09/02/01 -- Human Population Growth Harming Environment

Human Population Growth Harming Environment

THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
Vol. 5, No. 29, August 2, 2001
Copyright (c) 2001 Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, Montreal & Toronto
506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369-0230, Fax (514) 369-3282
Email cibe@web.net
September 2, 2001

6.2 BILLION WORLD POPULATION PUT PRESSURE ON HUMAN LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Humans are growing like cancer on earth. Combined population growth and increased consumption of natural resources per capita are merging to collapse the very life-support system on spaceship earth. Right now, on World Population Day, the number of people on Earth is estimated at 6,169,232,446 and climbing. In the three minutes it may take a reader to finish this article, the world's population will have increased by 438 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Speaking on the occasion of World Population Day, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan linked the growing population to ecological stress on the planet's resources. Calling attention to deforestation, pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, he said, "Our ecological footprints on the earth are heavier than ever before," adding that "humanity must solve a complex equation." Further stating that, "we must stabilize our numbers, but, equally important, we must stabilize our use of resources and ensure sustainable development for all. The United Nations Pop ulation Division says world population is currently growing at an annual rate of 1.2 per cent, or 77 million people per year. Six countries account for half of this annual growth: India for 21 percent, China for 12 percent, Pakistan for five percent, Nigeria for four percent, Bangladesh for four per cent, and Indonesia for three percent. China's first exposition on new technology and products in the family planning and reproductive health fields opened in Beijing today, marking World Population Day with 300 exhibits. World population is expected to be around 9.3 billion by 2050, the UN estimates, but it could be anywhere between 7.9 billion and 10.9 billion, depending on fertility, longevity and rates of death. To watch the World Population grow, visit http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop To access in depth analysis of World Population Trends, visit the United Nations Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/popin/ . The World Population Film and Video Festival is online at: http://www.wpfvf.com/ . Sou rce, "Growing Population Stamps Heavy Ecological Footprint," Environment News Service (ENS), New York, July 11, 2001. Get the full story at http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2001/2001L-07-11-01.html .

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QUICK FACTS ON THE POPULATION GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES The United States’ population has increased 85 percent since 1950, growing from 151 million to 283 million in just fifty years. If present trends continue, our population will reach 400 million by the year 2050. The United States has one of the highest natural growth rates (0.7%) of any industrialized country in the world. The U.S. population is growing by about 2.5 million people each year. Of that, immigration contributes over one million people to the U.S. population annually. The U.S. average fertility rate is currently 2.1 births per woman, an increase from 1.8 in 1988. (For comparison, the United Kingdom’s natural increase is one quarter the rate of the U.S. at 0.2%, while Germany’s natural increase is 0.) Using the Census Bureau's medium projections, U.S. population is expected to grow to 400 million by the year 2050. Eight states have population growth rates over 2.0%, w hich means their population will double in less than 35 years. Florida’s population has grown from 1.9 million in 1940 to 15 million today. That is over a 600% increase in just 50 years. Along our ecologically fragile coasts, where nearly half the population lives, the U.S. is among the most densely populated countries in the world. The U.S. Northeast (including New York, New Jersey, Boston, etc.) averages 767 people per square mile, while Haiti, for comparison, has 580. By 2010, when California’s population reaches 50 million, population densities in coastal California will reach 1,050 people per square mile. Since 1980, the U.S. has converted more than 10 million acres of forest to suburb -- an area twice as large as Yellowstone, Everglades, Shenandoah, and Yosemite National Parks combined. Source, Negative Population Growth (NPG), ph. (202) 667-8950, email info@npg.org. Visit their website at http://www.npg.org/popfacts.htm .

