FW: [SacredEarth_NewsLetter] SACRED EARTH NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2007

April 6, 2007

enjoy

yaw^ko!

danielle

SacredEarth_NewsLetter

[sacredEarth_NewsLetter ]On Behalf Of Kat Morgenstern

Sunday, April 01, 2007 1:36 PM

Sacred Earth Newsletter

[sacredEarth_NewsLetter] SACRED EARTH NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2007

SACRED EARTH NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2007

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VOL.6 NO.1 APRIL 2007

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Kat Morgenstern, Editor kmorgenstern

This Newsletter is distributed by subscription only. If you wish to

please follow the '' information at the bottom of

this newsletter. You are welcome to pass this newsletter on to anybody you

feel might be interested, but please keep it and its copyright information

intact. If you wish to reuse any of its content please contact Sacred

Earth

for permission at the above email address.

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Please follow this link to the full articles on-line:

http://www.sacredearth.com

Spring has well and truly sprung - and this year it has come over me with

a

spring cleaning frenzy. This does not happen too often, so I thought I'd

make the most of it and give the website a good polishing over as well.

And,

as these things go, once I got started and realized all the lose ends and

things that don't work as they should, I got carried away and reorganized

the whole thing. Hopefully things will be easier to find and to keep

organized now...

A couple of things I meant to do, but haven't quite gotten around to yet,

is

a) to integrate a search facility that does not clutter this website with

ads, like google does, and b) to create a public forum where visitors to

the

site can communicate with each other and share their knowledge and

passion.

Hopefully these things will be in place by the time the next issue comes

out.

You will also note the new format of the newsletter. Instead of putting

everything on one slow-loading page, we now follow the format of other

magazine style websites, providing just a 'teaser' on the mainpage with

links to the full article. You will always find your way back to the main

newsletter page by following the 'home' button on the navigation bar. You

will also notice that quite a range of articles is now available right

from

the dropdown menu of the main navigation bar. These are all the articles

that have been gathering dust in the newsletter archives. Old newsletters

will still be available from the archives, but as of this issue, new

articles will be accessible via the direct links only. Well, I hope this

all

makes sense to you and I sincerely hope that new users of this site will

find it easier to locate the articles and resources they are looking for.

So, now that is all done I will get a chance to run out and join you all

in

enjoying the spring.

Happy blossomings, everyone!

Kat Morgenstern, March 2007

http://www.sacredearth.com

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Foraging Wild Asparagus

It's that time of the year again: spring is springing in bounds and leaps,

back and forth and roundabout. What used to be April weather now passes as

March, at least in this neck of the woods. Elsewhere winter is still

tightly

holding on, while in other regions it never really settled in, in the

first

place. One of the most wonderful spring things to sprout at this time of

the

year (to my taste, anyhow), is wild asparagus. Regular cultivated

asparagus

bolts in May, but the wild variety pops up a little earlier. They are much

daintier, but a delicacy nevertheless. Foraging for asparagus is not like

ordinary foraging. It is more akin to mushroom hunting, for asparagus has

a

great talent to hide itself among the briars and bushes and often you

won't

see them at all until they are way too old and have started to sprout

their

feathery fronds. But once you have developed a 'nose' for the right season

and the right places where the elusive spears might be found, hunting them

down is an exquisite, fun-filled adventure, which may land you in some

very

strange places.

http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/foraging/asparagus.php

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Foraging Rules

That all the earth is fragile and that we must not take from her beyond

what

she can sustain. Overharvesting, particularly due to commercial collection

of medicinal plants has brought many once plentiful plant species to the

brink of extinction. As 'plant people', we should adopt an attitude of

green

guardianship for mother earth, who so plentifully provides for us.

