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Earth's Newsdesk

Biocentric Press/Social Media Releases emphasizing ambitious yet attainable ecological sustainability solutions, a project of Ecological Internet


November 9, 2008

RELEASE: New Earth Rising -- a New Biocentric E-zine -- Launches as Time to Achieve Global Ecological Sustainability Grows Short

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Ecological Internet's latest offering focuses upon truthfully knowing global ecological crises in order to effectively develop and implement ecologically sufficient solutions

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

New Earth Rising(Seattle, WA) -- Ecological Internet, the world's leading provider of on-line environmental portals and action opportunities, is pleased to announce New Earth Rising, a new fiercely biocentric online magazine (e-zine), committed to thought and action to achieve global ecological sustainability. The green publication launches today at http://www.newearthrising.org/ and free subscriptions can be made at http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/subscribe/ .

The inaugural issue, entitled Ecological Truth and Transformative Action, features original and diverse green essays that seek to more fully know Earth's crises -- including climate change, water scarcity and forest diminishment -- in order to achieve ecologically sufficient solutions. New Earth Rising links what is known regarding global ecological crises with specific personal and social transformations necessary for shared survival and to sustain being.

Continue reading "RELEASE: New Earth Rising -- a New Biocentric E-zine -- Launches as Time to Achieve Global Ecological Sustainability Grows Short" »

November 3, 2008

Greenpeace Reaffirms Support for Ancient Forest Logging

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Cursory review of FSC's controversial certifications completely fails to question false premise that primary and old-growth forest logging is ever "well-managed", instead calling for better training manuals for ancient forest destruction

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

FSC logging destroys ancient forests(Seattle, WA) -- Today Greenpeace International released a report entitled "Holding the Line with FSC"[1] which reaffirms Greenpeace's unflinching support for the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) [search] past and on-ongoing industrial first-time logging of hundreds of millions of hectares of primary and old-growth forests. Greenpeace and other "forest protection" groups like the Rainforest Action Network and WWF continue to provide crucial greenwash for the false premise that ancient forest logging [search] is desirable and can ever be considered "well-managed".

Greenpeace was the target of a series of protests in 2007 led by Ecological Internet, as Greenpeace held FSC's international chairmanship, regarding their continued support for ancient forest logging given widespread irregularities. At that time they agreed to review problematic FSC certifications, and to respond to criticism regarding FSC's dependence upon ancient forest logging. Their new report fails miserably on both counts.

Continue reading "Greenpeace Reaffirms Support for Ancient Forest Logging" »

October 18, 2008

RELEASE: Ecological Internet Moves to Seattle

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

World's leading non-profit provider of environmental portals and "ecologically sufficient" action opportunities relocates

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet

CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ecological Internet Moves to Seattle(Seattle, WA) -- Ecological Internet (EI), a long-time pioneer in the use of the Internet to facilitate environmental conservation, has relocated to downtown Seattle, Washington. From there, EI will continue their highly effective brand of ecological science based Earth advocacy -- based upon ready access to comprehensive information, biocentric knowledge and analysis, and an "ecologically sufficient" advocacy agenda.

"After over a decade and a half in Wisconsin, it was time to relocate to an area with more networking, fund-raising and technology resources. Seattle offers us both proximity to North America's last great ancient forests, and access to larger environmental and technology communities," explains Ecological Internet's President, Dr. Glen Barry.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ecological Internet Moves to Seattle" »

October 16, 2008

RELEASE: Ancient Forest Victory, as Rainforest Action Network Yields, Commits to Review FSC Support

In a major victory for Ecological Internet and the world's ancient forests, RAN acknowledges concerns regarding FSC and commits to campaign to end all primary and old-growth logging

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

FSC logging destroys ancient forests(Earth) -- Bowing to a global pressure campaign spearheaded by Ecological Internet (EI), the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has publicly announced they are reviewing their support for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), over concerns regarding FSC's greenwashing of ancient forest logging. In a statement to Ecological Internet, and on their web site, RAN announced they find "certification of logging in such forests extremely problematic" and have "raised the matter with the FSC".

RAN has embraced EI's goal of working to end ancient forest logging [search], written to FSC with their concerns and to request more data, and indicated that FSC's continued certification of ancient forest logging is problematic and threatens their membership. Based upon this progress, Ecological Internet has temporarily suspended the protest campaign. If RAN fails in its commitment to work within FSC in coming months to end its certification of ancient forest logging, and refuses to resign from FSC at that time, EI's campaign will resume immediately.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ancient Forest Victory, as Rainforest Action Network Yields, Commits to Review FSC Support" »

October 13, 2008

RELEASE: Ancient Forest Logging is deRANged

Rainforest Action Network, and Cambodia and DRC, feel the heat of intensifying campaign to end all ancient forest destruction

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

RAN supports ancient forest logging(Earth) -- Last week forest defenders from the New York Climate Action Group (NYCAG) rallied at New York's Bluestocking Bookstore to denounce the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) for their support of industrial logging of primary forests. RAN is the focus of a global campaign to end ancient forest logging, starting with getting the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), of which they are a founding and leading member, to stop falsely certifying first time industrial primary forest logging as being environmentally beneficial.

