home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Dear Defender,

Spring will soon be here!  New wolf pups are expect to be born in
the wild and Yellowstone National Park where wolves were
re-introduced in 1995.

Special interest groups are pressuring the Secretary of the Interior
Gale Norton to take away their federal protection under the
Endangered Species Act.

This would throw wolves to the mercy of states like Idaho--where
they all could be killed or in Minnesota where a bounty would be law.

We've sent you a reminder 2002 renewal notice. You can adopt a new
wolf pup when you renew today!

We've set up three easy ways you can renew your tax-deductible
support:

** You can call 1-800-385-9712 and make your contribution by credit
card--Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. Our operators
are available from 7:00 a.m. to midnight eastern time, 7 days a week.

**You can renew online and make your credit card gift through our
secure system at http://www.defenders.org/renewals/02.html .

**You can mail your renewal check to our renewal processing address
at: Defenders of Wildlife, P.O. Box 1553, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-1553.

Again, thank you for helping to save the lives of America's wolves.

Best wishes,

Kate Mathews
Vice President for Membership

P.S.  You can go to our special action website at:
http://www.savewolves.org to sign a petition to Secretary of
Interior, Gale Norton.

March 4 - 10, 2002

As long as the sun keeps shining the "Positive Energy"
keeps flowing. Time for Greenpeace's
CLEAN ENERGY NOW! Campaign weekly update.

+++ LARGEST INVESTMENT IN GREEN BUILDINGS BY ANY
COLLEGE DISTRICT IN THE US +++

In the late evening of March 6, 2002, the L.A. Community
College District Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to adopt a
strong green building policy that will require 40-50 new
buildings constructed with $1.25 billion in bond funding
to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Silver or Certified Buildings, accredited by the U.S. Green
Building Council. The District will be investing over $35
million dollars in the green building project. This is the
largest commitment to date by a college or university in
the US for these sorts of sustainability goals. But we are
not done yet! In the next month and a half, the Board of
Trustees will be adopting an energy policy for the nine
campuses.

To read more, go to:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/features/laccdvictory.html

+++ GOVERNOR, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN +++

The Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! Campaign is calling on
Governor Davis to answer one simple question: what is his
plan for California to become a leader in Climate
protection? As the leader of California, the 5th largest
economy and the 6th largest greenhouse gas emitter on Earth,
the Governor is responsible for developing proactive
solutions to the most threatening environmental issue
facing the world today. The solution is easy:
CLEAN ENERY NOW!!!  Please join us, and the majority of
Californians, calling on the Governor to establish a clear
platform - like that announced by Mayor Willie Brown of San
Francisco in February - to reduce the state's greenhouse gas
emissions, increase renewable energy, and protect the
climate. Call his campaign office now, ask for his campaign
manager Garry South, and urge the Governor to take a strong
stand to protect California's climate and future in his
reelection campaign!

Call the Governor's campaign manager, Garry South, at
310-201-0344.

+++ US COULD REAP $80 BILLION BY ADOPTING NATIONAL
RENEWABLE STANDARD +++

America could reap US$80 billion in new, local investment
by adopting a national Renewable Energy standard requiring
that 20 percent of electricity supply comes from renewable
energy generation by 2020, according to an analysis
released by the Union of Concerned Scientists last month.
This new capital investment would especially bring income
and jobs to the country's rural economies. This is what we
are asking for when we demand a renewable portfolio
standard or RPS at both the state and Federal level.

To read more, go to:
http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story.jsp?storyid=1626&siteid=0

The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our website,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will give you good news
about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice and
renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.

EarthNet News
... a project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
March 8, 2002  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This week in EarthNet, the energy debate is really
starting to rumble -- check out some of the pre-debate
debate. Plus, read about a stellar activist and her
daily life in our new WHO'S WHO section.

And how'd you like to work for Greenpeace? Check out
our jobs section to hook this up.

--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor  
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Shadow Congress: Let's Get Ready to Rumble
2. Quote of the Week
3. Who's Who: Fashion Activist
4. Mercy, Mercy Me: Get Your Urbane Cancer Here
5. Letters From You
6. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
7. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info  

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CORPORATE CORNER
----------------------------------------------------------------------

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

It looks like -- and you can never quite tell -- that
the Senate will finally be taking up energy legislation
next week. As you know, our current energy system is
big time dependent on fossil and nuclear fuels. And
the gist of the debate is do we continue down this
slimy dirty road or do we take a cleaner, greener path.
And if the pre-debate debate is any indication this
should be a bruiser.  

The two standout controversies in the debate are a
proposal to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and a proposal to raise fuel-efficiency
standards. Controversy over the Refuge has turned into
a triumph of spin over science -- and both sides are
guilty of cavalier commentary littered with selective
facts. Drilling proponents exaggerate how much oil
the U.S. would recover from the refuge and the supposed
reduction in foreign oil dependence. And we environmentalists
may be shouting catastrophe a little too loudly without
really checking our facts. But at the end of the day
we've still got to ask ourselves if sucking more oil
-- from remote refuges, remote countries or anywhere
-- makes sense.

Then there's fuel-efficiency standards. The White House
has been pounding Democratic proposals to raise the
fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. And
this week they slammed fuel-efficiency standards by
connecting them to thousands of deaths. That's right,
the White House says that stricter fuel-efficiency
standards would lead to -- of all things -- smaller
cars and thus more traffic deaths. The White House
seems to be completely ignoring the fact that higher
fuel-efficiency standards would save more oil than
we receive from Persian Gulf imports, offshore drilling
in California, and potential deposits in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge combined. Sen. John Kerry
(D-Mass) -- who wrote the fuel-economy plan -- dismissed
the White House's statement as "hysterical distortion"
and "scare tactics" promoted by the auto industry.

Your senator is deciding right now what road to take
us down on these two important issues. It's up to you
to tell them whether you want the dirty, grimy low
road or the cleaner, greener highroad.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/l1qAAaF1ju-C/ENERGY_ROAD
Tell you Senator to take the high road.

FOR MORE INFO:
**New York Times, 03-07-02  
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/p7qAAaF1juJN/NYTIMES
**Washington Post, 03-05-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/P1qAAaF1juJw/WAPOST
**Defenders of Wildlife Overview
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ldqAAaF1juJ1/DEFENDERS


----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I want a big, huge SUV for my large and growing family.
And I prefer a gun rack in the back window, too.

-- Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO'S WHO
----------------------------------------------------------------------

featured in Grist Magazine http://www.gristmagazine.com

Michelle Smith is working on an unusual project --
she's plumbing the intersection of fashion and the
natural world. That's right, she's been working on
a fashion show for the environmental set. She's helping
Groundwork Providence -- a Rhode Island environmental
nonprofit organization --host "Runway Earth: Recycled
Fashions for a Sustainable World." The show includes
fashion wear made from recycled plastics, vintage clothing
brought back to life, and creative couture from local
designers -- everything from dresses made of crushed
beer cans to cereal boxes turned into hats.

Wonder how you can be as cool as Michelle? Well, she
learned her mad skills and got way inspired at CEC's
Summer Training Academy. And this summer you can do
the same. CEC is currently accepting applications for
the premiere political skills training in the country.
No, we can't guarantee you'll be designing recycled
fashion. But we can guarantee you won't see the world
the same ever again after a Summer Training Academy.

Apply Now. http://actionnetwork.org/ct/p1qAAaF1juJA/STA

Check out Michelle's story in Grist: Worn again --
a week in the life of Michelle Smith,  
Groundwork Providence
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/pdqAAaF1juJM/GRIST_MAGAZINE

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MERCY, MERCY ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------

GET YOUR URBANE CANCER HERE

How would you like to get lung cancer? Well, if you
live in a city you might just get that chance. Lung
cancer has been linked for the first time to the fine
particles emitted by the coal-fired power plants and
diesel trucks. What a finding! People living in heavily
polluted popular cities such as New York, Chicago,
Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. have a 12% greater
risk of death. The disease is more common in these
metropolitan areas than people living in the less polluted
areas. This risk is just as harmful as living with
a heavy smoker. Yikes! The thrifty Bush Administration
is deciding to be relaxed when it comes to air-pollution
control. Now that we have tracked the health of half
a million people over 16 years, maybe environmentalists
can get some support for clean regulations and green
enforcement.

FOR MORE INFO:
**Washington Post, 03/05/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ppqAAaF1juJ2/WAPOST

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/opqAAaF1ju-V/CLEAN_AIR
Tell Bush to you want to breathe easier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTERS FROM YOU
----------------------------------------------------------------------

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this e-mail in the hopes of receiving
feedback about my personal perceptions and experiences
regarding environmental sustainability and preservation.
As an environmentalist, I obviously comprehend the
fragility of the world's ecosystems but also understand
that human progression is inevitable. Both sides must
accept a compromise between environmental management
and development. There is only one earth and instead
of finger pointing, cooperation and comprehension,
that human evolution will always continue, is necessary
for the future well being of the earth and the human
race.

Either the environmental movement is ridiculing every
fathomable industry with horrific pictures of pollution
and degradation, or industries from all markets call
environmentalist's "whackos" and find obscure data
to offset claims that industry and development hasn't
affected the earth. This is no way to solve a problem.

