*SILENT STREAMS?

Escalating Endangerment for North American Freshwater Fish: Nearly 40
Percent now 'At-Risk'

Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams, rivers
and lakes are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed
evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the
last 20 years.

The 700 fishes now listed represent a staggering 92 percent increase
over the 364 listed as "imperiled" in the previous 1989 study
published by the American Fisheries Society. Researchers classified
each of the 700 fishes listed as either vulnerable (230), threatened
(190), or endangered (280). In addition, 61 fishes are presumed
extinct.

The new report, published in Fisheries, was conducted by a U.S.
Geological Survey-led team of scientists from the United States,
Canada and Mexico, who examined the status of continental freshwater
and diadromous (those that migrate between rivers and oceans) fish.

"Freshwater fish have continued to decline since the late 1970s, with
the primary causes being habitat loss, dwindling range and
introduction of non-native species," said Mark Myers, director of the
USGS. "In addition, climate change may further affect these fish."

This is the third compilation of imperiled, freshwater and diadromous
fishes of North America prepared by the American Fisheries Society's
Endangered Species Committee. Additional information is available at
http://fisc.er.usgs.gov/afs/

*SAINSBURY BIN BAGS

That's a headline in to-day's Daily Mirror.

It reminds me of when we were doing research for my GLA paper 'Plastic Not Fantastic' one of the supermarkets told us that they had been geared up for the plastic bag tax after Ireland brought it in. They were not terribly opposed but stated that Gordon Brown had 'thrown a wobbly' and stopped it!

17 billion plastic bags dished out each year by shops in the UK.

*Animal rights group protests over Pope's fur

The Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment, one of Italy's leading animal rights groups, has launched an internet petition, asking Pope Benedict XVI to stop wearing fur during religious ceremonies at the Vatican.

Since his election Pope Benedict has taken to wearing a number of traditional religious garments, including a small red velvet cape with a white ermine border, which he wears in winter.

*”THERE WILL BE NO HUMAN RACE BY THE END OF THE CENTURY”

Been running the London Green Party stall at Conference as well as nipping into fringes and debates.

The most interesting session – by far- was LONDON –WHAT NEXT? A panel discussion with our London Assembly members Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, Professor Tony Travers of the LSE and Ken Livingstone.


Ken announced the launch of a PROGRESSIVE LONDON website. He spoke strongly on green issues and recommended everybody see ‘The Age of Stupid’ showing tomorrow night at Conference. He predicted that the Green agenda would really come up the agenda in the next few years bringing home to the people that green change was essential; otherwise “there will be no human race by the end of the century”

Tony Travers mentioned that a friend, a professor in another college, had done an experiment. Before the local elections they went around and door knocked a ward. They did not purport to be from any party, just said to people ‘Do you know that there is an election coming up?’ The turnout in that ward increased by around 7%. Professor Travers added that the major parties had lost the knack of doorknocking and this was where the Green Party could increase its votes.

The other event today was the Leader election. Not unexpectedly, Caroline Lucas won by a large margin.

Rather unprofessionally, the ERO did not announce the number of ‘Reopen Nominations’ votes.

*GREEN PARTY CONFERENCE.

The Green Party annual conference will take place from TOMORROW until Monday, at the prestigious venue of SOAS* in central London.

I WILL BE THERE FOR ALL FOUR DAYS AND HOPE TO MEET LOTS OF YOU.
You will probably find me at the London Fed stall where we will have tons of literature as well as a sell-off of brand new t-shirts at £4 each.

I will be conducting a fun FUNDRAISING QUIZ at 8pm on Sunday night, at The Institute of Education Bar, just around the corner from the venue. It is our major fundraising effort for the Euro elections. Please come along. Why not bring a team of friends? I have tried to make the questions both funny and interesting – one round is called ‘Political Insults’ and another is ‘GP Connections’ Come along and find out who is related to a Miss World Finalist, a U.S Senator, the Shah of Persia, an early socialist, a famous call-girl, a famous canal builder, Britain’s first blogger etc.

There will also be a raffle for some great prizes and an Irish Bingo. If you do not know what that is, you will have to come along to find out :-)

Also, at 8pm on Saturday night, will be the highlight (or lowlight, in some cases) of the Conference for some of us – THE CONFERENCE REVUE, which is a mixture of music and song and comedy – some of it can be quite biting!

No booking needed for the above events, so anyone can turn up.

*SOAS
The conference venue is Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, London,
WC1H 0XG. It's just off the north west corner of Russell Square, through
the gates and on the left. Nearest tube stations are Russell Square
(Piccadilly line) and Goodge Street (Northern line) and SOAS is approx. 10
minutes walk from Euston mainline station and a little further from King's
Cross.

*Public transport users picking up cost of Mayor’s car-friendly policies

Responding to the news that London’s Mayor is expected to announce an above inflation rise in bus and tube fares, Darren Johnson, a Green Party member of the London Assembly, commented:

"If Boris was not consulting on the scrapping the western extension of the congestion charge, or had not abolished the £25 charge on gas guzzling vehicles, I doubt that these fare rises would be necessary. His actions to protect motorists are likely to lose TfL around £110m annually and it would be grossly unfair for public transport users to be forced to meet these costs.”