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OVER-CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES BY A SMALL DEVELOPED POPULATION ALSO A MAJOR PROBLEM It not just population growth, it is the growth of consumption per capita by hog nations like the United States, Canada, and those in Europe. Like vacuums, they suck up resources from around the world to satisfy their needs. For example, coffee and pineapple plantations are grown on the best fertile bottom lands of Africa for export to the North, while the local people are forced onto the marginal farmlands in the hills and semi-arid deserts. The United States with one-quarter billion people consumes more resources than one and a half billion people of China. The wealthiest 20 percent of the world's population for consuming 80 percent of the goods and services produced from the earth's resources. The average rich-nation citizen used 7.4 kilowatts (kW) of energy in 1990—a continuous flow of energy equivalent to that powering 74 100-watt lightbulbs. The ave rage citizen of a poor nation, by contrast, used only 1 kW. There were 1.2 billion people in the rich nations, so their total environmental impact, as measured by energy use, was 1.2 billion x 7.4 kW, or 8.9 terawatts (TW)—8.9 trillion watts. Some 4.1 billion people lived in poor nations in 1990, hence their total impact (at 1 kW a head) was 4.1 TW. The relatively small population of rich people therefore accounts for roughly two-thirds of global environmental destruction, as measured by energy use. From this perspective, the most important population problem is overpopulation in the industrialized nations. The United States poses the most serious threat of all to human life support systems. It has a gigantic population, the third largest on Earth, more than a quarter of a billion people. Americans are superconsumers, and use inefficient technologies to feed their appetites. Each, on average, uses 11 kW of energy, twice as much as the average Japanese, more than three times as much as the average Spaniard, a nd over 100 times as much as an average Bangladeshi. Clearly, achieving an average family size of 1.5 children in the United States (which would still be larger than the 1.3 child average in Spain) would benefit the world much more than a similar success in Bangladesh. http://www.dieoff.com/page43.htm . See the report entitled, ""Population Reports, Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge," published by the Johns Hopkins Information Program, at the website .

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REDUCING OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT The Ecological Footprint measures what each person consumes of nature’s resources. It shows how much productive land and water we occupy to produce all the resources we consume and to take in all the waste we make. (Redefining Progress, 2000). In other words, an ecological footprint represents the average amount of bio-productive land and ocean required to sustain an individual or a community. It has been calculated that "nature provides an average of 5.5 acres of bio-productive space for every person in the world. With a global population of 10 billion for the year 2050, the available space will be reduced to 3 acres. This should also give room for the 25 million other species. Already, humanity’s footprint may be over 30 percent larger than what the world has to offer as it consumes more than what nature can provide. The average American uses 30 acres to support his or her current lifestyle. This corresponds to the size of 30 football fields put together. In comparison, the average Canadian lives on a foot print one third less, and the average Italian on 55 percent less. Source, Redefining Progress website at http://www.rprogress.org/ .

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NOT ENOUGH FOOD FOR GROWING HUMAN POPULATIONS A report prepared by Dr. David Pimentel, Cornell University et. al, entitled, "Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and Environment," warns that as the world population continues to grow geometrically, great pressure is being placed on arable land, water, energy, and biological resources to provide an adequate supply of food while maintaining the integrity of our ecosystem. It states that according to the World Bank and the United Nations, from 1 to 2 billion humans are now malnourished, indicating a combination of insufficient food, low incomes, and inadequate distribution of food. This is the largest number of hungry humans ever recorded in history. In China about 80 million are now malnourished and hungry. Based on current rates of increase, the world population is projected to double from roughly 6 billion to more than 12 billion in less than 50 years (Pimentel et al., 1994). As the world population expands, the food problem will become increasingly severe, conceivably with the numbers of malnourished reaching 3 billion. The per capita availability of world grains, which make up 80 per cent of the world's food, has been declining for the past 15 years (Kendall and Pimentel, 1994). More than 99 per cent of the world's food supply comes from the land, while less than 1 per cent is from oceans and other aquatic habitats. Nearly one-third of the world's fertile cropland (1.5 billion hectares) has been abandoned during the past 40 years because erosion has made it unproductive (Pimentel et al., 1995). Solving erosion losses is a long-term problem: it takes 500 years to form 25 mm of soil under agricultural conditions. Most replacement of eroded agricultural land is now coming from marginal and forest land. The pressure for agricultural land accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the world's deforestation. Despite such land replacement strategies, world cropland per capita has been declining a nd is now only 0.27 ha per capita; in China only 0.08 ha now is available. This is only 15 per cent of the 0.5 ha per capita considered minimal for a diverse diet similar to that of the U.S. and Europe. Water is critical for all crops which require and transpire massive amounts of water during the growing season. For example, a hectare of corn will transpire more than 5 million liters of water during one growing season. This means that more than 8 million liters of water per hectare must reach the crop. In total, agricultural production consumes more fresh water than any other human activity. Specifically, about 87 per cent of the world's fresh water is consumed or used up by agriculture and, thus, is not recoverable. Source, "Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and Environment," by David Pimentel, Xuewen Huang, Ana Cordova, and Marcia Pimentel, Presented at AAAS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, 9 February 1996. See the full report at website http://www.dieoff.org/page57.htm . Contact Zero Population Growth, 1400 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Suite 320, Washington, D.C. 20036, ph. 202-332-2200, fax 202-332-2302, email info@zpg.org . Visit their website at http://www.zpg.org/

