Now this is a totally fascinating article from ENN. Apparently the ancient peoples of the Amazon region did some quite unexpected things, such as organizing urban centers in the rainforest without destroying it. Take a peek:

Friday, September 19, 2003
By Maggie Fox, Reuters


WASHINGTON — Brazil's northern Amazon region, once thought to have been pristine until modern development began encroaching, actually hosted sophisticated networks of towns and villages hundreds of years ago, researchers said Thursday.

Archeological evidence and satellite images show the area was densely settled long before Columbus and European settlers arrived, with towns featuring plazas, roads up to 150 feet wide, deep moats, and bridges, the researchers found.

The report, published in the journal Science, suggests a society that was advanced and complex and that found alternative ways to use the Amazon forest without destroying it.

Nineteen evenly spaced villages were linked by straight roads, and the cluster could have supported between 2,500 and 5,000 people, said the researchers, led by Michael Heckenberger of the University of Florida. The villages were all laid out in a similar manner, and the roads were mathematically parallel.
"This really blew us away," Heckenberger said in a telephone interview. "It's fantastic stuff."

Heckenberger, who worked with indigenous chiefs from the Upper Xingu region as well as a team at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, said the settlements dated to between 1200 A.D. and 1600 A.D.

"Every 3 km to 5 km (mile-and-a-half to two miles) there is another...(Read on in: "Pristine" Amazon hosted large cities, study finds
- posted by Daniel @ 1:33 AM

 
Where would you like to live? From ENN,

Friday, September 19, 2003
By Reuters


DALLAS — Residents of the arid, high desert city of Santa Fe, N.M., may have thin air and not much water, but they do live in the U.S. city with the healthiest environment.

According to a survey conducted by the magazine Organic Style, Santa Fe has the best scores of any city in the United States for being free of toxins in the environment, while St. Louis, Mo., was at the bottom of the list, at slot number 125.

The survey, released in this month's issue of the magazine, looked at factors such as exposure to agricultural pollutants and general toxins as well as overall air quality. About 5,500 pieces of data were crunched to produce the results.

The top five cities in the survey were Santa Fe...(Read on in: Living clean in Santa Fe while St. Louis has the blues
- posted by Daniel @ 1:25 AM

 
On the good news side from ENN,

Friday, September 19, 2003
By Lisa Rathke, Associated Press


BURLINGTON, Vt. — This environmentally conscious New England state doesn't want to see manure go to waste.

A coalition of Vermont groups has won a $747,000 federal grant to build technology that would convert manure from small farms into methane gas.

"If small farms could convert waste to cheap, green energy, not only would they manage their waste streams but (they) will be more independent and financially secure," said Dr. Guy Roberts of the Intervale Foundation.

The foundation will use the funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy to...(Read on in: Vermont groups win federal grant to turn farm waste into fuel)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:21 AM

 
Dear Illinois PIRG supporter,

The Bush administration is continuing to work with polluters on one of the broadest efforts to weaken our clean air protections in the history of the Clean Air Act. We expect that Congress will be making a number of crucial decisions on clean air in September and October.

One such decision is on the New Source Review program of the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration recently issued rules gutting the program, which requires power plants, refineries and other industries to install state-of-the-art pollution controls when they make major, pollution-increasing plant modifications.

The Bush administration's newly issued rules will let as many as 17,000 industrial facilities across the nation keep polluting, which would exacerbate the smog and soot pollution that sends hundreds of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms each year. Even worse, the Bush administration is trying to force every state in the nation to adopt these weaker air pollution programs, even states that prefer more stringent requirements.

In January, Sen. John Edwards (NC) introduced an amendment to block this attack on the Clean Air Act that failed by just a few votes. Sen. Edwards pledged to keep fighting, and the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote very soon on the similar Edwards-Lieberman clean air amendment, which would allow states to continue to regulate pollution under their own more protective programs.

We're expecting the vote to be close, so your senators need to know that the public supports this clean air amendment.

Please take a moment to call and ask your senators to protect the Clean Air Act. You can reach your senators at 202-224-3121 (just tell the operator which state you're from and they can connect you to your senators - you may have to call twice to reach both senators). Here's a sample message you can leave:

"Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _______. Please vote for the Edwards-Lieberman amendment to stop the Bush administration from forcing states to weaken their air pollution control programs."