Here are the rules that every forager should live and breathe by:

Get to know the plants that grow around you on a personal, first name

basis:

familiarize yourself with the herbs, bushes and trees in your

neighborhood,

try to learn as much as possible about the ecosystem of which you are a

part

and the plant members of your 'extended family'. Learn to identify them

correctly and investigate all their uses. Try to understand it as part of

a

larger ecosystem. Which animals like it or dislike it? With which other

plants does it form communities? Is it native or invasive? Does it protect

the ground or deplete it of any of its nutrients? How does it 'fit' into

its

environment? What can you learn from its chemistry? Building this kind of

holistic knowledge base will give you a much deeper insight into the

nature

of a plant and its role within the ecosystem. Its a lengthy process, but

vital if you want to truly get to know your plant friends and the habitat

you share.

http://www.sacredearth.com/index.php#rules

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Return to the Dark Ages?

Anyone entering a healthfood store or even a conventional drugstore in

search of herbal or nutritional supplements might be excused for thinking

that natural medicine is thriving and that all is well and safe with its

continued growth in the future. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

There seems to be a semi-covert

operation at work that is surreptitiously trying to undermine natural

medicine, its proponents and the free accessibility of nutritional /

herbal

products. The campaign has many prongs - the PR machine spins dubious

'research' into half-baked scare mongering articles, which suddenly appear

all over the press - even though they do not withstand the most basic

methods of journalistic investigation. Yet, even the more 'respectable'

press gets caught up in this blaring hype. Such campaigns are highly

effective - scare tactics always work. Thus, the journal of the American

Medical Association for example, can get away with suggesting that vitamin

and mineral supplements could actually harm the consumer. Perhaps they

could

- if taken excessively, but, so could just about anything including

water -

which is essential to all life. (Not too long ago a young woman actually

managed to kill herself by drinking excessive amounts of water in order to

win some radio show contest - a case that is just too absurd for words

http://tinyurl.com/3e2dnd)

Meanwhile legislators, at present mostly Brusselites, are bustling and

busying themselves with contriving a whole host of (mostly impractical and

pointless) regulations that are supposed to control and harmonize the

access

and use of herbal and nutritional supplements across the EU - in order to

protect the consumer, of course. (Liberties are always curtailed in the

name

of safety and security). But the problem starts with the bureaucrats

themselves, who mostly don't have a clue about their subject matter, a

fact

that is painfully evident from the very wording of their copious absurd

directives.

Read More: http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/news/legislation.php

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FRESH WINDS BLOWING

There must be a strategic reason why travel fairs always take place in

winter - even if you are a professional and well accustomed to all the

publicity hype tourist brochure are composed of, promising paradise in all

the most exotic, romantic, adventurous, awesome, wild, pristine, amazing

places on earth, you still can't help but get infected with a bad case of

wanderlust. It even happens to me on such occasions.

Just a couple of weeks ago I attended the ITB again, an international

tourism trade fair that takes place in Berlin each year and in fact, the

largest such event in the world. This trade fair is truly gigantic. A

plethora of 'destination management' outfits, tourist boards from every

corner of the world and tour operators and travel representatives, all of

whom are praising their wares and destinations. The fair is also the

biggest

media circus in town for the entire week of its duration and also hosts a

full program of peripheral talks, presentations, podium discussions and

symposia on all aspects of global tourism. It's quite a buzz. But what I

noticed most of all is the fact that more and more companies are taking

sustainability more serious than they ever have before. Global warming is

hitting a very sensitive cord in the tourism industry - afterall, it will

affect many of the most remote and previously considered most pristine

places in the world and thus presents a real threat which more and more

operators are beginning to realize. Of course, nobody can halt global

warming single-handedly or overnight, but everyone can do 'their bit'.

