CONTENTS

• Quote of the Month – Chosen by Maggie Young, Mercy HS, Burlingame
• Action of the Month– “Governor Schwarzenegger: Save the  Bay!” – recommended by Youth Coalition
• Strong! responses to July’s website poll. Read a few below
• Poll Question of the Month for August.  Let’s hear from you!
• Poetry: – “Swift End” by Cole Roberson, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School (from EarthTeam’s Visuals and Voices  – A Year-Long Traveling Eco-Art, Photography and Poetry Show)
• Photograph by Mike Raskin, Berkeley HS (from EarthTeam’s Visuals and Voices – a Yearlong Traveling Eco-Art, Photography and Poetry Show)
• My Internship at the Environmental Protection Agency by Corey Siskind, Piedmont HS
• Book Review by Natalie Nava, Monte Vista HS, Danville
• New - "Let's hear your rant and rave!
• 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.

August 2004
Issue 19

Quote of the Month

The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty.  The activist is the man who cleans up the river.    – Ross Perot

Chosen by Maggie Young, the Green Team, Mercy HS, Burlingame

Action of the Month - Provided by the EarthTeam Youth Coalition

Governor Schwarzenegger: Save the Bay!

In the Schwarzenegger administration's first major act of environmental policy, the State Water Resources Control Board voted to continue to allow unregulated toxic runoff from agribusiness to flow into and pollute San Francisco Bay

Polluted runoff from Central Valley agribusiness is currently one of the largest sources of water pollution in San Francisco Bay. For more than 20 years, the agriculture industry regularly has used toxic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, which are washed into more than 600 miles of Central Valley creeks, streams, and rivers that lead into the Bay every time it rains.

 On January 22, 2004, the State Water Resources Control Board voted to uphold the waiver allowing agribusiness to pollute California waters. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to direct the State Water Resources Control Board to stop this unregulated pollution of California waters as one of his first environmental steps, but he did not.

 A healthy and vibrant San Francisco Bay is essential to our economy and quality of life. We must protect the Bay by ending upstream pollution from impairing our Bay. Send the Governor a letter today.

For more info and to tell Gov. Schwarzenegger how you feel visit. http://www.savethebay.org/

Strong Answers to July’s Website Poll

July’s poll had 82 responses – many with additional comments.  The question was about where someone stands on being a vegetarian. 
The choiceswere:

1) 36 chose - I am a vegetarian

2) 6 chose – I’m thinking about becoming one

3) 40 chose - Not now or ever.

Here are a few responses–

- Yes all the people who say Not Now Or Ever Peta2 people should kick ur ass watch you die young and regret it! Hahaha I laugh in your face for not helping the poor animals. Way to go thinking of becoming people and stick with it Veggies!

- I can see becoming a vegetarian for health reasons but everything else seems silly.

- How can you be "pro" earth and not be vegetarian, considering all the waste that factory farming cause and the fact that the animals eat all that grain that humans could eat, and if the grain that animals ate were given to humans, we could feed EVERYONE on this planet. That and if you have animals called pets, why would you eat animals called dinner??

Love, me

- Becoming vegetarian, or better yet, vegan, can do so much good for our planet.

- You can't call yourself an environmentalist if you're not a vegetarian!  And those of you who chose "not now or ever" need to be a bit more open minded about things.  Don't say you won't ever be one, because you might change your mind.

- There is nothing more hypocritical than a meat eating environmentalist. That's like calling yourself pro-life then getting an abortion. It just contradicts itself. Go veg! For the animals, for the environment and for yourself!

- Factory farming creates more pollution and depletes more natural sources than all other human activities.  If we really care about the environment then we should all go vegetarian

- Well actually I'm a vegan, but vegetarian was the closest thing to vegan on your poll. I am disappointed EXTREMELY that the option of "Not now or ever" beat "I am a vegetarian" by over (at the time I saw it) 10%!!!!  This is a group of environmentalists concerned about the planet? Then why the hell are people voting for "Not now or ever"? How could someone be involved with the torturing and murdering of animals and still call themselves an environmentalist? YOU CAN'T!!!

The raising of livestock greatly reduces feed crops of vegetables and grains in order to feed the animals, animals which will provide so much less food (more loss, for way less gain). It would make much more sense to feed the grains and vegetables directly to people. Not only would it feed WAY more people, but people would get the good nutrition without all the fat from animal meat, and animals wouldn't be suffering to bloat your guts.

Also, all the animal excrement (s**t) pollutes water in an extremely large amount. You surely can't say you're an environmentalist while your eating habits are one of the causes of fish (among other water creatures) dieing in streams from animal pollution.  Another important fact which proves you can't eat meat and call yourself an environmentalist is the amount of natural forests being completely destroyed to give more room for cows to pasture. That's right, the demand for beef is one of the causes of deforestation.

Those are only few of the many reasons why people can't call themselves environmentalists if they eat meat.  That crowd that voted "Not now or ever" need to be informed. Why don't you do it? Perhaps with another poll maybe? It could be something like:

Q: Did you know that eating meat greatly contributes to the destruction of the environment?

         1) Yes

         2) No

Basic enough I would say, wouldn't you?  After that, you could start to offer information on your site about vegetarianism and veganism.  Provide resources and links to other sites that can explain it all extremely well (www.goveg.com, www.peta.com, all peta sites actually. they are all amazing and informative.)

The environment is in great danger. It truly is depressing that even "environmentalists" are adding to the problem.

Thank you for your time. And please, do something

August’s Website Poll – Your Vote and Response Matters

If you are voting this year or could vote would the candidates environmental policy decide your vote and why?

