Environmentalists hail Earth Hour as a big success
By VANESSA GERA (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 29, 2009 7:12 AM EDT
BONN, Germany - For environmental activists, the message was clear: Earth Hour was a huge success.
Now they say it's time for nations to tackle climate change.
"The world said yes to climate action, now governments must follow," the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said a day after hundreds of millions of people worldwide followed its call to turn off lights for a full hour.
From an Antarctic research base and the Great Pyramids of Egypt, from the Colosseum in Rome to the Empire State building in New York, illuminated patches of the globe went dark Saturday night to highlight the threat of climate change. Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries dimmed nonessential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
WWF called the event, which began in Australia in 2007 and grew last year to 400 cities worldwide, "the world's first-ever global vote about the future of our planet."
"Last night's message from the masses was loud and clear: Delay no more, real action now!" Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative, said in a statement.
Negotiators from 175 countries gathered Sunday in Bonn for the latest round in an effort to craft a deal to control emissions of the heat-trapping gases responsible for global warming.
Earth Hour officially began when the Chatham Islands, 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of New Zealand, switched off its diesel generators. At Scott Base in Antarctica, New Zealand's 26-member winter team resorted to minimum safety lighting and switched off appliances and computers.
In Australia, Sydney's glittering harbor was bathed in shadows as lights dimmed on the steel arch of the city's iconic Harbour Bridge and the nearby Opera House.
As the sun moved west, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt darkened. So did the Acropolis in Athens and the Colosseum in Rome.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral were among 200 monuments and buildings that went dark. The Eiffel Tower, however, only extinguished its lights for five minutes for security reasons because visitors were on the tower.
The celebration then crossed the Atlantic, where crowds at New York's Times Square watched as many of the massive billboards, including the giant Coca-Cola display, darkened. The Majestic Theater marquee at the home of "The Phantom of the Opera" went dark, along with the marquees at other Broadway shows.
Mikel Rouse, 52, a composer who lives and works nearby came to watch.
"C'mon, is it really necessary? ... All this ridiculous advertising ... all this corporate advertising taking up all that energy seems to be a waste," Rouse said.
Hundreds of other cities also joined in, from Chicago to San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue that watches over the city was darkened, along with the beachfront of the famed Copacabana.
"Earth Hour has always been a positive campaign," said Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley. "It's always around street parties, not street protests, it's the idea of hope, not despair. And I think that's something that's been incredibly important this year because there is so much despair around."
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
First baby seal killed this morning - please help!
The first baby seal was killed this morning.
Here's how you can help save others from that cruel fate.
It began at 5:48 Eastern time this morning.
The sealers stormed into the once-peaceful seal nursery with their hakapiks raised. Within a matter of seconds, defenseless baby seals were clubbed and their blood spilled onto the ice. This year the Canadian government will allow commercial sealers to slaughter 280,000 seals for their fur.
Please, make a donation now of whatever you can afford to help end the cruel seal hunt once and for all.
Because of the previous support of hundreds of thousands of compassionate people like you, there is a ray of hope amidst the horror.
The European Union will consider banning its trade in seal products in a few weeks. But the fishing industry and the Canadian government are lobbying furiously to fight the ban. Just last week, Russia announced it would halt the killing of baby seals. It's clear the world community is condemning such killing -- increasingly Canada stands alone in defending the slaughter.
That's why it's crucial that we're here now, so we can broadcast the truth to the countries in the European Union and ask them to help us bring these atrocities to an end. Please help sustain our work on the ice -- together we'll raise our voices over the din of those who profit from the slaughter.
Thank you for standing with us -- having so many of you behind us at home makes all the difference.
I look forward to the day when seals will be safe from the hunt.
Here's how you can help save others from that cruel fate.
 |
It began at 5:48 Eastern time this morning.
The sealers stormed into the once-peaceful seal nursery with their hakapiks raised. Within a matter of seconds, defenseless baby seals were clubbed and their blood spilled onto the ice. This year the Canadian government will allow commercial sealers to slaughter 280,000 seals for their fur.