More

and more people seem to be beginning to understand the concepts on which

sustainable tourism are based and what it really means - and what it could

mean in terms of real social and economic improvements at the local,

community level.

http://www.sacredearth.com/index.php#travel

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TRAVEL FEATURE:

PERU

FROM THE CLOUDFOREST TO MANU BIOSPHERE RESERVE

If you haven't decided yet where to go this summer, you might want to

consider a trip to magical Peru. Many Latin American countries experience

a

wet-season from May to December, but in Peru, although it is winter, it is

the dry season, and is an excellent time to travel. One of the most

enigmatic and most biodiverse regions of Peru is the Cloudforest which,

drapes the slopes of the eastern Andes. To fully appreciate the magic of

this habitat, join one of our fixed departure naturalist journeys, which

take 6 days to venture through the Cloudforest to Manu Wildlife Center,

where the last 3 days of the trip are spent. This five-night program

provides a complete overview of the habitats and wildlife of all

elevations

along the road-and-river route from Cusco to the Manu lowlands. Travel in

an

expedition bus down the orchid-festooned cloud forest road to

Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, which offers the world's finest viewing of these

blazing scarlet birds.

Or, if you want to get really close to nature, join one of our Manu

camping

trips. Manu National Park was established in 1977 and in recognition of

its

uniqueness was designated a " World Heritage Site " ten years later. Manu is

internationally acclaimed as one of the most biodiverse areas on earth. It

is home to over 1000 species of birds, 15,000 species of plants, over 200

species of mammals, and untold numbers of insects, and within its heart

remain yet uncontacted peoples.

Read More: http://www.sacredearth.com/index.php#destination

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USES OF PLANTS:

ESSENTIAL OILS

In the last issues we discussed various fatty plant oils and their uses as

well as resins, gums and latexes. In this issue I want to focus on

essential

oils. Unfortunately it would go far beyond the scope of this newsletter to

discuss each and every essential oil - there are just too many of them and

there are numerous decent books on the subject, which cover many oils in

great detail. Instead, I will try to focus on the more general question -

what are essential oils, methods of extraction, their uses and potential

concerns.

Read More:

http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/plantprofiles/rose.php

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NOTEWORTHIES

Brunei Darussalam: Rainforest protection requires global effort

Source: Bru Direct, Brunei Darussalam, 22 March 2007

Kuala Belait - International cohesion is key to the protection and the

guaranteed future of the rainforests of the world. This message was

reflected in this year's World Forestry Day theme - Protecting the Forest:

Our Responsibility - commemorated here yesterday with a series of

activities. The finest strategies in countering rainforest exploitation

will

not assure the preservation of one of the nature's most valuable assets if

the public does not join in conservation efforts, the participants to the

commemoration were further told.

Brunei Darussalam kick started the commemoration of the World Forestry Day

2007 at the Forestry Department in Lumut yesterday. It is the 25th

worldwide

celebration of the annual event, according to Hj Saidin Salleh, Director,

of

Forestry Department. In his opening remarks, Hj Saidin mentioned the

significance of the public's role as " imperative for us as global citizens

to ensure the proper management of natural resources such as rainforests " .

He also described the Forestry Department's strategic planning outline for

the next-20-years in " non-timber product development such as ecotourism

development, manufacturing herbal medicine and the perfumes derived from

fragrant woods " . The director made it a point to emphasise that such

enterprises are more environmentally friendly and will not upset the

fragile

ecological balance of the rainforest.

The Minister of Industry & Primary Resources echoed the director's

sentiments on the public's role in conserving the rainforest, " it is every

individual's obligation to be responsible for taking care of the forest " .

He

lamented that media reports of irresponsible and non-regulated logging

still

persist in spite of the fact that " the destruction of rainforests has been

going on for hundreds of years to make more space for man " .

The minister warned of the adverse consequences that will befall the

world's

rainforests if commercial logging goes unchecked. " According to the Global

Forest Resources 2005 Report conducted by FAO, there is approximately 4

billion hectares of forest but the rate of extinction is about 13 million

hectares a year ... if this continues the forests of the world will be

completely gone in two or three centuries, " he said.

