Water Environment - Lakes, Rivers, Oceans, Aquifers, Groundwater - Water (h2o) Environmental Issues: Conservation, Sustainability, Preservation, and Ecology

The Maya and Climate

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:59:30 -0500

A lecture by Dr. Tom Sever of NASA on how the Maya may have affected their own regional climate leading to drought.

Climate Change and Violence Part 1

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:58:23 -0500

Climate Change and Violence? Cautionary Tales from the Pre-Columbian Andes The seminar will take place on January 25, 2008, 4 to 5 PM, in 201 Old Chem Building, West Campus, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Arkush received her PhD at UCLA in 2005. Her research centers on the interplay of warfare, political power, social identity, and ritual in the prehispanic Andes. Her doctoral research focused on the later part of the prehispanic sequence after about A.D. 1000, when many small polities throughout the Andes were apparently engaged in cycles of endemic warfare. Fieldwork on a suite of fortified hilltop sites in the northern Lake Titicaca basin in Peru investigated the regional patterns that emerged from conflictual and cooperative social relationships. This study also examined the chronology of fortification to question current interpretations of the causes of intergroup violence at the time.

Climate Change and Violence Part 2

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:55:50 -0500

PIA09 Andy Frank's Update

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:58:37 -0500

Professor Andrew Frank of the University of California, Davis is the godfather of plug-in hybrids. He and his students have been building them for more than a decade, showing us what the car companies could be doing, if only they would. Hear his take on the state of the industry in an interview at EVS23, the international electric vehicle symposium in Anaheim, Calif. in December 2007.

PIA08 Hit The Streets

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:56:18 -0500

Activism has always been an important tool for Plug In America. Besides our inside work in government and industry, we hit the streets when a good protest or demonstration would be the most effective move. Zan Dubin Scott talks about some of our best actions, and why they worked.

PIA07 Plug-in Hybrid News at SF Green Festival

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:51:37 -0500

For the first time, visitors to the 2007 San Francisco Green Festival could inspect a kit on sale that converts a hybrid into a plug-in hybrid. Hear the details from Robb Protheroe of Plug-in Supply Inc., which makes the kit, and Carolyn Coquillette, owner of Luscious Garage, a new "green" garage in San Francisco that plans to offer kit installation.

PIA06 Neighborhood EV News at SF Green Festival

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:44:12 -0500

Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) aren't for everyone, but they serve an important niche. With a short range, a top speed of 25 mph, and an affordable price, they're great for running gas-free errands, taking the kids to school, etc. One of the new NEVs on the block -- the Zenn NEV -- is featured in this podcast from the San Francisco Green Festival.

PIA05 Plug Into Renewable Power

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:41:27 -0500

The synergies between plug-in cars and solar or wind power are sparking a convergence of our transportation and energy industries. Mike Kane, a solar power professional and a director of Plug In America, discusses the win-win of combining renewable electricity with electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. Individual homeowners and society as a whole are benefiting from this combination.

PIA04 New Cars Coming

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:38:48 -0500

Plug In America's executive director, Chelsea Sexton, describes the exciting recent activity in car companies both large and small to move toward production of new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Are these cars really coming? When and where can we get one? Hear an expert's view on developments, and what you can do to speed them along.

PIA03 Here Comes Tesla

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:36:19 -0500

Plug In America President Linda Nicholes loved driving her Toyota RAV4-EV electric SUV so much, she jumped at the chance to become one of the first owners of the sporty new Tesla Roadster, a sleek electric sportscar that sprints from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds and has a range of 200 miles per charge.

PIA02 Consumers Make It Happen

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:33:23 -0500

Plug In America board member Marc Geller describes the lengths consumers had to go to in order to drive electrc cars, and how drivers fought back when automakers wanted to destroy these vehicles. Hear how 2007 is a key year to influence government regulators in favor of electric cars, and how you can help.

PIA01 Electric Drive is Cleaner

podcast@pluginamerica.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:28:06 -0500

More than 40 studies of well-to-wheels emissions show that plug-in vehicles are a better environmental choice than gasoline cars, hybrids, or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Plug In America board member Sherry Boschert discusses the data.

