Rachel's News #891:regulatory failure in the Great Lakes

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Rachel's

Democracy & Health News #891

 

" Environment,

health, jobs and justice--Who gets to

decide? "

 

Thursday,

January 25,

2007..............Printer-friendly

version

 

www.rachel.org

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Featured stories in this issue...

 

 

Part 2:

Regulatory Failure in the Great Lakes

Scientists studying the Great Lakes have recently learned that

chemicals are taking a far greater toll on humans and wildlife

than

previously realized. But the corporate polluters are organizing

to

maintain business as usual.

Please Sign

the Petition to Restore Habeas Corpus

Three blockbuster events radically altered our system of

governance

during 2006. In the first, Congress and Cheney-Bush

legalized

 

torture.

In the second, the U.S. military stepped up

domestic

 

surveillance

of U.S. citizens. And in the third Congress abolished

the 700-year-old legal procedure called habeas corpus. The U.S. now

has all the trappings of a police state though for the most part it is

not being run as one -- at least not yet.

The Leadership Imperative

In place of a philosophy of progress, Oren Lyons emphasizes

fidelity to a set of spiritual and natural laws that have guided

successful human social organization throughout history.

An Urgent Call to Action to Protect Creation

Scientists and evangelicals unite to protect creation.

A New Study Links Childhood Leukemia to Air Pollution

A study finds that children living within 2 miles of the Houston

[Tex.] Ship Channel had a 56 percent higher risk of getting acute

lymphocytic leukemia than children living more than 10 miles from the

channel.

Can Polyester Save the World?

How about renting trendy clothes instead of buying them?

Grand Canyon Controversy Clarification

In Rachel's News #889 we carried a story about the National Park

Service violating its own rules by selling a book that claims the

Grand Canyon was created during Noah's flood, ignoring the geological

record. Here's more information on that story.

 

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Rachel's Democracy & Health News #891, Jan. 25, 2007

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PART 2: REGULATORY FAILURE IN THE GREAT LAKES

 

By Peter Montague

 

Last week we began describing a new report from the International

Joint Commission (IJC) that says regulation of toxic chemicals has

failed in the Great Lakes, and a precautionary approach is needed. The

IJC is the bi-national (U.S.-Canada) governmental body responsible for

water quality in the Great Lakes. Here we continue describing the

IJC's report (6 Mbyte PDF), especially chapter 5 ( " Human Health " ).

[in our text, numbers inside parentheses refer to pages in the IJC

report. Words inside square brackets represent our clarifications or

comments.]

 

1. Harm to Great Lakes wildlife is very widespread and fundamental

 

A 1991 basinwide assessment of the health of herring gulls nesting in

11 colonies representing all five Great Lakes, relative to two

reference colonies outside of the basin, revealed widespread DNA

damage and chronic... inflammation of the liver and... inflammation of

the kidney. (pg. 117)

 

" Great Lakes gulls suffered from hypothyroidism [insufficient thyroid

hormone] and had enlarged hyperplastic thyroid glands [meaning thyroid

glands with growths or nodules]. These toxipathic responses were most

frequently associated with PCBs.

 

" Studies of pre-fledgling herring gulls in 1994-1999 in lakes Huron,

Erie, and Ontario revealed marked suppression of T-cell-mediated

immune function and altered antibody production.

 

" Studies of herring gulls in colonies in the Detroit River, western

Lake Erie and Lake Ontario 2001-2004 revealed that biochemical,

thyroid, and immune effects still persist. In addition, there were

effects on corticosterone secretion and, at some sites, the plasma of

males contained vitellogenin, suggesting they were exposed to

biologically significant concentrations of estrogens. Similar

biochemical effects were seen in male snapping turtles, and thyroid

effects were seen in snapping turtles and fish. Vitellogenin was also

found in the plasma of male fish and snapping turtles. (pg. 117)

 

Comment: insufficient thyroid hormone is a serious problem for

wildlife, as it is for humans. Thyroid hormone controls an animal's

metabolism, and is crucial in early development of the nervous system.

The immune system of course protects against infectious diseases and

cancers. The presence of vitellogenin in male fish and turtles

indicates that the males are being turned into females by exposure to

the waters of the Great Lakes. Obviously, these are all signs of

widespread serious trouble.

 

2. Living near a contaminated site can cause human illness and death

 

In the early 1990s, the IJC identified 43 " areas of concern " (AOCs)

in the Great Lakes. These are harbors or rivers or discharge points

that are severely contaminated. These areas were supposed to be

cleaned up rapidly during the 1990s, but that did not happen.

 

Now we learn that simply living near one of these areas can make

people sick -- even if they eat no fish from the Great Lakes:

 

" In 1998, Health Canada [roughly the Canadian equivalent of U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency] reported on retrospective

epidemiological evidence for each of the 17 Canadian AOCs. They used

mortality, hospital admissions/separations, and cancer data for

1986-1992 to calculate morbidity, mortality, and incidence rates. The

data suggested that there was increased morbidity and mortality for a

variety of health effects associated with residence in these AOCs

relative to the Province of Ontario as a whole. Also, residence in a

particular location was found to adversely affect health independent

of whether Great Lakes fish is consumed. " (pg. 120)

 

" The Health Canada studies for the various Canadian AOCs found

increased incidence of genital-tract disorders, thyroid disease,

diabetes, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease, and asthma. " (pg. 120)

 

" These findings led investigators at the Institute for Health and the

Environment at the University of Albany to test a series of hypotheses

based on the assumption that these health end points are associated

with place of residence. Using a variety of available health data

collected in the 1990s, they tested these hypotheses for individuals

living near the nearly 900 contaminated sites identified in New York

state, including AOCs.

 

" They found convincing evidence that a number of chronic and acute

diseases occur more commonly in patients who reside near hazardous

waste sites and AOCs containing priority pollutants, especially

persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs. The elevated incidence is

not accounted for by socio-economic status or lifestyle factors such

as smoking, diet, or exercise. These findings imply that inhalation is

a major route of exposure. " (pg. 120)

 

Got that? Inhalation is a MAJOR route of exposure. This is new

information.

 

The IJC report goes on: " Effects documented include adverse impacts on

reproduction and development, metabolism, and endocrine and immune

functions. In addition, studies suggest that increased risks of heart

disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes are

associated with residence near AOCs and hazardous waste sites.

 

" A recently published study has also shown a strong association

between ambient air pollution and respiratory hospitalization in the

Windsor [Ontario] AOC.

 

" Inhalation can be a major route of exposure. The health of large

numbers of people in many communities in the Great Lakes basin may be

compromised by multi-media exposure to the contaminants in their

environment, " the IJC report concludes. (pg. 120)

 

Comment: For a second time the IJC report says inhalation can be a

MAJOR route of exposure.

