Greenpeace

Have you been keep up to date with our confrontation of the Japanese whaling fleet? It is amazing. Our activists are in the inflatables, dodging chunks of ice, and getting in between the whales and the harpoon guns. Nathan has got an update today about how he has rigged one of our boats, the Billy Greene, to hose the whalers.

Read on. 

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is upset that the FBI has gathered more than 100 pages of data on the group's activities.  Big deal!  We racked up over 2,000 pages worth of wasted tax dollars.  What's most surprising about this story, is that the Bush administration has no qualms about spying on peaceful organizations - or American citizens.

Read the full NY Times story.

For 25 years, there has been a bitter debate about opening the Arctic Refuge to development. The oil industry may have finally gotten its way, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it backed drilling opponents into a corner.

The House of Representatives passed a bill allowing drilling in the refuge, but the bill also contained money for hurricane relief and bird flu preventive measures. Don't you just love politics?

Read more on the decision.

Norwegian scientists have found that orcas - aka killer whales - have become the most contaminated mammals in the Arctic.  Because they are at the top of the food chain, these whales ingest all the chemicals that have already polluted the animals they eat.  If these whales are "accidentally" killed, or hunted for "scientific research," their whalemeat may end up on supermarket shelves and ultimately the dinner table.  This delicacy comes fortified with pesticides, flame retardants and PCBs.  Yum!

Read the full article.

Last February, Sister Dorothy Stang was assassinated in the Amazon. She was an advocate of land rights for rural peasants and spoke out repeatedly against the ecological cost and social injustices involved in Amazonian deforestation. Today the two men accused of killing her are on trial.

Read more about the life and death of Sister Dorothy.

When our activists need a break from chasing whalers on the high seas, you can usually find them climbing dirty power plants. For two days, 20 of our German activists have been atop the most polluting coal plant in all of Europe. The owner of the plant is planning 10 new brown-coal power units, one of which together with the plant we've occupied will emit more carbon dioxide than the entire nation of New Zealand.

The dramatic action brings back memories of a similar action in Pennsylvania last year. Six of our activists scaled a 700-foot smokestack that Bush's own researchers admit is responsible for the premature deaths of 237 resident PER YEAR.

Read more on the "Smokestack Six."

Hawaii has long-been a hotspot for sun-seeking vacationers and lovey-dovey newlyweds. But the "Aloha State" could quickly lose its popularity if the coastline disappears (except with the scuba divers, of course).  Earlier this week, 44 acres of coastline collapsed into the ocean, setting loose a glowing stream of lava that shot out from the newly exposed cliffside 45 feet above the water. Tourists may soon favor Florida or California for their getaways - until their coastlines disappear due to global warming.

Read more on Hawaii's new landscape.

Tonight the Sci-Fi channel is airing "The Triangle" - a thrilling new mini-series featuring an unlikely crew battling the mysteries of the infamous Bermuda Triangle.  An engineer, a meteorologist, a psychic and a tabloid reporter hired to uncover the secrets of the infamous ocean expanse, soon cross paths with a survivor of a Greenpeace vessel that was swallowed by the triangle.  The Greenpeace activist is played by "La Bamba" hunk, Lou Diamond Phillips.  Be sure to tune in tonight at 9/8C, or whenever you want if you have that TiVo thing...

More on "The Triangle."

Check TV Guide for your local listings. 

Seems our friends to north have found a new way fuel your car: animal waste.

"We're using animal waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said marketing director Ron Wardrop of Rothsay, which runs the plant. 

At full capacity, the Rothsay plant will produce 35 million liters (9.2 million U.S. gallons) of biodiesel a year, the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 16,000 light trucks or 22,000 cars from the roads"

More info at Yahoo!

 

Researchers at the University of Arkansas say they have developed a way to convert chicken fat into a biodiesel fuel. The chicken-fat fuels are better for the environment and the machines, but it's too early to tell if making biodiesel fuel from chicken fat is economically feasible. Dr. Emmett Brown shrugged off the announcement, saying "Big deal. My Delorean's been running on trash for 20 years...and it flies."

Read more.

P.S. - The answer to yesterday's Brain Teaser is:

They didn't have belly buttons.

A new study reveals that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point during the last 650,000 years. Since scientists haven't figured out a way to time travel yet (any day now...), they had to rely on tiny air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for their comparison. This research demonstrates that our behavior is dramatically influencing the buildup of greenhouse gases and fueling global warming.

