All posts by Kimi

Kimi is a sustainable community and business developer. She and her two fabulous sons are specially trained social and environmental justice advocates. Kimi speaks 5 languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew and Chinese and has travelled around the world.

Discussed at Green Drinks Hackensack on 9/12

Marcellus Shale Fracking
Extracting gas from the Marcellus Shale deposit in Pennsylvania – country’s largest deposit – is still being promoted and it’s not good for us. Takes too much water from the region causing the water table to sink dramatically and it creates potable water pollution. Keep learning about fracking and advocating against it. Speak about it with family, friends and politicians.

Reality Climate Project on 9/14
Join the Reality Climate Project starting at 8pm EST on September 14.

24 Presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. 1 Message. 24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event to broadcast the reality of the climate crisis. It will consist of a new multimedia presentation created by Al Gore and delivered once per hour for 24 hours, representing every time zone around the globe.

Natural Resource Monetizing Equated With Public Good
Traditional government policy view the monetizing of natural resources as equivalent with the “public good”: that’s why business interests are able to get away with so much environmental destruction. But it isn’t very good to lack clear air and water, is it?

Investigate Scare Tactics Passed Along by Friends
Morty mentioned that he received a scare letter forwarded from a friend cautioning senior citizens that Medicare rates are going to be much higher in 2012 and even worse after that, so Morty called the Medicare office for verification. The customer service rep laughed when she heard his concern: 2012 Medicare rate figures don’t get released until October; and no one has even a slim idea about what the rates will look like in the years to come.

Real News v. Fox 5 Infotainment Propaganda
It’s important to realize that Fox News doesn’t deliver real news (informed people call it “infotainment“) and furthermore, it has a very apparent aim to create a state of constant panic in viewers; it will pull any dirty tactic possible to discredit individuals wishing to rationally debate ideas; and, Fox presents fabricated versions of history to bamboozle viewers into believing what it wishes them to believe. More info at Fox News Boycott and 14 Propaganda Techniques Fox ‘News’ Uses to Brainwash Americans.

Disneyworld: As Un-American As . . .?
Fox isn’t the only organization promoting buy-in to image over reality. What about Disneyworld? A National Geogrphic exposé unearths a lot of disturbing secrets about this “American Institution” which strangely, doesn’t exactly belong to America.

By the 1960s, all over America, suburbs were replacing old neighborhoods. Malls were driving Main Street out of business. There was hardly a new ranch home or split-level that didn’t have a TV antenna on the roof. Disney realized that in the coming decades shows like The Mickey Mouse Club, not climate and geology, would determine what the majority of Americans would consider a safe and enjoyable place to take a family vacation. That day, flying over central Florida, Disney decided that he, not reality, would define what constituted the Magic Kingdom in the minds and spending habits of millions of Americans in the years to come . . .

Disney’s new empire in central Florida would be marketed as Disney World. Its official name was, and remains, the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Thanks to a sweetheart deal with the state legislature, the lands Disney purchased were detached from the rest of Florida to form a Magic Kingdom, above and outside the law. Even now, Disney World’s rides are exempt from state safety inspections. Democratic process is excluded, too. Power remains in the hands of a board of supervisors composed of Disney allies. However much you pay for a time-share condo in Disney World, you cannot buy property outright, and therefore establish official residence, and therefore vote for the board. Celebration, Disney’s residential community themed to evoke pre-1940s small-town America, has a city hall but no actual municipal government.

Our Own Sally Get Arrested Protesting Alaska-Mexico Pipleline
I’ve saved the most exciting news for last. Green Drinks 3 co-host Sally Gellert, travelled to DC last week in order to get arrested along with 1200 plus other protesters including NASA’s James Hansen – who is speaking about the environment at Bergen Community College on 9/22.

Green Drinks Paterson/Clifton
Next week is Green Drinks Paterson/Clifton. We’ll be back with a report on what was discussed, or you can come out and help shape the conversation yourself.

