NEWSENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM

The battle against the environmental impact of single-use plastic bags is a classic David vs. Goliath story: local individuals trying to reduce waste and save the planet are going up against the giants of petro-chemical companies bent on keeping the flow of fossil-fuel laden bags at an all time high. Take, for example, the owner of ChicoBags, a reusable bag company that was recently sued by three of the top US manufacturers of plastic bags—Hilex Poly LLC, Superbag, and Advance Polybag—in an attempt to discredit the reusable bag company's green merits.  (The recent settlement shows the plastic bag company's arguments were as flimsy as their bags).

Then, there are the numerous cities across the state of California that have passed such bans, including San Francisco, Malibu, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles County, but are now threatened with lawsuits by, you guessed it, Hilex Poly. Big time pressure from the industry shut down state-wide ban efforts in California this summer, and thwarted a city ban in Seattle last fall.

Last month, North Carolina wildlife agents stormed a Randolph County rehabilitation farm and killed nine tame deer on Wayne Kindley's property. Armed agents claimed to have a warrant authorizing their actions, saying the animals could have Chronic Wasting Disease.

Lab test results, however, were negative—none of the nine deer killed by wildlife officials had the disease.

Surprised? Don't be. CWD has never been found in North Carolina and the closest known case was documented in northern Virginia, hundreds of miles away. In addition, seven of the nine killed deer were fallow deer, a species not susceptible  to CWD.

So why is it the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission's policy to storm a farm and slaughter tame deer, some of which were in rehabilitation?

That's just what more than 20,000 people around the world want to know as they push to change the way game wardens operate within the state. Unfortunately, state officials are either attempting to ignore the issue or outright pushing back, threatening local businesses to take down petitions.

Even before test results showed the deer to be free of disease, local community members rallied against the senseless slaughter. Jo Henderson, who had raised one of the fawns killed on the farm, is currently collecting signatures in town, while thousands more sign the petition on Change.org, demanding an investigation into the killings and protections for tame deer.

The response from community members has been massive, but at a recent public meeting with the commission, discussions of the deer killings was decidedly pushed-aside for "a later time." Even though Henderson was invited by wildlife officials to attend the meeting, the commission closed the meeting without public comment.

But Henderson and others refuse to back down. As officials fled from the quickly adjourned meeting, Henderson shouted "Shame on you" and vowed to continue her fight to change the law. Meanwhile, more killings have taken place. You can help protect deer by signing the petition here.

 Photo credit: ZapTheDingbat

This is an October 3rd, 2011 press release distributed regarding the artist Saber's End Mural Moratorium campaign on Change.org. You can support the campaign by signing the petition or buying a t-shirt to help Saber raise funds for this creative protest. The petition will be delivered at a planning commission meeting this fall.

More than 5,000 people, including 2,000 area residents, have signed a petition on Change.org protesting a Los Angeles policy that effectively bans public artwork.

The surge of support follows a daring skywriting protest in September by Saber, a prominent L.A. artist featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s national public art exhibition this year. His associate and friend Piper Severance launched the campaign on Change.org in conjunction with the attention-getting stunt.

“I’m in this campaign for the long haul,” said Saber, who is also selling t-shirts with Seventh Letter to fund this creative protest. “Los Angeles public art is under attack. I love this city, so my goal is to help Los Angeles reclaim its title as the world’s mural capital."

By Candice Norcross, a resident of Grand Rapids, MI and creator of a Change.org petition to protect the Thornapple River

Forty-one volunteers arrived at Lincoln Park in Ada, Michigan for the annual River Clean-Up Day. The early risers pulled blue shirts over their hoodies and gathered at the covered bridge, ready to scour the banks for garbage. Joggers — with knowing smiles — watched as we carried the canoes to the water's edge and started on our way.

I had never been to this particular river before, as it's about 10 miles from my own corner of Grand Rapids. However, I recently read several news articles in regards to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and its stormwater dilemma. I was inspired to launch a petition on Change.org to protect the river from the airport's new proposal to use the river as a dump site for de-icing fluid.

Last week, activists working on the campaign to permanently clean up New Jersey's Ringwood State Park got major news. At a packed community hearing, state officials backed away from plans to transfer the ownership of contaminated areas of the park back to Ford Motor Company, responding to the campaign on Change.org to keep the park in public hands.

Ford's efforts to gain control of areas where the car company dumped toxic waste are now indefinitely off the table—making room for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a legally binding plan for contamination in the park.

When Baltimore resident David Troy realized his city was chopping down trees to improve the view of a grand prix race, he sprang into action – with huge results. In just under a week, more than 4,500 Change.org members signed his petition and stopped the city of Baltimore from chopping down as many as 100 healthy, mature trees.

With local media extensively covering the issue, cutting down Baltimore's trees became a local controversy. David appeared on several nightly news broadcasts and The Baltimore Sun continuously covered developments in the story.

As David wrote in his guest blog post, he felt compelled to act for several reasons.

"I’m just a regular guy – a software entrepreneur with a pretty good Twitter and Facebook network, and I thought I could help. I care about trees. My wife’s father was an arborist. He would have wanted us to take up this cause, and it’s the right thing to do."

by David Wheeler, author of Wild New Jersey: Nature Adventures in the Garden State.

When a state park is established, most of us rightfully assume that preservation will last forever. But in Ringwood, New Jersey, a suburban community nestled into the rugged mountains just 40 minutes northwest of New York City, Ford Motor Company is attempting to take over part of Ringwood State Park.

The community of Upper Ringwood, made up mostly of Ramapough Mountain Indians, has been living off the land for generations—catching fish, hunting game, and growing vegetables. But Ford’s irresponsible dumping in the 1960s and early 1970s has forever changed this community. Ford's toxic dumping tells a story of disease, premature death, and a way of life forever altered by pollution.

Below is a guest blog post by Baltimore resident Dave Troy, who started a petition to save more than one hundred trees from the Baltimore Grand Prix chopping block.

Tuesday morning, I had stopped to get my morning coffee when I received an email from a stunned friend: trees had been cut down on Pratt Street, Baltimore’s main boulevard. He asked me, could I stop it?

For years, the Lehigh cement quarry and plant in Cupertino, California got away with violating state environmental safety and pollution laws.

Not any more.

A group of citizens—with the help of 26,000 people who signed the petition started on Change.org— have proven they can make a difference, even in the face of powerful interests.

Recently, as reported by Louis Sahagun in today's Los Angeles Times, California state officials issued an "ultimatum" to Lehigh, the oldest cement manufacturer in California. Either shape up in 30 days, or lose government cement contracts, which comprise up 70 percent of the company's revenue.

Did you know that 13,000 petition signatures, when printed, equal 260 feet of paper -- almost the same height of a mature old-growth redwood tree?

That was the symbolism unveiled on the steps of the California Capitol in Sacramento last Wednesday, as ralliers decried the state transit agency's plans to widen Highway 101 and destroy ancient redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park.

The rally went off without a hitch. According to Aliana Lee Knapp-Prasek, a Redway, CA resident who launched the Change.org action, two busloads of people met up and marched to Caltrans, some wearing bright orange vests and hardhats with "Eco Trans" spelled out on the back. There were banners, posters, puppets, animal costumes, drums and flutes. They converged on the building, chanting, and unrolled the petition in front of the building. (See a short write-up in The Sacramento Bee). A lead organizer of the Save Richardson Grove Coalition then met with aides in the Governor's office and delivered thousands of petition signatures and post cards asking that state officials prioritize timeless trees over a dubious highway widening.