has travelled to Greenland, The Guardian reported July 24. The Dark Snow Project is a crowd-funded scheme now in its second year, attempting to pinpoint the root cause of the phenomenon -- present suspects being the melting process itself and the ash from increased wildfires. The project also hopes to keep the public informed about glacial melting. Jason Box, a Dark Snow team glaciologist, told NBC in April that the Arctic "is a very useful bellwether of change, and it's ringing." The group currently hopes to raise funds for Internet connectivity, to report developments as they arise.
NASA satellites have recently documented data indicating a groundwater crisis in the U.S, LiveScience reported July 24. Groundwater is water that naturally seeps into geologic formations called aquifers, which feed rivers, lakes and other wetlands. At least half the water used by U.S. residents is pumped from underground. The satellite data show that humans are depleting several large aquifers in the U.S. faster than they are being restored by nature. Of particular concern is the Colorado River basin in the southwestern U.S., which extends across seven large states. "We thought the picture could be pretty bad, but this is shocking," said University of California, Irvine, researcher Stephanie Castle to LiveScience. "We don't know exactly how much groundwater we have left, so we don't know when we're going to run out," Even in areas not plagued by drought, over-pumping of groundwater by bottled water companies is threatening residents' well water in many communities, as those companies drive unsustainable consumer habits -- a topic slated for a future issue of Monsanto Eco. You've Heard of 'Ugly Fruit', Now Meet the 'Failed Lemon' At the other end of the consumer-attitude spectrum, after the European Union dubbed 2014 "The European Year Against Food Waste," Intermarche, the third-largest supermarket chain in France, devised a creative solution toward that goal.
Intermarche then went a step further, creating juices and soups with the "Inglorious" label, to demonstrate that the oddballs are just as tasty as 'pretty' fruits and veggies. The discount likely compelled more shoppers than sympathy for the misfit produce, as an average of 1.2 tons per store sold during the first two days of the campaign, and stores witnessed a 24% increase in traffic. Those numbers got attention, with at least one television reporter remarking, "I think that every supermarket in France should do the same." Make that every supermarket in the world, and we're onto something. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter and the ECO editorial team You may forward Planet Waves Monsanto Eco to your friends. They can sign up for this free environmental newsletter from Planet Waves. View this edition as a webpage. Planet Waves Monsanto Watch (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday evening in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves Monsanto Watch is produced by a team consisting of Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Moreno, Amanda Painter, Amy Elliott, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick and Chad Woodward.  The Leo Birthday reading by Eric Francis is now available at the lowest pre-order price. Dear Friend and Reader: Jupiter just moved into Leo a few days ago and the Sun just joined it. Very soon, Eric will have an extended birthday reading for the Leos in your life.
He speaks directly to you in plain language, in studio-quality audio -- it's like he's sitting right in the room with you. Even more, your reading takes a deep and introspective look at things you've been questioning, thinking about or trying to work out. Here's what some of Eric's listeners have said about their readings: "Leo birthday readings are totally FANTASTIC!!! I so totally recommend if you are Leo or Leo Rising. Wow! Even Eric’s tarot card reading seems right on the center spot with observations, intuitions and thoughts I have had for myself going into this birthday anniversary time. Thank you for the explicit reinforcement, Eric Francis!" "Thank you for your love and care in how you delivered the Leo Reading. It truly touched deep within my Leo core and whole-self." Your reading will be divided into three sections -- two astrology segments of about half an hour each, and a section of astrology afterthoughts and a tarot reading. The reading is accessible and playable on any kind of computer or mobile device (smartphone, iPad, etc.). Eric's birthday readings now include a live question and reply forum where you can ask Eric questions directly, which will be held a week or two after the reading publishes (archived for those who cannot make it). You also get access to last year's reading, so that you can review and check Eric's accuracy, plus an extended written description of your birth sign. This is one of the most affordable, useful and excellent reading packages in the entire astrological profession. It will make an awesome gift for you if you have Leo Sun, Moon or rising. And if you order now, you'll get the lowest price we offer -- just $24.95 (after publication the reading will be $49.95). At the current amazing price, why not order one for yourself and for the most important Leos in your life? I know they'll benefit from Eric's reading just as much as you will. Wishing you all the luck and abundance that Jupiter has to offer this year. Thanks for supporting Planet Waves! Yours,  Chelsea Bottinelli To unsubscribe, click here e Wiki | Friends | Editors | Contact Us Copyright © 2013 by Planet Waves, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other copyrights may apply. Some images used under Fair Use or Share Alike attribution. |