Please, make a donation now of whatever you can afford to help end the cruel seal hunt once and for all.
Because of the previous support of hundreds of thousands of compassionate people like you, there is a ray of hope amidst the horror.
The European Union will consider banning its trade in seal products in a few weeks. But the fishing industry and the Canadian government are lobbying furiously to fight the ban. Just last week, Russia announced it would halt the killing of baby seals. It's clear the world community is condemning such killing -- increasingly Canada stands alone in defending the slaughter.
That's why it's crucial that we're here now, so we can broadcast the truth to the countries in the European Union and ask them to help us bring these atrocities to an end. Please help sustain our work on the ice -- together we'll raise our voices over the din of those who profit from the slaughter.
Thank you for standing with us -- having so many of you behind us at home makes all the difference.
I look forward to the day when seals will be safe from the hunt.
 |  | Sincerely,  |
| Rebecca Aldworth Director of Canadian Wildlife Issues The Humane Society of the United States |
Urge the EPA to pave the way for cleaner cars
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Take Action
Write today to urge the EPA to allow states to exercise their right to regulate global warming pollution from cars.Stephen Johnson, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator under the Bush administration, ignored the science and the recommendations of his own staff and denied states the right to implement the clean car standards.
In his first week in office, President Obama instructed the EPA to reconsider this decision. But we’re up against some powerful adversaries. Even as automakers take billions in government bailout money, they continue to spend millions on lawyers and lobbyists attempting to subvert our right to cleaner cars.
The EPA is accepting comments on the clean car standards until Monday, April 6. Please write to them today and urge them to support states’ rights to reduce global warming pollution from automobiles.
Sincerely,
Michelle Robinson
Director, UCS Clean Vehicles Program
Contact the EPA today
Dear Administrator Lisa Jackson,
Thank you for reconsidering the request for states to be able to implement clean car standards for global warming pollution. I urge you to please grant states the right to implement these breakthrough regulations as soon as possible.
This is your opportunity to reduce automobile global warming pollution, provide consumers like me with more fuel-efficient vehicle choices, and help transform the auto industry into a key component of a clean energy economy.
State governments across the country are working to reduce global warming pollution. For many of these states, the clean car standards are a central component of their plans. The science is clear and it’s urgent: to prevent the worst effects of global warming, state and national policies must work in tandem to put the brakes on climate change.
I look forward to your swift action to allow states to implement the clean car standards.
Tell A Friend
You can help ensure this action has the greatest effect. Please pass this alert along to your friends and family.
Donate
Help us seize this opportunity and support our work for a healthy environment and a safer world by making a special tax-deductible donation today.
UPDATE: Helicopter Assault Kills 84 Wolves
Palin Escalates
Bloody War on Wolves
In just five days, Governor Sarah Palin's Administration slaughtered at least 84 wolves near the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve using helicopters, spotter planes and high-powered guns. And with denning season beginning soon, defenseless wolf pups and their families will soon face death from deadly snares and poison gas in and around their dens.
More than 3,000 compassionate wildlife supporters have contributed in the last few days to stop Palin and save the lives of wolves. We are so close to meeting our goal. Will you help?
Last week, at least 66 84 wolves were killed by aerial gunners with high-powered rifles in helicopters near Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. And, under new policies approved by Governor Sarah Palin’s Board of Game, wolf pups could be gassed to death in their dens in the weeks ahead.
 | Make an emergency donation now to help stop the slaughter and run this ad. |
| www.eyeonpalin.org |
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s cruel aerial slaughter has suddenly escalated.
Last week, Palin’s henchmen killed 66 84 wolves, using helicopters, spotter planes and aerial gunners. To make matters even worse, Palin’s Board of Game has approved the use of poison gas and deadly snares to kill defenseless wolf pups and their families in and around their dens.