HNV10 The Great Omission

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:15:25 -0500

21 December 2007 - In this Podcast Pamela recounts her particiption in Just Food's Summit on Food, Farms, and Community Health, which took place on December 1, 2007 at the New School in Manhattan, NYC. She recaps her own experience at the conference as well as that of Lisa Lindblom, a vegan animal advocate and friend. The sponsoring group, Just Food, with its sold-out audience, certainly advocates many important causes: organic agriculture, labor justice, local food, food security, agricultural sustainability and humane food. But it does not go out of its way to push for veganism or vegetarianism. Lisa and Pamela both had a big problem with this. You simply cannot have many of these good things without more people eating less meat or, better yet, adopting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

HNV09 Veal Crate Demo

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:13:36 -0500

4 November 2007 - This Podcast is an on-the-spot account of a great outreach event with the VivaVegie Society. Pamela Rice, Hard News Vegan, and five compatriots set up a to-spec veal crate at Astor Place in New York City. Several activists took turns sitting inside it, making a particularly powerful image for passersby and passing cars. Activists held pro-veg'n signs, passed out information about the veal crate. And when they got a chance, they also distributed "101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian." Several people are interviewed in this podcast. Later, the activists trade accounts of their experiences at the demo over a late lunch.

HNV08 Salmonella On Spinach

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:11:52 -0500

3 September 2007 - With this Podcast, I focus on yet another spinach recall, this time Salmonella is the contaminant. Last year it was E. coli O157:H7. What's going on here? Suddenly, raw fruits and vegetables are one of the most likely food categories to be contaminated with pathogens? And why did produce producers ask to be regulated last year?

HNV07 Animal Diseases

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:10:17 -0500

Animal Diseases

HNV06 Inaugural Message

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:08:25 -0500

23 July 2007 - Listen to Pamela Rice in her inaugural podcast as she describes the topics she will cover in the podcast.

HNV05 Meat Industry Subsidies part 2

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:07:26 -0500

North American Vegetarian Summerfest, 2007 The conference (http://vegetariansummerfest.org/speakers.htm) features experts in the fields of health, nutrition, animal rights, the environment, exercise and related lifestyle areas, plus talented chefs.

HNV04 Meat Industry Subsidies part 1

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:04:27 -0500

HNV03 Why I'm A Vegetarian Part 3

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:02:56 -0500

Vegetarian advocate Pamela Rice (http://www.vivavegie.org/podcast) gave a reading at Jivamukti Yoga Center (http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/) in New York City on August 21, 2007. Title: 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian in 101 Sentences. The current file is a re-make of the original reading, which suffered from technical problems. Contact: PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org Audio Editing: http://H2Opodcast.com

HNV02 Why I'm A Vegetarian Part 2

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:01:13 -0500

HNV01 Why I'm A Vegetarian Part 1

PamelaPodcast@vivavegie.org — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:28:30 -0500

101 Reasons (Why I'm a Vegetarian) in 101 Sentences a reading, first given on August 21, 2007, at the Jivamukti Yoga Center, 841 Broadway, NYC.

MTR02 Barons of King Coal

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:10:09 -0500

Many many thanks to the group Magpie (Greg Artzner & Terry Leonino) for their wonderful song and permission to use it for the Mountain Top Removal podcast. Please visit their website (http://www.magpiemusic.com/) for more great music on the Environment and Political Issues.

MTR01 An Ecological Disaster

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:05:48 -0500

An introduction to the horrific practice of Mountaintop Removal Mining that is destroying our beautiful Appalachian Mountains - what it is, the damage it is doing, and how you can help stop it before it's too late. Barbara Strangfeld is volunteer for I Love Mountains and Appalachian Voices. She is first to say that her position is only that of a concerned citizen. Listen to her introduction to Mountaintop Removal Mining. She would like to fully credit the I Love Mountains and Appalachian Voices organizations for the material she uses in her presentation.