Doesn't anyone understand that what we do now affects
our future? Or do people not care because they won't
be alive when everything crumbles?

Perception in America is truth. The media, advertisers
and marketing agencies have an enormous amount of power
in controlling how the world views all issues, not
just this one. Therefore, Public Relations is the key.
It is not about making yourself look good or covering
something up after a disaster, it's about creating
a mindset of cooperation and understanding between
opposing sides in the hopes of creating a change in
lifestyle, attitude and behavior.

With the constant exploitation of the "anything goes"
attitude, the "who can dig up the seediest dish on
someone else to make myself look better" mentality,
the finger pointing from opposing viewpoints with no
regard to ethics and the lack of moral integrity demonstrated
by advertising, marketing and the media result in the
current standstill and, perhaps regression, of the
future of planet earth. Where do we go from here?

Sincerely,
Michael C. McNutt

----------------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

These are a sampling of the over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp

Job Title: Student Outreach Campaigner
Organization: Greenpeace USA
Location: Washington , DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0pqAAaF1juJ_/3

Job Title: Online Activism Coordinator
Organization: Environmental Defense
Location: New York, NY
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0dqAAaF1juJS/1

Job Title: Volunteer Program Assistant
Organization: The Nature Conservancy of Oregon
Location: Portland, OR
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/07qAAaF1juJL/2

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp

WHAT: Youth Summit on Sustainable Development
WHERE: New York City, NY
WHEN: 3/21/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/01qAAaF1juJz/3

WHAT: Minnesota Earth Day 2002
WHERE: Minneapolis, MN
WHEN: 4/19/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/l7qAAaF1juJq/1

WHAT: CERES 2002 Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 4/17/02 - 4/19/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/lpqAAaF1juJa/2

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121  
White House Comment Line: 202.456.1111  

White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC 20500  
Senate Address: US Senate, Washington, DC 20510  
House Address: US House of Representatives, Washington,
DC 20515  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Write your own short articles for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly interested in articles about student
activism on your campus.

For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp  

Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp

--------------------------------------------------

Visit the web address below and tell your friends about
this kick@$$ EarthNet!

http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=PdqAAaF1jcJx

If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student Action Network at:

http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=PdqAAaF1jcJxE

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

The Costa Rican coalition against oil development has issued an urgent
appeal. A Costa Rican newspaper, La Republica, reported yesterday that the
U.S. Embassy is "asking for explanations" regarding the Costa Rican
government's decision to block oil development on the country's Caribbean
coast. Last week, an official government panel (known as SETENA) unanimously
voted to reject the Environmental Impact Studies submitted by US-based oil
companies Harken Costa Rica Holdings and MKJ Xplorations.  The companies
have appealed SETENA's decision.  Costa Rica's Environment Minister now has
30 days to decide whether to uphold or override SETENA's decision against
the oil companies.

Anti-oil activists denounce the apparent attempt by the U.S. Embassy to
pressure the Costa Rican government in favor of the oil companies. They ask
us to send faxes and emails to Costa Rican government officials, urging them
to maintain their independence and uphold the SETENA ruling against oil
development on the Caribbean coast.

Thanks for taking a moment to write to:

Dr. Miguel Angel Rodríguez
Presidente de la República
Fax: Int'l code +(506)253 4511
Email: presidente@casapres.go.cr

Lic. Elizabeth Odio Benito
Ministra del Ambiente y Energia
Fax :  Int'l code +(506)257-0697
eodio@ns.minae.go.cr

Humberto Cerdas, Secretario General SETENA
Fax: Int'l code +(506)225-8862.

********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
P.O. Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
USA
TEL: 303-444-0306
FAX: 303-449-9794
Email: paula@globalresponse.org
Website: www.globalresponse.org

Global Response empowers people of all ages, cultures, and nationalities to
protect the environment by creating partnerships for effective citizen
action.  At the request of indigenous peoples and grassroots organizations,
Global Response organizes international letter-writing campaigns to help
communities prevent environmental destruction.  Global Response involves
young people as well as adults in these campaigns, to develop in them the
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.

To: All Activists
From: Tree Free Paper Campaign
Date: March 11, 2002

TREE FREE PAPER CAMPAIGN DAY OF ACTION – APRIL 4th

STOP BOISE CASCADE!!  NATIONAL EVENT CALLS FOR SCHOOLS TO STOP BUYING
FOREST DESTRUCTION,  DON'T BUY BOISE CASCADE

Students from all over the nation are gearing up to take part in this
year's Tree Free Paper Campaign Day of Action.  Schools across the
country will be organizing to encourage their administrations to make
the transition to use ecologically sound paper, and cancel contracts
with Boise Cascade Office Products. Several schools, like Indiana
University, the University of North Carolina and Maine's College of the
Atlantic, will be celebrating recently kicking companies, like Boise
Cascade Corporation, out of their schools and their switch to 100% post
consumer, chlorine-free recycled paper.

BOISE CASCADE: GLOBAL FOREST DESTROYER

Boise Cascade is not only one of the nations largest suppliers of paper
to college campuses, but also one of the worlds most destructive logging
companies.  Boise is a top logger of old growth forest on our public
lands, imports ancient forest products from Brazil, Chile, Russia and
Canada, and continually seeks out new forests to exploit. Because of our
nation's senseless waste of paper, thousand-year- old trees die every
day, while corporate behemoths, like Boise Cascade Corporation reap huge
profits.  But because Boise Cascade needs your schools' business, we
have the power and the responsibility to stop their destructive logging!

JOIN US!!

Two years ago, Rainforest Action Network, American Lands Alliance, Free
the Planet, Student environment action Coalition, ReThink Paper,
National Forest Protection Alliance, and Forest Ethics joined forces to
aid students across America to drive Boise Cascade and other old growth
predators, off our nation's campuses. Many more school administrators
across the country are heeding the call, and beginning to act.

PLAN AN EVENT

Does your school have a contract with Boise Cascade?  Is there a Boise
Cascade/ Boise Cascade Office Products location near you?  Let us know
how we can help you organize a great event and join in solidarity with
others around the nation as we tell Boise Cascade: STOP LOGGING OLD
GROWTH FORESTS!!

Help spread the word by letting us know what you have accomplished and
what your future plans are.  Organize an event; set up an information
table on campus and recruit help; start a petition drive; generate a
local news story; set up a meeting with your procurement officer or do
some creative direct action.

CONTACT

Martin Stephan at Rainforest Action Network, or Anne Martin of American
Lands (see contact info. below) so we can provide support for the great
work you are doing on your campus!  We would be happy to send you
stickers, campaign materials and help you plan/strategize for your
event.

To sign up for the Tree Free Paper Campaign list serve to communicate
with other students involved in this campaign, send a message to:
mailto:treefreecampussubscribe@topica.com

For a downloadable Tree Free Paper Campaign action packet and factsheets
on Boise Cascade, go to RAN's web site at http://www.ran.org.

For information on Chile go to:
http://www.americanlands.org/imperiled_forests.htm and Myths and Facts
about Boise Cascade go to:
http://www.americanlands.org/boise_myths_&_facts.htm.  

Hard copies of the Student Action Packet are available from Free the
Planet - Contact Michelle Sprague - mailto:michelle@freetheplanet.org,
(202) 547-3656.

For Stop Boise Cascade stickers or other campaign information contact:
Martin Stephan, Rainforest Action Network, mstephan@ran.org (415)
398-4404 x335 or Anne Martin, American Lands Alliance,
mailto:annem@americanlands.org, (775) 786-1658.

For a listing of high PCW copier papers and information on availability,
performance and other ecological paper-related issues, contact: Nancy
Hurwitz, ReThink Paper; mailto:rtp@earthisland.org, 503-668-5123.

Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward are urging Americans
to stand up to car companies. Contact the Senate in
support of increased fuel efficiency for cars!

You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/energy_CAFE/wk8bxn2l78x3ni

Tell your friends to save oil and support increasing
fuel efficiency standards for cars!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/energy_CAFE/forward/wk8bxn2l78x3ni

We encourage you to take action by March 31, 2002

A Special Message from Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

----------------------

The U.S. Senate may vote right away on a long overdue
increase in fuel efficiency standards for cars and
light trucks. Join us in calling on the Senate to stand
up to the car companies and support a clean energy
future.
-- Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

----------------------

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/energy_CAFE/wk8bxn2l78x3ni  

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address
to your letter. Our system automatically does this
for you.  

We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Charles Schumer


-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------

The U.S. Senate is again debating our nation's energy
policy. I urge you to support provisions in energy
legislation that place energy efficiency and public
health before oil industry interests.

I am writing to ask you to support the bipartisan amendment
by Senators Kerry and McCain to increase fuel efficiency
in cars and light trucks to a modest 36 mpg by 2015,
while giving auto companies some flexibility in how
to achieve it.  

Increasing CAFE to 36 mpg by 2015 will do more than
any other action to improve our energy security, saving
millions of barrels of oil per day - more oil than
we currently import from the Persian Gulf. It will
help curb global warming by reducing oil consumption
and millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and
will save consumers billions of dollars in fuel costs.
The bipartisan compromise will also give the auto-makers
the type of flexibility they have been seeking to achieve
cleaner fleets at the lowest cost. Please oppose the
"do nothing" Levin/Bond amendment that will not ensure
any meaningful reduction in oil consumption or greenhouse
gases.

