Where Mountains Once Stood: Coal Mining in the Appalachians
By KYLE CLENDINNING Published August 14, 2012 The Appalachian Region of the United States stands as one of the most scenic areas in North America. This 205,000 square mile region follows the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to Northern Mississippi, including all of West Virginia and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Home to more than 25 million people, this region also boasts deciduous broad-leaf trees, evergreen needle-leaf conifers and vast array of wildlife ranging from Black Bears to...
Read MoreThe Venus Project: A New Socio-Economic System
The new documentary for 2012. Genius Jacque Fresco introduces a new socio-economic system where money is obsolete and the world is operated by resource. In this engineered world, crime is almost non-existent. Please check out this amazing documentary, and follow up by visiting their website for a more detailed analysis of the microeconomics of The Venus Project. Visit their site: http://www.thevenusproject.com/ This video presentation advocates a new socio-economic system, which is updated to present-day knowledge, featuring the life-long work of Social Engineer, Futurist,...
Read MoreMass Migration: The Untold Crisis of Climate Refugees
By ANAM SULTAN Published August 4, 2012 Climate change has been on the radar for years now (we have documentaries such as Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” to thank for that), yet there is a crucial element of this problem that remains largely ignored. Over the past few decades there has been a rapid increase in the level of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere through human activities, which has led to global warming. The effect that global warming has on weather conditions around the world is known as climate change. Unnatural, long-term changes in climate...
Read MoreFrom The Archives of Democracy Now! August 02 2012
Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Click here to visit Democracy Now! Climate Skeptic, Koch-Funded Scientist Richard Muller Admits Global Warming Is Real & Humans The Cause Bill McKibben of 350.org: Even Industry-Funded Climate Change Deniers Can’t Ignore Planet’s Warming Obama Admin Helps Undermine U.N. Arms Treaty Talks While Touting Record-High Weapons Sales...
Read MoreThrive
THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what’s REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream — uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future. If you value what is presented in this movie, please go to http://thrivemovement.com/ where you can support Thrive Movement by making a donation. You will...
Read MoreFederal Reserve Bank: What Is It? And Should It Be Audited?
Ben Swann takes a look at history, as he explains the Federal Reserve Bank. He talks about the past and present activities of the Federal Reserve Bank and why it’s so important that it gets audited.
Read MoreRational Sustainability
By HYDER OWAINATI Published July 19, 2012 Environmentalism as a platform to innovation Stalwart supporters of the contemporary environmental movement are not driven solely by apprehensions of impending disasters or apocalyptic fears. Rather, many are cognizant of the fact that the implementations of sustainable and ecologically conscious measures will not only help to edify our society but also drive innovation that reap tangible fiscal and technological benefits. Much like how World War II, the Cold War and the Space Race helped facilitate for unprecedented technological advancements...
Read MoreLake Chad Desertification: A Symptom of Global Climate Change
By EVELYN HARFORD Published: July 4, 2012 A disturbing environmental trend, desertification is occurring globally. However one striking example of this phenomenon is the disappearance of Lake Chad. It is located between the borders of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria feeding large numbers of people, animals and plant life in the region. Lake Chad was one of the largest fresh bodies of water on the African continent and its disappearance will have a tremendous impact on the population surrounding it. The problem of Lake Chad is increasingly complex because of the international nature of...
Read MoreEarth Reform’s 2012 Awareness Campaign
Earth Reform’s 2012 Awareness Campaign Sunday September 09, 2012 1pm to 4pm ~ doors open at 12 Metro Toronto Convention Centre 255 Front Street West Room 107 Are you tired of hearing about all the things that are socially, politically, and environmentally wrong with this world, and feel helpless, because one person just can’t make a difference? Well here’s your chance to become part of a movement. Join us! We are proud to present the event of the year this September 09, 2012 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre....
Read MoreNo Shame In Shell’s Game
By CHRISTINE EBADI Published May 30, 2012 Despite recent efforts to stop the oil tycoon Shell from pursuing their drilling plans in the Alaskan Arctic this year, a U.S. appeals court ruled the go-ahead. With over a million signatures delivered to the White House this month by various Environmental groups, pleading Obama to stop Shell’s plans, the oil giant continues to prevail. What will this mean for the Arctic inhabitants? Endangered animals such as polar bears, ice seal species, bowhead whales, eiders, yellow-billed loons, among many more, threatened by global warming, now suffer a...