Then, please take a moment to let us know you called so that we can keep track of the number of calls we generate.

To report your call, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=454&id4=ES


Today, more than 140 million Americans live in areas where ozone smog levels are high enough to cause health problems like asthma attacks. Soot cuts short the lives of 30,000 Americans annually. Other severe environmental impacts from air pollution include acid rain, mercury contamination and haze in our national parks and wilderness areas.

Incredibly, the Bush administration is taking giant steps backward on air pollution. A coalition of oil, coal and utility lobbyists have persuaded the Bush administration to weaken the Clean Air Act, including the New Source Review program that requires power plants, refineries and other industries to install state-of-the-art pollution controls when they make major, pollution-increasing plant modifications. Each year, this program has kept more than a million tons of air pollution out of our skies.

The EPA has approved a set of changes that add up to the largest regulatory weakening of our clean air protections in the 30-year history of the Clean Air Act. These rule changes dramatically weaken the New Source Review program and could allow pollution to increase from over 17,000 facilities across the nation. And other proposed changes would go even further, weakening the New Source Review program to the point of uselessness.

In taking this action, the EPA has ignored more than a dozen requests from Congress for detailed analysis of the rule changes' impact on public health and requests for public hearings to comment on the rule changes.

In January, Sen. John Edwards (NC) introduced an amendment that would have stopped the Bush administration from going forward with their plans to weaken the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program that failed by just a few votes. Sen. Edwards pledged to keep fighting, and the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this week on the similar Edwards-Lieberman clean air amendment, which would allow states to continue to regulate pollution under their own more protective programs. This vote was scheduled to occur in July, but was delayed when Congress adjourned for their August recess.

We're expecting the vote to be close, and your senators need to know that the public supports this amendment. Please take a moment to call and ask your senators to protect the Clean Air Act. You can reach your senators at 202-224-3121 (just tell the operator which state you're from and they can connect you to your senators - you may have to call twice to reach both senators). Here's a sample message you can leave:

"Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _______. Please vote for the Edwards-Lieberman amendment to stop the Bush administration from forcing states to weaken their air pollution control programs."

Then, please take a moment to let us know you called so that we can keep track of the number of calls we generate.

To report your call, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=454&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Diane E. Brown
Illinois PIRG Executive Director
DianeB@illinoispirg.org
http://www.IllinoisPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.
- posted by Daniel @ 3:53 PM

 
Good news from ENN,

Thursday, September 18, 2003
By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press


WASHINGTON — Some of the country's major corporations are embracing the idea of thinking green when buying electricity in hopes of spurring the development of renewable energy sources — while in many cases also helping their own bottom line.

The World Resources Institute brought together a dozen major U.S. companies and got them to pledge that by 2010 at least 1,000 megawatts of the power they use will come from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydrogen fuel cells.

While still small compared to the total amount of electricity used by many of the companies, that would be equal to the electricity generated by a typical large coal-burning power plant. It's about the same amount of power used to supply 750,000 homes.

In a major step toward achieving the goal, the coalition of companies, known as the Green Power Market Development Group, on Wednesday was announcing...(Read on in: Some companies are attracted to green energy)
- posted by Daniel @ 8:01 AM

 
Great Lakes Daily News: 17 September 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Toronto waterfront dominates mayoral debate
----------------------------------------------
Toronto's waterfront is the main issue in the mayoral election, based on the
more than 500 people packed into a gym at the Harbourfront Community Centre
last night to question candidates on their plans for revitalizing the
waterfront. Source: The Toronto Star (9/17)


COMMENTARY: Unclear nuclear policy threatens Wisconsin
----------------------------------------------
The Wolf River Batholith, a geological feature covering more than 1,000
square miles in Northeast Wisconsin, has been proposed by the Department of
Energy as a potential site for large-scale nuclear waste disposal. Source:
The Green Bay News-Chronicle (9/17)


Montreal's drinking water is fine
----------------------------------------------
Montrealers can rest assured that the water running from their tap is safe,
say water conservation activists and city officials. Source: The Montreal
Gazette (9/16)