To stop the killing, we...
- Supported emergency legal efforts in state court to halt or delay the helicopter assault on wolves near the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, near the area made famous by the 1890s Alaska Gold Rush. Ironically, the state ended its effort just one day later.
- Are working on Capitol Hill with our champion Congressman George Miller of California to win cosponsors for the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act to end Palin’s barbaric aerial killing and prevent programs like it from spreading to other states; and
- Are raising public awareness in the media to Palin’s horrible wolf-killing programs in newspapers, on radio and television across the country.
In just a few weeks, Governor Palin is scheduled to appear in Indianapolis. With your emergency help, we can run this ad and ensure that citizens in Indiana and the national media covering her appearance learn the terrible truth of what Palin and her killing thugs have been up to over the last few weeks.
We need to raise $185,000 by next Friday to run our ad and expand the Eye on Palin campaign. Please make your donation today.
We can win this fight with your compassionate help. Please send whatever caring contribution you can today. Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
 |  Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund |
P.S. Make a secure donation online today or call 1-800-425-4632 to help us run our new ad and support comprehensive action to protect wolves and other wildlife in Alaska.
Whale schnitzel?
Endangered Fin Whales like this one will die without your help.
Demand for whale meat is so low in Iceland, merchants have resorted to creating new products like whale schnitzel to try and sell it.
So then why has Iceland decided to cruelly hunt 150 endangered fin and 100 more minke whales? It just doesn't make sense!
Write to the Icelandic Fisheries Minister and tell him whales are worth more alive than dead!
Commercial whaling has been banned for more than two decades, yet Iceland continues firing harpoons into these gentle creatures for products that nobody needs. It is cruel, unnecessary and unsustainable.
No method exists to kill whales instantly or humanely. It can take up to an hour to kill a whale, which is first mutilated by an explosive harpoon and then shot with rifles or prodded with an electric lance.
Tell Iceland that even a small increase in the number of whale watching tourists will create and secure more jobs and money than the cruelty of whaling ever will.
The meat from endangered fin whales is not even traditionally eaten by Icelanders, but exported to places like Japan. Yet Japan already has thousands of tons of unsold whale meat in frozen storage.
The successful whale watching industry offers a humane, sustainable and financially lucrative alternative to whaling, bringing in approximately £10m a year. Our friends at the Icelandic Whale Watching Association are worried that killing the whales will also spell the end of their businesses. In a bankrupt country and a global recession, now is not the time to kill whales they depend on for tourism.
Please send an email to Iceland's Fisheries Minister urging him to call off this cruel and unnecessary hunt.
I need you to speak out for these magnificent animals. We still have time to act before the killing starts.
Thanks for all you do,
 Fred O'Regan IFAW President P.S. Iceland's government should look to tourism, and in particular whale watching, as a means to rebuilding the economy - not the cruel killing of endangered whales. It just takes one simple click to help protect these amazing animals. |
Monday, March 9, 2009
Chimps deserve sanctuary, tell Congress today!
Last night, ABC News: Nightline broke the story of more than 300 chimpanzees languishing at one of the world's largest primate research facilities.
The report featured video footage gathered by The Humane Society of the United States during a nine-month undercover investigation at the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana -- and showed the routine and possibly unlawful treatment of hundreds of chimpanzees and monkeys.
Each animal's suffering detailed in the report was wrenching, but the story of 26 elder chimps currently warehoused at the facility was particularly poignant.
Watch our undercover video and see for yourself.
These 26 chimps were taken from their mothers in the wild, and have since lived a life behind bars. The oldest, Karen, was captured in 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was still president.
Please help end invasive research on these chimps and give them the sanctuary they deserve. Urge your U.S. Representative, Thomas Rooney, to support the Great Ape Protection Act.
The Great Ape Protection Act was re-introduced in the House of Representatives today, on the heels of our undercover investigation. This legislation would phase out invasive research on the more than 1,000 chimpanzees remaining in U.S. laboratories, and lay the groundwork for permanent retirement of the approximately 500 chimpanzees owned by the federal government, including Karen and other chimps at the New Iberia Research Center.
TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief phone call to Representative Rooney at (202) 225-5792. When you call, you'll likely speak to a staff member who can take your message. Remember to be polite and professional, and leave your name and where you live so it's clear that you are a constituent. When you call, you can say:
"Hello, my name is [your name]. I'm a constituent in [your town]. Last night, ABC News: Nightline aired a report of chimpanzees at the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana. I'm calling to ask Representative Rooney to please co-sponsor the Towns-Reichert Great Ape Protection Act, to stop this cruelty and to save taxpayers millions of dollars. Thank you."
We expect that Congress will receive a huge outpour of calls on this issue. If you aren't able to get through, please keep trying. After you make your call, send a follow up message and tell your friends and family how they can help, too.
Thank you for speaking out for chimps held in research. They deserve better than a life of torment and misery. Together, we can make a difference for these amazing creatures.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Get Ready for Spring
Get Ready for SpringAs spring cleaning season gets into full-swing, take some time to sort through -- and properly dispose of -- your household hazardous waste. According to the EPA, the average home can accumulate up to 100 pounds of hazardous waste.
Learn more about household hazardous waste and how to properly dispose of it at Earth911.org.
Have an Enviro Tip to share?
E-mail us!
Sea Otter
Sea OtterWith up to 1 million hairs per square inch, sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. But their coats cost millions of these animals their lives during the fur trade, pushing these playful marine mammals near extinction.
They’re now protected, but still face challenges from habitat loss, limited prey, disease and other threats.
Learn more about sea otters
RIP Macho B
RIP Macho B
Jaguars once ranged as far north as the Grand Canyon -- but only a few have been documented in the U.S. since 1971.One in particular -- a 16-year-old dubbed Macho B -- was the most photographed jaguar in the U.S.
Late last month, Macho B was inadvertently caught during a research project, and Arizona Department of Game and Fish officials took the opportunity to fit him with a GPS collar. Researchers were excited at the prospect of studying the behavior of jaguars in the U.S. based on the data that Macho B would send back.
But that excitement turned to sadness. Days later, Macho B had to be euthanized when it was determined that he was suffering from terminal kidney failure.
Our fight for U.S. jaguars lives on. Later this month, Defenders will be in court to force federal officials to develop a recovery plan for U.S. jaguars -- a move the Bush Administration refused to take on.
Read more about Macho B on our website.
Adopt a jaguaror one of 23 other animals from Defenders Wildlife Adoption Center and help support our fight to save jaguars like Macho B and other wildlife in need.
Fighting on for Prairie Dogs and Ferrets
In an ongoing battle on the Kansas prairie, wildlife-friendly ranchers Larry & Bette Haverfield and neighboring landowners Gordon & Martha Barnhardt and Maxine Blank are resisting Logan County Commissioners who want to forcefully poison the state’s largest prairie dog complex on their land -- a move that would put highly endangered black-footed ferrets and other wildlife at risk.
Last month, a county judge in Kansas upheld a restraining order that protects most of the 10,000-acre ranch from poisoning -- all but a depth of 90 feet around the perimeter. For now, the majority of the ranchers’ land -- and the prairie dogs and ferrets it supports -- remain safe.
But in retaliation, County Commissioners ordered the poisoning of the 90-foot buffer area -- and stuck the wildlife-friendly ranchers and landowners with a bill reaching into the thousands of dollars.
These landowners have already spent tens of thousands of dollars on previous Commissioner-forced poisonings and court costs to fight for their piece of the American prairie and the wildlife that depends on it.
Take action now -- Send a message of support to the Barnhardts, Haverfields and Mrs. Blank for their ongoing fight to save prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets and the grassland ecosystem on their land.
Florida eNews: Panther Week in March!
Panther Week! 
Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge, the Fish & Wildlife Service and other conservation partners are teaming up for a week-long series of events to celebrate the Florida panther.
Join us during Florida Panther Week in southwest Florida with a kick-off event at the Naples Zoo on March 15th. Spend a fun-filled day learning about these highly endangered cats through zoo exhibits and activities. You can also meet with Defenders staff, agency biologists and others actively involved in panther conservation.
The week of festivities wraps up on March 21st with Save the Florida Panther Day at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge near Naples. Explore important habitat for these great cats on the Duncan Memorial Trail or on a guided field trip or two.
Events held throughout the week provide opportunities to learn about the wildlife and habitat found on the refuge and nearby public lands.
Starting March 9th, you can RSVP for field trips and presentations by calling (239) 353-8442 x239 or by emailing events@floridapanther.org.
Learn more about Panther Week from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge, the Fish & Wildlife Service and other conservation partners are teaming up for a week-long series of events to celebrate the Florida panther.
Join us during Florida Panther Week in southwest Florida with a kick-off event at the Naples Zoo on March 15th. Spend a fun-filled day learning about these highly endangered cats through zoo exhibits and activities. You can also meet with Defenders staff, agency biologists and others actively involved in panther conservation.
The week of festivities wraps up on March 21st with Save the Florida Panther Day at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge near Naples. Explore important habitat for these great cats on the Duncan Memorial Trail or on a guided field trip or two.
Events held throughout the week provide opportunities to learn about the wildlife and habitat found on the refuge and nearby public lands.
Starting March 9th, you can RSVP for field trips and presentations by calling (239) 353-8442 x239 or by emailing events@floridapanther.org.
Learn more about Panther Week from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
BREAKING: Terrible News for Wolves
Nearly 1000 Wolves
Could be Killed
Last year, more than 100 wolves were killed in the opening days of wolf delisting in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region before our legal efforts won the day.
Now, the Obama Administration embraced the deadly Bush-era delisting plan, and another round of wolf killing could begin in just weeks.
Please forward this message on to others who care about our wolves and other wildlife.
I have some terrible news. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he would follow the discredited path of the Bush Administration and delist wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region.
This is a stunning development, just six weeks into the Obama Administration. This delisting paves the way for almost 1000 wolves to be killed under deadly state management plans in Idaho and Montana.
The killing could begin in just weeks.
As I write this, we are already preparing an emergency legal challenge to this harmful proposal -- and we’ll be in court as quickly as possible. But we need your help for the legal fight ahead.
Please make an emergency donation now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.
This delisting will put the fate of our wolves in the hands of state governments that want to slaughter nearly 1,000 wolves. Last year, when federal wolf protections were temporarily lifted in the region, more than 100 wolves were killed in just a short time -- including the world renowned “Limpy.”
In addition, regular wolf hunting seasons could begin as early as this fall in Idaho and Montana -- and Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter said again today that he still wants the first available hunting tag to shoot a wolf himself.
We can’t allow the out-of-control killing of wolves to happen again.
Please donate now to support our emergency legal challenge to protect our wolves in the Northern Rockies.
For more than 35 years, Defenders of Wildlife has fought for our wolves. We were there when the first wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and we’ve been there to defend them ever since. We’ve beaten back efforts to prematurely delist these wolves in the past, and I'm confident we can do so again.
Just this week, we celebrated a hard-fought victory made possible with your help as the Senate voted to overturn the Bush Administration's last-minute gutting of the Endangered Species Act. We now need to beat back another deadly Bush-era plan that will open the door to the slaughter of nearly 1,000 wolves.
Please donate what you can today to save the lives of wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.
Together, we can win our legal challenge of the same bad plan originally put forth in the last throes of the Bush Administration -- and ensure that our wolves will continue to be around for future generations.
Sincerely,Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
P.S. Your donation through our secure website will ensure that your contribution will be put to immediate work. You can also donate by calling 1-800-385-9712.
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