 

3. Basic Toxicity Information is Missing for Many Chemicals

 

" Derek Muir described his search strategy to identify potential

chemicals of concern among the approximately 100,000 chemicals in

commerce, approximately 70,000 of which are on the Toxic Substances

Control Act list created in 1976, and 5,200 that exceed a production

volume of 1,000 tonnes/year [2.2 million pounds per year] according to

the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Of these

5,200 chemicals, 43 percent had no toxicity data available as of

2004. " (pg. 123)

 

Furthermore, " ... less than 10 percent of high-volume industrial

chemicals have been evaluated regarding their bioaccumulation,

environmental fate, and toxicity. " (pg. 125)

 

4. Mixtures of Chemicals Have Potent Effects

 

" It is known that the combined effects of a mixture of dioxin-like

compounds are additive when adjusted for potency.... Recently,

investigators discovered that the same holds true for estrogenic

chemicals [meaning industrial chemicals that mimic the female sex

hormone, estrogen]. Crofton et al. (2005) dosed young rats with a

mixture of two dioxins, four dibenzofurans and twelve PCBs. The

mixture was formulated to reflect typical concentrations measured in

breast milk, and in fish and other foods. None of the concentrations

in any of the doses exceeded the LOELs [lowest observed effect levels]

for the constituent chemicals. The mixture reduced serum thyroxine

[thyroid hormone] levels at concentrations that were at least an order

of magnitude [a factor of 10] below their LOELs. The effects on

thyroxine were cumulative (additive) at low doses and synergistic at

higher doses. (pg. 124)

 

This is extraordinarily important information. The IJC is saying that

the researcher (Kevin M. Crofton) was able to diminish thyroid

hormone levels in the blood of laboratory animals by exposing them to

very lox levels of a combination of chemicals. The individual

chemicals were administered at levels at least 10 times as low as the

amount that is known to cause effects in exposed animals, and the

levels of exposures were selected to mimic levels that a human baby

would receive from breast milk. The COMBINED exposure caused thyroid

hormone levels to decline in the exposed animals. In human babies,

sufficient thyroid hormone is essential for early brain development.

 

5. Summary

 

The IJC report sums up the new information that has come to light in

the last few years:

 

1. Legacy chemicals are not declining rapidly, if at all, and they are

still present at levels that make Great lakes fish unsafe to eat:

 

" In this biennial cycle [in the last two years] it became clear that

our understanding of health hazards associated with 'legacy'

contaminants has increased much more rapidly than their levels are

currently decreasing. PCB and mercury levels in fish are many times

greater than values protective of human health. PCB concentrations in

fillets of some large lake trout from Lake Michigan exceed by 40 fold

the level which would allow unrestricted consumption. " (pg. 128)

 

2. Fish consumption advisories don't work:

 

" Despite consumption advisories, many individuals are exposed

unnecessarily, and often unconsciously, to toxic contaminants through

their diet. " (pg. 128)

 

3. People are being exposed and harmed by breathing the air:

 

" We have also learned that air transport is an important pathway of

exposure and that living near highly contaminated areas increases

one's exposure. " (pg. 128)

 

4. A new set of toxic chemicals is now being measured in the Lakes:

 

" In addition, we have become aware of 'emerging' chemicals that were

not previously detected. " (pg. 128)

 

5. Exposure to Mixtures of Chemicals is Harmful:

 

" There is also a growing awareness of a larger range of developmental

and functional health impacts associated with exposure to mixtures of

chemicals, including the persistent 'legacy' contaminants and the

'emerging' chemicals. " (pg. 128) [The term 'functional health impacts'

includes things like kids struggling to keep up in school, or, in the

case of fish at least, males taking on some of the characteristics of

females.]

 

" Many 'emerging' chemicals affect the same target organs and/or

systems as the 'legacy' chemicals and will contribute to the

cumulative toxicity. " (pg. 128)

 

6. A single chemical can have many effects on many parts of the body

 

" It is now clear that a single chemical can have an impact on

multiple-organ systems via several exposure pathways and a number of

modes of action, and that those impacts can be expressed in multiple

ways. " (pg. 128) [Comment: In the good old days (the entire 20th

century) a chemical was accused of simply causing cancer or harming

the liver or contributing to heart disease, but modern science now

reveals that this old view was hopelessly inadequate for describing

the how a single chemical (not to mention mixtures) can affect many

different bodily systems in many different ways. In a sense, our

knowledge has grown rapidly but what has grown most rapidly is our

understanding of how little we actually understand about the complex

interactions between chemicals, health and behavior.]

 

The Great Lakes are extraordinarily important because they contain 20%

of the world's fresh surface water and 80% of the fresh surface water

in North America. That we have contaminated the lakes so thoroughly is

an astonishing feat of industrial hubris and stupidity.

 

The authors of the IJC report understand that only the people who live

around the Great Lakes can make the necessary changes to save

themselves from an unfolding health disaster. The report asks,

 

" What evidence of human-health effects will be sufficient to create

the political will to clean up the areas that continue to make major

contributions to system contamination? " (pg. 128)

 

And, the report says, " If sufficient resources to support remediation

and required protection efforts are to be committed, Great Lakes

citizens must understand the risks and demand accountability under the

[Great Lakes Water Quality] Agreement for long-term progress and

implementation strategies that are protective of human and wildlife

The Great Lakes are extraordinarily important because they contain 20%

of the world's fresh surface water and 80% of the fresh surface water

in North America. That we have contaminated the lakes so thoroughly is

an astonishing feat of industrial hubris and stupidity. health and 20%

of the world's fresh surface water. " (pg. 128)

 

So there you have it. Basically, to save the Great Lakes from

continued decline, citizens have to develop enough clout to overwhelm

the political influence of corporate polluters, to force government to

adopt a precautionary approach to protect the Lakes.

 

Last December, citizen groups from around the Great lakes published a

report outlining what needs to be done. They agree with the IJC

report, that chemical regulation has failed and the proper remedy is

to implement a precautionary approach.

 

However, the Council of Great Lakes Industries, which represents

chemical companies and coal-burning utilities, has staked out its

position, claiming that even the weak current system is burdensome,

oppressive and nightmarish for industrial polluters. The Council

says it " fears a more aggressive water quality pact will bring costly

new regulations and stifle the regional economy. " Furthermore, the

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement has already " created a bureaucracy

and a governance nightmare that is very difficult to maneuver around. "

 

We are wondering if some communities around the Great Lakes might want

to consider a new strategy, directly challenging the " rights " of

corporations to continue destroying this national treasure.

 

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Alliance for Justice, Jan. 25, 2007

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PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO RESTORE HABEAS CORPUS

 

Sign the Online Petition and Forward it to Your Friends

 

Last September, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of

2006 (MCA), which restricted habeas corpus rights, allowing the

government to continue holding prisoners at Guantanamo

indefinitely with no access to a fair hearing in court.

 

Indefinite imprisonment without a fair trial or hearing is

unconstitutional and fundamentally un-American. Senators Arlen

Specter (R-PA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Christopher Dodd

(D-CT) have authored legislation to restore the right of habeas

corpus.