AR01 Tim Palmer Interview

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:00:02 -0500

The American Rivers Organization (http://www.americanrivers.org) is very happy to bring you an interview with Tim Palmer, author and river enthusiast, for American Rivers' September 2006 eNewsletter.

WK06 Muddy Water Watch

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:50:33 -0500

Making Progress a part of the "Progressive Voice of the Mountains" WPVM 103.5 Asheville interviewed Hartwell Carson the French Broad Riverkeeper RiverLink.org. In the interview Carson explains what he does and how you can be part of the Muddy Water Watch program.

WK05 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:45:45 -0500

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.'s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Mr. Kennedy was named one of Time Magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for his success helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group's achievement helped spawn more than 150 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe. Mr. Kennedy serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a Clinical Professor and Supervising Attorney at Pace University School of Law's Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio.

WK04 Impacts on the River

clean@h2opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:40:35 -0500

This is a brief intro to the main problems that are affecting us on the Lower Susquehanna River, and how these problems then affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay. A few solutions are offered, but some of the problems are much too complex to share in this brief intro. More information can be found at our website. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. See you on the Suskie! http://lowersusquehannariverkeeper.org/

GL09 Citizen Activism

Clean@H2Opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:26:26 -0500

Lack of political leadership from Dow Chemical's dioxin contamination of Michigan's largest watershed and the overall lack of leadership in the State of Michigan on the Great Lakes. The preservation and protection of the Great Lakes need to be taken to the people to drive the issue then elected officials will follow and do what's right. Elected officials do not lead as a rule. Michigan needs a handful of legislators who will rise up out of these waters, so to speak, and focus their efforts on protecting what is Michigan's greatest economic resource and our greatest legacy.

GL08 Water Diversion

Clean@H2Opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:20:01 -0500

It's a modern cliché: Water is the oil of the 21st Century. It also happens to be true. About one-fifth of the world's fresh water is harbored in the Great Lakes. Raging wildfires in the West and a sudden water scarcity in the Southeastern U.S. have raised public awareness of the significance of fresh water. The Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces are seeking to prevent water exports through a new regional compact and agreement. Unfortunately, a giant loophole in the agreement allows unlimited exports in containers under 5.7 gallons in size: bottles, for example. Citizens need to support compact ratification and demand that the states go beyond it by shutting the loophole down.

GL07 - State of the Great Lakes

Clean@H2Opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:16:00 -0500

Are the Great Lakes getting cleaner or dirtier? The answer is mixed. Pollutants that were top priorities in the 1970s like phosphorus and PCBs have been on the decline while new contaminants have worsened. The loss of wetlands, which filter pollutants and provide habitat, and increases in pollution from poorly planned development are causing new problems. As the successes of the 1970s showed, the key to further progress is citizen activism. Government only follows where citizens lead.

GL06 General Discussion: Dow's Dioxin

Clean@H2Opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:07:40 -0500

Michelle's advocacy and the difficulty posed when the polluter, Dow Chemical, also happens to be a powerful Fortune 50 company. State of Michigan sets a standard of 90 ppt and we have in excess of 100,000 ppt in the rivers. Because of the very high levels of dioxins/furans every study to date has shown dioxin being taken up by every living creature on the flood plain. Taking a page out of the tobacco industry hand book, Dow's PR machine continues to manufacture debate and create uncertainty about the toxicity of dioxin to neutralize public opinion. And under the guise of "uncertainty" public officials are given a place to retreat and not take a position.

GL05 Fish Advisory Dow Dioxin

Clean@H2Opodcast.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:33:16 -0500

Dow Chemical's dioxin contamination from its world headquarters in Midland, MI. For decades Dow Chemical has used the Tittabawassee River for a sewer. In geographic proportions this site is enormous. 52 miles of river , the Tittabawassee and Saginaw leading out to Lake Huron, thousands of acres of floodplain and properties through several communities. A study done by the Michigan Department of Community Health highlights the environmental justice issue of this contamination. The less educated people are, people of color, migrant workers and indigent residents are more likely to eat the fish from these waters as well as eating the fish most contaminated. In the summer of 2006 Lone Tree Council and a number of state wide groups and citizens petitioned the federal government (CDC) for a Health Consultation. We are awaiting a determination. The MDCH Fish Consumption Study can be viewed at
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/FCS_Final_rpt_061407_199288_7.pdf