Check out more on the study.

Brain Teaser

The scientists also discovered the bodies of a man and a woman preserved in the ice. They determined the pair to be Adam and Eve. How did they know it was the Biblical duo? Answer tomorrow...

Some surveys have revealed that public speaking ranks higher than death as a phobia.  If you want to make it in politics, you had better overcome that fear pretty fast!  But even the most seasoned public speakers can have a rough time now and then: they stumble over a word, a joke falls flat, Greenpeace activists are in the rafters above them hanging banners against what they're saying...

This morning, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to change the venue of his pro-nuclear speech thanks to some uninvited guests stealing his thunder.  Blair was prepared to tout nuclear energy as the answer to climate change, despite it being costly, dangerous and a terrorist target.

Vote "no to nuclear" on BBC's Web site.

Check out CNN's coverage.

Read a fellow Greenpeace blogger's account of the international climate change conference happening this week.

Photo: John Stillwell/WPA pool, AP

Italian authorities seized 7.8 million gallons of Nestlé baby milk products yesterday after tests showed that chemicals used in the labels were seeping through the cartons into the milk. The milk was produced in Spain and sold in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Read the full disturbing story.

Goldman Sachs Group - the big investment banking firm - has announced a policy that details how its 24,000 employees should promote activities that protect forests and guard against climate change. It seems that Wall Street has opened its eyes to the importance of environmentally sound practices, now it's time to get Pennsylvania Avenue onboard.

Check out the NY Times article.

Last week, Greenpeace unveiled a new (and improved!) member center. This new system allows activists to update their profiles, blog, join discussions, take action and more in a quick and easy format. It turns out that the Internet isn't just good for googling the name of your blind date or selling your Cabbage Patch dolls on ebay. The worldwide web is a key tool for connecting activists and allowing them to work together to bring about change. Get started.

We've all heard the stories of dogs or cats gone missing hundreds of miles from home that show up on their owners' doorsteps. They're a little tired, a little hungry, but mostly just happy to be reunited with their families. But those animals don't have anything on "Phoky" or the other sea otters that are astounding scientists and infuriating fishermen.

Phoky was captured and flown from his natural habitat in Southern California's Anacapa Island to Monterey as part of a federal program. Shellfish divers didn't like sharing their catch with these natural predators so the government decided to step in.

But Phoky and dozens of other sea otters weren't satisfied with their new accomodations. So they decided to go back to where they belong despite the official order against it. Who knew otters practiced civil disobedience?

In light of the otters' arrival, the authorities are leaning toward abandoning the re-location plan altogether.

Greg Sanders, a biologist that had been tracking Phoky and the others admitted, "We flew 'em out there, although we didn't blindfold them."

Read more on these clever critters.

Yesterday, Christmas came early for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Apparently Mr. Blair has been quite naughty this year because he received 14 TONS of coal, courtesy of Greenpeace activists.



The special delivery was a reminder to Blair of his commitment to tackle climate change. In the past few weeks, he has made statements that have cast doubt on his long-term support of global warming solutions like the Kyoto Protocol. Negotiations for the second phase of Kyoto are set to begin in Montreal this month and Brits are counting on Blair to redeem himself.

Read the full story.

China has recognized that it has a dependence on imported oil and its coal-burning power stations and stoves are dangerous for residents. But instead of going to war or pretending the problem doesn't exist, China is taking the road less traveled and looking to renewable energy sources to meet its needs. In fact, solar panels are powering army outposts for soldiers guarding the country's border.

Check out the full story.

For nearly 35 years, Greenpeace has engaged in non-violent protests. But just because we're committed to remaining peaceful at all times, doesn't mean the corporations and governments we stand up to feel the same way. Over the years, our activists have suffered multiple beatings at the hands of irate workers and abusive law enforcement personnel. In 1984 the French Secret Service bombed our ship, the Rainbow Warrior, and killed our photographer, Fernando Pereira.

Today, one of our activists participating in a peaceful protest against a coal power plant in the Philippines was attacked with a pipe by local plant security. He is now recovering in the hospital. Four other activists were pummeled with stones.

How can this brutality be justified against people armed with nothing more than a banner?

Read the full story and listen to audio from the scene.

Congress is meeting today to discuss ExxonMobil and the rest of the oil industry's record-breaking profits. And tomorrow the House of Reps is expected to vote on a bill that would allow drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Rescue - dubbed "America's Serengeti."