Dreyer completes stage 5 of Lake Michigan length swim
----------------------------------------------
Endurance swimmer Jim Dreyer has finished the fifth of 16 stages of his
attempt to swim the length of Lake Michigan. Source: Booth Newspapers (9/16)


Divers haul garbage from murky Lake Erie
----------------------------------------------
The sky cleared just in time yesterday for the 11th Put-in-Bay Underwater
Cleanup, allowing volunteer divers to retrieve just about everything in
their quest to rid the bottom of South Bass Island's main harbor of litter.
Source: The Toledo Blade (9/16)


Lake Erie shoreline battle still unresolved
----------------------------------------------
Members of the Ohio Lakefront Group, a grassroots organization started in
Sheffield Lake two years ago, spoke out against what they claim is the Ohio
Department of Natural Resource's recent practice of declaring coastal
property up to the "ordinary high water mark." Source: Port Clinton News
Herald (9/16)


Fast ferry getting closer to reality
----------------------------------------------
Rochester's fast ferry is about eight months away from hitting the water.
Source: WHEC-TV Rochester (9/16)


COMMENTARY: Restoring the Great Lakes
----------------------------------------------
According to Sen. Carl Levin, we must ensure that the federal government
meets its ongoing obligation to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Source:
The White Lake Beacon (9/15)


States say feds falling short on invasives
----------------------------------------------
State officials say the federal government is failing to do enough to stop
invasive species of plants and animals from damaging the environment and
economy. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (9/15)


Coast Guard and auxilliary patrol 3,000 miles of shoreline
----------------------------------------------
As the lead agency in maritime homeland security, the U.S. Coast Guard in
Michigan keeps busy protecting more than 3,000 miles of shoreline and
waterways and patrolling borders. Source: The Macomb Daily (9/15)


Ohio ranks high nationwide in hazardous material spills
----------------------------------------------
Ohio ranked second last year in the number of hazardous-material spills on
highways, railways and in the air - the 10th consecutive year that it has
either had the highest or second highest number of spills, according to the
U.S. Department of Transportation. Source: Dayton Daily News (9/14)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with the command 'subscribe dailynews' (minus
the quotes) in the body of the message.
- posted by Daniel @ 4:27 PM

 
And last for today but not least from ENN,

Tuesday, September 16, 2003
By Associated Press


PARIS — The French government is looking to get on the cutting edge of environmental correctness, boosting funding by euro38.5 million euros (US$43.3 million) for research into cars that limit pollution.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Ecology Minister Roselyne Bachelot introduced a plan on Monday to move ahead with cleaner cars.

There are few such vehicles currently on the road. Of the 35 million vehicles in France, only 220,000 light vehicles are considered "clean," using energy sources that drastically limit pollution — unlike gasoline or diesel fuel.

The center-right prime minister wants to change that...(Read on in: France pushes program for 'clean' cars)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:04 PM

 
Also from ENN,

Tuesday, September 16, 2003
By Robert Evans, Reuters


GENEVA — "It certainly looks like the end of the World Trade Organization as we know it," a Geneva-based diplomatic analyst said Monday after the collapse of talks in Cancun, Mexico, on a new international free trade pact.

His shared widespread gloom in the wake of the failure of what was supposed to be a mid-term review of the Doha round of global trade negotiations launched in November 2001.

The plan had been to end the Round in 15 months with agreements on slashing tariffs, allowing service firms like banks and insurance companies to operate globally and moving toward removal of rich countries' farm subsidies.

The World Bank, always enthusiastic about the role of trade in driving the global economy, had estimated that a good pact would...(Read on in: WTO faces an uncertain future with torn-up map)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:01 PM

 
Interesting news from ENN,

Tuesday, September 16, 2003
By David Suzuki

This month, millions of children around North America went back to school. But most didn't walk or ride their bikes. Most of those kids were driven. And it's making them fat.