Read MoreAnti-NATO protest: Veterans Returning War Medals
By CHRISTINE EBADI Published May 24, 2012 Veteran Aaron Hughes was one of the organizers of the anti-NATO protest in Chicago on May 20, 2012. 45 veterans returned their medals, tossing them as they marched together with thousands of anti-war protesters, towards the NATO summit at McCormick Place. In this interview conducted prior to the demonstrations, Hughes explains why he’s returning his war medals and how the system has failed democracy. He continues to discuss all the negative impacts, false hopes, failed policies, and corrupt intentions of the US. Hughes says, “A...
Read MoreHenry A. Giroux: The Occupy Movement and the Politics of Educated Hope
Original article can be read at Truthout By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout “American society has lost its claim on democracy. One indication of such a loss is that the crises produced on a daily basis by crony capitalism operate within a discourse of denial. Rather than address the ever proliferating crises produced by market fundamentalism as an opportunity to understand how the United States has arrived at such a point in order to change direction, the dominating classes now use such crises as an excuse for normalizing a growing punishing and warfare state, while consolidating the...
Read MoreJPMorgan loss is only going to get worse
Original article can be read at CNNMoney By Maureen Farrell @ CNNMoneyInvest “NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — One thing seems clear about JPMorgan Chase’s $2 billion loss. It’s no longer $2 billion. It’s likely much higher. The number being bandied about now is closer to a range of $6 billion to $7 billion, according to several people working on trading desks that specialize in the derivatives JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) used to make its trades and from two sources with knowledge of the bank’s positions. JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on its...
Read MoreHow to dispose of household hazardous waste
Original post can be read here “Household hazardous waste (HHW) can cause illness or death to people, plants, and animals. It can contaminate our bodies, homes, and the environment. HHW includes hair colouring, car wax, nail polish remover, rechargeable batteries, and shoe polish. Most household cleaners are also HHW, including abrasive and all-purpose cleaners, aerosol air fresheners, bleach, disinfectants, drain cleaners, fabric softeners, and glass and toilet cleaners. If you have these chemicals in your home, you’ll want to dispose of them correctly. This will...
Read MoreNatural Gas Extraction: Is It Really a Clean Alternative?
By EVELYN HARFORD Published May 22, 2012 The process of Hydraulic Fracturing, more commonly known in the media, as fracking is the process by which oil and gas companies extract natural gas from reserves deep in the ground. The fracking process was invented by American oil and gas company Halliburton in the 1940s,[1] and has increased dramatically in recent years. In regards to the US, “Domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year President Obama has been in office.”[2] After the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, and the Iraq War domesticating a ‘clean’ energy source...
Read MoreEcological World Views
By HYDER OWAINATI Published May 1, 2012 Exploring an Environmental Mindset In explaining my worldview on the environment I must first explicitly state that the core principle of my perspective involves acknowledging the fact that there is a severe environmental problem currently being faced attributed solely to human activities. We as human beings have exploited and harvested natural resources without restraint. This has led to severe environmental degradation and a disruption of the natural balance of the Earth. Consequently, this involves acknowledging human beings and nature as two...
Read MoreClimate Change and Conflict: The Implications for Sub-Saharan Africa
By KYLE CLENDINNING Published April 23, 2012 There is now widespread agreement that climate change will have a revolutionary impact on how populations interact with their environment. It has been projected that shifts in the earth’s climate may result in coastal erosion, declining precipitation and soil moisture, increased storm intensity and species migration. As the global ecosystem undergoes these changes, so too must its people. Yet climate change will not affect all people equally; the most dramatic effects will likely be experienced by the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa. Key concerns...
Read MoreWhy Recycle?
Recycling- we all know it’s the right thing to do, but many don’t know why. Find out how recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions, along with many other benefits to our health and environment.
Read MoreDeforestation: A major threat to the destruction of our planet
By KARUN BADWAL Published April 21, 2012 Deforestation – a process by which forest areas are removed and the land is utilized for other uses including agriculture, industrialization, resources, or settlements – has stark implications on our environment in the near future. Despite the rising awareness of the destructive threat to forests and its implications for the planet, the rich abundance of resources in the forest and the short-term monetary benefit of acquiring these resources have created corruption that has pervaded government institutions, corporations, and local...