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"AMSTERDAM DECLARATION", HUNDREDS OF THE WORLD'S LEADING SCIENTISTS URGE POLITICAL GOVERNMENT ACTION TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Almost 1,400 scientists from all over the world have signed their name to the "Amsterdam Declaration" on the state of the planet and call for strong actions in a number of areas such as population, fisheries management and forest protection, etc. The scientists warn that the world faces significant environmental problems that encompass and go way beyond global warming, they say. "The accelerating human transformation of the Earth's environment is not sustainable. Therefore the business-as-usual option of dealing with the Earth is not an option," the declaration states. Because the Earth behaves as a single integrated system, climate change cannot be separated from changes in biodiversity, vegetation, land cover and ocean circulation. The scientists say that climate change is a component of global change. Even if we were to completely stop emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, there would still be many profound challenges facing us. The declaration points out that humans are now such a dominant force on the pla net and are making such dramatic changes to all aspects of the physical environment that the Earth system is beginning to respond. Though it is tempting to think that the Earth will continue to respond in gradual and predictable ways, there is now mounting evidence that some changes may occur abruptly and without warning. "These issues are not simply interrelated environmental issues but are development issues threatening our ability to meet the human needs of adequate food, clean water, a healthy environment and safe shelter," said Robert Watson, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a participant at the conference. The Declaration was signed at a conference held from July 10-13, 2001 in Amsterdam and was attended by 1,400 global change scientists from over 100 countries and all continents of the world. For more information contact Susannah Eliott (Susannah@igbp.kva.se) or Paola Fastmark (Paola.Fastmark@igbp.kva.se) - Phone: 46-8-8739-556, Fax: 46-8-1664-05. Download a copy of the decla ration at http://www.sciconf.igbp.kva.se . See the press release at the website http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-07/igp-ss071301.php26% OF THE UNITED STATES' LARGEST INDUSTRIAL AND MUNICIPAL FACILITIES IN VIOLATION OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT 26 percent of the United State's largest industrial, municipal and federal facilities were in "significant" violation of the Clean Water Act at least once during a 15 month period 1999 to 2000, a new report indicates. The report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) reports that both state agencies and the U.S. EPA, have failed to properly pursue and punish polluters. The annual report shows a drop in the number of significant polluters since 1998, when U.S. PIRG documented that almost 30 percent of major facilities were in serious violation of the Clean Water Act. The report is entitled, "Polluters' Playground: How the Government Permits Pollution." The report found that 40 percent of U.S. surface waters still do not meet the fishable and swimmable standards. There have been over 36,000 beach closings and advisories since 1988, and in 1999, 48 states issued fish consumption advisories because of high levels of dangerous chemicals. The U.S. PIRG obtained the data under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

More than 26 percent of the 1,730 major facilities examined were in Significant Non-Compliance with their Clean Water Act permits for at least one quarter during the 15 month period. 159 major facilities were in Significant Non-Compliance with their water pollution permits during the entire 15 month period. Of the 42 industrial facilities in Significant Non-Compliance for the entire 15 month period, EPA records indicate only one received a fine over the past five years. The 10 states with the greatest number of major facilities in Significant Non-Compliance were Texas, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri and Indiana. The 10 states with the highest percentage of major facilities in Significant Non-Compliance were Utah, Tennessee, Ohio, Vermont, Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Rhode Island, Nebraska and Indiana. Source, "Biggest U.S. Water Polluters Not Punished," Environment News Service (ENS) Washington, D.C., May 28, 2001. The U.S. PIRG report is available at: http:// www.pirg.org/ . See the full story at http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-28-06.html