Meanwhile, renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are getting more advanced and more affordable by the day. Take TMA's latest wind turbine design for example. This new model won't harm birds, runs more quietly and doesn't need to be installed as high as previous versions. Looks like the conservatives have run out of excuses to oppose clean energy. Unless they want to go on record complaining that wind power won't put $9.9 billion in Lee Raymond's pocket.

Today a fleet of Japanese ships departed for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. If you think they've left for a whale watching pleasure cruise, think again. These six ships are planning to hunt down and kill 1,000 whales, despite a worldwide ban on whaling in effect for almost 20 years.

These whalers are exploiting a loophole that allows whaling for scientific purposes. But these 1,000 whales will end up on supermarket shelves, not in laboratories - you can count on it. We're calling on Japan to honor the moratorium and call off the hunt.

Read more.

British engineers are finalizing plans to design and build a string of "eco-cities" in China over the next few decades. These urban centers will be self-sufficient in energy, water and most food products, with the aim of zero emissions of greenhouse gases in transportation systems. What will those clever blokes think of next?

Read the Guardian article.

Googlism.com will find out what Google.com thinks of you, your friends or anything! Check out what is has to say about Greenpeace. My personal favorite is "Greenpeace is demanding a phase." Damn right we are!

Over 180 different actions, events and demonstrations against Kimberly-Clark - maker of Kleenex - are occurring right now across Canada and the United States. This International Day of Action was coordinated to protect our ancient forests and force Kimberly-Clark to use recycled paper in its products.
See pics and more at: Kleercut.net

In the words of Senator Barbara Boxer, the Democrats have said "enough is enough" when it comes to the Iraq war. Democrats forced the Senate into a closed session yesterday, demanding the Intelligence Committee move forward with its investigation into how the Bush administration handled prewar intelligence about Iraq's suspected weapons programs. Better late than never...

Note the word "suspected." Newsflash: Iraq didn't have any weapons of mass destruction! But in a poll taken as late as FEBRUARY 2005, 36 percent of Americans still believed that Iraq had WMDs when the United States invaded. Apparently, 36 percent of Americans live under a rock. Sad.

Few tears were shed on Thursday when Harriet Miers withdrew herself from consideration to be the next Supreme Court Justice. Conservatives whined that Miers was inexperienced and lacked a clear-cut stance on many conservative issues. Liberals complained that she was, well, a conservative. President Bush wasn't about to make that mistake again. For his second pick, he wanted someone the Republicans would applaud and the Democrats would despise. Mission accomplished with Samuel Alito.

Alito's views align to the right when it comes to most issues including gays, abortions and guns. Senior legislative counsel with Earthjustice is also concerned that Alito could mean trouble for the environment. For example, in 1997 Alito ruled against Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), gutting citizens' access to courts under the Clean Water Act.

Since no one is looking out for the environment in the White House or Congress, it would be nice to have a little love from the Supreme Court. If you want to do your part to oppose Alito's confirmation, visit MoveOn.org

HOLD THE PRESSES!!! Seems like Bush's new Supreme Court nominee has over $100,000 in Exxon stock. Gasp.

Wal-Mart recently announced an environmental plan to boost energy efficiency, reduce waste and trim greenhouse gases. But don't be fooled America! The superstore still has a ways to go before it gets its critics off its back. For example, it needs to stop the sell of whalemeat, address workers' rights issues and stop making really annoying commercials with that stupid bouncing smiley face.

See also:

Wal-Mart Watch
Wake-Up Wal-Mart

See this astrology report from the October 26 edition of the Minneapolis City Paper:

Even though Americans comprise five percent of the world's population, they use one-third of its resources and generate half of its hazardous waste. Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders are a little less extravagant, but not so much that they can brag. Profligacy on this scale is not only terrible for the planet and our descendants, but also bad for the perpetrators. Your first assignment this week, Libra, is to identify ways in which you personally participate in this greed and excess. Your second assignment is to analyze how it might be damaging to your mental and physical health. Your third task: Do something about it! You now have an unusually high potential for drawing deep satisfaction from simple, inexpensive pleasures. Halloween costume suggestions: monk, nun, garbage collector, Greenpeace activist.

That's pretty good advice for anyone who is a Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagitarius or Scorpio too! And if you (like me) didn't know what profligacy is, it means extravagant...