Read MoreQueensland School in Ghana Reaching Out For Your Help
Queensland School in Ghana, located in the same suburb as one of the world’s largest e-waste sites, educates 214 students with three shared classrooms. This tiny space makes it a difficult learning environment with several safety hazards, threatening the well being of the students and teachers. The structure of the school is incredibly dangerous and unstable; it is literally falling apart. Please help the Queensland School restructure, renovate, and build new classrooms. Visit their website and...
Read MoreWhy Recycle?
By CHRISTINE EBADI Published: April 18, 2012 Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and climate change Our Waters Here’s a fact that many are unaware of… much of our waste ends up in oceans, harming birds, marine animals, and ultimately humans. How? Fallen rain or snow flowing along their natural route headed for sewage systems, storm drains, rivers, and streams, carry with them any garbage littered along its course; eventually concluding its journey inside vast bodies of life supporting waters. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is symbolic to our...
Read MoreWater in an ever-changing Environment
By HYDER OWAINATI Published April 16, 2012 The threat imposed on the World’s Water Resources In more ways than one, the conditions of the world’s water resources represent the most significant ecological issue of the 21st century. Through the channels of globalization and the industrial juggernauts that drive anthropogenic climate change, the quality and availability of water resources has been threatened at a global scale. Ground water contamination, the great Pacific garbage patch as well as the ever-expanding disparities regarding access to clean water supplies signify just a...
Read MoreEarth Day 2012 Celebrations at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre
Join us in the festivities. Let’s celebrate Earth Day on Sunday April 22 2012, from 10am to 3pm, together! Earth Reform will be participating in ‘Greening Vaughan Environmental Day’ at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre. Alongside the ‘Greening Vaughan Environmental Day’ event, Earth Reform will be providing environmental insights in hopes of creating more awareness. We will also be conducting fun and exciting face paintings for children. ‘Greening Vaughan Environmental Day’ event will be promoting a “greener” Vaughan. They will be providing Mulch Giveaways, so...
Read MoreGoing Green Check List
Tips of the week: 1. Start a compost bin for all your fruit, vegetable, and coffee ground waste. Add this to your garden and watch it flourish. You won’t only have a healthy and nourished garden, but you’ll also save hundreds of pounds of organic waste from entering landfills. 2. Recycle your glass jars at home by storing food in them as apposed to the traditional way of storing food in plastic containers. This will lower health risks associated with plastic chemical contamination in food. 3. Invest in a good water filtration system for your home. The multiple benefits include: You...
Read MoreWhat Is The Difference Between Weather and Climate?
What Is The Difference Between Weather and Climate? Weather is more specific and climate is more general. Weather is referred to the current atmosphere conditions and is measured over a short period of time. When we think of weather, we indicate existing temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, etc. of the surrounding area. Climate is a measurement of the average weather over time and space. It is measured over a period of...
Read MoreEl Niño vs. La Niña
What Is The Difference Between El Niño and La Niña? El Niño, officially called ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) is referred to an unpredictable climate pattern that exists in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Occurring every two to seven years, and typically lasting 12 to 17 months, it presents itself by abnormally warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. La Niña on the other hand, occurring approximately half as often as El Niño, presents itself by abnormally cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. El Niño, being the oscillation for the ocean atmosphere system in...
Read MoreCoal Power: An Expired Technology
By CHRISTINE EBADI Published: February 13, 2012 Does Our Health Come With A Price Tag? How Much Will We Pay? Why is the world so heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants for energy? It remains 29.6% of the world’s primary energy source, while generating 42% of the electricity worldwide[i]. Coal plants are the world’s number one source for green house gas emissions, making it the primary cause of global warming and climate change. The combustion of one ton of coal will roughly generate enough electricity to light 400 homes for one day. Put in to perspective, for every ton of coal...
Read MoreClimate Change Cause and Effect
By CHRISTINE EBADI Published: February 13 2012 Is The Demise of Humanity Going To Be Another Ice Age? An Introduction to Climate Change… What is Climate Change? Climate change is a substantial change in a regions average weather patterns including average temperature, precipitation, and wind. This phenomenon has naturally occurred through out our planet’s history. Such periods as the ‘ice age’ are allegoric possibilities of the degree in a regions conclusive shift. The difference between historic events and current ones are the speed at which these shifts may be occurring, due to an...
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