CONTENTS
- Quote of the Month – Chosen by Maggie Young, Mercy HS, Burlingame
- ACTION of the Month – “Keep Dolphin-Safe Tuna Dolphin-Safe”
- "Goldman Environmental Prize Ceremony Inspires Local Youth” by Elizabeth Arzouni, Teen Environmental Media Network, San Rafael
- "Reflections on 5th Grade Camp” by Vrinda Manglik, Acalanes HS,Lafayette
- Poem: “Sila, Samadhi and Panna”
by Jon Lawson, St. Ignatius HS, San Francisco - Jumbo Shrimp Hunts Endanger Sea Life”
by Nicole Charles, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill - "Are We Ever Safe? The Hazardous Household Chemicals that Infest our Homes” by Meika Hollender, Vermont Commons School, Charlotte, VT.
- Answers to May's Question of the Month
- June Question of the Month
- Letters to the Editor - We've got one!
- Join Now
- The Green Team
- Previous Issues
Mission Statement: Our mission is to strengthen and unify the young environmental community in the Bay Area by sharing interests, information, and calls to action. We seek to inspire participation in projects and events between groups, strengthen journalistic skills, and foster career exploration.
May 2004
Issue 16
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." – Confucius
Chosen by Maggie Young, the Green Team, Mercy HS, Burlingame
Action of the Month -
Keep Dolphin-Safe Tuna Dolphin-Safe!
Sources:
Environmental News Network (ENN) www.enn.com
The Petition Site www.thepetitionsite.com
Dolphin deaths dropped a whopping 97 percent after dolphin-safe labels started appearing on tuna cans in 1990. But now the fishing industry with the support of the Bush Administration is trying to weaken the definition of the dolphin-safe label on tuna cans and pouches despite broad bipartisan public support for the program.
The proposed changes to this successful program would allow tuna caught using the harmful practice of chasing and setting nets on dolphins to be labeled "dolphin-safe.” This policy has the potential to devastate dolphin populations, especially three dolphin populations in the Eastern Pacific -- the northeastern offshore spotted, the eastern spinner, and the coastal spotted – which have all seen their numbers plummet as a result of dolphin-deadly fishing practices.
What can you do?
Use the following letter to urge our leaders to stick with the current definition of dolphin-safe.
Dear _________ ,
I urge you to take action to protect the Pacific Ocean’s marine ecosystems by protecting the U.S. dolphin-safe tuna label & program. To truly protect dolphins in the Pacific it is necessary to protect the ecosystem in which they live. Rampant overfishing is adversely affecting dolphins, endangered sea turtles, sharks, sea birds and the fish species themselves. Yet, instead of decreasing fishing efforts, countries are doing the opposite. This trend spells disaster for the entire Pacific Ocean.
It is your responsibility to make sound choices that are in the interest of all Americans, including future generations. Taking the lead towards halting overfishing and destructive fishing practices in the Pacific fisheries would achieve this goal. This goes hand in hand with a responsible policy of using the dolphin-safe label only for tuna that is truly dolphin-safe (i.e., no chase or encirclement of dolphins).
The U.S. should not accept the refusal of some countries to comply with conservation measures or implement new needed measures. The United States has the tools to create international cooperation, including trade measures under the Pelly Amendment, to ensure that countries are taking the necessary precautions to conserve dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and other marine life.
Stop overfishing in the Pacific and protect the dolphin-safe tuna program to further protect dolphins and all other marine biodiversity in this important area.
Sincerely,
Your Name
To: Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, Secretary of Commerce, Donald Evans Secretary of State, Colin Powell Educate yourself |
Photo by Jeff Martin, Acalanes HS, Lafayette |
Identical petition can be found at www.savedolphins.org
Background info on the issue - www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/readingrm/tunadolphin/background.pdf
Relevant NOAA website - www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR2/Tuna_Dolphin/tunadolphin.html
By Elizabeth Arzouni, Teen Environmental Media Network, San Rafael
Bay Area youth filled the fourth balcony of the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco on Monday, April 29 to honor this year’s recipients of the largest grassroots environmental activism award. Through a concerted effort to empower young environmental leaders, approximately 300 youth from 34 environmental youth groups received complimentary tickets to the 15th Annual Goldman Environmental Prize Ceremony. This year, there were 7 winners of the Prize, which awards hard-earned recognition and $125,000 to environmental heroes from 6 continental regions each year.
Though perched far from the stage, the youth felt captivated by the award recipients and their stories. Many youth, like Friends of the Urban Forest’s Rico Dickens, were motivated to after the event. “There are a lot of people around the world trying to make a difference. I’m excited to be part of this and to make my own contribution,” he said. Eric Miao, who works to improve air quality in Bay View Hunters Point with Literacy for Environmental Justice, also took the speeches of the speakers and recipients to heart. “I’ll take home inspirational words. And to be able to see the people gives me an image, it gives me a stronger impression of what I can do.” In turn, many of the speakers and recipients acknowledged the importance of youth in the effort to increase global environmental sustainability and justice. |
Photo by Jeff Martin, Acalanes HS, Lafayette |
Libia Grueso, one recipient of the Goldman Award, acknowledged the great presence of youth through her acceptance speech.
