By Barbara Allen
 

Environmental Progress Since the First Earth Day
Earth Day 2002 is almost upon us. Thirty-two years ago on April 22, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Earth Day had the support of Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city dwellers and farmers alike. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

It is encouraging to know that 32 years later the effects of this activity can be measured in cleaner air, water, a come back of many endangered species and wetlands and a system of recycling that works well and efficiently in many parts of our nation.

Air Quality: America's mega-cities have been among the beneficiaries of improved air quality. Between 1985 and 1994, the number of days Los Angeles exceeded federal smog standards declined by 36.3%, while the number of days Houston exceeded these standards declined by 54.7%.

Water Quality: Phosphorus, fecal coliform and dissolved oxygen levels in rivers and streams exceeding local standards declined between 1974 and 1990. 75% of America's streams and rivers, 82% of its lakes and 87% of its estuaries were considered safe for swimming in 1990. 

Wetlands: The United States went from a net loss of 290,000 acres of wetlands per year on average between 1974 and 1983 to a net gain 69,000 of wetlands in 1995.

In 1990 Earth Day went global, with 200 million people in 141 countries taking part. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

I have gathered a few bits and pieces of good environmental news from around the world as a gift to you for Earth Day.

From the Good News Network – http://goodnewsnetwork.org

BOLIVIA- The Bolivian government designated three wetlands totaling 17,760 square miles-- an area larger than Switzerland --as a Gift to the Earth. Their decision is a commitment to conservation, a wiser use of resources, and careful screening of development projects. The wetlands are linked to the Amazon basin and are home to hundreds of threatened species of plants and animals.
 

CAIRO- Six of the world’s smoggiest cities will benefit from new fuel-cell powered buses provided by a five-year, $60 million program by the Global Environment Facility. 46 buses powered by fuel cells will serve Mexico City, Sao Paolo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Beijing, and Cairo with public transportation that doesn’t pollute the air. An average car emits over 3 tons of CO2 each year.

MEXICO CITY- 1990 air quality laws have reduced the city’s air pollution to lower than international safety norms almost every day. Plus, the city is unveiling a 10-year plan to require exhaust spewing trucks to meet the same strict rules imposed on cars.

GREAT LAKES- The world’s largest freshwater system is purifying itself. As chemical levels in the air drop, the lakes are able to outgas toxins into the atmosphere. Since 1992, the lakes have exhaled tons of PCBs and pesticides, surprisingly, at twice the rate of intake.
* AND * The House voted Nov. 3 to ban new oil and gas drilling under the lakes at least until September 2003 while environmental impact is assessed.

MOROCCO - More than 160 countries signed a new global warming treaty requiring about 40 industrialized countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. The US will not participate. US CO2 emissions jumped by 3.1% in 2000, the most since 1995.

Chicken Fat Heats Buildings - Alternative to Imported Oil

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA scientists say chicken fat, restaurant grease, and other ‘bio-fuels’ are a good alternative to fuel oil. In fact, a giant retrofitted steam boiler is already heating the Athens, GA campus buildings with fat and grease from chicken, pork and beef. It produces about 90% of the heat of fuel oil and is lower in air pollution emissions. Next, the animal fats will be tested as automotive fuel. 5.5 million tons of animal fat produced each year could become a fuel resource.
 

Record Numbers of Steelhead Trout Running in Columbia River

After decades of decline in salmon and steelhead runs, this year the largest steelhead run in the history of dam counts is crossing Bonneville Dam on its way up the Columbia River. As of August 19, the count of steelhead at Bonneville, the first dam the fish must negotiate on the Columbia, topped 390,000, nearly four times the 1991 to 2000 average.

Steelhead trout, are considered to be a variety of salmon. They are listed by the federal government as threatened or endangered throughout western states.

Some of the conservation measures Washington state has taken may be responsible for the increased steelhead run. In 1999, Washington put in place its Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon, specifically addressing ecosystem health and conservation measures. Habitat was upgraded. Harvest and hatchery management practices were implemented. Lawmakers in the state opposed all proposals for new hydroelectric projects and their potential for degrading salmon habitat.

From the Green Peace Positive Energy web site

http://www.cleanenergynow.org

SEC FORCES EXXONMOBILE BOARD TO OVERSEE COMPANY’S POSITION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

There was a victory for shareholders this week, as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued letters supporting the inclusion of two environmental shareholder resolutions in the company’s 2002 proxy statement, one of which aims to push the company to take global warming more seriously. ExxonMobil tried to challenge the resolutions, which call for a report on its efforts to develop clean energy and ask for executive compensation to be linked to environmental and social performance, but the SEC refused their request to cut off the debate and omit them from the annual proxy. The primary filer of a resolution on executive compensation is a nun, Sister Patricia A. Daly of the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell New Jersey. She stated, "Just as Enron’s board members failed to properly oversee their company’s financial dealings, ExxonMobil’s board is failing to oversee their company’s position on vital environmental issues. These issues must be examined." We will be bring you more news about ExxonMobil over coming months.

For more information contact Peter Altman (512) 479-0335 or
Sister Patricia Daly (973) 579-1732.

SOLAR-CELL TECHNOLOGY GETS A BOOST IN JAPAN

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced that it has developed a way to manufacture solar cells with an energy conversion efficiency of more than 20%, the highest-ever ratio achieved for a production line. Although efficiency rates of 30% and higher have been reached in laboratory settings, most production solar cell works with efficiency around 15%. With better cost-performance, Mitsubishi Electric
intends to take this opportunity to double its production of solar cells in fiscal 2002. www.greenpeaceusa.org
 

From “The Celebration of Earth Day: Perspectives on an Environmental Movement by Irwin Weintraub of the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, USA

 “The prime concern of the environmental movement is Nature in all its manifestations. The realization that human activities can upset the ecological balance and destroy life on earth demands that all citizens of every political, social, and cultural persuasion join in the effort to save the planet… The choice is ours. Now is the time for all of us to get involved in cleaning our planet and striving for a day when global cooperation and ecological values are inherent in environmental planning and policy implementation.”

The only way we will maintain this progress is to continue to clean up our acts and to work to see that this progress is not lost by legislation that will weaken or destroy those things that ARE working for us, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

This column comes to you courtesy of the Environmental Concerns Group of the DeFuniak Springs Garden Club.