Blog
Open letter to DFA: I divested from forest destruction and so should you
Preface: When Friends of the Earth member Janet Thew learned how palm oil companies destroy rain forests, she decided to divest her family’s retirement account from Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dimensional, or DFA, has investments in more problematic palm oil, timber, and pulp and paper producers than any other financial institution… Read More
How Your Sunscreen Hurts Coral Reefs
Taking an ocean dip after slathering on sunblock could damage the undersea ecosystem. That’s the conclusion of a recently published study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology that shows how chemicals in sunscreen have the potential to wreak havoc on marine life. How Your Sunscreen Hurts Coral Reefs -National Journal 8/30/14… Read More
Obamas new international climate change plan is probably doomed
Barack Obama has finally realized that the men running the US Senate are such nihilist blowhards that they will never approve a legally binding treaty to combat global warming. So as the New York Times reported earlier this week, the president’s new plan is to name and shame the rest of the world… Read More
Hgen-Dazs Says No to Extreme Genetic Engineering Techniques
Ice cream lovers who prefer to steer clear of genetically modified organisms (GMO) will be happy to hear that Häagen-Dazs has confirmed it will not use vanilla produced via synthetic biology, a new set of “extreme” genetic engineering techniques. Synthetic biology, or synbio, vanilla is designed to replace natural vanillin flavoring from vanilla beans,… Read More
Petition seeks closure of Diablo Canyon nuclear plant
The environmental group that helped shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant last year is now using the same tactic in a bid to close California’s last nuclear power plant, PG&E’s Diablo Canyon. Petition seeks closure of Diablo Canyon nuclear plant -San Francisco Chronicle 8/27/14… Read More
Group files petition to close California’s last nuclear plant
An environmental group filed a petition Tuesday seeking to shut down California’s last remaining nuclear power plant until regulators have taken a more extensive look at its ability to withstand an earthquake. The filing by Friends of the Earth came a day after the group released a confidential document submitted… Read More
Internal Report: Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant needs testing for earthquake safety
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and one of its former nuclear inspectors have a big disagreement. Dr. Michael Peck, the NRC’s former senior resident inspector at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, questions in his 42 page Differing Professional Opinion (DPO), the safety of the nuclear reactors. Internal Report: Diablo Canyon… Read More
Communities take bee action in their own backyards
Concerned with increasing bee die-offs, several Colorado neighborhoods have been taking matters into their own hands to create “bee-safe neighborhoods” by banning and reducing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Communities in Virginia, Washington and Michigan are following suit, too. As Boulder marks the certification of its fourth bee-safe neighborhood, local… Read More
U.S. inspector wanted reactor shut on quake fears: report
(Reuters) – A federal nuclear inspector urged U.S. regulators to shut down a California nuclear power plant until tests showed its reactors could withstand shocks from nearby earthquake faults, according to the Associated Press and an environmental group. U.S. inspector wanted reactor shut on quake fears: report -Reuters 8/25/14… Read More
Former inspector calls for state’s last nuclear plant to be closed
A former federal inspector has urged regulators to shut down California’s last remaining nuclear power plant until it can be determined whether the facility can stand up to an earthquake off the Central Coast. Diablo Canyon is California’s sole remaining nuclear plant. Michael Peck, former senior resident inspector at Diablo… Read More