The Minister told the Forestry Department that it " has to increase its

efforts to maximise the use of the rainforest to improve the nation's

economy without destabilising the ecological balance " . He also spoke of

the

government's long-standing initiative to preserve Brunei's approach to

rainforest conservation, " for one tree fell, we plant four " . The minister

then proceeded to officiate the site establishment of Brunei's very own

Tropical Biodiversity Centre. --

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

For full story, please see:

http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Mar07/220307/nite06.htm

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TAKE ACTION: Last Chance to Stop Great Ugandan Mabira Rainforest Give-Away

Let the Ugandan Parliament know rainforests and their ecological services

including water, climate and biodiversity are more important than sugar

which can be grown elsewhere

By Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet, Inc.

http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=uganda

March 28, 2007

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni continues to pursue legally dubious

plans

to destroy large areas of Uganda's last important intact and protected

rainforests. Some one-third of Mabira Forest Reserve, about 7,000 hectares

of an area which has been protected since 1932, will lose its protection

for

sugar cane production by the Mehta Group. Ecological Internet was the

first

to bring a thriving Ugandan rainforest protection and protest movement to

an

international audience. Since that time many more local and international

groups have joined the campaign. Uganda has long been facing a

deforestation

crisis, with forests covering 20 percent of Uganda 40 years ago, but now

just covering seven percent. Deforestation has been directly responsible

for

declining levels of waters in Lake Victoria, River Nile and other rivers

resulting in a scarcity of drinking water and reduction in hydroelectric

energy production.

Continued destruction of Uganda's surviving forests will have further

grave

ecological consequences -- threatening ecotourism revenues, rare species,

sparking soil erosion and water pollution. Already the movement for

sustainable rainforest use and development in Uganda has won. Maintaining

and expanding rainforest protection has been established as a critical

pillar of climate change mitigation, water availability and national

ecological sustainability for Uganda's future. Please contact the entire

Ugandan parliament, Ugandan ministries and embassies and insist that the

Mabira sugar cane project be abandoned, and Uganda's remaining rainforest

strictly protected. Take Action!

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GLOBAL APPEAL AGAINST PATENTS ON SEEDS AND FARM ANIMALS

Farmers' organisations and NGO's mobilise against the European Patent

Office

in Munich, Germany

Press statement, Munich, 26.3.2007

A new international coalition of farmers' unions, development and

environmental NGOs today is calling for a global prohibition of patents on

seeds and farm animals. Farmers increasingly become dependent on

multinational corporations, which own patents on seeds and animals. The

European Patent Office (EPO) has already granted hundreds of patents on

genetically modified and as well as conventional, normal plants.

Now the EPO is preparing a general approval of patents on conventional

breeding methods and normal plants and animals. In Munich, the seat of the

EPO, Misereor, Swissaid, the Declaration of Berne, No Patents on Life! and

Greenpeace as well as the farmers' unions from Italy (Coldiretti),

Argentina

(Federación Agraria Argentina) and India (Bharat Krishak Samaj) today

launch

the GLOBAL APPEAL and a joint website http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org

against this fundamental decission by the EPO.

" Our animals and our seeds are the result of hundreds of years of breeding

efforts by our farmers, and must not be patented, " says Krishan Bir

Chaudhary, Executive Chairman of the largest Indian farmers'organisation

BKS

-- Bharat Krishak Samaj, today in Munich. " The multinational companies

expropriate farmers and want to bring everything, from the field to the

consumer, under their own control. "

The upcoming fundamental decission is a ruling by the Enlarged Board of

Appeal of the EPO which will decide on the validity of a patent on

broccoli

(EP 1069819 B1). The approval of this patent would mean that in future a

mere genetic description of a plant or animal would be sufficient to

receive

a patent covering the plant or animal as well as methods for their

production. The breeding of those plants and animals as well as their

agricultural use could also be controlled by the patent holder. The

decision

of the EPO can be expected for this year. Would patents on conventional

breeding methods of plants and animals be generally allowed, then legal

challenges of individual patents would become ineffective.