U.S. CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT REINTRODUCED IN CONGRESS
The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) has been reintroduced in the House as H.R. 701. The bill currently has 236 cosponsors, but faces opposition from appropriators and may not receive the Bush administration's support. The bill was passed July 25 by the House Resources Committee by a vote of 29-12. During the 106th Congress last year, the House passed a nearly identical measure, 315-102, the measure ultimately stalled in committee. The Clinton administration and appropriators blamed what bill supporters called "CARA-Lite," which provided $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund instead of the multibillion- dollar package in the bill. The measure was disliked by appropriators because it would automatically direct approximately $3 billion annually of offshore drilling receipts toward conservation programs. Currently, all royalties from Outer Continental Shelf Drilling activities - $5 billion during 1999, now go to the federal treasury, and appropriators decide how to distribute the mon ey. Of the $3 billion, $900 million would go to land acquisition for conservation and recreation projects. Half the money would go directly to the states, and Congress would have to approve the spending of the other half. CARA would also allocate money for 15 years for fish, wildlife, and park restoration programs. The money would include $1 billion annually for coastal states to acquire land for conservation. Several changes have been made to the bill by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Young (R-AK) who is attempting to mollify members who were concerned about property rights. One provision would authorize $320 million annually for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program that compensates communities that lose property tax revenue because of federal ownership of large amounts of land. H.R. 701 has yet to be placed on the House's floor calendar. For more information contact Heather A. McTavish, Government Relations Coordinator, American Public Works Association - Washington, DC, ph. (202) 408-9541, Ext. 3010. To view the bill text or inform your Congressional members to take action, log onto APWA's Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/apwa/issues/bills/?bill=17457

SINGER BONNIE RAITT ARRESTED DURING SIT-IN IN FRONT OF BOISE CASCADE OFFICES
Police arrested 20 peaceful activists, including singer Bonnie Raitt, who were demonstrating against logging practices outside the headquarters of Boise Cascade Office Products in Itasca, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The protesters, who also included former Doors drummer John Densmore and activist and author Julia ``Butterfly'' Hill, staged a well-orchestrated sit-in outside They were handcuffed and led away and later charged with disorderly conduct, a crime punishable by a small fine, and released from the city jail. "Deforestation worldwide is a life and death issue. We want deforestation halted, we want it now and we want it for future generations," said Randall Hayes, the founder of Rainforest Action Network (RAN), the group that organized the event. Cascade's parent, paper and manufacturing giant Boise Cascade Corporation, has fought a public battle with RAN for more than a year. "We believe that Boise Cascade Corporation, their old-growth logging operation and their trading of old-growth around the world makes them an American disgrace," RAN executive director Chris Hatch told protesters before the demonstration. "Their operations are barbaric and their anti-environment campaigns, their efforts to stifle free speech are a disgrace to America," he said. Boise Cascade is continuing efforts to reduce the amount of old-growth forests used in timber production and has hired a third party auditor to review their logging practices, said company spokesman, Michael Moser. Source, "Bonnie Raitt, Others, Arrested in Illinois Protest", the Reuters News Service, Itasca, Illinois, July 26, 2001. See the full story at http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010726/re/people_raitt_dc_1.html .

SMART URBAN GROWTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOP IN NEW MEXICO, SEPTEMBER 2001 The American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources and The Southwestern Legal Foundation and its Municipal Legal Studies Center are hosting a workshop on controlling the urban sprawling and its negative environmental impacts in America, July 23 to 25, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They feel that understanding the interaction of new "smart growth" regulations in the United States is essential to formulating effective legal strategies to promote, shape or restrict land development within urban and rural communities. Local governments are increasingly enacting sophisticated land use requirements to promote "smart growth," a term some equate with unwarranted government interference with private property rights. Conflicts among government regulators seeking to control development, land developers trying to obtain profit from their property, and environmental activists attempting to preserve open space and minimize pollution are commonplace. Each of these groups increasingly employs smar t growth regulations, environmental laws and constitutional protections as essential components of its strategies and litigation arsenals. This three-day program will draw on the experience of leading practitioners in land use and environmental law to examine the procedural and substantive laws and complexities inherent in planning, evaluating, or opposing development proposals. Attendees will learn how to invoke land use and environmental requirements to promote or limit growth and to shape the "smart growth" debate. For more information phone the American Bar Association Section office at ph. 312-988-5724, or visit the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources website at http://www.abanet.org/environ/smart.html . Source, Kenneth J. Warren, Environmental Practice Group, Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP, 1650 Arch Street, 22nd Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, ph. (215) 977-2276, (215) 405-3876, kwarren@wolfblock.com