Last night, an icon of the civil rights movement died at age 92. Rosa Parks sparked a year-long boycott of the bus system, led by Martin Luther King, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man who demanded it. Rosa was jailed and fined for her act of defiance.

Most Americans are familiar with Rosa's legacy and, upon hearing the news of her death, will take a moment to mourn the loss of such a courageous woman. But the question remains: "Why is an ENVIRONMENTAL organization acknowledging the passing of this civil rights heroine?"

Fair enough. Rosa was not a tree-hugger. She never hung a banner denouncing whaling. She never stood by us when we protested nuclear weapons. However, Rosa Parks and Greenpeace are inherently the same. We both stand up for what we believe in, and we do it through civil disobedience.

Gandhi, MLK, members of the Boston Tea Party...we consider these people part of our family. Rosa's death is like losing a cousin. We may not all be fighting for the same thing, but we're all speaking the same language and adhering to the same principles of non-violence.

"At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in."
-Rosa Parks

It's official, 2005 is the most active hurricane season on record. The country is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, but that didn't stop Rita, Wilma and other storms from kicking us while we were down.

Hurricane Wilma has been battering the Florida coast since early this morning, after killing at least 17 people in the Caribbean. At one point it was the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic, with winds of 175 miles per hour, but today it has been seesawing between a Category 2 and Category 3 hurricane.

Wilma isn't the only record-setter of the season. Close on its tail is tropical depression Alpha and forecasters are suggesting the storm could grow in strength. This is the first time EVER all 21 names pre-assigned for storms in a year have been exhausted, forcing the body responsible for naming storms to move onto the Greek alphabet. If there are more storms to come this season (let's hope not), they will be named Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on.

If this trend continues, what will we be doing a 100 years from now, when we've exhausted all the letters in the Greek alphabet? Move onto Chinese characters? Borrow symbols from the artist-formerly-known-as Prince?

No one is suggesting that extreme weather events, like hurricanes, didn't exist before man started trashing the planet. But it is unmistakable that our actions are contributing to global warming, and the Earth's increased temperature and melting glaciers are severely altering Mother Nature's plan.

Global warming is no longer a catch phrase for politicians or interesting subject matter for scientists to write papers. The issue has clawed its way into conversations at the family dinner table, crowded subways and supermarket checkout lines. Now that the general public has grasped the urgency of the situation, it is up to us to do something about it. The responsibility is ours since our government has known for years, and hasn't lifted a finger to resolve the crisis.

A good place to start is by reducing our oil dependence and meeting our energy needs with clean sources like wind and solar. Some politicians are actually exploiting these hurricanes to EXPAND offshore drilling operations to vulnerable coastal communities. Don't let them.

-John Passacantando
Greenpeace Executive Director

Everyone and their mother knows that the Amazon Rainforest is being logged at an astounding rate. But it turns out that the destruction is actually DOUBLE what the experts had originally believed. Thanks to some fancy new satellites, we now have a clear picture of the true impact of the deforestation - and it's not a pretty sight.

Check out the breaking story.

According to FearlessFlight.com approximately 60 million Americans are afraid to fly. That number is understandable in light of the events on September 11, 2001. But is it that people are scared of crashing or falling victim to a terrorist act? Or could it be the REAL reason people are afraid to fly is the drinking water??

The Environmental Protection Agency investigated over 300 planes in 2004 and found that 15 percent of the drinking water on the aircrafts were contaminated. But the EPA announced yesterday that major airlines have agreed to routinely monitor the water served onboard to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

Now that that's settled, it's time to turn our attention to an even bigger problem. Do those ridiculously small bags of pretzels contain genetically modified organisms? Only time will tell.

While we may not know much about Harriet Miers' legal experience, we do know she is another one of big oil's buddies in the Bush administration. For more than 15 years (1985-2001), the wanna-be Supreme Court justice served on the board of the Center for American and International Law (CAIL). Exxon has contributed over $177 thousand dollars to CAIL since 1998 according to company documents.

CAIL and the Institute for Energy Law have numerous attorneys from Exxon and other oil companies on its Board of Trustees and advisory committees. Take a look at this from CAIL's Web site!

"The Institute for Energy Law (IEL), formerly the International Oil and Gas Educational Center, provides advanced education for lawyers and other professionals in the energy industry. Through educational programs, scholarly publications and membership activities, the IEL serves as an important forum in which contemporary issues affecting the industry can be examined. Founded in 1959, IEL counts among its membership many of the world's leading energy companies and attorneys."