" Validating the patent on the broccoli would mean a total and final

sellout

of living nature " says Christoph Then from Greenpeace. " Patent law is

becoming an octopus crabbing the basis for our food production, plants and

animals, to bring them under the control of a few multinational

companies. "

Next Wednesday representatives of the coalition will attend a public

hearing

of an appeal procedure at the EPO, concerning a patent on conventional

sunflower seeds. On Thursday the alliance will also call upon an EU patent

conference organised by the German Council Presidency in Berlin

(http://www.bmj.bund.de/patkon) to protect European agriculture from

further

encroachments by patents.

Further farmers' organisations from Spain, Switzerland, Nicaragua, Peru,

Mexico and Brazil have already joined the Global Appeal.

Further information:

Dr. Christoph Then (Greenpeace), Tel. +49-171-8780832;

Tina Goethe (Swissaid), Tel. +41-76-5165957;

Mute Schimpf (Misereor), Tel. +49-172-1704891

http://www.greenpeace.de

http://www.keinpatent.de

http://www.misereor.de

http://www.swissaid.ch and http://www.ebv.ch

THE GLOBAL APPEAL

A Global Appeal against patents on conventional seeds and farm animals

A joint Open Letter addressed to Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European

Patent Office, Government Representatives, The Executive Boards of

Agrobusiness Companies

Keep out patents on conventional seeds and animals

For several years, patents on genetically modified seeds and animals have

been granted worldwide. The damaging impacts on farmers, who are deprived

of

their rights to save their seeds, and on breeders who can no longer use

the

patented seeds freely for further breeding, are well known. In Canada and

the US, for example, the multinational seed company Monsanto has sued many

farmers for alleged patent infringements. The same company has also filed

court cases against importers of Argentinean soy to Europe. Furthermore,

the

possibility of patenting seeds has fostered a highly concentrated market

structure with only 10 multinational companies controlling about half of

the

international seed market. Many farmers organisations and NGOs around the

world are fighting against these patents.

Because genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are still not grown in most

countries, or only used in a small number of crops, the negative impacts

of

these patents are not being felt everywhere. However, there is an alarming

new trend for patents not only to be claimed on GMOs (such as Roundup

Ready

soybeans), but also on conventional plants. For example, patent claims

have

been made for soy beans with a better oil quality covering parts of the

plant genome when used in conventional breeding and technologies to

improve

conventional breeding (such as marker assisted breeding).

Some of the most threatening examples in this context are patent

applications from Syngenta which claim huge parts of the rice genome and

its

use in breeding of any food crops that have similar genomic information to

rice (such as maize and wheat). The European Patent Office has also

granted

a patent on aphid resistant composite plants which are based on marker

assisted breeding. Other recent patent applications by Monsanto on pigs

are

also related to normal breeding methods, indicating the increasing danger

of

agricultural genetic resources becoming monopolised by a few

multinationals

on a global scale.

Soon the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office will

decide

on another patent of this kind -- for a method of increasing a specific

compound in Brassica species. This decision will determine the

patentability of conventional seeds in Europe. Whereas patents on

conventional plant varieties are normal practice in the US, many other

countries, especially developing countries, do not grant patents on plants

or animals. But as the recent history shows, the standards defined and

used

at the European, Japanese and US patent offices influence international

regulations (the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual

Property Rights, TRIPS, and the

World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO). Patent offices all over

the

world are pushed to adapt their regulations and practices either through

the

international regulations or by bilateral agreements. India, for example,

has just passed a third patent amendment in order to adapt its law to the

TRIPS regulations. This frightening new trend in patent policy will affect

many more farmers and breeders, than has been the case with GMO patents.

Any

remaining farmers rights and breeders' access to plant varieties and

animal

breeds for breeding purposes, will disappear everywhere. These patents

will

destroy a system of farmers' rights and breeders' privileges that has been

shown to be crucial for the survival of farmers and breeders, for food

sovereignty, and for the preservation of biodiversity in agriculture. The

vast majority of farmers in developing countries are small-scale farmers,

completely reliant on saving and exchanging their seeds.