When questioned, Mike Brune, RAN's Executive Director, stated again that RAN does not support industrial logging of old growth forests, but does support FSC. This transparent doublespeak was met by laughter from the audience. Due to Ecological Internet's campaign, forest conservationists are increasingly aware FSC's existence depends upon ancient forest logging. Further protest actions are expected, and the email protest continues.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ancient Forest Logging is deRANged" »

September 23, 2008

RELEASE: Friends of the Earth Rejects Forest Stewardship Council

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Major victory for Ecological Internet's campaign to end ancient forest logging as key response to climate and biodiversity crises

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

FSC logging destroys ancient forests(Earth) -- Friends of the Earth (FoE) is the first major international NGO to confirm they no longer support Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification [search], which falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging is desirable and even sustainable, and that plantations are forests. This is a major victory for those including Ecological Internet (EI) and FSC-Watch[1] who have courageously taken on large environmental interests using FSC to greenwash ancient forest destruction.

FoE pioneered timber certification during the 1980s and was one of FSC's founders, but FoE International in Amsterdam has confirmed that it is now "reviewing" its membership of the organization. FoE UK announced on their website[2] they are "deeply concerned by the number of FSC certifications that are now sparking controversy and threatening the credibility of the scheme. We cannot support a scheme that fails to guarantee high environmental and social standards. As a result we can no longer recommend the FSC standard."

Continue reading "RELEASE: Friends of the Earth Rejects Forest Stewardship Council" »

September 15, 2008

RELEASE: Urgent Environmental Action Must Be Maintained in Bad Economic Times

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Ecological Internet warns converging economic, climate, food and fuel crises are symptoms of a massive global ecological bubble, and that without ecosystems there can be no economy

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet

No ecosystems -- no economy, or life(Earth) -- Current economic difficulties are largely caused by failing global ecosystems and resource scarcity, and are not an excuse to reduce environmental commitments, warns Ecological Internet. The bursting of the mortgage and financial bubbles, and food and energy price increases, are the logical and inevitable economic consequences of over-population, inequitable and unreasonable consumption, and unsustainable economic growth. Environmentalism is the solution to economic hardship, not the cause.

"The global growth machine is seizing up because it is hitting ecological limits and because of its own greed. Current global economic difficulties must not stop urgent ecological measures -- like dramatic emission reductions and natural habitat protection and restoration -- necessary to maintain a habitable Earth. Without ecosystems there can be no economic recovery," warns Dr. Glen Barry.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Urgent Environmental Action Must Be Maintained in Bad Economic Times" »

September 11, 2008

FEATURE: Old-Growth Carbon Findings Cause Forest Protection Schism

FEATURE ARTICLE
New ecological science increases calls for forest protection movement to unite in campaign to protect all ancient forests

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)

Primary forests are needed to hold carbonA new study in the journal Nature [ark] finds old-growth forests are "carbon sinks" [search] and continually absorb carbon dioxide [1]. Australian researchers recently found logging primary forests releases 40 percent of their carbon [2]. These findings discredit decades of thought that primary forests are carbon neutral, they can or should be "sustainably" logged, and only young forests continue to remove carbon.

The Earth's remaining ancient forests need to be fully protected not just because destroying them will release huge stores of greenhouse gases while destroying biodiversity -- but because science now knows what many of us intuited -- they continue in perpetuity to absorb massive amounts of new carbon dioxide. The environmental movement must respond accordingly.

This causes discomfort for groups like Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) that actively support ancient forest logging. They campaign for certified industrial first-time harvest of primary forests, and to establish some protected areas, while acquiescing to ancient forest logging elsewhere. They work to end coal use, but not ancient forest logging. New ecological science indicates their discredited forest campaigns cause climate change and block ecologically sufficient policies.

Continue reading "FEATURE: Old-Growth Carbon Findings Cause Forest Protection Schism" »

September 6, 2008

RELEASE: Earth's Newsdesk Launches -- A Fierce New Voice for the Earth

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

- Media releases and feature articles on the Earth's behalf, reporting upon the magnitude of global ecological crises and sufficient responses to achieve global ecological sustainability

September 8, 2008 (embargoed)
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ecological Internet Announces Earth's Newsdesk(Earth) -- A new type of environmental news service launches this week, as "Earth's Newsdesk" will report upon ecological science, policy and advocacy from the Earth's perspective. Ecological Internet will begin regularly providing biocentric media releases and feature articles for publication elsewhere. This continues a long list of firsts from EI and its predecessors, including the web's first blog and environmental search engine.

The free service will build upon Ecological Internet's constant tracking of environmental science, policy and advocacy -- and years of deep green analysis and action -- and will report upon major threats and opportunities facing forests, climate, water and oceans. It will focus upon environmental sustainability and the needs of the biosphere, and her ability to continue maintaining a habitable Earth for all life.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Earth's Newsdesk Launches -- A Fierce New Voice for the Earth" »

August 28, 2008

RELEASE: RAN Sells-Out Canadian Boreal Forests

Press/Social Media Release

Rainforest Action Network greenwashes destruction of half of Ontario, Canada's boreal forests; despite lack of any detail regarding vague promised protections, and without scientific findings that doing so is ecologically sufficient

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry

Canada's boreal forests: rich in carbon and water(Earth) -- Rainforest Action Network (RAN) of San Francisco has long been one of America's leading rainforest campaign organizations. Yet in July their campaign to protect Ontario, Canada's boreal forests [search] doomed half this vital global ecological system to industrial destruction. In return, RAN and other proponents received vague promises of protections over a decade from now, but no protected area boundaries or protection plans.

Canada's boreal forests are home to hundreds of sensitive species of animals including polar bears, caribou and wolverines. Boreal forests are some of the world's largest carbon storehouses, with holdings equal to decades of global emissions from fossil fuels, while continually absorbing new emissions. The boreal region is also the world's largest reservoir of clean fresh water.

Continue reading "RELEASE: RAN Sells-Out Canadian Boreal Forests" »