 

The impact of the habeas corpus restrictions in the new Military

Commission Act go far beyond the walls of Guantanamo prison. The law

allows the government to arrest any non-citizen -- including permanent

residents in the United States -- and hold them indefinitely without

charge and with no access to an attorney or a fair hearing.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

 

There are three important steps you can take:

 

1. Add your name to the national on-line petition supporting

restoration of full habeas corpus rights -- you can read the petition

online or below.

 

To add your name, included below or online, email us at:

allianceforjustice with your name and organization.

 

2. Forward this email or our web page to your friends and

encourage them to sign the petition.

 

Our web page for the campaign to restore habeas corpus is at:

http://ga1.org/campaign/restore_habeas_corpus_2007/explanation

 

3. Send a letter to your Senators and House members supporting

the Specter-Leahy-Dodd legislation to restore habeas corpus

rights by going to:

http://ga1.org/campaign/restore_habeas_corpus_2007

 

The text of the " restore habeas corpus " petition is BELOW and online

at http://www.afj.org/restorehabeascorpus.pdf

 

************************

 

PETITION TO RESTORE HABEAS CORPUS

 

We call on the United States Congress to enact legislation that

will restore our Nation's commitment to law and freedom.

 

In the fall of 2006, Congress passed a law governing military

commissions, which included a provision that stripped certain

detainees of their habeas corpus rights. Habeas corpus has been

the bedrock of our justice system for centuries. The Supreme

Court asserted that it " is the fundamental instrument for

safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary and lawless

state action. " Without habeas rights, detainees are denied a

fair hearing in federal court to challenge the lawfulness of

their detention. The government is left free to imprison people

indefinitely without charge or trial or other fair hearing, no

matter how inhumane the conditions of confinement or the

treatment of the detainees. Such a policy is not only

unconstitutional, it is also fundamentally un-American and

undermines our national character.

 

It is time to join the scores of lawyers, law deans and

professors, politicians, religious leaders and military

officials who have condemned the denial of habeas corpus rights

to detainees and have called for a restoration of our

constitutional values. It is incumbent upon Congress to ensure

that our laws reflect who we are as a society, that we are a

people committed to accountability and basic fairness. In the

face of adversity, adhering to our values does not make us less

secure, but rather strengthens us as a nation.

 

Protect freedom, fairness and due process of law. Restore habeas

corpus.

 

[YOUR NAME HERE]

 

Visit this web address to tell your friends about this.

 

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for

Alliance for Justice at: http://ga1.org/afj/join.html?r=D7s7L4713

mmKE

 

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Orion, Jan. 25, 2007

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THE LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVE

 

An Interview with Oren Lyons

 

By Barry Lopez

 

Oren Lyons, seventy-six, is a wisdom carrier, one of the bearers of a

variety of human tradition that can't easily be reduced to a couple of

sentences. One reason he -- and the tradition for which he is a

spokesperson -- isn't more widely known is that he doesn't actively

seek forums from which to speak. If someone asks him, however, about

the principles behind the particular Native American tradition of

which he has, since 1967, been an appointed caretaker, he is glad to

respond. He chooses his words carefully, and occasionally, these days,

there is a hint of indignation in his voice, as if time were short and

people generally willful in their distraction.

 

In an era of self-promotion, Oren Lyons represents the antithesis of

celebrity. When he converses about serious issues, no insistent ego

comes to the fore, no desire to be seen as an important or wise

person. His voice is but one in a long series, as he sees it, and the

wisdom belongs not to him but to the tradition for which he speaks.

His approach to problems is unusual in modern social commentary

because his observations are not compelled by any overriding sense of

the importance of the human present. In place of a philosophy of

progress, he emphasizes fidelity to a set of spiritual and natural

laws that have guided successful human social organization throughout

history.

 

The appeal of his particular ethics in the search for solutions to

contemporary environmental and social problems can become readily

apparent. It is importantly, however, not a wisdom anchored in beliefs

about human perfection. It's grounded in the recognition and

acceptance of human responsibility where all forms of life are

concerned.

 

Oren is a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan among the Onondaga people of

western New York. He sits on the Council of Chiefs of the

Haudenosaunee, or the Six Nations as they are sometimes known. (In

addition to the Onondaga, these would be the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida,

Mohawk, and Tuscarora.) The people of this " Iroquois Confederacy "

share a philosophy of life given to them a thousand years ago by a

spiritual being they call the Peace Maker. (He was named so partly

because his instructions and warnings ended a period of warfare among

these tribes, but his teachings about peace are understood to refer

principally to a state of mind necessary for good living and good

governance.)

 

When the Peace Maker came to the Haudenosaunee, he instructed them in

a system of self-governing that was democratic in nature. (Benjamin

Franklin and others, in fact, borrowed freely from this part of

Haudenosaunee oral tradition and practice in formulating the

principles of government upon which the United States was founded.) He

emphasized the importance of diversity in human society to ensure

sustainability and rejuvenation. And he urged a general tradition of

thanksgiving.

 

The Peace Maker is sometimes called simply " the Messenger, " someone

sent by the Creator. The clan mothers among the Haudenosaunee, along

with sitting chiefs such as Oren, are regarded as " runners, " people

responsible for keeping the precepts handed to them by the Peace Maker

regenerating through time. As a council chief, Oren is said to be

" sitting for the welfare of the people " and to be engaged in

sustaining " the power of the good mind " in discussions with others on

the council, all of whom are exchanging thoughts about the everyday

application of the wisdom given them by the Peace Maker.

 

Oren has spoken often, recently, about a lack of will among world

leaders, a failure to challenge the economic forces tearing apart

human communities the world over, and the Earth itself. His response

to the question of what society should do to protect life, however, is

rarely prescriptive. Frequently what he says is, " It's up to each

generation. There are no guarantees. "

 

The Peace Maker's advice included an important warning for the chiefs

and clan mothers. Some of his instruction, he said, would apply to

life-threatening situations that would develop before the

Haudenosaunee were able to fully grasp their malevolent nature. While

the insights needed to manage such trouble would emerge among council

members, the people might initially adamantly reject the council's

advice. As decision makers, he said, the chiefs and clan mothers would

have to be prepared to absorb this abuse. Oren recounts these words of

the Messenger: " You must be tolerant [of harsh critics] and must not

respond in kind, but must understand [their fear], and be prepared to

absorb all of that, because it is not all going to be coming from your

enemies. It is going to be coming from your friends and families. This

you can expect. "

 

In public, Oren Lyons carries himself with the unaffected manner of

elders in many of the world's indigenous traditions -- unpretentious,

understated. His physical presence in a room, however, radiates

authority. In conversations, you quickly sense that he takes life more

seriously than most. He is an articulate and forceful speaker when it

comes to discussing the worldwide movement toward civil society, a

movement that would marginalize the sort of governance and commerce

that today threaten life everywhere.