KM03 Repetition of a Lie

kmidkiff@mchsi.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:22:42 -0500

Agribusiness repeatedly claim that the complaints and lawsuits about the stink from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are coming from urban and suburban folks who have moved to the country and don't like the smells. This is nothing more than a lie - the complaints and lawsuits come from long time rural residents and farmers. Here is the address to Ken Midkiff's website: http://www.kmidkiff.com

KM02 Feeding at the Public Trough

kmidkiff@mchsi.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:18:13 -0500

While family farmers are perfectly capable of "feeding the world", most of the government largess flows to Corporate agribusinesses - millions of dollars in subsidies and grants. Consumers have become convinced that factory farms are a necessity This is not at all true, but rather is the hype spewed out by agribusinesses' hacks, lackey, lobbyists, and marketing gurus. Here is the address to his website: http://www.kmidkiff.com

KM01 CAFO 101

kmidkiff@mchsi.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:01:49 -0500

An introduction to CAFOs (CAFO "101"); issues in common; how operations differ for hogs, broiler chickens, laying hens, dairy cows, and beef feedlots; and how all are similar in air and water pollution. Here is the address to his website: http://www.kmidkiff.com

DITV08 Down In The Valley: December 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:57:57 -0500

Lloyd Carter, veteran journalist and observer of California water politics, offers his monthly assessment of the current hot issues in California's Water World. Listen to "Down in the Valley" live on the second friday of every month at 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Radio KFCF 88.1 FM, Fresno, California.

DITV07 Down In The Valley: October 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:55:53 -0500

DITV06 Down In The Valley: September 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:41:49 -0400

DITV05 Down In The Valley: August 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:03:16 -0400

DITV04 Down In The Valley: July 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:03:26 -0400

DITV03 Down In The Valley: June 2007; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:03:28 -0400

DITV02 Down In The Valley: May 2006; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:03:31 -0400

DITV01 Down In The Valley: March 2006; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:03:34 -0400

THB04 "California's Delta In Crisis" lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:52:45 -0400

In his fourth episode of Tales of the Hydraulic Brotherhood, California water expert and writer Lloyd Carter talks about the ecological crisis facing the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary in the long hot summer of 2007. Los Angeles is experiencing its driest year on record and increasing water exports of Northern California water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California have caused the collapse of the Delta's fishery. The three-inch Delta Smelt, a critical part of the Delta fishery food chain, is teetering on the brink of extinction. Experts say it could be the beginning of what may become "the Perfect Drought." A Congressional subcommittee overseeing federal water policy recent held a field hearing in the Bay Area to gather information on what some experts say is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

THB03 "Selenium Poisoning the American West" lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:42:16 -0400

In his third episode of Tales of the Hydraulic Brotherhood, California water expert Lloyd Carter talks about the threat posed by the trace element selenium to farmland, rivers, wetlands and wildlife in the western United States. Using the selenium poisoning of the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in the early 1980s as an example, Carter shows how little has been done by the federal government or state governments to halt selenium contamination caused by irrigation and mining activities.

THB02 "Subsidy Gravy Train"; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Sun, 4 Mar 2007 05:05:00 +0000

In his second installment of "Tales of the Hydraulic Brotherhood" California writer and water expert Lloyd Carter talks about the enormous water and crop subsidies flowing in disproportionate amounts to huge factories in the field in Central California's irrigation country. While California big agribusiness operations hide behind the "family farmer" label, they continue to rake in half a billion dollars a year in taxpayer money, according to reports by the Environmental Working Group. Surprisingly, conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, also favor major reform of the farm and water subsidy system now in place.