Third Mondays at 6:30pm
Sultan Restaurant
429 Crooks Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07011
973-772-1995
Food and Drinks: Pay only for what you order
Parking: street parking
More info

NASA Climatologist at BCC on Sept. 22

RIDGEWOOD North Jersey Public Policy Network opens its 2011/2012 Distinguished Speakers Series with Dr. James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Department of Earth Science.

This free public program will take place at Bergen Community College on September 22nd at 7:30pm in TECH Center Room 128, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus NJ (Park in Lot B). Please pre-register by emailing info@northjerseypublicpolicy.org.

Respected and known for his research in the field of Climatology, Dr. Hansen has been raising awareness of climate change for decades. Dr. Hansen is the recipient of the US National Academy of Science Award, the Carl Gustaf-Rossby Research Medal, the Sophie Prize and the Blue Planet Prize among other prizes and awards. Dr. Hansen, a scientist, physicist, and astronomer is also the author of “Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity.” Time magazine named Dr. Hansen one of the 100 most influential people on earth.

Dr. Hansen’s talk will cover the history of climate change research results and how the data impacts our future and that of our planet. With policy makers and voters divided in their views on environmental policy, and because there are diverse opinions on the veracity of climate change, this program offers the opportunity for questions to be asked and discussed.

Best known for his testimony on climate change to congressional committees that helped raise broad awareness of the global warming issue, Dr. Hansen has continued to draw attention to the danger of passing climate tipping points, producing irreversible climate impacts that would yield a different planet from the one on which civilization developed.

While identifying the issues, Dr. Hansen has outlined steps that are needed to stabilize climate, with a cleaner atmosphere and ocean and he emphasizes the need for the public to influence government and industry policies.

Roger Opstbaum, Professor of Physics at Bergen Community College, will serve as moderator.

According to Rhoda Schermer, Chairperson of NJPPN, “We are so lucky to be able to bring Dr. Hansen to Bergen County. He is considered the “guru” on climate change and policies. He affords us the unique opportunity to hear facts and ideas. A lot of excitement has been generated. There are many people who are confused about whether climate change is actually occurring and if humans contribute to climate change. This opportunity to question one of the world’s leading authorities should not be passed up. We hope the public takes advantage of this special program.”

North Jersey Public Policy Network (NJPPN) is a non-partisan, non-profit network with over 600 members primarily residing in Bergen County. NJPPN’s mission is to provide factual, credible information on important public policy issues to its members and the public in the interest of promoting solutions that best serve the public interest. More information on NJPPN can be found at northjerseypublicpolicy.org.

Black Gulf Fisherman – Struggling Mightily

In his August 28 New York Times article, Trymaine Lee reports,

Way down in the delta, just south of the Belle Chasse Ferry at Beshel’s Marina here, black men with work-worn hands and several generations of fishing in their blood sat around on old milk crates, hoping for a piece of the oil cleanup action that seems to have bypassed their little stretch of the bayou.

Nearly all of them have taken BP’s courses on oil cleanup, but few said they had been called to work; their little skiffs remain moored and forlorn, tied side-by-side like wretched sardines.

“The little guy loses again,” one of them lamented.

There was Hurricane Katrina five years ago. And now the great spill.

But even before those two blows, the fishermen in Pointe a la Hache and other small, historically African-American fishing towns and villages that dot the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans, have long had to fight hard for every dollar, every oyster and every opportunity they could drag out of the bayou.

The Huffington Post adds,

But ever since the BP oil spill back in 2010, their hauls have gotten lighter and their hopes and prayers a bit dimmer. The seafood industry and the livelihood of those who make their money off the side of boats is collapsing beneath them, fishermen said.

“We don’t have millions of dollars sitting in the bank where we can go do something else. We live and die on the seafood industry. This is our culture,” said Byron Encalade, president of the Louisiana Oystermen Association. “This is how we live.”

The oysters in many beds haven’t reproduced, he said. And early reports from shrimpers said the outlook for this season doesn’t look good, if today’s catch is any indication.

Encalade blames the 87-day oil spill in the Gulf and the dispersants used by BP to thin the oil caked on the water for blighting the sea life here.