 

Oren Lyons, long a professor of American Studies at the State

University of New York at Buffalo, is the publisher of Daybreak, a

national Native American magazine. Before being appointed to the

Onondaga Council by the clan mothers in 1969, he was successfully

pursuing a career in commercial art in New York City. An All-American

lacrosse goalie while a student at Syracuse University, he was later

elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in both Canada and the

United States, and named honorary chairman of the Iroquois Nationals

lacrosse team. He is the recipient of many national and international

awards, and for more than three decades has been a defining presence

in international indigenous rights and sovereignty issues.

 

--Barry Lopez

 

THE INTERVIEW

 

Barry Lopez: Why is sovereignty such a crucial issue for Native

American people today?

 

Oren Lyons: Well, sovereignty is probably one of the most hackneyed

words that is used in conjunction with Indians. What is it, and why is

it so important? It's a definition of political abilities and it's a

definition of borders and boundaries. It encapsulates the idea of

nationhood. It refers to authority and power -- ultimate and final

authority.

 

It's such a discussion among native peoples in North America, I would

say, because of our abilities at the time of " discovery " -- and I use

that term under protest, as if to say that before the advent of the

white man in North America nothing existed. Where does that idea come

from? Well, it comes from the ultimate authority of the pope at the

time. I'm talking 1492. The Roman Catholic Church was the world power.

Now it's my understanding that in the Bible, both the Old Testament

and the New Testament, there is no mention of the Western Hemisphere

whatsoever -- not the least hint. How could they miss a whole

hemisphere?

 

So here we were in our own hemisphere, developing our own ideas, our

own thoughts, and our own worldview. There were great civilizations

here at the time. In 1492, Haudenosaunee -- which is better known as

the Iroquois by the French, and Six Nations by the English -- already

had several hundred years of democracy, organized democracy. We had a

constitution here based on peace, based on equity and justice, based

on unity and health. This was ongoing.

 

As far as I know, all the other Indian nations functioned more or less

the same way. Their leadership was chosen by the people. Leaders were

fundamentally servants to the people. And in our confederation, there

was no place for an army. We didn't have a concept of a standing army,

and we had no police. Nor was there a concept of jails, but there were

of course fine perceptions of right and wrong, and rules and law. I

would say that in most Indian nations, because they had inhabited one

place for so long and were a people for so long, the rules and laws

were embedded in the genes of the people more or less, in the minds of

the people certainly, but not written. Plenty of law, almost on

everything, but unspoken. Unspoken unless transgressed. There was

always reaction to transgression.

 

Across the water, in Europe, our brother was engulfed in great

crusades. If you look at their histories and what is in their museums,

no matter where you are -- whether it's Germany or France or England

or Holland or whatever nation -- in their great halls you'll see

paintings of battles. Always. That must have been a terrible way of

life. Now I speak of Europe because they are the ones that came here.

And when they came here, the pope said, If there are no Christians on

these lands, then we'll declare the lands terra nullius -- empty lands

-- regardless of peoples there. And the question arose almost

immediately, Were the aboriginal people indeed people? That was the

big discussion. Why? Well, you can say a lot of things, but the issue

is land -- always has been and always will be.

 

The ideas of land tenure and ownership were brought here. We didn't

think that you could buy and sell land. In fact, the ideas of buying

and selling were concepts we didn't have. We laughed when they told us

they wanted to buy land. And we said, Well, how can you buy land? You

might just as well buy air, or buy water. But we don't laugh anymore,

because that is precisely what has happened. Today, when you fly

across this country and you look down and you see all those squares

and circles, that's land bought and sold. Boundaries made. They did

it. The whole country.

 

We didn't accept that, but nevertheless it was imposed. They said,

Let's make us a law here; we'll call it the law of discovery. The

first Christian nation that discovers this land will be able to secure

it and the other Christian nations will respect that. What does that

do to the original people, whose land of course they are talking

about? We just weren't included. They established a process that

eliminated the aboriginal people from title to their own land. They

set the rules at the time and we were not subjects, we were objects,

and we have been up to this point. That's why indigenous people are

not included in the Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.

We are still objects in common law.

 

In today's courts, in New York and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania,

they talk about the pre-emption rights of the law of discovery. Today.

Land claims are being denied on the basis of the law of discovery. It

has not gone away whatsoever. You really have to get the case law and

look at it, because they not only say that we don't have land tenure,

they say that we have only the right of occupancy.

 

And they don't have to pay us anything, because we're part of the

flora and fauna of North America.

 

No wonder Indians wonder about what sovereignty is.

 

BL: Native elders are often credited with being informed about the

environment, or knowledgeable about spiritual issues, but rarely

credited with expertise when it comes to governance. Why aren't native

elders sought out for their wisdom about a good way to govern, a good

way to serve people?

 

OL: Well, to put it simply, our worldview, our perspective, and our

process of governance is contrary to private property. Private

property is a concept that flies in the face of our understanding of

life, and we would say of the reality of life. Private property is a

conception, a human conception, which amounts to personal greed.

 

And then there's the spiritual side that you mention. You can't see

the spiritual side... well, you get glimpses of it. Any hunter will

tell you, you see it in the eyes of the deer, that bright spark, that

life, that light in his eyes, and when you make your kill, it's gone.

Where did it go? It's the same light that's in the eyes of children,

or in the eyes of old men, old women. There's a life in there, there's

a spirit in there, and when you die, when your body gives up the

ghost, as Christians say, spirit leaves. We believe that.

 

We believe that everything we see is made by a Creator. Indeed that's

what we call the ultimate power. Shongwaiyadisaih. The maker of all

life. The giver of life. All powerful. We see the Creation --

everything -- as what the giver of life has produced here. And if we

believe that, which we do, then we must respect it. It's a spiritual

Creation, and it demands that kind of respect. So when I see people,

they are manifestations of the Creator's work, and I must respect

them. It doesn't matter what color they are -- anything alive.

 

A thousand years ago, when the Peace Maker brought to us the Great Law

of Peace, Gayanahshagowa, he set as our symbol for the confederation

of Haudenosaunee a great tree, and he said, " This is going to be the

symbol of your work and your law: a great white pine, four white roots

of truth that reach in the four directions of the world. And those

people who have no place to go will follow the root to its source and

come under the protection of the Great Law of Peace and the great long

leaves of the great tree. " And then he admonished the leaders and the

people, and he said, " Never challenge the spiritual law. Never

challenge it because you cannot prevail. " That's a direct instruction

to leadership.

 

BL: It seems to me that the federal government in the United States is

reluctant to invite Indian people to the table because, as you've just

said, you can't have effective leadership without spiritual law, and

you can't talk about good governance without environmental awareness.

Yet we need -- all of us need -- the counsel of minds that

successfully addressed questions of social justice long before Western

culture, arguably, complicated them with the notion of industrial

progress.