In order to secure the continued existence of independent farming,

breeding

and livestock keeping and hence the food security of future generations,

we,

the undersigned farmers, researchers, breeders and civil society

organisations from all over the world, restate our rejection of any

patents

on life, and urge policy makers and patent offices to act swiftly to stop

any patents being granted on conventionally bred plants and animals and on

gene sequences for use with conventional breeding technique, as well as on

methods for the conventional breeding of plants and animals. We also urge

companies not to apply for any patents of this kind.

If your organisation wants to sign this Global Appeal,

http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org

Further information and background materials are available at the campaign

website.

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Global standard set for wild medicinal plant harvesting

Source: Environment News Service, USA, 20 February 2007

NUREMBERG, Germany. A new standard to promote sustainable management and

trade of wild medicinal and aromatic plants was launched Friday in

Nuremberg

at Biofach, the World Organic Trade Fair. The standard is needed to ensure

plants used in medicine and cosmetics are not over-exploited. About 15,000

pecies, or 21 percent of all medicinal and aromatic plant species are at

risk, according to the report by the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group of

the

IUCN's Species Survival Commission that sets forth the new standard. More

than 400,000 metric tons of medicinal and aromatic plants are traded every

year, and about 80 percent of these species are harvested from the wild.

Almost 70,000 species are involved, many of them in danger of

over-exploitation or extinction through over-harvesting and habitat loss.

In

India, for instance, 319

medicinal plants are listed as Threatened by IUCN-the World Conservation

Union.

For full story, please see:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2007/2007-02-20-01.asp

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China seeks innovation in traditional medicine

[bEIJING] In an attempt to promote innovation in traditional Chinese

medicine (TCM), China has launched a long-term development plan to boost

research in the field. The 15-year plan, launched this week (21 March),

will

establish a TCM-based system of disease prevention and clinical treatment,

improve modern TCM manufacturing techniques and create a set of

internationally recognisable TCM standards.

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews & itemid=3503 & langu

ag

e=1

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Peru creates online biodiversity register

Zoraida Portillo

22 March 2007

[LIMA] Peru has created an online system with full public access to

regulate

biodiversity research. The measure should ensure Peru's authority over its

native genetic heritage, according to a press release from the National

Institute for Natural Resources (INRENA), which will run the system. The

initiative was announced last week (16 March) in the El Peruano newspaper.

Karina Ramírez, a biologist at INRENA's Department of Biodiversity

Conservation, said INRENA is already working on implementing the

system, which should be completely operational in two months. It includes

a

database showing in real time the national and international research

being

done with genetic resources native to Peru.

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews & itemid=3494 & langu

ag

e=1

Now is the time for international action on patents:

http://www.scidev.net/Editorials/index.cfm?fuseaction=readEditorials & itemi

d=

212 & language=1

Pressure is growing for a major shift in international intellectual

property

rules that addresses the interests of the poor.

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

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Ecuador: Eco-tourism hope for Ecuador tribes

Source: BBC News, 20 February 2007

An indigenous tribe from one of the most remote parts of the Amazon

rainforest is taking over a unique eco-tourism project as a way to protect

their ancestral lands from oil extraction. The project in south-eastern

Ecuador is being seen as a blueprint for other indigenous communities

facing

similar challenges around the world. One of those who hope to benefit from

the venture is 20-year-old Angel Etsaa of the Achuar tribe. He has just

become a guide at the Kapawi Eco-lodge. He earns $150 (£75) a month and

wants to study management to help run the business in the future.

The commercial venture is being handed over piece-by-piece - by 2011, the

Achuar people should be the sole owners. Political struggle: It is a

20-day

walk from Kapawi to the nearest town. Its 20 cabins sit on stilts on a

lagoon where special plants which prevent mosquito larva breeding in the

water have been planted to make visits by tourists more enjoyable.