-------END OF LETTER-------------------------

Sincerely yours,

If you are already a WWF Conservation Action Network member, see below
for how to take action.  If you received this email from a friend,
please visit the Conservation Action Network Web site at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ to take action on this issue.


As early as today, the Senate may vote on fuel efficiency standards
for new cars, SUVs, and other light trucks.  Don't miss this extremely
important opportunity to push for higher fuel efficiency - one of the
biggest steps our country can take to rein in global warming.  Please
act now and help protect the monarch butterflies, polar bears, and
many other creatures put at risk by our warming climate.

Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Kerry (D-MA) are sponsoring an amendment
that would raise the fuel efficiency standards for new cars, SUVs, and
other light trucks to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 and save huge
amounts of oil.  Unfortunately, Senators Levin (D-MI) and Bond (R-MO)
are trying to kill the provision with an alternative measure that
would delay higher fuel efficiency standards and undermine critical
auto safety measures.  

PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE URGING
YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT THE MCAIN/KERRY AMENDMENT AND OPPOSE THE
LEVIN/BOND AMENDMENT.

For more background information, see the end of this message.

**********************TAKE ACTION NOW!****************

To send the message below, as is, to your senators, hit "reply" to
this email and then "send."  We will automatically send the messages
for you.  However, we urge you to greatly increase your impact by
adding your own thoughts to your message.  Personalizing your message
only takes a minute; see below for details.

ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND INCREASE YOUR IMPACT  

Log in to your Personal Action Center --
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/login.asp -- with your
email address (alerts@earthhopenetwork.net) and your password.  (If you have
forgotten your password, follow the instructions on the log-in page to
have a new password emailed to you.)

Once you are in your Personal Action Center, click on "Urgent: Senate
to Vote on Cleaner Cars" and follow the instructions for adding your
own thoughts to your messages.  

Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues and ask them
to act today.

*********************LETTER TEXT******************

Dear  (your senator's name will be inserted here):

I write to urge you to vote for the Kerry/McCain/Hollings/Snowe
amendment to the comprehensive energy package, which would raise the
fuel efficiency standard for new cars, SUVs, and other light trucks to
36 miles per gallon by 2015.  I also urge you to oppose the Levin/Bond
amendment, which offers only more delay in raising fuel efficiency
standards and less auto safety.

Cars, SUVs, and light trucks emit 20 percent of the greenhouse gases
that are causing global warming.  Raising fuel efficiency standards is
therefore one of the biggest steps we can take to reduce U.S. global
warming pollution.  As the world's leading emitter of these gases, the
United States must take the lead to reduce these pollutants.

In addition to curbing global warming, raising fuel economy standards
would have other tremendous benefits.  For example, by raising the
standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015, our country would save 2
million barrels of oil per day by 2020.  And consumers would save
billions of dollars at the gas pump.

The McCain/Kerry standard is technologically achievable and can be met
while improving the design and safety of American cars.  Raising fuel
efficiency standards would be a positive policy choice for our country
for many reasons.  I strongly urge you to support it.

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

***********************END OF LETTER TEXT*********************

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Congress last set miles-per-gallon standards in 1975, which nearly
doubled new vehicle fuel economy by the mid 1980s.  Since then, the
standards have stagnated for more than a decade at 27.5 miles per
gallon for cars and 20.7 miles per gallon for light trucks, SUVs, and
minivans.  Now, with the emergence and increased popularity of
gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, automobile fuel economy has sunk
to its lowest level since 1980.  According to a study by the Union of
Concerned Scientists, a 40-mpg standard (higher than is being proposed
by senators McCain and Kerry) for cars, SUVs, and other light trucks
is achievable by using existing technologies, including variable valve
engines, high strength steel and aluminum, continuously variable
transmissions, and low rolling resistance tires.

The world's leading climate scientists now agree that the Earth is
getting warmer, and the consensus is that this warming is largely the
result of human activities.  Sadly, recent WWF research shows that the
accelerating rates of warming we can expect in the coming decades are
likely to put large numbers of species at risk.  Climate change may
lead to the disappearance or transformation of extensive areas of
important wildlife habitat.  Many species will be unable to adapt fast
enough to survive.

______________________________________________________________________
Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to
actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org
______________________________________________________________________
The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-
US.  Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF is dedicated to
protecting the world's wildlife and the rich biological diversity
that we all need to survive.  The leading privately supported
international conservation organization in the world, WWF has
sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than
1 million members in the United States.  WWF calls on everyone --
government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by
taking action to save our living planet.

World Wildlife Fund
1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW
Washington, DC  20037
http://www.worldwildlife.org
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

March 12, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action alerts--

1. ENERGY BILL: Urgent! Tell your senators to vote NO on the
Levin-Bond do-nothing fuel economy amendment -- vote expected as early
as today!

2. WILDERNESS PROTECTION: Tell the Bush administration to protect
Utah's Redrock wilderness from ORV abuse -- comment period ends soon.

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action alerts
=============

1. ENERGY BILL
Urgent! Tell your senators to vote NO on the Levin-Bond do-nothing
fuel economy amendment -- vote expected as early as today!

In 1975 Congress enacted standards that doubled new car fuel economy
over the next 10 years. Those changes produced huge oil savings
(almost 2.8 million barrels of oil per day, to be precise).

But we haven't increased fuel economy standards for more than a
decade, and our oil dependence has grown to dangerous levels. In
response, Sen. Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. McCain (R-AZ) have offered a
provision that would raise current fuel economy standards to 36 miles
per gallon by 2015, a level that the National Academy of Sciences has
determined is well within reach with today's technology.  

On the other hand, Sen. Levin (D-MI) and Sen. Bond (R-MO) have
introduced an amendment that would do nothing to reduce our growing
dependence on foreign oil. The Levin-Bond amendment would shift the
issue of new fuel economy standards to the Department of
Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which
in 25 years has never acted to significantly raise fuel economy -- and
which is on record supporting a fuel economy increase of less than 1
mpg. The Levin-Bond amendment would also lead to thousands of
unnecessary traffic fatalities by striking from the energy bill
important safety provisions that would require rollover protections
and better designs so that SUVs don't override cars in a crash.

The Senate will be voting on the Levin-Bond amendment within the next
few days.

== What to do ==
Contact your senators *today* urging them to oppose the Levin-Bond
amendment and to support the Kerry-McCain provision instead.

== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Due to the time sensitivity of
this issue, if you would also like to call your senators, the Capitol
switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

2. WILDERNESS PROTECTION
Tell the Bush administration to protect Utah's Redrock wilderness from
ORV abuse -- comment period ends soon.

Utah's Redrock country is famous throughout the world for its massive
pink, crimson and gold sandstone arches, buttes, and canyons. The San
Rafael Swell is a key part of this region, and is home to precious
native petroglyphs, stunning land formations including the Little
Grand Canyon, some of Utah's last healthy populations of bighorn sheep
and other desert wildlife, and lands proposed for wilderness
designation in America's Redrock Wilderness Act.

Off-road vehicles now roam over 80 percent of "the Swell" at will --
but perhaps not for long. Due to successful legal action brought by
NRDC's longtime partner, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the
Bureau of Land Management has finally released a plan limiting routes
for ORVs in the San Rafael Swell. The plan should have been completed
ten years ago, but was stalled by pressure from pro-ORV groups. To
make matters worse, ORV use in the Swell has skyrocketed during this
ten-year period, leading to significant damage to the land and
critical riparian areas.

The plan is a step in the right direction, but ORV groups are stepping
up pressure on the BLM to reduce protections. An official comment
period is currently underway; comments must be received by March 22nd.

== What to do ==
Send a message to the BLM before the March 22nd comment deadline,
urging that the ORV plan be strengthened to provide maximum protection
for sensitive areas.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the contact information
and sample letter below to send your own message, and please include
your own reasons why protecting these stunning lands from ORVs is
important to you.

Tom Rasmussen, San Rafael Route Designation Plan
Bureau of Land Management
Price Field Office
125 S 600 W
Price, UT 84501
Fax:  435-636-3657

== Sample letter ==

Subject: San Rafael Route Designation Plan - Increase protection for
sensitive areas

Dear Mr. Rasmussen,

The San Rafael Swell is one of America's most outstanding natural
areas, home to stunning vistas of redrock mesas, buttes and canyons.
In fact, Utah's governor recently asked President Bush to designate
this area as a national monument. I therefore urge you to protect the
Swell from further ORV abuse. Specifically, I support Alternative 3 of
the draft route designation plan, but only if it is improved by
closing all routes in Wilderness Study Areas, in areas like Cane Wash
and Muddy Creek that provide riparian habitat for wildlife like
bighorn sheep, and especially in areas that would be designated as
wilderness under America's Redrock Wilderness Act. These latter areas
are particularly critical because, in developing this plan, your
agency has decided not to follow its usual policy, which requires
review of the wilderness character of lands that would be affected by
ORV use before deciding on route designations.