In fact, our suburban, car-centric society is partly responsible for the near-epidemic levels of obesity for all age groups in North America, according to recent reports in the American Journal of Public Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Researchers developed a "sprawl index" to measure patterns of development in communities across the United States. Then they compared the levels of suburban sprawl with the health of 200,000 people living in those communities...(Read on in: Suburban sprawl is bad for people and the planet)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:54 PM

 
Great Lakes Daily News: 16 September 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Bush touts emissions plan at Monroe plant
----------------------------------------
President Bush came to a Michigan power plant on Monday to promote his Clear
Skies Initiative and New Source Review proposals, which opponents say will
do little to curb pollution. Source: Detroit Free Press (9/16)


State lawmakers form Great Lakes Caucus
----------------------------------------
Lawmakers from eight states and two provinces have launched the Great Lakes
Legislative Caucus to help coordinate laws and policies on issues facing the
region as a whole. Source: Stateline.org (9/16)


Land rights needed to finish North Country Trail
----------------------------------------
Organizers of the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail hope that
Congress will pass a bill that will enable the National Park Service to
purchase land to finally complete the trail. Source: Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (9/15)


Harmful algae bloom puzzles scientists
----------------------------------------
A mysterious bloom of algae in Lake Erie is puzzling scientists and
threatening a Great Lakes fishery. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium
(9/15)


Meeting's focus is Great Lakes
----------------------------------------
On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of scientists and policymakers will descend
on Ann Arbor, Mich., for the International Joint Commission's biennial
conference on the Great Lakes. Source: The Ann Arbor News (9/15)


EDITORIAL: Local pressure needed for action on invasive species
----------------------------------------
The U.S. EPA's recent decision not to require permits for ships discharging
ballast water provides strong evidence of why it's important for local
officials to keep the pressure on for federal action against invasive
species. Source: The Port Clinton News Herald (9/15)


Thousands of volunteers to clean up waterfront
----------------------------------------
Environmental and community groups are looking for volunteers to help with
the 13th annual Muskegon County Coastal Cleanup this Saturday, part of an
international beach-cleaning endeavor. Source: The Muskegon Chronicle (9/15)


EDITORIAL: Pollutants, invaders threaten Great Lakes
----------------------------------------
The proposed $4 billion Great Lakes Restoration Fund is not just a good
idea, it's a necessity for the lakes and for Wisconsin's future. Source:
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune (9/14)


EDITORIAL: Water pressures
----------------------------------------
Though a 10-month dry spell and other factors have led to increased
pressures on underground water tables in Waukesha County, Wis., there's good
reason not to tap Lake Michigan for relief. Source: Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (9/13)


Filmmakers in Port Huron for help with Edmund Fitzgerald project
----------------------------------------
A native Michigan screenwriter and a film production company are meeting
with ship captains who went through the same storm that sank the Edmund
Fitzgerald to gather information for a movie. Source: Port Huron
Times-Herald (9/13)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with the command 'subscribe dailynews' (minus the quotes) in the body of the message.
- posted by Daniel @ 2:48 PM

 
Dozens of renewable fuel advocates, including actor Woody Harrelson, stopped in Boulder Sept. 12 to celebrate the opening of Colorado’s first retail pump to offer biodiesel to the public.
Click on Biodiesel Pump Opens in Boulder, Colo. for more details.

You can help support biodiesel and a healthier environment by clicking here to forward this communication to others who might be interested.

Thanks for your interest and support.

Jenna Higgins
Director of Communications
National Biodiesel Board
(800) 841-5849

# Click here to join Biodiesel Alliance-Backers. It's Free!

- posted by Daniel @ 2:45 PM

 
Deadline to register is today!!!
IJC 2003 Great Lakes Conference and Biennial Meeting
To be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 18-20
Register online at https://www.glc.org/2003biennial/

Healing Our Watershed Lakewide Summit 2003
http://www.lakemichigan.org/lmcc/summit_2003_agenda.asp
Source: Lake Michigan Federation (2003-09-10)

2001-2003 priorities and progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement now available
http://www.ijc.org/news/030910.html
Source: International Joint Commission (2003-09-10)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Access the Great Lakes Press Room archive and sponsorship opportunities
at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/pressroom/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with the command 'subscribe dailynews' (minus
the quotes) in the body of the message.
- posted by Daniel @ 2:42 PM