 

OL: After the Peace Maker gathered five warring nations -- the

Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Cayugas, the Senecas, and the Onondagas --

and after great efforts and great cohesive work, the power of the

unity of the good minds brought together this confederacy based on

peace. And after he had taken the leaders and sat them under this

great tree on the shoreline of Onondaga Lake and instructed them on

the process of governance, on the principles of governance, on the

importance of identity and the importance of rule and law, he said,

" Now that we've planted this great tree, in your hands now I place all

life. Protection of all life is in your hands now, " and when he said

all life, he meant literally, all life.

 

And it's an instruction that we carry today. We feel responsible for

animals, we feel responsible for trees, and responsible for fish,

responsible for water. We feel responsible for land and all of the

insects and everything that's there. And when he spoke of the four

white roots reaching in the four directions, I think he was talking to

all people. Not just Haudenosaunee. This is an instruction for all

people.

 

But after all of that, a woman said to him, " Well then, " she said,

" how long will this last? " And he answered, " That's up to you. " So

it's completely up to us if we want this Creation to continue, and if

we want to be involved in it, a part of this whole recycling, this

whole regeneration of life, and we want to be celebrating it, and we

want to be enjoying it, and we want to be preserving it, carrying it

on, protecting it for future generations.

 

In one of his many instructions he said, " Counselors, leaders, " he

said, " now that we have raised you here, now that you are who you

are, " he said, " when you counsel for the welfare of the people, then

think not of yourself, nor of your family, nor even your generation. "

He said, " Make your decisions on behalf of the seventh generation

coming. You who see far into the future, that is your responsibility:

to look out for those generations that are helpless, that are

completely at our mercy. We must protect them. " And that's great

counsel in today's times, if we want the seventh generation to be

here, and to have what we have.

 

BL: What do you think is the great impediment to the implementation of

that wisdom?

 

OL: Human ego is probably the biggest impediment -- the amazing

ability of any human to perceive themselves as almighty powerful, no

matter what. That is a big problem. We were instructed long before the

Peace Maker to be respectful, to have ceremonies, to carry out

thanksgivings for everything. We have an enormous amount of ceremony

and thanksgiving still going on in North America. Indian nations

across the country are still carrying on those ceremonies in their

languages and through their dances. We're trying.

 

And we're told, as long as there is one to speak and one to listen,

one to sing and one to dance, the fight is on. So that is hope. To not

give up. To try, and to use reason. Peace Maker said, " I'm going to

throw your weapons of war into this hole. " He uprooted that great tree

and instructed all the men to bring their weapons of war and to cast

them into this hole. That was the first disarmament. And he said, " I'm

not going to leave you unprotected and helpless. " And he gave us the

great tobacco plant. And he said, " This will be your medium to speak

to me when you need to. " And he gave us a very special plant, which we

still use, still speak to him with.

 

We believe. And I think as long as we're doing that, there is a

chance.

 

BL: When you meet with people -- Desmond Tutu for example, Gorbachev,

other people who've sought your counsel and the wisdom of the Six

Nations -- do you sense a possibility that these cultures that are

driven by issues of private property, social control, and capitalism

can be guided by your example of how to conduct a civilization without

warfare?

 

OL: Indian people have as much dissension among themselves as anybody.

I think that our understanding is simply that dissension begins with

each individual. You don't need two people to have that tension; you

have it within yourself. As a human being, you have a spiritual

center, and if you go too far to the right or too far to the left,

you're out of balance. And that occurs every day.

 

In the creation story that we have, we talk about the twin brothers,

one good, one evil, and we talk about the battles that they went

through, enveloping the Earth itself. It's a story to the people, to

explain that within each of us we have these tensions, and that on any

given day any one of us can be the world's worst enemy.

 

And that's why you have councils, and that's why you have rule, and

that's why you have community and law, because that is part of

humanity. And there is no ultimate authority. But of course over time

people have found standards of moral right, and I think that's where

the real law lies. It lies in morality. A balance.

 

The only thing that you can do is have custom in usage, and a good

example. That's why grandpas and grandmas are so important. They are

the transition people. They move the children into the next

generation. Peace Maker said, " Make your decisions on behalf of seven

generations. " He's telling you to look ahead, to not think about

yourself. If you can stop thinking about yourself and begin thinking

about responsibility, everything is going to get better. Immediately

everything will change. But that is not the makeup of the human mind.

There's always the evil twin. And there's always the good twin. It's a

daily battle.

 

BL: My own problem at the moment is a frustration that my fate, the

fate of the people I love, and the fate of my family are in the hands

of men who see no reason to listen to counsel from outside the

circumscribed world of their own knowledge. I live in a country in

which people take pride in never having had any kind of experience

with other cultures, who believe that they have perfected the ways of

life to such a degree that forcing them down the throats of other

people is an act of benevolence. They don't want people who speak for

the integration of spiritual and material life at the table because

these people are disruptive when it comes to issues of consumerism,

economic expansion, and international cooperation. To me, this is

fundamentally not only unjust, but stupid.

 

OL: I see it that way too. We're being placed in an untenable position

by greed and force and authority. If I was sitting on the moon looking

back on North America, on the democracy that was here when

Haudenosaunee was meeting and the Peace Maker was bringing these ideas

to us, I would have seen this light, this bright light. I'd see it

grow. And then in 1776, when the Continental Congress came as close to

Indian nations as they ever would in their style of thinking, that

light was growing again. The idea of democracy and the idea of peace

were there.

 

But it began to dim almost immediately, as they began to take away

peoples' rights in the Constitution of the United States. The

Constitution institutionalized the idea that only men with money or

property could vote. They said it was okay to have a slave or two or

three or ten or twenty. The light began to dim. Haudenosaunee chiefs

shook their heads and they said, " You're courting trouble. " And then

it really got dim in 1863, and 4 and 5 and 7 and 8, when they had a

great civil war in this country over the issues of power, authority,

slavery. That was a very intense war. That was brother against

brother.

 

And so it goes on, this idea of private property, this idea of

accruement of wealth. And now we have corporate states, corporations

that have the status of states -- independent and sovereign, and

fealty to no one, no moral law at all. President Bush has said, " Let

the market dictate our direction. " Now if that isn't about as stupid

as you can get. What he said was, let the greed of the people dictate

the direction of the Earth. If that's the basis of a country, then

it's really lost what you would call a primary direction for survival.

 

This is really the danger today -- this empty, senseless lack of

leadership. But it doesn't mean that responsibility isn't in the hands

of the people. To come down to the nut of the whole thing, it's the

people's responsibility to do something about it. Leadership was never

meant to take care of anybody. Leadership was meant to guide people;

they take care of themselves. People should be storming the offices of

all these pharmaceutical companies that are stealing money from them.

They should be dragging these leaders, these CEOs, out into the

streets and they should be challenging them. They're not doing that.

They're just worried about how they're going to pay more.