“I don’t know where this concept of ‘Everything is alright and they are doing what they are supposed to do’ came from,” he said. “These people are suffering down here, and I don’t think they have the slightest idea of how these communities are surviving. But they’re doing it on the back of Catholic Charities, nonprofits and each other.”

Encalade said BP’s public relations machine kicked into high gear from the start of the disaster, but he and others in the Delta know all too well how devastating the spill has been.

Reports on World Water Week in Stockholm

World Water Week opened in Stockholm on Monday August 22nd with calls for better urban water management to ensure food and water security. Around 2,500 experts from some 130 countries are attending the 21st edition of World Water Week in Stockholm. They are working on preparations for the United Nation’s conference on sustainable development set to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The group expects to publish a declaration at the end of this week (August 26).As the migration from rural areas continues, 830 million poor currently live in urban areas. Such rapid growth is straining natural resources and infrastructure. These areas often lack water and sanitation services which is a leading cause of mortality for both children and their mothers. Investments from governments and companies now will pay dividends later . . .

“More than ever we need new technologies and policy solutions…to compensate for water shortages hitting a growing number of the world’s inhabitants,” Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, Gunilla Carlsson, said in her opening address at the World Water Conference. “Increased access to clean water supplies and sanitation is an important catalytic force for development,” Carlsson said, insisting “the costs of not acting far exceed the costs of well-functioning, sustainable water resource management.”

To help shed some light on the issues, 2degrees streamed live webinars of the World Water Week sessions. Here is a summary of those sessions:

Read more . . .

Sustainability/Environment + Fun + Music = Good videos

Here are a selection of good videos about sustainability and the environment (list will be added to – post your favorites in the comments).

The Crazy Wombat
This may be my favorite. The Wombat explains exactly why we need to get it together – and get along. 1 min.

Take Aim at Climate Change
This hip-hop video is off the hook – and it’s produced by NASA, although you won’t believe it when you see it.

Green Drinks Newark Riverfront Tour now 10/16. Coming?

The new, new date for this year’s tour is Sunday, October 16 from 12:00-3:30pm. August 28 was the day hurricane Irene hit New Jersey.

This event has been rescheduled to Sunday, August 28 from 12-3:30pm. Hope some of you will come out with us. The water’s fine!

Last year a bunch of Green Drinkers went out in pontoon boats to tour the Newark Riverfront area, and we’re doing it again. Tickets are $6. I hope we’ll get a nice group together again. Pontoon boats – and pilots – are on loan from the Hackensack River Keeper and they’re completely safe.

If you want to come, reach out to us on Twitter, email info at thiswebsite dot com or call Ivan at 201-688-0036.

Here are some pix from last year’s tour, which coincidentally, also took place on Aug 28. Originally, we were scheduled to go out this year on July 17 but the trip was moved due to an illness in our boat pilot’s family.

Get Rid of Flies in Compost and Other Places

A Green Drinks member mentioned that she did away with her compost pile because she couldn’t stand the flies that hovered around it constantly. I had some time to look into possible fixes for this and found an interesting solution, one that the Discover Channel says has a scientific basis for working: hang plastic bags filled with water – and a penny – where you want the flies to be gone from. The bagged water’s reflection affects flies’ eyesight in an odd way and they don’t want to fly near, so they stay away.

(added 110710) Learned yesterday that a similar recommended technique is to hang CDs so they waft around, floating in the air. Flies apparently also have trouble with the light refraction they disperse.

BP’s Oil Spill Is All Cleaned Up Now, Right?

Last night I argued with a friend who claimed that environmental damage is now under control in the United States, and offered the BP oil spill as evidence of how well environmental disasters are being handled, and their impact minimized. This is so not true, but it’s not enough to say so – it must be proven, so here are a few facts:

A post from the NY Times’ Green blog about the BP oil spill published on its anniversary in April shows that the associated problems have far from ended.