Limiting ORV use in the San Rafael Swell will minimize damage to its
precious air, soil, scenic vistas, tranquility, and wildlife habitats.
In addition, I urge the BLM to ensure that it has the personnel and
funding necessary to fully enforce the plan once it is completed, so
that the Swell actually receives the protections that the public's
resources deserve.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

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==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
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protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and
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For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
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Also visit:
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A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========

To: All Activists
From: Alix Davidson
Date: March 12, 2002

Calling all defenders of the wild, dessert rats and tree hugger alike, I
need YOUR accounts of ORV abuse on Forest Service and BLM Lands

I am creating a color booklet to show Congress why we need more money
set aside in the federal budget to keep off road vehicles out of the
Wilderness and away from our special places.  I know you might say
Congress doesn't care.  But after I show them your incredible pictures
of wrecked landscapes and tracks into Wilderness areas, they will.  To
create this fantastic new lobbying tool I need....

1.  Really good pictures of damage caused by ATVs, dirtbikes,
snowmobiles, dune buggies, 4-wheelers on Forest Service or BLM lands.  A
good picture would have clearly identifiable tracks in it, and the area
would look like a mess.  Tracks around gates, next to signs indicating
that the area is closed, or into Wilderness Areas with a sign showing
that the area is Wilderness would also be great.  Clear color prints or
slides are preferable.

2.  The estimated amount that it would cost to repair the damage
portrayed in the picture if the agency ever had enough money.  Call your
district ranger and ask them. You'd be surprised how willing they may be
to give you an estimate, and that's all we need.

Please send it to me via email at mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org or
regular
mail at American Lands, 726 7th Street SE, Washington DC 20003.

Thanks so much,

Alix Davidson
Recreation Campaigner, American Lands Alliance

Reminder: ORV Lobby Week April 27 - May 2
If you would like to come to Washington and join the fun lobbying to
protect wild places from motorized vehicles, please contact Alix
Davidson at mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org

Factsheets Available on ORVs and Enforcement and Monitoring
Please see http://www.americanlands.org/forestweb/off_road_vehicles1.htm
and http://www.americanlands.org/orv_enforcement_&_monitoring.htm for
new factsheets about how ORVs threaten public lands and the need for
greater enforcement and monitoring by the land management agencies to
address this problem.

Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

Hello Care2 Activist!
Care2 is always seeking critical issues for you
to quickly and easily take action and make a
difference in the environment. Read our latest, below.

************************************************
1) A Yellowstone Bear Needs You!
2) Eco Activist Tips to Preserve Forests
3) Quote of the Day

************************************************
1) A Yellowstone Bear Needs You!
There's a bear in Yellowstone National Park who needs
to find his way to a safe, quiet spot for the winter,
but loud, smelly snowmobiles are keeping him from getting
there. He's different from any bear you've ever met --
he's an animated bear in NPCA's new web game -- and
he's decided to fight back. But this ambassador for
Yellowstone wildlife needs your help. Can he find the
bear necessities that will allow him a peaceful winter
slumber? Can we have fun and make a difference, too?
Find out at http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3555

And after you help this bear, help all Yellowstone
wildlife by letting the National Park Service and the
Bush Administration know that snowmobiles must be banned
from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
Don't let the National Park Service ruin our parks on
behalf of a small number of snowmobilers.
Click Here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3555

************************************************
2) Eco Activist Tips to Preserve Forests
*Purchase wood products certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) -- you can find a listing
of these products at www.certifiedproducts.org, or
ask for FSC wood products at Home Depot as well.

*Use electronic communications and non-paper learning
resources.

*Use recycled wood for small remodeling and repair
projects.

************************************************
3) Quote of the Day
"Friends at home! I charge you to spare, preserve
and cherish some portion of your primitive forests;
for when these are cut away I apprehend they will not
be easily replaced."
-- Horace Greeley, New York Tribune 1851

To:  All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: March 12, 2002

Press Release: US FAILING TO COMPLY WITH EARTH SUMMIT ACCORD TO PROTECT
FORESTS

Attached is a press release we will be sending out tomorrow to shed
light on the Bush Administration's failure to uphold our nation's
international obligations by rolling back forest protections here at
home.  Please distribute to interested media.  Thanks.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 13, 2002

CONTACT:  Steve Holmer, American Lands Alliance, 202/547-9105


US FAILING TO COMPLY WITH EARTH SUMMIT ACCORD TO PROTECT FORESTS

Conservation Groups Say Bush Administration Rolling Back Forest
Protections While Reducing Public Involvement

Washington, DC - The American Lands Alliance charged today that the Bush
Administration is undermining international agreements intended to
protect the world's forests.  According to a briefing paper released by
the environmental group, the Bush White House has unilaterally ignored
forest conservation accords negotiated with other nations, choosing
instead to roll back forest protections measures at home.  

"The Bush Administration is making forest policy decisions that fly in
the face of the spirit and intent of the Earth Summit Proposals for
Action," said Michael Kellett, President of American Lands Alliance and
director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a Massachusetts based conservation
group.  "The White House is gutting a plan to protect nearly 60 million
acres of roadless forests, proposing to dilute environmental review for
logging projects, and has suspended efforts to update forest management
plans."

The group issues its paper, "U.S. Failing to Implement Intergovernmental
Proposals for Action," as Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey meets
with United Nations representatives at the United Nations Forum on
Forests Ministerial in New York.   

A copy of the paper is available at
http://www.americanlands.org/earthsummit.htm

"According to the Forest Service, the U.S. isn't even trying to
implement the agreement here at home," said Kellett.  "Instead of
leading the nations of the world in implementing the Earth Summit
Proposals the Bush Administration is headed in the opposite direction,
weakening environmental standards and the public's ability to be
involved with management decisions."

One outcome of the 1992 Earth Summit was the appointment of
intergovernmental panels that crafted 270 "proposals for action" that
participating nations, including the U.S., agreed to implement.  These
proposals outline steps countries should take to protect forests, foster
sustainable forest management and ensure public involvement in
management decisions.  Since adoption of the proposals, however, the
White House has failed to apply the recommendations when developing
management policies for National Forests.  

"The Bush Administration is taking a Ginsu knife approach to forest
management, slicing and dicing our nation's forests, cutting the
biological heart out of our wildlands, and in the process leaving an
international agreement in shreds," said Steve Holmer of the American
Lands Alliance.

The report outlined three recent policy decisions by the Administration
that contradict the US commitment to implement the accords.  The first
involves the Administration's failure to implement the roadless area
conservation rule that protects 58 million acres of National Forest
lands from commercial logging and roadbuilding.  The second is an
obscure "categorical exclusion" directive issued last fall to allow the
Forest Service to conduct projects in sensitive forest areas without any
environmental analysis or public involvement in the decision.  The third
is the Administration decision to suspend the forest planning process
until they can rewrite the rules to be less environmentally friendly and
to allow less public involvement in agency decisions.

"The roadless area conservation rule was the most popular federal rule
ever published," said Holmer.  "Over 2.2 million comments, numerous
polls, hundreds of editorials, countless scientific papers all
supporting protecting roadless areas, but this Administration says no,
it would rather rollback the rule to allow this nation's last wild
forests to be logged, mined and grazed.

American Lands urged the White House to honor its commitment to
implement the Earth Summit Proposals by initiating a review of all
domestic forest policy decisions in the context of the international
recommendations; implementing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule;
ensuring environmental analysis and public participation by withdrawing
the Forest Service categorical exclusion directive; and updating Forest
Plans to incorporate new and vital information.

# 30 #

Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

NRDC WINS VICTORY NEAR ARCHES Redrock Canyons Still Vulnerable Pressing ahead with the White House's pro-drilling energy plan, federal officials in January ordered Utah land managers to make it their top priority to process applications for oil and gas leases. Weeks later, huge "thumper trucks" began pounding the fragile desert soil near Arches National Park in search of oil. Arguing that the exploration was approved without proper environmental review, NRDC took legal action to stop the project -- and won. A federal appeals officer in late February ordered an immediate halt to the work. Yet the fight to save redrock country is far from over; NRDC is also working to block a dozen oil and gas leases already issued, but Utah's labyrinthine canyons and graceful stone arches will remain at risk until Congress passes the Redrock Wilderness Act, a pending bill that would safeguard 9.1 million acres of this crimson-hued land.» Take Action

BELIZE ENVIRONMENTALISTS SUE TO SAVE RAINFOREST A lawsuit filed by Belizean environmentalists with support from NRDC has brought a halt to preliminary work on a proposed hydroelectric dam that would destroy the Macal River Valley, one of Central America's last intact rainforests. The suit, the first of its kind in Belize, accuses the Belizean government of violating the country's environmental laws on behalf of Fortis Inc., the Canadian backer of the dam. SENATE TO DECIDE FUTURE OF ARCTIC REFUGE The White House and Republican leaders in the Senate continue to push for an energy bill that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. But the current version of the Senate energy bill, introduced by majority leader Tom Daschle(D-SD), would not allow drilling in this pristine wilderness. A showdown began on March 5, when Sen. Daschle brought the energy bill to the Senate floor for debate.