 

It's the abdication of responsibility by the people. What was it that

they said? By the people and for the people? That was the Peace

Maker's instruction: Of, by, and for the people. You choose your own

leaders. You put 'em up, and you take 'em down. But you, the people,

are responsible. You're responsible for your life; you're responsible

for everything.

 

People haven't been here all that long as a species on the Earth. We

haven't been here all that long and our tenure is in question right

now. The question arises, Do we have the wisdom, do we have the

discipline, do we have the moral rule, the moral law, are we mature

enough to care for what is our responsibility? That question can only

be answered by the people.

 

========================================================

 

This interview grew out of an Orion Society event called Artful

Advocacy, which was hosted and funded by the Rockefeller Brothers

Fund, with additional support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and

the Compton Foundation.

 

Copyright 2007 The Orion Society

 

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Center for Health and the Global Environment, Jan. 17, 2007

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AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION TO PROTECT CREATION

 

Summary

 

Scientific and evangelical leaders recently met to search for common

ground in the protection of the creation. We happily discovered far

more concordance than any of us had expected, quickly moving beyond

dialogue to a shared sense of moral purpose.

 

Important initiatives were already underway on both sides, and when

compared they were found to be broadly overlapping. We clearly share a

moral passion and sense of vocation to save the imperiled living world

before our damages to it remake it as another kind of planet. We agree

not only that reckless human activity has imperiled the Earth --

especially the unsustainable and short-sighted lifestyles and public

policies of our own nation -- but also that we share a profound moral

obligation to work together to call our nation, and other nations, to

the kind of dramatic change urgently required in our day. We pledge

our joint commitment to this effort in the unique moment now upon us.

 

Background

 

This meeting was convened by the Center for Health and the Global

Environment at Harvard Medical School and the National Association of

Evangelicals. It was envisioned as a first exploratory conference,

based on a shared concern for the creation, to be held among people

who were in some ways quite different in their worldviews. It now

seems to us to be the beginning point of a major shared effort among

scientists and evangelicals to protect life on Earth and the fragile

life support systems that sustain it, drawing on the unique

intellectual, spiritual, and moral contributions that each community

can bring.

 

Our Shared Concern

 

We agree that our home, the Earth, which comes to us as that

inexpressibly beautiful and mysterious gift that sustains our very

lives, is seriously imperiled by human behavior.

 

The harm is seen throughout the natural world, including a cascading

set of problems such as climate change, habitat destruction,

pollution, and species extinctions, as well as the spread of human

infectious diseases, and other accelerating threats to the health of

people and the well-being of societies.

 

Each particular problem could be enumerated, but here it is enough to

say that we are gradually destroying the sustaining community of life

on which all living things on Earth depend. The costs of this

destruction are already manifesting themselves around the world in

profound and painful ways. The cost to humanity is already significant

and may soon become incalculable.

 

Being irreversible, many of these changes would affect all generations

to come. We believe that the protection of life on Earth is a profound

moral imperative. It addresses without discrimination the interests of

all humanity as well as the value of the non-human world. It requires

a new moral awakening to a compelling demand, clearly articulated in

Scripture and supported by science, that we must steward the natural

world in order to preserve for ourselves and future generations a

beautiful, rich, and healthful environment.

 

For many of us, this is a religious obligation, rooted in our sense of

gratitude for Creation and reverence for its Creator. One fundamental

motivation that we share is concern for the poorest of the poor, well

over a billion people, who have little chance to improve their lives

in devastated and often war-ravaged environments.

 

At the same time, the natural environments in which they live, and

where so much of Earth's biodiversity barely hangs on, cannot survive

the press of destitute people without other resources and with nowhere

else to go.

 

We declare that every sector of our nation's leadership-religious,

scientific, business, political, and educational-must act now to work

toward the fundamental change in values, lifestyles, and public

policies required to address these worsening problems before it is too

late.

 

There is no excuse for further delays. Business as usual cannot

continue yet one more day. We pledge to work together at every level

to lead our nation toward a responsible care for creation, and we call

with one voice to our scientific and evangelical colleagues, and to

all others, to join us in these efforts.

 

========================================================

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 17, 2007

 

CONTACTS: Sharon Castillo, Phyllis Cuttino 202.289.5900

 

Evangelical, Scientific Leaders Launch Effort to Protect Earth

 

Unprecedented collaboration aims to instill sense of urgency on

elected officials, advance sound environmental policies

 

Washington, D.C. -- In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, evangelical

and scientific leaders announced today a collaborative effort to

protect the environment. Speaking at a news conference in Washington,

DC, a dozen leaders of the effort shared concerns about human-caused

threats to the creation -- including climate change, habitat

destruction, pollution, species extinction, the spread of human

infectious diseases, and other dangers to the well-being of societies.

 

The coalition released an " Urgent Call to Action " statement signed by

28 evangelical and scientific leaders. The statement -- sent to

President George W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bipartisan

congressional leaders, and national evangelical and scientific

organizations -- urges " fundamental change in values, lifestyles, and

public policies required to address these worsening problems before it

is too late. Business as usual cannot continue yet one more day. " The

group pledged to " work together toward a responsible care for creation

and call with one voice " to the religious, scientific, business,

political and educational arenas to join them in this historic

initiative.

 

" There is no such thing as a Republican or Democrat, a liberal or

conservative, a religious or secular environment. We all breathe the

same air and drink the same water. Scientists and evangelicals share a

deep moral commitment to preserve this precious gift we have all been

given, " said Dr. Eric Chivian, Nobel laureate and Director of the

Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment.

" Great scientists are people of imagination. So are people of great

faith. We dare to imagine a world in which science and religion

cooperate, minimizing our differences about how Creation got started,

to work together to reverse its degradation. We will not allow it to

be progressively destroyed by human folly, " added Rev. Richard Cizik,

Vice President for Government Affairs of the National Association of

Evangelicals.

 

Stressing that their effort is just beginning, coalition members spoke

about some of the immediate next steps they will be taking, including

holding meetings with Congressional leaders from both parties to

inform them of this unprecedented effort and encourage their attention

to environmental issues. They also plan to hold a Summit on the

Creation and will develop outreach tools, such as an environmental

bible and environmental curricula.

 

" If current deterioration of the environment by human activity

continues unabated, best estimates are that half of Earth's surviving

species of plants and animals will be extinguished or critically

endangered by the end of the century. The price for future generations

will be paid in economic opportunity, environmental security, and

spiritual fulfillment. The saving of the living environment is

therefore an issue appropriately addressed jointly by science and

religion, " said Pulitzer-award winning author Dr. Edward O. Wilson.

 

One of the imperatives of the group will be to advance the dialogue

and influence policy in regards to global warming. " In order to avoid

clear and substantial dangers... it will be necessary to substantially

reduce CO2 emissions during the next few decades, and perhaps by 80

percent or more before the end of the century, " said Dr. James

Hansen, the leading climate change scientist in the United States.