 •  Are you kidding?

 •  Depends.  Their other stands matter too.

 •  No.  The environment is secondary to other issues.

Just go to our website, www.earthteam.net, and scroll down to the poll.  The rest is easy.

Poetry

“Swift End” By Cole Roberson, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School

My Internship at the Environmental Protection Agency

by Corey Siskind, Piedmont HS

This summer I was lucky enough to land a short internship at the Environmental Protection Agency. Working with the Indoor Environment Team, I discovered my perception of environmentalism stretched to the forests, the atmosphere, and the ocean environment, but that was about it. All of a sudden I was learning about an environment I never knew existed, the one you and I are undoubtedly immersed in right now. Never had I considered the indoor environment and how much is required to keep it healthful and safe. After a few days of learning about the dangers of indoor air pollutants, mold, and poor ventilation I began narrowing my eyes in suspicion upon entering a room, searching for the air vents.

When you consider that the average person spends ninety percent of their time indoors, it’s frightening to think of the effects of an improperly ventilated room. The EPA has taken a particular interest in the indoor environment of schools, and that is why the EPA has developed a program called "Tools for Schools", which can help reduce indoor pollutants and poor ventilation.

When I began to research the program I had some doubts. I questioned if "Tools for Schools" would just be busying the already overloaded school districts with classroom rearrangements and forms. As I read through each one, I checked off on my list of checklists the ventilation checklist, the building maintenance checklist, the food service checklist, and the teacher’s checklist – and I had to wonder about the costliness and time efficiency of the program. However, as I continued to look into the program, I discovered that there are inexpensive ways to prevent costly air quality problems.

There are six main contributors to poor air quality that have simple solutions. To begin with, a high concentration of indoor air pollutants can affect the central nervous system of students. Keep school supplies appropriately stored and use nontoxic paints and glues. If cleaning is scheduled to take place on a Friday afternoon (rather than, say, a Monday), chemicals and moisture will have the entire weekend to disperse, thus reducing the concentration of indoor air pollutants.

In addition, to prevent stuffiness and high levels of CO2, it is important to open windows and/or an effective ventilation system that is not covered or pressed up against furniture. The painting done by Jane is undoubtedly a masterpiece, but if you want her to be able to breathe well, don’t use it to cover the air vent.

To avoid a damp ceiling and eventual mold growth, repair leaky roofs and find ways to speed their drying after a rainstorm or any form of precipitation. This simple step could save school districts thousands or even millions of dollars in repairs.

To help a school custodian become as effective at cleaning a classroom as he or she can be, it is necessary to maintain an orderly room. Avoiding clutter allows a custodian, teachers, and students to move freely around the room, in addition to reducing the level of dust in the air.

Many students have problems with asthma and allergies that are exacerbated by animal and biological allergens, moisture, mold spores, cleaning product chemicals, and outside air pollutants, that accumulate due to inadequate ventilation rates. Many factors contribute to children’s asthma and allergies, but by keeping animal cages clean, avoiding an excessive number of flowering plants, and removing dusty, used furniture, the indoor air quality can be drastically improved. When teachers and students can concentrate on their studies and not their runny noses or wheezing coughs, test scores are bound to improve.

Lastly, and most importantly, when the school administration is communicating with the teachers and custodians, and vice versa, problems with the indoor ventilation system can be prevented, cost free. Often, the school staff either doesn’t communicate with the maintenance staff or lacks the basic knowledge to understand the ventilation system’s workings, leading to costly mistakes and an inefficient system. Small changes in the ventilation system can make a dramatic change in the indoor air quality, and thus a child*s ability to learn. If schools take simple steps to fix minor problems, they can avoid expensive repairs later on.

If you would like to learn more about your school’s indoor environment, click on "Air Quality" in the "Action Projects" category of the EarthTeam website, where the EPA has posted ways that students can get involved with "Tools for Schools". They encourage school environmental classes and clubs to get involved with indoor environment, and even offer awards to students who implement a program at their school. Students and teachers can call for a free "Tools for Schools" kit at 800-438-4318 or visit the website at www.epa.gov/iaq.

Working at the EPA, I learned valuable information about the indoor environment and how the government works, but if I learned nothing else during my brief stay, at least I discovered that instead of the old, "my dog ate my homework" excuse, I can now proudly proclaim, "My inability to work is due to poor ventilation and the high concentration of indoor air pollutants."

 LOOKING FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY ORIENTED SUMMER READ?

Book Review by Natalie Nava, Monte Vista HS, Danville

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is a must read for any and all environmentalists.  This profound work takes a reader on a journey through all areas of an ecosystem, explaining how our world and our bodies were being destroyed by an array of nonselective insecticides in the 1950’s and1960’s. Carson uses dozens of sites in America as examples of the havoc that results from the use of insecticides: rivers filled with hundreds of dead fish; an upsurge of the insects whose population the spraying was intended to control; workers killed instantly upon contact with the toxins; a Spring lacking in the pleasant sound of birdsong.

Although some may argue that the book is obsolete, its ideas were revolutionary for their time and still are profound. Modern activists will greatly benefit from exposure to Carson’s persuasive arguments, which were shocking enough to make the federal government ban the use of the insecticide DDT. While insecticides might not top the agenda list for environmental issues today, Carson elaborated on ecological truths which are still applicable. The environment is not a series of disconnected vegetation and physical features. Rather, it is a connected system of cause and effect, a fragile machine in which the tampering of one area will result in a loss of equilibrium for Earth as a whole.  What will it take for us humans to realize the irreversibility of our actions that have upset the balance of the environment?

Rating:

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"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