THE US EPA MAY SOON INCLUDE MOLD IN ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS While mold is not usually addressed in environmental due diligence , it is fast becoming a concern to building owners, contractors, architects and insurers. In the past few years, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed for mold damage to homes, apartment complexes, commercial buildings, schools and courthouses. One reason for the proliferation of the mold lawsuits is the use of cheaper building materials such as plywood and plasterboard which are more prone to breed molds when wet. However, homeowners are also becoming increasingly aware of the health issues associated with molds and are now filing claims when they discover mold under sinks, under floors and behind wallpaper. One insurer estimates that over US $50 million in mold claims in 2000. The Texas Insurance Council of Texas estimated that mold-related claims have risen 135% to 2001 from 1999. As a result, insurers in Texas have asked the Texas Insurance Commissioner to exclude coverage for mold damage from standard homeowners policies. Texas is one the leading states for mold-related lawsuits. For example, a jury in Austin, Texas recently awarded $32 million to a couple who sued their insurer after the company allegedly failed to repair a water leak in their 22-room home in Dripping Springs, Texas. The jury awarded $6.2 million in actual damages $12 million in punitive damages, $5 million for emotional distress, and $8.9 million in attorneys' fees. In December, another insurer settled a mold-related bad-faith lawsuit for $1.5 million in Blum v. Chubb Custom Insurance Co. (No. 99-3563, Nueces Co., Texas Dist. Ct.). California is another popular venue for mold lawsuits. A California homeowners group recently settled a $1.3 million mold lawsuit against builders and contractors in Club at Wood Ranch v. Roberts Group (No. 21522, Ventura Co., Cal. Super. Ct.).

There are no federal standards for mold though the EPA published a guideline for remediating mold in schools and commercial buildings. New York City has established guidelines for assessing and remediating mold. In addition, a number of states in the south and west are considering enacting mold-related legislation. For example, the California legislature is considering a number of bills that would establish cleanup standards for mold and mandate disclosure of mold problems when buildings are sold or leased. If these laws are adopted, Phase I ESAs in these states will have to address the possibility of mold infestation. Molds sometimes produce chemicals called mycotoxins that can cause illness in sensitive people. The species of greatest concern is Stachybotrys chartarum or Stachybotrys atra which is commonly called black mold. It can grow on materials with a high cellulose content such as drywall sheetrock, dropped ceiling tiles and wood that become chronically moist or water-damaged due to excessive humidit y, water leaks, condensation, or flooding. In prior issues, we have discussed the importance of performing comprehensive historical investigations during environmental due diligence. Many prospective purchasers and banks financing the acquisition or providing refinancing believe that a thorough site history will be done when ordering an environmental site assessment that strictly complies with the ASTM E1527-00. However, the ASTM E1527-00 has a number of potential data gaps that can cause a consultant to not identify a prior use that could have resulted in environmental impacts to the property. Source, Schnapf Environmental Report: A Newsletter Covering Recent Environmental Developments and Casel Law," July 2001, Vol. 3, Issue 4. by Lawrence Schnapf. The newsletter is published by Law Professor Lawrence P. Schnapf, 55 E.87th Street, #8B, New York, New York 10128, ph. (212) 996-5395. Fax (503) 213-9314. E-Mail: LSchnapf@environmental-law.net. Subscription rate for the Schnapf Environmental Report is US $95 f or one year (six issues) or $25 per issue.

THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL HEADQUARTERS IMPROVES ENERGY EFFICIENCY The California Environmental Protection Agency has made its 950,000 square foot "Joe Serna Jr. Headquarters" in Sacramento energy efficient. It uses 25 percent less energy than the maximum level mandated for energy efficiency by state regulations. The building's ventilation system contributes to energy savings by using fresh outside air. On each of the 25 stories, two corners have no windows; instead, air is pulled in through vents on the building's north side, put into use and then expelled on the east and west corners. "In California, many months, you can use cool outside air for office cooling without using air conditioning, if you do things right," says David Martin of AC Martin Partners, the building's designers. While conventional towers have one or two large chilling machines for the air-conditioning system, the EPA building has three of varying sizes. That way, the smaller ones can be used when demand is low. Despite the project's efficiency achievements, Martin regrets that they didn't use motion se nsors to control lighting. "We pushed to get those sensors in, but the project couldn't afford it," says Martin, who puts the added cost at about $250,000. Among the building's other green features are a photovoltaic system that generates roughly 30 kilowatts of power each day, and 150 parking spaces for bicycles, not cars. Source, The San Francisco Chronicle, June 25, 2001, article by John King. For more information go to the website http://www.calepa.ca.gov/epabldg .