"The very first educational program of the then Southwestern Legal Foundation was an Institute on Oil and Gas Law and Taxation, offered in 1949 (and every year since). Other energy law programs and activities followed, leading to the creation in 1959 of the International Oil and Gas Educational Center as a division of the Foundation."

"Renamed the Institute for Energy Law (IEL) in 2001, the IEL has, through its educational programs, scholarly publications and membership activities, served many thousands of energy lawyers and other professionals as an important educational forum in the energy industry." www.cailaw.org/iel/about.html

Harriet Miers looks like another Washington insider with oil on her hands!

We were back in St. Bernard Parish today. We were chased away from both the Murphy and Chalmette oil refineries by security guards as we documented activities there. At Chalmette (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) a security guard in a white pickup truck with "Homeland Security" in orange spray paint on the side told us, "Exxon doesn't allow any photos of the refinery to be taken, even if it's in the background." At least he was honest about who calls the shots in Louisiana.

Around New Orleans, one can drive for ten or 15 miles and see great swathes of urban America desecrated, deserted and debris-strewn. At night, the darkened skyline is barely visible by the light of the stars. A few Katrina refugees are filtering back. Many will be dispersing again, heading for higher ground, hoping to never go through this again.

Everyone we've met has been eager to tell his or her story, to have someone bear witness to what they've been through. In St. Bernard Parish, working class people of all races live between the two huge refineries. We spoke with Raymond Blazio in what remained of the trailer park in Meraux where 16 members of his extended family lived. He was waiting for his parents to arrive to see what had become of their home.

"I told them not to come. I was here a week ago and saw there was nothing to salvage, but they want to come, for closure," he said. "I'm worried about my mom's heart. She's strong, she's a persistent little lady, but I worry about her heart."

Gesturing toward the Murphy Oil tank farm adjacent to the ruins, he said, "There used to be woods back there. They protected us from the wind, from the storms. Then Murphy expanded. They cut down the woods and put in the tanks. We had no protection after that."

Raymond's brother's trailer was wrecked, his sister's trailer was wrecked, his aunt's trailer was wrecked. Raymond and his brother remodeled their parents' trailer last spring. "It looked like a trailer on the outside, but inside, it was a home. That was going to be for their retirement. Now it's gone." At his feet lay someone's sequined dress, a memory from a happier time.

A tank at the Murphy Oil refinery was knocked from its base by the flood. According to the U.S. Coast Guard 19,500 barrels, or 1,072,500 gallons of oil flooded into Meraux.

On Walkers Lane, George Harrison said the Murphy refinery seemed to have an explosion every year. Smoke and soot from the plant were a constant presence. "There are all kinds of lawsuits against Murphy. We're part of one of the lawsuits," he said. He does not have high hopes for the suit.

The Emerys on Walkers Lane have a big family, too. They too are scattered around the country, but Carol Emery is planning now to gather everyone together for Thanksgiving. "We are together every year and we will be together this year. We all got out safe, so we have so much to be thankful for."

"This is just material," she said, indicating her house with a hand gloved in latex. She wore heavy rubber boots, a protective suit and a particle mask. The first floor of her house was, weeks later, still sopping wet. Mold - and other things - were growing from her leather sofa.

Ms. Emery is a social worker, she and her family have taken in children to care for, have been a strong foundation for their community. "People have taken us in, have given us money," she said. "We've always given to other people. I can tell you, it does feel good to receive."

Danny Duchmann, on Livaccari Drive, was angry. "This neighborhood was fine the day after Katrina. People were out raking the leaves. Then the levee broke. The water came up fast; people were trapped. We gave these politicians our tax money to build up those levees. They promised, 'Vote for me, I'll strengthen the levees.' What happened? Pfft, the money went right into their pockets. Now look at us."

Most of the people of Meraux are moving on. Some will have to move on. A million gallons of oil spilled from the Murphy Oil refinery, the soil in some areas is so contaminated, people will never live there again.

Lawyers for Murphy are contacting some of the residents of Meraux, offering to buy up homes for another expansion of the refinery, another tank farm. For the people of St. Bernard Parish, Katrina was a disaster. For the corporations, it's a business opportunity.