Genotype
Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Reflections following the World Social Forum - Porto Alegre, Brazil


Stop the "Stockholm Syndrome"!
In 2002 - The Year of Life Endangered

A series of global conferences this year are touted to renew intergovernmental commitment to conserve biodiversity, eradicate hunger, and help the world to develop sustainably.  Where have we heard that before?  If the conferences fail, CSOs (civil society organizations) should cancel the "Stockholm Syndrome" - the sad sequence of pep rallies that have pacified popular protest for the last thirty years - and take on much tougher tactics.  The easy part is to speak sweepingly about vision and direction.   We must also articulate the strategic timetable for short and medium-term steps that will get us to our vision. The 10th anniversary of the Biodiversity Convention; the World Food Summit; and the World Summit on Sustainable Development; each offer critical tests for CSOs to present both a vision and a plan.  If, as is likely, governments and UN secretariats fail to meet realistic CSO goals, next year's World Social Forum could adopt a "tough love" approach to intergovernmental negotiations that will really ma
The Year of Life Endangered:  By any standards, 2002 is a turning-point year.  Not so much the "Year of Living Dangerously" as the watershed  "Year of Life Endangered".  Three gala international fora lie ahead that could profoundly impact our lives and our environment:
* The Sixth Conference of the Parties (and 10th anniversary) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (The Hague, April 8-26), will consider the Biosafety Protocol, the GM contamination of Centres of Genetic Diversity, and Terminator technology (the last chance for the Convention to ban "suicide seeds" before commercialization);
* The World Food Summit - Five Years (and getting) Later (Rome, June 6-13), must address Food Sovereignty including the Right to Food, Farmers' Rights, the Law of the Seed (FAO's crop germplasm treaty), and the agricultural biodiversity issues also considered in The Hague;
* The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, Aug. 26-Sept. 4), must review progress on each chapter of Agenda 21 and sort out a new strategy to manage powerful new technologies such as nanotechnology.
Whether we call it "Rio+10"; "Earth Summit III"; or "Stockholm+30"; the World Summit on Sustainable Development should signal the end of the South's (and civil society's) dependence on global jamborees.  At the end of 2002 - a year of bum-numbing 'diplomania', the world's governments must either have their act together or the "Third System" (civil society in concert) that Marc Nerfin posed thirty years ago should set new "rules of engagement" with governments and industry.  

The Stockholm Syndrome:  

In 1972, Nerfin was the éminence grise to Maurice Strong's Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment ("Earth Summit I"?) - the first global environmental "happening".  The conference's main structural innovation was to facilitate the active participation of the Third System.  In Nerfin's analysis, the First System was the Prince (government), the Second System was the Merchant (industry), and the Third System was the People.  Thirty years ago, the people were invited to join in the UN System.  The conference was a public relations success, and Maurice Strong went onto become the first head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and ten years ago, the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED - "Earth Summit II").  No doubt at some timely moment during the Johannesburg opening ceremonies, Mr. Strong will come jogging into the plenary holding aloft the UN's answer to the Olympic Flame.  Perhaps a paper clip in square brackets...
   
What is the Stockholm Syndrome?  Shortly after the landmark Stockholm Conference, a bank robbery and hostage-taking incident in Stockholm grabbed world headlines.  The media furor was not because hostages were taken, but because once rescued, they didn't want to leave their captors.  Two of the four victims were eventually betrothed to their bandit heroes.  Psychiatrists have since dubbed the phenomenon, the "Stockholm Syndrome". The theory goes that given sufficient duration and dependency, captives will instinctively bind themselves to their captors.  Last June, Camila Montecinos (then head of the global Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Programme) described the Stockholm Syndrome as a political phenomenon in oppressor-oppressed relations.  Montecinos was in Sweden at the time, attending a joint Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation/ETC group seminar on new technologies.  

The Stockholm Syndrome has geo-political dimensions.  By opening up intergovernmental negotiations to civil society, the 1972 Stockholm Conference launched an ozone-depleting trans-oceanic parade of intergovernmental (mostly UN) theme park jamborees running from women to water, to food, habitats, and population.  The environmental theme blockbuster for which the upcoming Johannesburg meet will be the Theme-Rex of all UN conferences.  Like other hostages, South governments and advocacy CSOs have bound themselves to this pitiful pageant in the hope that someday, somewhere has morphed into an omnibus, they will find if not true love, at least a little security.

Talksonomy of an extinctable species:  As a species, the Stockholm (Conference) Syndrome has distinct markings:  First, all varieties within the species have a mandate to "solve" some earth-shaking crisis.  For this purpose, they have an exhausting preparatory process during which governments and civil society gather under an uneasy flag of truce to sort out the agenda and sidestep the solutions  (it generally takes so long to agree on the agenda that there is no time to negotiate a programme of work).  Second, every conference must teeter on the brink of disaster  (for as long as "diplos" can manage their blood pressure) so to keep the media interested and in order to convince the South that if nothing was accomplished, at least great losses were heroically avoided.  Third, summit or otherwise, (the WTO's ministerial sessions far out-power most summits), there have to be rumours of impending greats.  Without the Pope, Castro, or a reigning or retired U.S. President, delegate and media attention will drift aw
After three decades, the intergovernmental road-show has only one new act: "The Multi-Stakeholder Forum" - an eye-catching little vignette in which multinational corporations represented invariably by a woman of colour with impeccable Oxford English, T-shirted trade unionists, and pinstriped CSOs (all with cell phones slung low on their hips) all stare gravely across tables at one another while senior UN officials tell them that they "are all really on the same side" - and Greenpeace climbs something decorative in the background.

The cast for a bona fide Stockholm Syndrome drama has devolved somewhat over the years.   When Marc Nerfin postulated the Three Systems, the captors were the North governments.  The captives were the South governments.  The "Keystone Cops" were played by UN secretariats that could never quite catch their mandate.  The characters in the tragi-comedy related symbiotically.  The South comes to these events in the hope of new money or resources.  The North came to maintain the delusion of momentum.  Civil Society came because we get to act like "diplos" and - in the absence of anything else happening - we had a reasonable shot at presenting our posters - if not our opinions - on CNN.

In recent years some of the roles have shifted.  The First System is now industry and they are the captors.  Governments (North and South) have been pushed (unknowingly) into the Second System.  The cops (UN secretariats) are increasingly protecting industry and policing governments rather than the other way around.  The People are still the Third System but many of us have been taken hostage.  On stage, the pompous strutting and posturing remains as ever.  Behind the scenes, the world's largest corporations have commandeered the tele-prompters.

Nevertheless, cell phone civil society has come to play a leading role in Stockholm-grade performances.  If the UN throws a party and civil society doesn't RSVP, there's no party  (where would Russell Crowe have been in Gladiator without civil society jamming up the cheap seats at the Coliseum?)   A thousand suits dragging their sorry briefs into a conference hall are a media "flat line" unless somebody clambers onto the roof.  

Herein lies our strength...not on rooftops...in not being either on the roof, or in the room.


Syndrome Sundown?  

Love means never having to say you're sorry:  It's time to break free of our captors and take the tough love route.   South governments and CSOs should lay down precise agendas and timetables at each of the three global conferences that will be held this year.  In particular, when the folks gather in The Hague, Rome, and Johannesburg, the central task should be to lay out a real programme for the 12 months following each jamboree.  If substantive measurable progress is not achieved, then CSOs should meet, perhaps as early as the next World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, and announce the cancellation of future intergovernmental theme parties and the launching of a more targeted political process.

We are not proposing to abandon the three big jamborees of 2002 - we are suggesting that we all get serious about setting realistic expectations for them and evaluating their results so that we are ready to work differently in the future.  In contrast to other intergovernmental parties, we do think that strong popular protest and educational seminars at meetings where the Third System is clearly not welcome - G8, WTO ministerial, and other closed-door sessions - is important and should be encouraged.

Rio +Action? Most of civil society has remained outside the UN System for all of these decades.  Most, too, would consider the UN "in action" to be a typo ("inaction"?).  Fair enough.  But the world needs good governments and good governance and a good forum in which to establish global norms and defend human rights.  However used and abused the UN becomes (by industry, the First System) it should not be abandoned and it should be made to work.  

The challenge for CSOs will be to construct both a vision of where we believe the world should move in the decade or so ahead - and to fashion a credible sequence of achievable goals along the way.  Truth be known, we share the "diplo's" penchant for pontification.  Are we capable of seeing the horizon and charting a course that takes us to it?  We think "yes".   

The new agenda does not necessarily or always mean the abandonment of intergovernmental bodies or negotiations come 2003. Clearly, constituency-based social movements and others in civil society with a specialized focus must continue to pursue their mandates and concentrate on the issues vital to their peoples.  Perhaps, however, it will be possible for many of us to adjust our focus or to work together on issues of good governance - nationally and internationally - and for Nerfin's Third System to make the First System institutionally, financially, and publicly more accountable.

What do we do if we cancel the UN's party?  A lot...
* First, we each need to evaluate our own history with the UN System and sort out for ourselves whether we have "used" or "been used".  
* Then national, regional, and global advocacy partners need to talk to one another about what needs doing and what - if any - role is relevant for intergovernmental bodies in their (non-conference) programme of work.
* Thirdly, we need to evaluate our communications (including technologies) and cooperation approaches to better democratize dialogue and information flows so that national and regional initiatives are strengthened by global initiatives and so that global information and actions are informed by - and more specifically in the service of - national and community concerns.