TREX CO. MAKES NEW "WOOD" OUT OF RECYCLED PLASTIC Manufacturer of Non-Wood Decking Looks to Spain for Recycled Materials Trex Company, Inc., in Winchester, Virginia, which makes decking material from waste wood fiber and reclaimed plastics, has announced it is participating in a joint venture to recycle polyethylene at a new facility in El Ejido, Spain. The other joint venture partners are a local Spanish company responsible for public environmental programs in southern Spain, and an Italian equipment manufacturer. The plant, which has begun limited operations, is designed to recycle waste polyethylene generated primarily from agricultural applications. This recycled material will then be used in Trex Company's Wood-Polymer lumber manufacturing process. When fully operational, the plant will generate more than 20,000 tons of recycled plastic annually, to which Trex Company will have exclusive rights. To make Trex Wood Polymer lumber, approximately equal amounts of waste wood fiber and reclaimed plastic are combined. The wood fiber comes primarily fro m woodworking operations, while the plastic material is currently reclaimed mainly from stretch film and grocery sacks. When the decking is manufactured, the plastic surrounds the individual wood fibers, protecting the wood and giving the end product many of its superior weather-resistant properties. The company notes that its decking contains no virgin wood or virgin plastics; no preservatives or treatments are added during its manufacture; and its product is completely recyclable after use through the Trex Recycling Program. For more information on Trex Company, the largest manufacturer of non-wood decking in the US, see http://www.trex.com.

COLLINS PARTICLE BOARD, OREGON, FIRST FCS-APPROVED WOOD SIDING TruWood® Siding has become the first and only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified engineered siding in the world. In 1993, The Collins Companies became the first privately-owned forest products company in North America to be FSC-certified. Since then, every Collins product line from particle board to softwood and hardwood lumber, to softwood cut stock and veneer, to hardwood flooring and hardwood veneer logs, and now TruWood Siding has gone through the rigorous, scientific, and independent evaluation to become FSC-certified. The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, international, member-based organization that provides consumers with an assurance that the wood they use comes from forests managed in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The FSC is the only forest certifying organization in the world endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund, the Wilderness Society, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Rainforest Alliance, and the World Resources Institute. "Our corporate philosoph y, which we have put into action, is to sustain and protect the integrity of our total forest ecosystem," said Eric Schooler, President and CEO of The Collins Companies.

"Bringing TruWood into our family of FSC-certified products gives the marketplace an opportunity to support real sustainable forest practices by choosing from a full range of high quality FSC-certified building materials," remarked Schooler. TruWood Siding replicates the look of Western Red Cedar from the random knots to the meandering grain, to the rough and craggy feel. It was designed and crafted by a German artisan in Rochester, New York, who took a piece of Western Red Cedar and hand-chiseled and sculpted a precise 4' x 16' mirror-image metal plate capturing the naturalistic irregularity that nature created. For more information contact Jim Sargent, Manager Distribution Accounts, Collins Products LLC, 6410 Highway, P.O. Box 16, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601, ph. (916) 974-7580, email jsargent@collinsco.com . Visit their website at http://www.collinswood.com/# . Source, GreenClips, Issue #171, July 4, 2001, a summary of news on sustainable building design and related government and business issues. Visit t heir website at http://www.collinswood.com. . Browse GreenClips back issues at http://www.greendesign.net/greenclips .