We got our first look inside the city of New Orleans today, 29 days after Katrina struck. There's still water pooled in the streets on the east side of the city, thanks to levees that re-breached during Hurricane Rita. It's eerie to see mile after mile of residential and commercial neighborhoods of a major American city emptied of all life and strewn with debris. Mark was at ground zero in Manhattan a month after 9-11. Clean-up was underway, the city was coming back to life. A month after Katrina, New Orleans is still supine and it's not clear when it will get back on its feet.

We passed a car dealership with a lot full of sport utility vehicles, all ruined by floodwater. Those cars, at least, will not contribute to global warming.

We spent the morning in St. Bernard Parish, just east of New Orleans. It's home to two refineries - Chalmette Refining (owned by ExxonMobil) and Murphy Oil Refining - as well as low-income citizens of several races. An oil tank floated off its mooring during Katrina and spilled approximately 800,000 gallons of oil into the neighborhood. Some houses in St. Bernard's have high-water marks, some have high-oil marks, black rings marking the furthest extent of the flood. We spoke to several families who were able to return to their homes for the first time in a month. None of the people we spoke with will return to St. Bernard Parish. One man estimated 70 percent of the residents will never return.

This afternoon, we spent four hours flying over the Gulf of Mexico, checking on oil platforms. Weather was perfect for flying - five miles visibility, sunlight reflecting off the cyan water of the gulf. There are, however, 4,000 oil platforms in the gulf and almost one-quarter of them were in Rita’s path. One rig - Rowan Gorilla IV - was pumping oil over the side as we approached, but cut the flow as we made a second pass. Must have been feeling guilty, eh?

We saw a five-mile long oil slick and are investigating what might have caused it. We observed damage to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas. We saw plenty of damage to wetlands along the Louisiana and Texas coastlines, ensuring that damage from future storms will be severe.

Autumn is spreading across much of the American continent; homeowners are growing anxious about the cost of heating oil as the nights grow cold. Reuters reports Hurricane Rita may be the most damaging storm ever, in regard to oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, which will send prices even higher.

It's still hot and humid in southern Louisiana; last night we were attacked by fire ants after we inadvertently stepped on their nest in the dark.

We're back in the flood zone and things are more chaotic than they were after the last storm. More and more contractors and insurance assessors are pouring into southern Louisiana; the highways are jammed with vehicles. It's a reminder of how thin our infrastructure is and how easily it's disrupted.

We've heard about two major causes for concern in Mississippi. Reports say that 40 percent of the wetlands along the coast can no longer function in the ecosystem as they did before. That's a serious problem, because abundant, healthy wetlands are necessary buffers to protect coastlines during storms like Katrina and Rita. Draining and development of wetlands in recent years contributed to the severity of the effects of the storms this year. Environmentalists are calling for immediate remedial action.

Also in the news, casino owners are calling for changes to Mississippi law. Until now, gambling has only been allowed on "boats," so casinos have been built on floating platforms that are no more "boats" than a bathtub is. Now, because of the storms, gaming interests are asking Mississippi for permission to build casinos inland. It will be interesting to see whether wetlands or casinos become the legislative priority.

Here in Louisiana, we heard today that a bill has been introduced to the state Senate calling for a temporary moratorium on state environmental laws, to speed rebuilding. Similar language has been introduced to the U.S. Senate by Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and David Vitter (R-LA). Far from helping a recovery, if these bills pass they will ensure that the damage from future storms will be greater than what we're witnessing now.

After withdrawing to wait out Hurricane Rita's passing, the team has reconstituted itself. John Hocevar and Thomas McCabe have replaced Stephanie and Mike. We drove down from Birmingham, AL through the remnant of the storm - thunder, lightening, torrential rain, hail and tornados in eastern Mississippi.

It's autumn now, the days are shorter and behind the rain, the air is somewhat cooler. It's humid in Hattiesburg and the evening breeze carries a whiff of the industrial South - the sour, cabbage-like odor of a pulp mill.

The news reports say the hurricane's strength was spent from Port Arthur, Texas to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Greenpeace has a long history of working on the oil refineries along the Texas coast, and the polyvinyl chloride production facilities in Lake Charles, so we'll have a list of sites to check.

Tomorrow we'll meet a pilot in Gonzales, LA and survey Rita's wake from the air. Tonight, we're dealing with domestic issues, like folding John's 6'3" frame onto one of the RV's bunks.