 

The coalition vowed to expand their collaboration and encourage action

from all sectors of society. " We are glad to be partnering with our

friends in the scientific community. They have the facts we need to

present to our congregations; we have the numbers of activists that

will work through churches, government, and the business community to

make a significant impact, " said Dr. Joel Hunter, Senior Pastor of the

mega Northland Church in Orlando, Florida.

 

The unique collaboration, 28-members strong and growing, was

spearheaded by leaders from the Center for Health and the Global

Environment at Harvard Medical School and the National Association of

Evangelicals. During a retreat held last November 30 to December 2nd

in Thomasville, Georgia, the group agreed that science proves that the

natural world is imperiled by human behaviors and policies,

particularly by the unsustainable burning of fossil fuels and

degradation of living systems. They decided to embark on a continuing

collaboration and authored the " Urgent Call to Action " statement.

 

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Associated Press, Jan. 20, 2007

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STUDY LINKS CHILD CANCER, AIR POLLUTION

 

Children Living Near Plants See 56 Percent Risk Increase

 

HOUSTON -- A new study links the risk of cancer in children with

hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).

 

About The Study Executive Summary Full Study PDF

 

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) are a class of 189 chemicals which are

known or suspected to have adverse effects on health, according to the

Houston [Texas] Health Department. The Health Department reported that

there are no national standards regulating acceptable levels of these

compounds in the environment.

 

The study found that cancer risks are greater for children who live

close to the Houston Ship Channel and adjacent industrial plants.

 

The 18-month study examined Harris County, Texas, cancer cases from

1995 to 2003 and emissions including 1,3-butadiene and benzene. It's

the first study to identify a possible link between cancer risks and

toxic air pollution in Harris County.

 

The study was conducted by the University of Texas School of Public

Health. It was funded by the Houston Department of Health and Human

Services and the Centers for Disease Control.

 

The study found that children living within 2 miles of the Ship

Channel had a 56 percent higher risk of getting acute lymphocytic

leukemia than children living more than 10 miles from the channel.

 

It also found that compared with children living in areas with the

lowest estimated 1,3-butadiene levels, children living in areas with

the highest levels had a 40 percent, 38 percent and 153 percent

increased risk of developing any type of leukemia, acute lymphocytic

leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, respectively.

 

Researchers said that at the suggestion of several environmental

scientists, they repeated their analyses for childhood leukemia using

the United States Environmental Protective Agency's 1999 National Air

Toxics Assessment modeled ambient 1,3-butadiene and benzene levels. In

general, they saw a similar pattern.

 

Among adults, neither proximity to the Houston Ship Channel, nor

levels of benzene or 1,3-butadiene was consistently associated with

leukemia or lymphoma risk, the study said.

 

Mayor Bill White said the results will help spur city efforts to clean

up the air.

 

A press release said researchers at the Health Department identified

all cancer cases, including adult and childhood cases, diagnosed and

reported to the Texas Cancer Registry from 1995-2003. They then used

existing air monitoring data collected from 1992-2003 by the Texas

Commission on Environmental Quality to estimate ambient census tract

levels to benzene and 1,3-butadiene.

 

They also estimated the risk of developing leukemia and lymphoma

associated with residential proximity to the Houston Ship Channel.

They assigned cancer cases to a particular census tract based on their

residence at diagnosis as reported to the Texas Cancer Registry.

Researchers calculated cancer rates separately for adult and childhood

cancers for each census tract. They also said they accounted for

gender, age, socio-economic status, and ethnicity.

 

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated

Press contributed to this report.

 

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New York Times (pg. G1), Jan. 25, 2007

[Printer-friendly version]

 

CAN POLYESTER SAVE THE WORLD?

 

Your 'disposable' fashions add to global warming

 

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

 

Woking, England -- Josephine Copeland and her 20-year-old daughter, Jo

Jo, visited Primark at the Peacock Center mall here, in the London

suburbs, to buy presents for friends, but ended up loaded with clothes

for themselves: boots, a cardigan, a festive blouse, and a long silver

coat with faux fur trim, which cost $24 but looks like a million

bucks. " If it falls apart, you just toss it away! " said Jo Jo,

proudly wearing her purchase.

 

Environmentally, that is more and more of a problem.

 

With rainbow piles of sweaters and T-shirts that often cost less than

a sandwich, stores like Primark are leaders in the quick-growing

" fast fashion " industry, selling cheap garments that can be used and

discarded without a second thought. Consumers, especially teenagers,

love the concept, pioneered also by stores like H & M internationally

and by Old Navy and Target in the United States, since it allows them

to shift styles with speed on a low budget.

 

But clothes -- and fast clothes in particular -- are a large and

worsening source of the carbon emissions that contribute to global

warming, because of how they are both produced and cared for,

concludes a new report from researchers at Cambridge University

titled " Well Dressed? "

 

The global textile industry must become eco-conscious, the report

concludes. It explores how to develop a more " sustainable clothing "

industry -- a seeming oxymoron in a world where fashions change every

few months.

 

" Hmmm, " said Sally Neild, 44, dressed in casual chic, in jeans and

boots, as she pondered such alien concepts, shopping bags in hand.

" People now think a lot about green travel and green food. But I

think we are a long way from there in terms of clothes. People are mad

about those stores. "

 

It is hard to imagine how customers who rush after trends, or the

stores that serve them, will respond to the report's suggestions: that

people lease clothes and return them at the end of a month or a

season, so the garments can be lent again to someone else -- like

library books -- and that they buy more expensive and durable clothing

that can be worn for years.

 

In terms of care, the report highlights the benefits of synthetic

fabrics that require less hot water to wash and less ironing. It

suggests that consumers air-dry clothes and throw away their tumble

dryers, which require huge amounts of energy.

 

But some big retailers are starting to explore their options. " Our

research shows that customers are getting very concerned about

environmental issues, and we don't want to get caught between the

eyes, " said Mike Barry, head of corporate social responsibility at

Marks & Spencer, one of Britain's largest retailers, which helped pay

for the Cambridge study. " It's a trend that we know won't go away

after a season, like a poncho. "

 

Customers " will ask 'what are you doing?' " Mr. Barry said, noting

that 70 percent of Britons shop at his chain. " So we're doing a lot

of thinking about what a sustainable clothing industry could look like

in five years. "

 

Consumers spend more than $1 trillion a year on clothing and textiles,

an estimated one-third of that in Western Europe, another third in

North America, and about a quarter in Asia. In many places, cheap,

readily disposable clothes have displaced hand-me-downs as the

mainstay of dressing.

 

" My mother had the same wardrobe her entire life, " Ms. Neild said.

" For my daughter, styles change every six months and you need to keep

up. "

 

As a result, women's clothing sales in Britain rose by 21 percent

between 2001 and 2005 alone to about $47.6 billion, spurred by lower

prices, according to the Cambridge report.