THB01 "Westlands Water District"; lcarter0i@comcast.net

lcarter0i@comcast.net — Sun, 4 Mar 2007 05:05:00 +0000

In his first podcast of "Tales of the Hydraulic Brotherhood" California water expert Lloyd Carter talks about the Westlands Water District, at 942 square miles the largest and most politically powerful federal water district in America. Westlands has a drainage problem caused by selenium, a trace element inherent in the soils of the western San Joaquin Valley in Central California, the nation's most productive farming region. Drainage water from Westlands poisoned ducks and shorebirds at the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in the mid 1980s triggering national headlines. Now Westlands wants to take over solving the drainage problem from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in exchange for forgiveness of a half billion dollar debt the water district owes the federal government AND control of the Bureau's state water permit which is annually worth $500 million.

SG01 William Schlesinger

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:45:04 -0400

The eighth annual Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) Conference was held at Duke University on March 30 - April 1, 2007. The conference focused on a variety of environmental, social justice and economic justice issues. The Friday evening kickoff featured the Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, Dr. William Schlesinger introducing keynote speaker Mary Anne Hitt of Appalachian Voices at the Love Auditorium.

SG02 Mary Anne Hitt

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:44:59 -0400

SG03 Mary Anne Hitt

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:42:46 -0400

ANC01 Pocosin Lakes

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:35:10 -0400

The Pocosin Lakes refuge in eastern North Carolina is winter home to more than 100,000 swans, geese and other large waterfowl. Construction of a nearby landing strip is opposed by landowners, environmentalists and wildlife advocates, as well as Gov. Easley, who has called on Congress to block $10 million in federal funding for that site. Among the biggest concerns cited by opponents is the risk of birds colliding with jets - a problem that can cause jets to crash. To reduce the risk, the Navy has proposed that farmers plant less enticing food crops near the airstrip in the hope that this will discourage the birds from flocking near the runway. Beyond that, the Navy has proposed using dogs and fireworks to scare off birds, and potentially resorting to poison and firearms.

ANC02 Pocosin Lakes

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:40:02 -0400

SC_EL Christa Wagner

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:22:07 -0400

May 9, 2007, 7:30 p.m., Carrboro Century Center Christa Wagner, the Director of Government Relations for the NC Sierra Club Chapter, will discuss opportunities and prospects for the passage of environmentally friendly legislation.

SC_RC01 Robbie Cox

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:16:53 -0400

April 11, 2007 (Wed.), 7:30 p.m., Robbie Cox, past president of the national Sierra Club, is a UNC Professor of Communication who studies how public conversation about the environment affects public policy. He is also an avid outdoorsman who treks and climbs mountains in Asia and Africa. He'll bring together his research, his love of nature, and his experience as a national environmental leader in his talk on the national conversation about the climate. Come hear his ideas about the relationship between what we say about the environment and what we do.

SC_RC02 Robbie Cox

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:16:47 -0400

SC_RC03 Robbie Cox

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:12:04 -0400

SC_OR01 Brian Rosa

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:59:56 -0400

Wednesday, January 10th at 7:30 p.m. - Carrboro Century Center. Food Waste in North Carolina: Composting and Other Diversion Technologies. Brian Rosa, Organics Recycling Coordinator for the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Assistance will be our presenter. He will discuss our current food waste practices including feeding hungry people, composting and providing animal feed.

SC_OR02 Brian Rosa

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:03:48 -0400

SC_BD01 "Bio-Diesel Overview" Part 1 ; Clean@H2Opodcast.com

Sun, 4 Mar 2007 05:05:00 +0000

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 - Chapel Hill Public Library Evan Ashworth has worked with Piedmont Biofuels for over two years. He manages fuel distribution from the commercial-scale production plant in Pittsboro, NC, operates the delivery tank truck, writes grants, and does education and outreach work. He is a graduate of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Chicago, focusing on oil dependance and alternative fuels. Piedmont Biofuels can be contacted at: http://biofuels.coop/ or by writing/calling: P.O. Box 661, Pittsboro, NC 27312 | 919-321-8260

SC_BD02 "Bio-Diesel Overview" Part 2; Clean@H2Opodcast.com

Sun, 4 Mar 2007 05:05:00 +0000