Because ETC group works at the global level, we won't pretend to describe specific national strategies - although we hope that international actions will mutually enhance strategies and actions at local and regional levels.  Internationally, however, we can see the post-Stockholm world operating on a number of interesting levels...

Social audits:  If, in Porto Alegre next year, we are concerned that an intergovernmental organization may be performing poorly and is not responding to minimal expectations, a consortia of CSOs could agree to perform an external programme and management/financial audit of the agency.  The audit - conducted by an independent but knowledgeable team - would consult extensively with governments, programme beneficiaries, and past and present employees in order to prepare an authoritative report and offer member states specific action recommendations.   Such audits might take six months to one year and should bear in mind the organization's leadership selection timetable and processes.

Critical pathing: Moving beyond platitudes to practise, for example, a call for a new initiative on land reform or sustainable agriculture should be accompanied with specific proposals for CSO-agency liaison teams; identification of the exact intergovernmental committees and secretariat working groups that would develop the initiative; listing of background papers and conference documents needed to support the agenda; mapping of the timeline to be followed inside the house and intergovernmentally; and development of lists of potential resource persons for the process.  If documents are not developed or items fall off agendas, CSOs should be able to know this immediately and respond accordingly through contact with the secretariat and with governments.  Considering the global dimensions of the work, some of these steps may seem very small, but they are essential nevertheless.      

This is not a political recipe that will make many hearts go pitter-patter.  Basically, we must create covenants of cooperation between advocacy CSOs and social movements that allow groups to set aside some of our less endearing postures of political correctness and/or opportunism. We must recognize that we have different roles and natures that are complementary and that enrich our vision.  And, we need to take advantage of the agility we have achieved in communications technologies to pack a sustained political punch both with national policy and opinion makers, and international negotiations.  We need to mess with the operational nuts and bolts of organization, financial decision-making, and leadership nationally and internationally.  If a UN agency secretariat does not undertake the internal steps they should, we go after its funding and its electoral processes.  If a government crushes peoples' movements nationally and grandstands internationally, we embarrass them at every level.

Civil society not civil servants: We also see a need and an opportunity to direct intergovernmental funding to People's Organizations and other CSOs, and for the creation of new partnerships and programmes involving governments and UN agencies with CSOs.  But, we do not believe that a useful option is to turn CSOs into new UN bureaucracies.  We should make the global institutions that already exist work properly, or we should eliminate them and work with governments to create more effective bodies.  But this does not mean creating a feeding-frenzy for hungry NGOs  - or turning civil society into civil servants.  As people's organizations are painfully aware, we NGOs have an enormous chameleon capacity to turn ourselves into anything that can attract funding.  Our propensity for infighting, backbiting, and bureaucracy is legendary.  There is no reason to believe that we would do any better than the sorry creatures we dislodge.    A major shift of funding to CSOs would quickly destroy the effectiveness of civil
The Third System revisited:  Marc Nerfin's thoughts of thirty years ago actually hold up pretty well over time.  The original dream born in the Stockholm Conference in 1972 continues to have reason and value.  We need to realize that industry has taken global governance hostage and we need to get free governments - and ourselves - from corporate captivity.  We need to use the considerable political acumen and muscle of the Third System to make tangible change.   We should begin in April at the Biodiversity Convention in The Hague.  Interestingly, the CBD is meeting in the same conference center that hosted the FAO World Food Congress of 1970.  Interesting, because the then Director-General of FAO (a former Dutch Minister of Agriculture) became the first head of a UN agency to open up a global meeting to the "Flower Children" of that era.  More than 300 kids camped for two weeks at "New Earth Village" during the Congress and attended the entire intergovernmental event as delegates.  Some of those same kids wil
The message from New Earth Village - scrawled across the wall of a Quonset hut and enshrined on t-shirts and in the film, " Easy Rider" for years after - was "Do not adjust your mind, there is a fault in reality." True Enough!


The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international civil society organization headquartered in Canada. The ETC group is dedicated to the advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human rights.  ETC is a member of the CBDC.  For more information on ETC see our website at:  www.etcgroup.org

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Please take a moment to read the message below and then contact your
Senator about a vote on fuel economy that took place yesterday that
sent our nation's energy policy hurtling backwards.  Due to the
specificity required in the messages sent, we have decided that it
would be best to ask you to send a short personal message as opposed
to using the pre-written letter tool that you become accustomed to
from recent alerts.  Don't worry, the letter tool has not gone away
and will be a part of future alerts that UCS sends out.  Thank-you
for your help and understanding on this critical issue.

Rebecca Cochran
National Field Organizer
Clean Transportation Program
*********************************************************************
*********************************************************************

Action: Calls, Letters and Emails Needed to Senators Regarding
Disappointing Fuel Economy Vote.

The Issue:

Yesterday afternoon the US Senate chose to bow to special interests
instead of standing up for energy security and a cleaner environment.
Despite the best efforts of champions such as Senators John Kerry
(D-MA), John McCain (R-AZ) and Fritz Hollings (D- SC)  the Senate
voted 62 - 38  to adopt a "do-nothing"  fuel economy amendment to the
Senate energy bill.  The Levin (D-MI) -Bond (R-MO) amendment was
practically written by the auto industry and stripped a stronger fuel
economy provision from the bill.  To add insult to injury, they then
voted 56 to 44 to support a Miller (D-GA) amendment that would
exclude pick-up trucks, 20% of all vehicles sold, from any future
agency efforts to raise fuel economy.

Three Easy Steps
1. Please go to the list below to find out how your senators voted on
fuel economy and pick-up trucks.

2. Contact your senators to either THANK them for voting "NO" on the
"do -nothing" Levin-Bond amendment or to EXPRESS YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT
to those who voted "YES," killing chances to raise fuel economy and
curb our dependence on oil.
Go to www.ucsaction.org/directory.asp?step=13 to find out how to
contact your senators.        

3. If your senators voted to exempt pick-ups from future efforts to
raise fuel economy, please express your disappointment.

TALKING POINTS, VOTES and BACKGROUND BELOW

TALKING POINTS: (More details following chart below)
Thank-you for opposing Levin-Bond
Thank-you for standing up for responsible fuel economy policy,
resisting the misinformation  of the auto industry, and opposing the
Levin-Bond amendment on fuel economy.

I'm disappointed that you supported Levin-Bond.
As a citizen who is concerned about energy security and the
environment, I am very disappointed that you supported the Levin-Bond
amendment to the Senate energy bill.  At a time when we need to
reduce our dependence on oil, you voted to maintain the status quo.

I' m disappointed that you exempted pick-ups.
I am disappointed that you voted in favor of exempting pick-up trucks
from future efforts to raise the nation's fuel economy. Pick-up truck
drivers deserve to benefit from the technology available to improve
fuel economy, saving millions at the gas pump.

States Senators Voted for Levin-Bond  Voted to Exempt Pick-ups

AK Stevens         Yes                           Yes
AK Murkowski       Yes                           Yes
AL Sessions Yes                           Yes
AL Shelby         Yes                           Yes
AR Lincoln         Yes                           Yes
AR Hutchinson Yes                           Yes
AZ McCain         No                           No
AZ Kyl         Yes                           Yes
CA Boxer         No                           No
CA Feinstein No                           No
CO Campbell Yes                           Yes
CO Allard         Yes                           Yes
CT Dodd         No                           No
CT Lieberman No                           No
DE Carper         Yes                           No
DE Biden         No                           No
FL Graham         No                           No
FL Bill Nelson No                           No
GA Miller         Yes                           Yes
GA Cleland         Yes                           Yes
HI Akaka         No                           No
HI Inouye         No                           No
IA Harkin         No                           Yes
IA Grassley Yes                           Yes
ID Craig         Yes                           Yes
ID Crapo         Yes                           Yes
IL Durbin         No                           No
IL Fitzgerald Yes                           No
IN Lugar         Yes                           Yes
IN Bayh         Yes                           No
KS Brownback Yes                           Yes
KS Roberts         Yes                           Yes
KY McConnell Yes                           Yes
KY Bunning         Yes                           Yes
LA Breaux         Yes                           Yes
LA Landrieu        Yes                           Yes
MA Kerry         No                           No
MA Kennedy         No                           No
MD Sarbanes No                           No
MD Mikulski Yes                           No
ME Snowe         No                           No
ME Collins         No                           No
MI Stabenow Yes                           No
MI Levin         Yes                           No
MN Dayton         No                           No
MN Wellstone No                           No
MO Bond         Yes                           No
MO Carnahan Yes                           Yes
MS Cochran         Yes                           Yes
MS Lott         Yes                           Yes
MT Baucus         Yes                           Yes
MT Burns         Yes                           Yes
NC Helms         Yes                           Yes
NC Edwards         No                           Yes
ND Conrad         Yes                           Yes
ND Dorgan         Yes                           Yes
NE Ben Nelson Yes                           Yes
NE Hagel         Yes                           Yes
NH Robert Smith Yes                           Yes
NH Gregg         Yes                           No
NJ Corzine         No                           No
NJ Torricelli No                           No
NM Domenici Yes                           Yes
NM Bingaman No                           No
NV Ensign         Yes                           No
NV Reid         No                           No
NY Schumer         No                           No
NY Clinton         No                           No
OH DeWine         Yes                           Yes
OH Voinovich Yes                           Yes
OK Nickles         Yes                           Yes
OK Inhofe         Yes                           Yes
OR Gordon Smith No                           Yes
OR Wyden         No                           No
PA Specter         Yes                           No
PA Santorum Yes                           Yes
RI Reed         No                           No
RI Chafee         No                           No
SC Thurmond Yes                           Yes
SC Hollings No                           No
SD Daschle         No                           Yes
SD Johnson         Yes                           Yes
TN Thompson Yes                           Yes
TN Frist         Yes                           Yes
TX Gramm         Yes                           Yes
TX Hutchison Yes                           Yes
UT Bennett         Yes                           Yes
UT Hatch         Yes                           Yes
VA Warner         Yes                           Yes
VA Allen         Yes                           Yes
VT Jeffords No                           No
VT Leahy         No                           No
WA Murray         No                           No
WA Cantwell No                           No
WI Kohl         Yes                           No
WI Feingold Yes                           No
WV Byrd         Yes                           Yes
WV Rockefeller     No                           Yes
WY Enzi         Yes                           Yes
WY Thomas         Yes                           Yes