Darren argues that at a time of high petrol prices we should be aiming to keep public transport fares as low as possible to convince Londoners to switch to this mode of travel. A rise in fares at this time of economic hardship could leave many Londoners struggling to meet their basic living costs.

*PHILOSOPHY CLASS

From the Green Party humour e-group:


When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.


A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children and grandchildren. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

* Gear up for the London Freewheel

– Sunday 21st September 2008, 8am, London

Not all cyclists can compete for Olympic gold, but those who haven’t made it to Beijing have still got something to look forward to.

The free, family-friendly celebration of cycling will give tens of thousands of riders a unique opportunity to cycle past the capital’s most iconic London landmarks at their leisure on roads closed to non-cycle traffic.

Building on last year’s inaugural event, which saw over 40,000 people take part, riders of all ages and all abilities will enjoy a carnival atmosphere and views of the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace among other sights along the 12 km route.

*Canadian Greens gain first MP

Blair Wilson has crossed the floor in the Canadian Parliament and becomes the first Green Party MP in North America.

The importance of his defection is that the Greens will now be allowed to take part in public televised debates in next month's General Election.



http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50029/story.htm

*THE MORAL CLIMATE

By Carl Safina

Nearly every just cause is a struggle between the good of the many and
the greed of a few. But because greed has the advertising dollars to
make selfishness fashionable, it sustains itself by turning enough
people against their own self-interest. Foremost, our interest in
hanging on to our money. Second, our health. Third, the options of our
unborn.

Of all the psychopathology in the climate issue, the most
counterproductive thought is that solving the problem will require
sacrifice. As though our wastefulness of energy and money is not
sacrifice. As though war built around oil is not sacrifice. As though
losing polar bears, ice-dependent penguins, coral reefs, and thousands
of other living companions is not sacrifice. As though withered
cropland is not a sacrifice, or letting the fresh water of cities dry
up as glacier-fed rivers shrink. As though risking seawater inundation
and the displacement of hundreds of millions of coastal people is not
a sacrifice -- and reckless risk.

But don't tell me to own a more efficient car; that would be a sacrifice! We think we don't want to sacrifice, but sacrifice is exactly what we're doing by perpetuating problems that only get worse; we're sacrificing our money, and sacrificing what is big and permanent, to prolong what is small,temporary, and harmful. We're sacrificing animals, peace, and children to retain wastefulness while enriching those who disdain us.

When we stop seeing our relationship with the whole living world as a
matter of sustainability, and realize it is a matter of morality -- of
right and wrong -- we might make the moment we need.

Orion Magazine, Sept. 1, 2008

*Green homes 'easier to sell'

Buyers said they would be willing to spend more on homes that need less energy
Half of UK householders believe energy efficient homes are easier to sell in the current market and 53% say they would be willing to pay extra for them. But research from the Energy Saving Trust has suggested that householders think estate agents could be under-selling the value of greener homes.

Although buyers are willing to pay out on average £3,350 more for a green home, almost half think estate agents do not put enough value on a home's green features, and even more believe estate agents do not know enough about energy efficiency performance.

Two-thirds of buyers said they would like more guidance from estate agents on the likely running costs of a home before they buy. Most of those surveyed said a poor energy rating on their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) could lead to buyers haggling down the price of a home on the market, and two-thirds agreed that buyers are more likely to consider the EPC given soaring energy bills.

*The Urban Green Fair – Sunday 31st August 2008, Brockwell Park, Brixton

Come join thousands of enthusiastic Londoners to come and enjoy the day, learn about current environmental issues and solutions, discover practical innovations in sustainable living and reducing climate change and, of course, have fun! It will be an ideal family event featuring films, talks, workshops, kids activities, stalls, sunshine and unusual bicycles.

With no bars or big stages the emphasis is on interactive education and communication. It is a chance to share ideas, meet familiar faces and make new friends.

On a bigger scale, the Urban Green Fair highlights the approach of peak oil and the lack of governmental action on climate change. Using positive and practical examples, it’s hoped to empower people to make simple changes in their ideas and actions on urban energy use, helping create a greener, more sustainable society.

Organised by Shane Collins of the Green Party.

* Celebrity 'talking bins' may come to London

First there were wheelie bins, now there are ‘talking bins’ - and they may be coming to London to help keep the streets clean. Finland is experimenting with public litter bins with recordings of celebrity voices to thank people for using them. A detector in the bin will activate a loudspeaker every time rubbish is deposited and the celebrity voice recording will say: “It’s great that you care about the city. Cool isn’t it?”

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said: “With the first meeting of the London Waste and Recycling Board taking place next month we are entering a new and positive era that will address how the capital tackles its rubbish. Boosting London's recycling rate is a key priority for the Mayor and he is pleased to see innovative schemes that will encourage Londoners to recycle their rubbish. The 'talking bins’ that are being trialled in Helsinki are a great example of the type of initiatives that could be used in London and drive-up the capital’s recycling rate.”

A London Councils spokesman said: “I think it will help encourage people to keep the streets cleaner and greener. If it proves to be successful London boroughs may take it up as well.”

*ARTICLE ON GREEN ROOM IN HORNSEY JOURNAL

http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/content/haringey/tottenhamjournal/news/story.aspx?brand=HCEJOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newstwgj&itemid=WeED27%20Aug%202008%2012%3A22%3A54%3A773


Good article and photo on the local paper. I believe that the Islington Gazette are also doing an article.