 

And while many people have grown accustomed to recycling cans, bottles

and newspapers, used clothes are generally thrown away. " In a wealthy

society, clothing and textiles are bought as much for fashion as for

function, " the report says, and that means that clothes are replaced

" before the end of their natural life. "

 

Dr. Julian Allwood, who led a team of environmental researchers in

conducting the report, noted in an interview that it is now easier for

British consumers to toss unwanted clothes than to take them to a

recycling center, and easier to throw clothes into the hamper for a

quick machine wash and dry than to sponge off stains.

 

He hopes his report will educate shoppers about the costs to the

environment, so that they change their behavior.

 

There are many examples of how changing consumer priorities have

forced even the most staid retailers to alter the way they do

business.

 

Last year Marks & Spencer -- Britain's mainstay for products like

underwear and shortbread -- decided to go organic in its food

business; it now sells only free-trade coffee and teas, for example.

Many executives regarded the shift as a foolish and risky decision,

but the store found that sales jumped 12 percent. The store learned a

lesson that executives think will apply to clothes.

 

" Morally, we know more sustainable clothing is the right thing to do,

but we are more and more convinced that commercially it is the right

thing as well, " Mr. Barry said. In fact, marketing the " green "

value of clothing, even if costs a bit more, may provide an advantage

over competitors.

 

Part of the problem is that neither manufacturers nor customers

understand much about how and when clothing purchases degrade the

environment, since these can occur anywhere from the harvest of cotton

or the manufacture of synthetic fibers to how -- and how often -- the

garment must be washed.

 

" We've got fantastic standards when it comes to food, but it is all

brand-new when it comes to clothes, " Mr. Barry admitted. " We have a

lot to learn. "

 

In their efforts to buy green, customers tend to focus on packaging

and chemicals, issues that do not factor in with clothing. Likewise,

they purchase " natural " fibers like cotton, believing they are good

for the environment.

 

But that is not always the case: while so-called organic cotton is

exemplary in the way it avoids pesticides, cotton garments squander

energy because they must be washed frequently at high temperatures,

and generally require tumble-drying and ironing. Sixty percent of the

carbon emissions generated by a simple cotton T-shirt comes from the

25 washes and machine dryings it will require, the Cambridge study

found.

 

A polyester blouse, by contrast, takes more energy to make, since

synthetic fabric comes from materials like wood and oil. But upkeep is

far more fuel-efficient, since polyester cleans more easily and dries

faster.

 

Over a lifetime, a polyester blouse uses less energy than a cotton T-

shirt.

 

One way to change the balance would be to develop technology to treat

cotton so that it did not absorb odors so readily.

 

Also, Dr. Allwood said that " reducing washing temperature has a huge

impact, " speaking of a significant drop from about 122 Fahrenheit to

105. Even better, he said, would be to drop washing temperature below

normal body temperatures, but that would require changes in washing

machines and detergents.

 

The report suggests that retailers could begin to lease clothes for a

season (just as wedding stores rent tuxedos) or buy back old clothes

from customers at a discount, for recycling.

 

But experiments along these lines have faltered. A decade ago, Hanna

Andersson, an eco-conscious American clothing company, tried offering

mail-order customers 20 percent credit toward new purchases if they

sent back their used garments. This " hannadowns " program was

canceled after two years.

 

People hope " we'll find new sources of energy, so we won't really

have to change much, " Dr. Allwood said. " But that is extremely

unlikely. "

 

To cut back the use of carbons and make fashion truly sustainable,

shoppers will have " to own less, to have less stuff, " Dr. Allwood

said. " And that is a very hard sell. "

 

And so Marks & Spencer is thinking about whether its customers will be

willing to change their buying habits, to pay more for less-

fashionable but " sustainable " garments. After all, consumers have

shown a willingness to pay more for clothes not made in sweatshops,

and some are unwilling to buy diamonds because of forced labor in

African mines.

 

On a recent day outside Marks & Spencer on Guildford High Street,

where everyone was loaded with shopping bags, Audrey Mammana, who is

45, said she was not " a throw-away person " and would be happy to

lease high-end clothing for a season. She would also be willing to

repair old clothes to extend their use, although fewer shops perform

this task.

 

But, she added: " If you cut out tumble-drying, I think you'd lose me.

I couldn't do without that. "

 

Return to Table of Contents

 

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Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), Jan. 22, 2007

[Printer-friendly version]

 

GRAND CANYON CONTROVERSY CLARIFICATION

 

Many PEER supporters and bloggers world-wide have commented on the

controversy surrounding the age of the Grand Canyon generated by a

recent PEER press release. We would like to apologize for the fact

that our December 28, 2006 release, " How Old is the Grand Canyon?

Park Service Won't Say, " was not as clear as it should have been. If

we had it to do over, it would have been written differently. While we

aim to call attention to issues that we believe are important, it is

not our intention to promote misinformation. To set the record

straight, we would like to offer the following clarification and

update.

 

Once we became aware that the press release was being misinterpreted,

we took a couple steps to amend this error:

 

1) PEER revised the original release on our website, deleting the

problematic first sentence. [ " Grand Canyon National Park is not

permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its

principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration

appointees. " ]

 

Although the information was not included in the release, that

sentence was based on the fact that since 2004 (until this recent

controversy erupted) we heard from reporters that the superintendent's

office at GCNP had answered media questions about the age of the

canyon with either a " no comment " or by referring the reporter to

Headquarters.

 

2) We distributed a second press release that laid out clearly the

Park Service's position on the age of the Grand Canyon, and posted the

NPS official statement on our website.

 

It's significant to note that the public controversy surrounding our

release finally stimulated the National Park Service, for the first

time, to go on the record saying it did not endorse the content of Tom

Vail's book, Grand Canyon: A Different View. As with all other

statements on this issue, of course, it came out of HQ, and not the

park.

 

Our intention in the original release was simply to point out that the

National Park Service is

 

a) still selling the creationist book in violation of their own

policies and despite the protests of the Service's own geologists and

the park superintendent

 

b) stonewalling on the long-promised official review of their decision

to sell the book

 

c) refusing to issue formal guidance to park staff on how to address

questions from visitors about creationism and the official NPS

position in light of the approval of a book espousing this view.

 

As a side note, we spoke today with someone who bought the book out of

curiosity, and was dismayed to find that it included promotional

material about the author's church and for his river tour company. He

suggested that this offered further reasons it shouldn't be sold in

the NPS bookstore.

 

Again, our apologies to anyone who felt offended or misinformed, and

we hope that this clarifies the matter. Thank you for following

PEER's work, and taking the time to become engaged in the issue.

Public discourse and healthy skepticism are crucial in arriving at a

more complete understanding of the truth.

 

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Rachel's Democracy & Health News (formerly Rachel's Environment &

Health News) highlights the connections between issues that are

often considered separately or not at all.

 

The natural world is deteriorating and human health is declining

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