BACKGROUND

Instead of taking meaningful action on fuel economy, the Senate chose
to overwhelmingly support an amendment concocted by Senators. Levin
(D-MI) and Bond (R-MO) that punts the issue to Bush's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and to adds loopholes
that will actually increase oil use.   The Levin-Bond amendment
stands in stark contrast to an amendment written by Senators. John
Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) that proposed to the nation's
fuel economy to 36 mpg by 2015.  Due to an extensive lobbying and ad
campaign by the auto industry, the Levin -Bond amendment was able to
capture 62 votes on the Senate floor, effectively killing the
Kerry-McCain proposal.  A vote for the Levin-Bond amendment, in
effect, was an endorsement of the status quo, including our dangerous
and growing dependence on oil. NHTSA already has authority to
increase CAFE standards, but has done almost nothing to upgrade
standards since implementing the last Congressionally-mandated
increase in CAFE standards passed in 1975.

The Senate then displayed stunningly convoluted logic by first
passing the decision on fuel economy standards to NHTSA and then
subsequently voting for an amendment that permanently exempts pick-up
trucks from the agency's future rulemakings.

Increasing the fuel economy for cars and trucks is fundamental to
reducing our nation's demand for oil and decreasing the amount of
carbon dioxide polluting the air and fueling global warming. The US
consumes over 8 billion barrels of oil products each year, sending
more than $200,000 overseas every minute and gas-guzzling cars and
light trucks are responsible for 20 percent of the carbon dioxide the
United States pumps into the air each year. Increasing fuel economy
would save would save one million barrels of oil each day. This is
more than 12 times the projected daily yield from the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge and could save consumers over $20 billion per year at
the gas pump.

Today's passenger cars have to meet average fuel economy standards of
27.5 miles per gallon. Light trucks are only required to average 20.5
mpg. A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences concludes
that US automakers have the technology to improve the fuel economy of
our cars and light truck to nearly 40 mpg over the next 10 to 15
years. In a recent analysis, UCS concludes that a 40 mpg average can
be attained by 2012 while enhancing safety and maintaining
performance.


  FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about vehicle fuel economy standards visit the Clean
Vehicles page at http://www.ucsusa.org

We expect the Senate to take a break from the energy debate and vote next
week (week of March 18) on the Shays Meehan Campaign Finance Reform bill.
Help us ensure cleaner elections and a cleaner environment for America's
future by telling your Senators to support this legislation. The Shays
Meehan Campaign Finance Reform bill will stop corporate polluters from
making million-dollar "soft-money" campaign contributions and stop the
unfair influence in our democratic system!

The Sierra Club recently improved our on line Action Network, but in order
to be a part of this revamped system you need to create a brand new
account. Go to the address below and click "create my account." Once you
have taken this easy step, YOU can help the Sierra Club get messages
through to your elected officials on issues you care about.

Click on the link below to send a message to your Senators.

http://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=79&rf=-79201

Your voice is very important. The Club is working as hard as we can to make
sure our decision makers know how we feel. Let's make sure this opportunity
to clean up politics and the environment doesn't get away, make your voice
heard today.

Sincerely,

Ryan Silva
Activist Outreach Coordinator

****************************
* WILDALERT
* Friday, March 15, 2002
****************************

Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

The Bureau of Land Management needs to hear from you now on its plan
to control off-road vehicle (ORV) abuse in the San Rafael Swell in
Utah.  This magnificent landscape, with its serpentine canyons,
towering mesas, rare desert riparian areas, and bighorn sheep herds,
includes lands proposed for wilderness designation in America's
Redrock Wilderness Act.  Yet ORVs --including dirt bikes and ATVs --
threaten to turn this natural wonder into a motorized playground.
Take action now:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1195

The BLM's Draft San Rafael Route Designation Plan for the San Rafael
Swell is intended to govern vehicle use. While the proposed plan
would be a significant step in the right direction, it needs to be
strengthened in three ways:  

1. The BLM needs to resist pressure by ORV groups to keep open
sensitive lands including wilderness study areas;
2. The BLM needs to ensure that it has the personnel and funding to
actually enforce ORV restrictions
3. Cultural and fossil resources need adequate protection from ORV
damage

The San Rafael Swell is at a turning point. By submitting comments
now, you can help reverse the trend and keep the Swell from becoming
an ORV sacrifice area. Please contact the BLM by March 22nd on this
important issue.

BACKGROUND
The 1991 San Rafael Resource Management Plan (RMP) required BLM to
designate ORV routes in the Swell by 1992.  Intense pressure from
ORV groups stalled the process for nearly ten years.  While the BLM
procrastinated, ORV numbers in Utah rose from about 40,000 to over
100,000, and many of these machines were aimed at the heart of the
Swell.  The consequences have been dramatic: wide swaths of land
scarred by a spider-web of criss-crossing tracks, damaged streamside
areas and increasing conflicts with hikers and other non-motorized
visitors.

Fortunately, a lawsuit brought by the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance, The Wilderness Society and other partners finally forced
the BLM to release this draft plan to rein in ORV abuse in the Swell.

View the draft plan at http://www.priceblmtravelplan.com

TAKE ACTION
Comments are key to improving the Draft Plan because the law
*requires* the BLM to minimize conflicts between motorized and non-
motorized recreationists.  Your comments will be very important in
forcing the BLM to make a good decision.

Tell the BLM your position by sending your comments from
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1195
by March 22 or contact the BLM with a more detailed reaction.

Share with the BLM your personal opinion of and experience with ORVs
and the abuse they can cause.  Explain how the sights, sounds,
fumes, and visible scars impact your experience.  If the presence of
dirt bikes and ATVs zooming across the Swell would affect your
decision about whether or not to go to the Swell, tell the BLM that.

Consider making these points in your comments:

1. BLM should select "ALTERNATIVE 3" with the following improvements:

++ No routes should be allowed to remain open in Wilderness Study
Areas, and therefore North and South Coal Washes, Eva Conover and
Fix-it-Pass should be closed.

++ Cane Wash is not an appropriate place for ORV use because of its
important springs and the riparian habitat it provides for wildlife
like bighorn sheep and should be closed in the plan.

++ The Red, Green and Orange trails should be protected from ORV use
by the plan. Route proliferation and soil and vegetation abuse will
continue if these routes are left open.

++ Five Miles of Hell should be closed.  This is an illegally
created cross-country route where ORV riders have created braided
trails, cut down trees and left other scars.

2. BLM is doing the right thing by proposing to stop ORV use in the
stream corridor of Muddy Creek through the San Rafael Reef, and on
the Devils Racetrack in the Sids Mountain WSA.  Support BLM's
proposal not to allow ORV use along the Behind the Reef Route. This
area should remain wild for all to experience.

3. Lands within America's Redrock Wilderness Act should be protected
from ORV use.  This is particularly important because the BLM has
wrongly decided not to follow its internal wilderness review policy,
which requires it to review the wilderness character of lands that
would be affected by ORV use before making a decision on the plan.

4. The BLM should not authorize any use until it has the personnel
and funding available for meaningful enforcement of strict ORV
guidelines.

5. The BLM should do a complete inventory of cultural and fossil
resources before authorizing ORV use.

Written comments should be sent to the Price Field Office, and
postmarked no later than MARCH 22nd, to:

Price BLM Field Office
125 S. 600 W.
Price UT. 84501
Attn:  Tom Rasmussen, San Rafael Route Designation Plan

SPREAD THE WORD
If you can do one more thing, forward this message to your friends
and family and involve more concerned citizens.

Thanks for subscribing to WildAlert, building a potent community of
online activists for wilderness protection.


***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm

***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm

***************************************************************
To make a gift online to The Wilderness Society, click here
https://secure-net.com/tws/join.asp

***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to you by The
Wilderness Society to keep you apprised of threats to our wildlands -
in the field and in Washington.  WildAlert messages include updates
along with clear, concise actions you can take to protect America's
last wild places.  You are welcome to forward Wildalerts to all
those interested in saving America's wildlands.

FEEDBACK: If you need to get in contact with the owner of the list,
(if you have trouble unsubscribing, or have questions about the list
itself) send email to <action@tws.org>.