“Nearly 2,000 responders are actively working in the gulf to aid in the ongoing recovery efforts. We continue to hold BP and other responsible parties fully accountable for the damage they’ve done and the painful losses that they’ve caused. We’re monitoring seafood to ensure its continued safety and implementing aggressive new reforms for offshore oil production in the gulf so that we can safely and responsibly expand development of our own energy resources. And E.P.A. Administrator Lisa Jackson is leading a task force to coordinate the long-term restoration effort based on input from local scientists, experts, and citizens.”

Law firm Beasley Allen publishes news on its website and has this to say about Dead Zones in the Gulf caused by the oil spill

Marine Biologists have issued a grim forecast for Gulf shrimpers and fishermen in the wake of the BP oil spill: the 2011 “Dead Zone” in the Gulf, they predict, will likely be the largest on record, choking some species of sea life and hindering others from properly migrating and developing. The implications of a super-size dead zone, estimated to grow as large as the size of Delaware and Maryland combined, could be huge . . .

While the BP oil spill isn’t directly responsible for the Mississippi River dead zone, the 200-million-plus gallons of oil and the millions of gallons of toxic chemical dispersants that BP dumped into the Gulf have caused a dead zone of their own. Scientists have found several square miles of Gulf sea bed blanketed by oil untouched by hungry microbes.

Pictures taken during submarine excursions to some of the oil-choked areas showed crabs, starfish, coral, tube worms, and other creatures smothered to death under thick blankets of oil. Highly toxic gases released from the well and noxious soot from the burning of oil on the surface have deepened the devastation. The effects of Corexit, the chemical dispersant used by BP to break the sludge into smaller particles, are still largely unknown and widely feared in the scientific community.

Representative Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district, adds these sobering thoughts: “Chris Jones, the brother of Gordon Jones, one of the 11 workers killed the night of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, delivered some of the most powerful and touching testimony I have seen in my 36 years in Congress.”

Congressman Markey also points out,

We now know BOPs (blowout preventers) don’t always work, even when they’re used correctly. We know the oil companies still don’t have full response capabilities, even if they’ve given their top hat a new coat of paint. And we know that the recommendations of the bipartisan spill commission haven’t been put in place.

Yet Republicans in Congress and the oil companies are still pushing for more drilling with less safety. This is the sort of willful ignorance and speed-over-safety mentality that led to the BP spill in the first place.

Other chilling reports showing that the effects of the BP oil spill are far from gone, can be found by googling “bp continues working in the gulf”.

I’d like to leave readers with hope for a better future: please keep in mind that current sweeping changes in ecology and climate are not natural occurrences – they are entirely due to man’s intervention. And, we are consuming much more of planetary resources than are available. The good news here is that as we are creating the problems, we can change our behaviour and begin to fix the world. As Jaime Cloud reminded my family recently, there’s “just enough time.”

Banish Fruit Flies

Q: Some fruit flies have taken up residence at my house. I don’t want them to be fruitful and multiply. Does anyone have any good (preferably inexpensive) methods of getting rid of them before they become a real problem? Thanks, MG

A: Ivan says – There is an easy an inexpensive solution: in a small bowl pour about 1/8 cup red wine, add in a couple of drops of dish detergent and place this near where the fruit flies are congregating. The soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid so when the fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the wine they can’t coast on its surface and when they alight to drink, they fall right in.

Of course, you have to discard whatever rotten fruit or veggie called them into your kitchen in the first place, otherwise they’ll never go away. In my family’s kitchen when we can’t visually spot the source of a fruit fly gathering we start looking in cabinets for rotten potatoes or onions. Good luck!

Ladybug Swarms In Spring

Q: Our house is suddenly full of ladybugs, they are everywhere! As harmless as they seem, it’s starting to get kind of creepy. Any ideas as to why this is happening, and is this something that needs an exterminator or can we do something about it ourselves? Thanks, EE

A: Ivan says – Let the ladybugs be. They’re looking for a place to hibernate for the winter and lay their eggs. These are the good guys. They eat garden pests, and they lay their eggs near where pest eggs already are, or may be laid. So ladybug babies will eat the bad babies when springtime comes.

If you let them be, they’ll help you, and you’ll have a happy garden when the weather turns nice after winter.

The End.