“The youth struggle is very important, especially in anti-pollution efforts. There needs to be solidarity among all youth here,” she said.
Grueso’s courage earned her the title of one of the most inspiring leaders of Latin America’s environmental movement. She led a campaign that secured more than 5.9 million acres in territorial rights for Columbia’s black rural communities, and is now focusing on protecting Colombia’s Pacific rainforest.
Two women from India who received a Goldman Award also responded to the motivated youth when accepting their Prize.
“The youth are the only ones who can do this anymore. The youth are the only ones who can bring the companies to the law,” said Champa Devi Shukla who, along with fellow activist Rashda Bee, is still pursuing their struggle to fight Union Carbide and Dow Chemical. This is the year that marks the 20th anniversary of the toxic pesticide spill of Bhopal, India, one of the world’s biggest industrial disasters, killing 8,000 people immediately, and 20,000 people since. Both women continue to spread enlightenment through environmental justice, using all of their prize money to start programs to help the health and well being of survivors and their families.
“All these youth of whom these companies are destroying their lives need to wake up and realize what these companies are doing to their lives and the environment,” said Bee in her speech.
Anne Purdy, coordinator of the Goldman Award’s Youth Program, said: “ The youth program and presence of youth is one of the most important things. I want to share with them ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
The inspiring youth program followed the ceremony. Van Jones, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, acknowledged the diverse array of youth groups in attendance through listing their names and location. Malaika Edwards, an 18-year-old activist from the People’s Grocery in West Oakland, gave a personal account of her transformation to an environmentally savvy, healthy eater. Lastly, Patrick Reinsborough, former organizing director of the Rainforest Action Network, followed with a speech in which he reiterated a vital theme of the ceremony: Youth are not the leaders of the future, but rather the leaders of today.
by
Vrinda Manglik, Acalanes HS, Lafayette
So this is my little bit of waking life—the transient moment of magic melting me—beneath a redwood with “roots, stems, leaves, flower, fruit, and seeds” telling me I just need to rest right here in this hidden patch of sunlight. The creek below tells me its story—its water touches all the water in the world. It is a vein, an artery, of the giant life body, the body of Mother Earth. Living, breathing, feeling, knowing. Listen to her, come talk to her and she’ll tell you you’re never alone. You don’t need to be alone. This world, this life, is about sharing. Sharing love, sharing humanity, sharing breath and memory. The beauty consumes me and I fall into a moment of being six years old, swinging from the swing hanging from the pine tree in my backyard in Connecticut and my dad is pushing me as I climb higher and higher. And I swing back down to the Santa Cruz Mountains where the Earth tells me that it’s okay to grow up and feel different. She loves me just the same. I am disconnected from cell phones and the internet and doorbells and vacuum cleaners, but I have connected with life, the Earth, myself. I feel like I never want to be apart again. But, at some point, every fetus must leave the womb with the draining waters. Every infant must leave the cradle to be birthed into a world of vision and sound. The child looks up and sees what the moon is, and lifts its face to the sky, and feels cold rain touch its skin. But the moon, the sky, the rain….it is all part of our mother. She’s all around me.
Sila, Samadhi and Panna
(The title refers to the steps of Buddhist meditation)
by
Jon Lawson, St. Ignatius HS, San Francisco
| Close your eyes See the truth blossom. An unfurling flower, Sweet nectar of knowledge. All forms become shapeless, Melting away into an empty void. Space rumbles. Radiating energy Vibrates between matter, Like a ringing bell. So much contained Inside this vacancy. Near bursting, Filled with so much emptiness. Floating, No movement, no breaths, no body. The soul is dispersed, Mixing with the energy of the null. One with nothing, Yet one with all. |
Photo by Jeff Martin, Acalanes HS, Lafayette |
Jumbo Shrimp Hunts Endanger Sea Life
by
Nicole Charles, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill
Shrimp is a perfect food for every occasion. You can basically cook it any way you like! Popcorn shrimp, scampi, cocktail shrimp. You can even add it to just about any dish - pasta, salad, soup. Something missing at your dinner party? Add a little shrimp! Well, here are a couple facts to consider before you throw your next dinner party.
Shrimp is usually caught by a fishing method called trawling. Trawling is where fishermen take big nets and sweep the bottom of the ocean to catch what they are looking for. It's fast, easy, and brings up a lot of what you want in one sweep. That's not all the huge net brings up though. There are millions of little creatures on the bottom of the ocean floor that these nets bring up. The fishermen then sort out what they want (usually shrimp) and discard the rest of the ocean life (called bycatch). Bycatch is a huge problem that threatens the life of many marine animals. Shrimp trawl nets are responsible for 10 million tons of bycatch per year which is about 35% of the WORLD'S TOTAL BYCATCH. The global average of 5.2 pounds of marine life is wasted for every single pound of shrimp caught by trawling. Some of the most affected animals of shrimp trawling are sea turtles. About 150,000 endangered sea turtles die in shrimp nets every year.