TO SUBSCRIBE: If you have been forwarded this message and would like
to subscribe to the list, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/forms/subscribe.htm or send a message to
wildalert@tws.org with 'SUBSCRIBE' in the subject line and your
email address in the body of the message.

Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands
through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy.  Our
goal is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air
and water, wildlife, beauty and opportunities for recreation and
renewal that pristine forests, rivers, deserts and mountains
provide. To take action on behalf of wildlands today, visit our
website at http://www.wilderness.org

***************************
Action Network from Environmental Defense  
finding the ways that work
***************************

  

If you received this message from a friend, you can     sign up for Environmental Defense Action Network Announcements.

Care2 is ever on the look out for critical issues
that you, a care2 eco-activist, can quickly and easily
take action to make a difference in your health and
the environment!

1) Big Tobacco is changing its name, not its ways!
2) Eco Activist Tips to Improve the Air
3) Quote of the Day

************************************************
1) Big Tobacco is changing its name, not its ways!
In another scheme to fool the American people, Philip
Morris is trying to escape responsibility for the harm
their products cause by changing their name. Don't fall
for the PR stunts of an industry that has deceived
and endangered the American people for decades.
Watch the short film about Big Tobacco's new identity:
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3670

We must continue to aggressively pursue the government's
lawsuit against the tobacco industry and give the American
people their day in court. Make it clear that hiding
behind a new name won't help.

Click here to tell President Bush to hold big tobacco
accountable: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3672

************************************************
2) Eco Activist Tips to Improve the Air
*Have house plants! House plants improve the air
quality in your home and of course add a bit of
color.

*Plant a tree or two or three! Every little bit
helps- trees improve air quality, reduce energy
consumption in your home for heating and cooling
and and improve property values.

*Don't Smoke. It is bad for your health, and
for the environment!
************************************************
3) Quote of the Day
"If a tree dies, plant another in its place."
-- Linnaeus (1707-1778), Swedish Botanist

EarthNet News
... a project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
March 15, 2002  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This week in EarthNet, it's all about energy. Read
about the US as "follower of the free world" and find
out why the oil industry doesn't want to drill in Alaska.
Plus, there's humor to be found in the Senate's debate
on fuel efficiency standards -- check out Mercy, Mercy
Me I & II.

--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor  
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Shadow Congress: Follow the Leader
2. Quote of the Week
3. Glimmer of Hope: Not it
4. Mercy, Mercy Me I: End of the Unpaved Road
5. Mercy, Mercy Me II: Senate v. Environmentalists
6. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
7. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info  

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow Congress
----------------------------------------------------------------------

FOLLOW THE LEADER
Did you know that we have the technical potential to
generate 4 times what we currently do in renewable
energy? That's enough electricity to power more than
1.5 billion homes. Increasing the use of renewable
energy to 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply
by 2020 would significantly lessen our dependence on
dirty fuels and benefit both the economy and the environment.


As much as the US likes to claim we're the leader of
the free world, we are running at the back of the pack
when it comes to generating electricity from renewable
energy sources -- you know, stuff like wind, solar,
and geothermal power. In fact, amongst the 30 member
states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) -- a who's who of developed
nations -- the United States ranks a mere 12th for
its renewable generation. For all our economic girth,
we get less than 2% of our electricity from solar,
wind, clean biomass and geothermal energy.

So why aren't we living up to our potential? Well,
you can thank entrenched special interest groups like
utility companies and big oil. It's in their interest
to keep America at the back of the pack -- slurping
up more dirty energy even it means a less secure and
more polluted environment.

The bummer is that while these dopes are holding us
back other countries are gaining a competitive edge.
Because the U.S. government hasn't assumed leadership
in developing renewable technologies, the US is losing
its technological advantage to countries willing to
divest from dirty energy sources. The U.S. could become
the global supplier of clean energy to countries eager
to mitigate global warming pollution, reduce air pollution
and diversify away from environmentally-harmful fossil
fuels and nuclear power. Heck, we all know the world
deserves a safe, clean, affordable energy future. If
only we could convince the US government of that.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/OpzGAZK1juDg/RENEWABLES
Tell Your Senator to Make Us a Real World Leader.

FOR MORE INFO:
**US PIRGs New Energy Future
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/IpzGAZK1juDj/NEWENERGY
**US Energy Information Administration
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/W1zGAZK1juDb/EIA

----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

More problems have been solved on the tailgates of
pickup trucks after a long day's work than have been
solved anywhere.

-- US Senator Zell Miller (D-GA)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------

NOT IT

Who really wants to drill in the Arctic Refuge? Not
the oil industry. Yes, strange but true. The super
controversial proposal to drill in the Arctic Wildlife
Refuge isn't being pushed by the oil industry. Large
oil companies have all but admitted this week that
drilling in Alaska is an expensive and unappealing
proposition. But boy you wouldn't know it by the way
Congressional members are frothing at the mouth to
open the Refuge up. It looks like even if these oil
thirsty goons got their way the oil companies might
not drill. The oil companies admit they have no idea
how much oil is in there and -- they say -- it may
not be worth the trouble. Part of the reason is they
know those pesky environmentalists wouldn't let them
in without a fight. And -- their logic goes -- why
get tangled up in legal challenges for a spot of land
that Congress could close again next year when there
are less tricky places to open right now for drilling.

FOR MORE INFO:
**San Francisco Chronicle 03-10-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/7dzGAZK1juDE/CHRONICLE
**Truth Out 03-11-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/77zGAZK1juDU/TRUTHOUT

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MERCY, MERCY ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------

End of the Unpaved Road

SUV driving Senators from across America were up in
arms over a recent amendment to the energy bill that
proposed an increase in automotive fuel economy standards
from 24 miles per gallon to 36 miles per gallon by
the year 2015. Many moving arguments have been offered
by various leaders. Senate Minority Leader, Trent Lott,
claimed the relationship he shares with his three grandchildren
would be jeopardized because the four of them currently
can only fit into a Sport Utility Vehicle at any given
time. Senator Don Nickels said without huge behemoths
on the road, traffic fatalities are sure to increase
by the thousands. Good old Senator Zell Miller from
Georgia advised an exception to be made for pickup
trucks, because, and I couldn't have said it better
myself, "More problems have been solved on the tailgates
of pickup trucks after a long day's work than have
been solved anywhere." Unfortunately, we weren't writing
country western songs on the Senate floor (though it
may seem that way).

Other arguments included the compromise of safety,
consumers losing freedom of choice, and hardships for
those who depend on large vehicles for work and play.
The problem is the proposal was hardly going to clear
the roadways of SUV's and pickup trucks. This "aggressive
attack on our way of life" is actually economically
affordable and meets standards of safety for consumers.
Within 15 years of development, technology will allow
for such new standards to be met without even decreasing
size of cars or increasing the cost. The inconvenience
for the car companies is a small price to pay for such
a significant move in the right direction. But we couldn't
convince the Senate of that -- they voted down the
measure this week (see Mercy, Mercy Me II).

FOR MORE INFO:
**Washington Post 03-09-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/7pzGAZK1juDy/WAPOST
**NY Times 03-14-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/71zGAZK1juDm/NYTIMES

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MERCY, MERCY ME II
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Senate vs. Environmentalists

This week the Senate defeated an effort to increase
fuel efficiency standards for cars, sport utility vehicles
and pickup trucks by 50 percent over the past 13 years.
The senate decided it was essential to increase fuel
efficiency, but they didn't want to do it. Instead,
they handed the task over to the Bush Administration
asking them to develop their own mileage rules. The
vote was 62 to 38. A couple of Senate rockstars --
backed by environmentalists -- got knocked down when
they proposed the fuel efficiency amendment to the
broader energy bill -- even though it would help wean
the nation from our dependence on foreign oil. The
last time these standards were raised was almost a
generation ago. The final verdict was that there needed
to be something done about the country's dependence
on foreign oil. Unfortunately, a whole lot of these
folks would rather spoil pristine wilderness than drive
a fuel efficient SUV. Sounds reasonable (right?).

FOR MORE INFO:
**NY Times 03-14-02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/71zGAZK1juDm/NYTIMES

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JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

These are a sampling of the over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp

Job Title: Intern for the Volunteer Program
Organization: National Wildlife Federation
Location: Reston, VA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/I7zGAZK1juDu/C

Job Title: CA Climate/Energy Campaign Coordinator
Organization: Greenpeace
Location: Washington, DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/I1zGAZK1juDI/A

Job Title: Fellowship for Journalists of Color
Organization: The Independent Press Association
Location: San Francisco, CA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/IdzGAZK1juD7/B

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp

WHAT: Youth Summit on Sustainable Development
WHERE: New York City, NY
WHEN: 3/21/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/WpzGAZK1juDW/C

WHAT: Minnesota Earth Day 2002
WHERE: Minneapolis, MN
WHEN: 4/19/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/WdzGAZK1juD6/A

WHAT: CERES 2002 Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 4/17/02 - 4/19/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/W7zGAZK1juDO/B

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121  
White House Comment Line: 202.456.1111  

White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC 20500  
Senate Address: US Senate, Washington, DC 20510  
House Address: US House of Representatives, Washington,
DC 20515  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Write your own short articles for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly interested in articles about student
activism on your campus.

For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp  

Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp

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