Sixty-five percent of the lodge's employees are from the Achuar tribe. The

business is supporting a local economy in a community which is only just

getting used to using money. But it is not just about providing work

beyond

living off the land. This place is the gateway to the Amazon Basin

rainforest, one of the largest biodiversities anywhere in the world. The

Achuar want to protect it along with their own culture. The lodge is

financing the Achuar's political struggle. Money is given to the

Nationality

of Achuar Ecuador (NAE) federation. For full story, please see:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6354887.stm

Sacred Earth Travel is proud to promote this community tourism project.

For

full program details please see:

http://www.sacredearth-travel.com/features/ecuadorenatexp/kapawi.php

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USDA TO APPROVE RICE ENGINEERED WITH HUMAN GENES

The USDA public comment deadline of March 30th regarding rice engineered

with human genes is quickly approaching. The rice, developed by Ventria

Bioscience has been given pre-approval by the USDA for planting and

harvesting in California. The plants have been engineered to synthesize a

human protein that would be used as a drug to treat diarrhea. When planted

in an open environment, these biotech rice fields have the potential to

contaminate conventional rice fields where the crops are being grown for

consumer food products. According to Jane Rissler of the Union of

Concerned

Scientists, " This is not a product that everyone would want to consume. It

is unwise to produce drugs in plants outdoors. " Learn more:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4472.cfm

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Events

22 May 2007

Biodiversity and Climate Change: International Day for Biological

Diversity

Source: Neil Pratt, UNEP, Neil.Pratt

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is pleased to

announce that the focus of the International Day for Biological Diversity

(IBD), 22 May 2007, will be on biodiversity and climate change. This

complements the designation of 2007 as the International Polar Year and

coincides with UNEP's World Environment Day theme of Climate Change.

Parties

to the Convention are organizing a variety of events to commemorate the

day

including lectures, seminars, film presentations, cultural events,

exhibitions and school outreach activities. Information on events to be

organized, and some of the materials to help celebrate the day are

available

at: www.biodiv.org/ibd

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

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22 May 2007

Climate Change and Biodiversity Have Their Day

Climate change touches the lives of people and biodiversity in every

country.

For more information, please contact:

Neil Pratt

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

United Nations Environment Programme

413 Rue Saint-Jacques, Suite 800

Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9

Direct line: +1 514 287 7007

Reception: +1 514 288 2220

Mobile: +1 514 463 1424

e-mail : Neil.Pratt

www.biodiv.org

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April 15 - 22, 2007!

National Environmental Education Week,

Earth Day is coming up - Sign up now to participate in National

Environmental Education Week, April 15 - 22, 2007! Now in its third

consecutive year, National EE Week seeks to enhance the educational impact

of Earth Day (April 22) and to recognize U.S. educators who are committed

to

implementing environmental education in their classrooms. National EE Week

will involve thousands of educators and millions of students. It is

coordinated by the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation

(NEETF) http://www.neetf.org/ in cooperation with hundreds of outstanding

schools, environmental education organizations, education associations,

and

state and federal agencies.

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April 14th, 2007

STEP IT UP! NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

This April 14th, tens of thousands of Americans will gather all across the

country at meaningful, iconic places to call for action on climate change.

We will hike, bike, climb, walk, swim, kayak, canoe, or simply sit or

stand

with banners of our call to action: " Step It Up Congress! Cut carbon 80%

by

2050. " This is an invitation to help start a movement‹to take one spring

day

and use it to reshape the future.

Learn more: http://www.stepitup2007.org/

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March 29, 2007

CHICAGO WELCOMES GREEN FESTIVAL

Green Festivals, a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, and

widely known " party with a purpose, " will touch down for two days in

Chicago, April 21st and 22nd, 2007 at McCormick Place, bringing together

more than 150 speakers, 300 local and national green businesses and an

anticipated audience of more than 20,000.

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FW: [SacredEarth_NewsLetter] SACRED EARTH NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2007

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