EXXON PUTTING ITSELF IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL BAD BOOKS If a could ever harm its customer relations, EXXON can do it. In a desperate bid to promote the sales of its oil products, EXXON has placed itself in a storm of controversy that could eventually result in the reduction of its customer base. EXXON, now joined with MOBIL, is against global warming. It is moving into the last reaches of the world to extract the last of the earth's finite convention oil supplies - and harming the ecology and native peoples' environment. As a result a number of boycotts of EXXON's oil products have been called for. For example, July 11, 2001, was named International Action Against ExxonMobil Day. On that day, for example, a report by Robert Jereski, Executive Director of the International Forum for Aceh, was released which details the conflict in the embattled oil and natural gas rich province of Aceh in Indonesia. The report, available on the website of the Harvard University Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Studies Program, describes how ExxonMobil's "security" arrangements wi th the Indonesian armed forces have not only caused grievous human rights violations, but have also violated U.S. law and undermined foreign policy goals. The report calls for the U.S. Congress and Justice Department to investigate alleged crimes by ExxonMobil - crimes for which there is a growing body of evidence. Find the report at the website http://preventconflict.org/portal/main/research/jereski.htm

SUBMARINE OCEAN ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASE WEBSITE The Submarine Operational And Research Environmental Database (SOARED) website shows how a simple geographic information system (GIS) can be used to retrieve scientific environmental data from a relational database and display the data both on geographic and analytical displays. The website contains some of the data collected from submarines during the Science Ice Exercise (SCICEX) cruises, along with selected historical and modeled datasets that can be used to compare and evaluate the SCICEX data. Paul Bienhoff of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory demonstrated some of the features of this system for a new data and display GIS called the SCICEX Database Project at the Arctic Forum 2001 held in Washington D.C. May 24-25, 2001. The SCICEX Database Project is planned to include the rest of the SCICEX data, as well as other historical datasets and added software analysis tools and data import/export features that will add value to the extensive data collected during the six SCICEX cruises ( in 1993 and 1995-1999). For more information contact Paul Bienhoff, email Paul.Bienhoff@jhuapl.edu . You can visit the SOARED web site at http://wood.jhuapl.edu/soared/. The Submarine Operational And Research Environmental Database (SOARED) website is at http://wood.jhuapl.edu/soared/ .

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME The GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) was launched in 1992 by UNDP. The GEF-SGP provides grants of up to US$50,000 and other support to community-based groups (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for activities that address local problems related to the GEF areas of concern. Since its inception, the GEF-SGP has funded over 1300 projects in Africa, North America and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, the programme is operational in over 50 countries. The GEF-SGP recognizes the essential role that households and communities, applying locally appropriate solutions, can play in conserving biodiversity, reducing the likelihood of adverse climate change, and protecting international waters. The programme operates on the premise that people will be empowered to protect their environment when they are organized to take action, have a measure of control over access to the natural resource base, have the necessary information and knowledge, and beli eve that their social and economic wellbeing is dependent on sound long-term resource management. To be eligible for GEF/SGP support, a project proposed for funding must fit the GEF/SGP country programme strategy and country-specific eligibility criteria approved by the NSC. It must also be consistent with the Operational Strategy and relevant Operational Programs established by the GEF: In the biodiversity focal area, activities must promote the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources in arid and semi-arid ecosystems; coastal, marine and freshwater ecosystems; forest ecosystems; or mountain ecosystems. In the area of climate change, activities must either demonstrate the removal of local barriers to energy conservation and energy efficiency, or promote the adoption of renewable energy. In the international waters focal area, activities must address environmental concerns in a specific waterbody shared by two or more countries (such as freshwater drainage basin that is regionally significant or a large marine ecosystem), or address land-based threats to international waters.

U.S. EPA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS

The EPA Environmental Education Grant Program is sponsored by EPA's Office of Environmental Education. This program is designed to support environmental education and general public knowledge about our environment. Grants are awarded every year in the EPA's ten regional offices and its Headquarters office in Washington, DC. The program's website provides detailed information on EPA grants and how to apply for them; educator training and student opportunities; advisory groups and partners with many environmental education organizations; information about the President's environmental youth awards and environmental education resources. The following are some of the agencies that receive the US EPA Environmental Education grants. The Morris K. Udall Foundation (http://www.udall.gov/p_fellowships.htm) for giving Ph.D. dissertation fellowships to students working on research in environmental public policy or environmental conflict resolution; The Grey Owl Nature Trust (http://www.greyowltrust.org/ ), a public fou ndation in Canada, which raises new funds for environment conservation projects across the country through the creation of environmental endowments; and the Brainerd Foundation ( http://www.brainerd.org/ ), an organization in the Pacific Northwest that works on protecting the environment. It was formed by Paul Brainerd, a journalist and philanthropist, in 1995. Paul Brainerd donated the money for this foundation and is the organization's current president. Visit the US EPA Environmental Education Grant Program website at http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html . Or visit http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/hqirc/inb.htm .