Shrimp trawling doesn't just affect marine life, it affects our entire environment. For more information on the "danger of shrimp" check out www.earthsummitwatch.org/shrimp/.
So think about it. Does your dinner party really need shrimp after all?
Are We Ever Safe?
The Hazardous Household Chemicals that INFEST our Homes
by Meika Hollender, Vermont Commons School, Vermont
Common chemicals like chlorine are well known to some, and non-existent to others. Yet a chemical like chlorine is not one that can be overlooked. It is used to create hundreds of products such as paper, laundry detergent, dish detergent and bottled water. Chlorine compounds are among hundreds of toxic household chemicals that are in one way or another dangerous to our bodies and our world. These toxic chemicals are the reason for one of today’s most unbelievable statistic: the air inside our homes is on average four to five more toxic than the air outside our homes. The interesting thing is that the smog in Los Angeles has received incomparably more press than the toxic air right inside our own households. It is said that 90% of the chemicals used in household products haven’t been tested to insure that they are safe. Therefore, it is safe to say that each and every one of us, unless using a non-toxic household products brand, lives in a sea of chemicals purchased under the facade of providing some nice service for us. Before worrying about whether the tuna you eat once a month has a hint of mercury in it, consider the fact that by looking under your sink you are very likely to find a whole slew of hazardous chemicals.
| Your home is somewhere you have control over, therefore you should take the initiative and do something about your potentially intoxicated home. There are many ways you can eliminate toxins from your home, but first, here are a few steps you can take to find out if your home is really “infected”: Many people don’t know it, but the tap water in many water systems is purified with nothing other than chlorine. To find out if your water contains this disinfectant, buy a water testing kit to see if you fall among this majority of households. Do you have a microwave? Well if you do, like most people in today’s world, you might want to consider whether electromagnetic radiation leaks out of it the next time you go to heat up your dinner. How close should you stand to it? Should you stand that close? What about putting your nose up to the window to see if the food looks done? Electronic testing of the unit is possible, but the easy thing to do is simply to move several feet away from it while it is on. Read the label! Before you or your parents buy a product, read the label. If it lists cautions and procedures for safe handling, why not but something more environmentally friendly to do the job? A 10 second search on Google using the three words “Household Chemical Alternatives” is a good place to start. |
Photo by Jeff Martin, Acalanes HS, Lafayette |
In an age when virtually everything seems to be harmful, it is hard to believe that something like spot remover could significantly affect your health. The scary reality is that all these little products add up and have powerful effects. It is obviously not an easy task to “rearrange” your home, but by gradually altering your shopping list you could potentially change your life!
Answers
to Question of the Month for May -
"What action do you think massive amounts of people should take and how would you propose it to them?" -
Submitted by Yvea Eaton, I-YEL and Lick-Wilmerding HS, San Francisco
"Invest in/use Green architectural practices and/or alternate energy for homes and businesses. Education and demonstration would be key, so that people would understand the mechanics and benefits."-Jeff Martin, '04 Acalanes HS, Lafayette
"Living a responsible life, not using irreplaceable resources and not harming the earth." - Josh Meltzer, '04 Jewish Community High School, San Francisco
"I would propose recycling, reducing and re-using. The public needs to realize where their waste ends up; liberal newspapers, etc. could promote images of landfills. The three R's would help people connect to the environment by giving back. This will hopefully promote awareness and further activism." - Natalie Nava, '05 Monte Vista HS, Danville
Question of the Month for June - Let’s hear your answers!
"What sustains your environmenbtalism when you can't be with the Earth?" -
Submitted by Yvea Eaton, I-YEL and Lick-Wilmerding HS, San Francisco
Send your answer by May 25 to TheGreen@earthteam.net
Greetings – I am NOT a teen; I direct an environmental educational program for youth. I receive the Green each month, and I just want to say that I am thoroughly impressed by the writing each month. The insights that you share and quality of writing surpasses many adults.
You all should be commended for your work!
Susan Silber
Hostel Adventure Program
Please send your responses to anything in the Green or anything environmental. We'll print it in the next issue. Also, send us your answers to the Question of the Month by the 25th of the month. It would be great to hear from you. Contact TheGreen@earthteam.net
Request for Letters
to the EditorWe invite your letters on any environmental subject. You may be responding to something you read in the Green, you may be responding to something you read elsewhere, you may just want to add something new. Whatever your desire, feel free to write us. Please indicate the school you attend and whether you prefer to be identified by just your initials or your whole name. Write to TheGreen@earthteam.net.
Join Now
"The Green" is 100% student written and edited. We're looking for anything about the environment - what your class or club is doing, opinion pieces, facts, actions and more. The students who commit to monthly or every other month articles receive a small monetary compensation. To find out more, contact TheGreen@earthteam.net