EARTH ISLAND INSTITUTE WILL GIVE SIX YOUTH GRANTS Earth Island Institute created by the legendary U.S. environmentalists, David Brower will provide six US $3,000 "Brower Youth Awards" to American youth between the ages of 13 and 22 years old. Young persons who has demonstrated outstanding environmental leadership should apply before June 29, 2001. The Brower Youth Awards will recognize innovative leadership efforts across an ethnic, geographic, and non-partisan cross-section of young people, from thirteen to twenty-two years old. The prizes will highlight projects ranging from campus organizing to restoration of habitat to neighborhood clean-up of toxics and will be awarded at a gala celebration in Berkeley, California. Contact Susan Kamprath, Director of Project Support, Earth Island Institute, 300 Broadway, Suite #28, San Francisco, California 94133, ph. (415) 788-3666, Ext. 107, Fax (415) 788-7324, email skamprath@earthisland.org . The details are at the website http://www.earthisland.org/bya or ph. (415) 788-3666.

SCHUMACHER LECTURE SERIES ON GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HELD IN U.K. JUNE 2001 The London Schumacher Lecture series hosted a special lecture June 14, 2001, at the Banqueting House in London, U.K. on "Governance, Business and Sustainable Development". Speakers included Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, of Royal Dutch/Shell, John Elkington of SustainAbility, Barry Coates of the World Development Movement, and Nitin Desai, the United Nations Under Secretary-General & WSSD Director General. The event is part of the UK Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002, or Rio+10) to be hosted by the city of Johannesburg in summer 2002. The lectures and the question-and-answer sessions will explore what government and business are doing to implement sustainable development. Can available knowledge be used more effectively in national and international governance, and in the management of companies and public bodies? How can improved information flows between politicians, business and society at large enhance the implementation of sustainable development? The E. F. Schumac her Society, creator of the lecture series in England, is named after E. F. Schumacher, the author of the world-shaking book, "Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered". His book and ideas helped shape the ideas of the environmental movement in the late 1970's. His Society is an educational non-profit organization that was founded in 1980. The E. F. Schumacher Society, named after the author of Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered, is an educational non-profit organization founded in 1980. For more information contact Gregoire Le Divellec, UNED Forum Administrator, 3, Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL, UK, Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 1784, Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 5893. Email info@earthsummit2002.org . Visit their Websites: http://www.unedforum.org/ and http://www.earthsummit2002.org/ .

INDONESIAN ENVIRONMENTAL NGO CALLS FOR LOGGING MORATORIUM WALHI, the Indonesian Forum for Environment, called on the Indonesian government to impose a suspension of all industrial logging as part of its commitment to changes policies in the forestry sector and save the country's diminishing forests. Walhi's Executive Director, Longgena Ginting, said the situation had reached a critical stage with illegal logging, fires and the industrial logging. "Each day, some 600 hectares of Indonesian forest are cleared by logging alone. According to data from the World Resource Institute (WRI), only 28 percent, or 40 million hectares, of our forest preserve was left in 1997," Longgena told visitors at the 2001 Environment Expo. "If the government doesn't impose the moratorium now, I would call it a national suicide." The forum proposed a gradual moratorium over a two to three year period, with the first phase being a stop in the issuance of new licenses as well as the extension of existing logging licenses. A ban on log exports should also be imposed. The next step would be t o terminate forest concessions of troubled companies, especially companies riddled with debts. Source, "Walhi Calls for Logging Moratorium," The Jakarta Post, Indonesia, June 9, 2001.

ATTEND CHINA ENVIRONMENTAL ROUND TABLE, SEPTEMBER 2001 A roundtable entitled, "Cleaning Up: Environmental Policies and Practices in China," will be held September 26 & 27, 2001 at the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing, China. It will deal with issues including, how will China balance economic growth with environmental sustainability? The Roundtable is supported by AsianEnviro Ltd. There is a special early bird discount cost to attend of US$890 per delegate to the subscribers of China Environmental Review and Asia Environmental Review by July 31st, 2001 (this is a saving of US$300 versus standard fee). Contact Helen Yu at email helenyu@economist.com for full details. Also visit the website http://www.economistconferences.com/envir/cnb/sep01.html . Error: Unable to read footer file.