We're pulling back to Birmingham, AL tonight as Hurricane Rita moves into the gulf region and the parishes of Louisiana are once again evacuated. As much as we'd like to stay on hand and help during the storm, we don't have the proper equipment to offer first response.

The team is dispersing, regrouping and getting ready to dive back in. Christian and Mark will return to the gulf after Rita, with new activists to replace Stephanie and Mike, who are pulled away by other commitments.

We drove north on Interstate 59. Going our way were the various contractors and cleanup specialists also removing themselves from Rita's path. In the oncoming lane along the Mississippi line, we saw a convoy of empty buses heading south, presumably to evacuate gulf residents.

Rita will be the second major hurricane to hit the gulf in less than a month. The news today was full of stories of Houstonians trapped and running out of gas on gridlocked freeways as they attempt to flee their city.

It's as if it were a scene from a movie whose director can't help ladling on the ironic overstatement. In Houston, the oil capital of America, the oil addicts scramble to flee from the monster given life by their behavior.

Yet the Bush administration seems to grow more heedless with each passing catastrophe. In Katrina's wake the administration and its cronies are calling for a relaxation of environmental laws and building codes so New Orleans can be rebuilt "as quickly as possible."

It's a sad day when tragedy is seen by our leaders only as an opportunity to advance the interests of the corporations that financed their election, but it seems that day is upon us.

View a slideshow of what we've seen


September 21, 2005
Listen to the audio update


Things here in Louisiana are starting to come full circle. We came down here to investigate and document the effects of hurricane Katrina on the environment and on people's lives. As we take our last trips into the field, we do so with yet another hurricane bearing down upon the Gulf Coast. The new storm, hurricane Rita, looms heavily in the minds of the residents here in Louisiana, as it comes on the heels of hurricane Katrina. As we write, Rita has attained Category 4 status; the same as hurricane Katrina had when it hit land in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Outside we can see a procession of vehicles leaving New Orleans and other parishes, and we can feel the wind picking up. Although the storm is expected to make landfall in Texas, a considerable amount of rain is forecast for this area, and given the extremely weakened condition of the levee system, residents here are taking no chances.

We ourselves are preparing to leave the area sometime tomorrow. Mark and Christian are out in Plaquemines Parish again, to further document the environmental hazards in the area as a result of hurricane Katrina, and the presence of dangerous oil and chemical facilities in the path of such storms. Stephanie and Mike are preparing the RV and other gear for the long trip back home.

The effects of hurricane Katrina and the presence of Hurricane Rita in the Gulf illustrate how our dependence on oil has finally come full circle. The U.S., and other industrialized nations, is so dependent on oil that we will drill virtually anywhere in the world to get it. We then burn it in our cars, our homes, our work, and in the process we release CO2 into the atmosphere and heat the planet. As a result, we see more storms with greater intensity that, ironically, affect areas in the U.S. where there is a lot of drilling and production of oil. This leads to even further damage to the environment as we have seen in the aftermath of Katrina. It is clear that the U.S. needs an energy policy that promotes renewable and clean sources of energy. The U.S. also needs to phase-out the use of highly toxic industrial chemicals for which there are already cleaner and safer alternatives.

We're all a bit strung out from the shock of what we've witnessed and the hours we've worked since we arrived in Louisiana. Kenny Bruno departed Sunday. Christian, Mike and Mark spent Monday in the devastated portion of Plaquemines Parish.

Read more about our investigation and watch a video of our time in the field.



Listen to the latest audio update.


A parish in Louisiana is the municipal equivalent of a county in any other U.S. state. Plaquemines Parish is in the extreme southeast of Louisiana, comprising two narrow strips of land on either side of the Mississippi River as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The people and the parish government are long acquainted with hurricanes, but nothing could have prepared them for Katrina.

The lower 40 miles of the parish is - for all intents and purposes - gone. A 30-foot storm surge leveled most houses and filled the rest with oily, toxic scum. Power lines are down, schools and stores are destroyed and the vessels of the parish's fishing fleet are sunk, smashed or scattered.

The demise of the fishing fleet may be a moot point, because Plaquemines Parish is a transfer point for crude oil pumped in pipelines from the gulf. Katrina ruptured oil tanks and pipelines, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil, which mixed with gasoline from cars and gas stations. The resulting stew is seeping into the marshes and oyster beds. Fishermen we spoke with expect they will be closed for years.

The water table in lower Plaquemines is very near the surface; houses there draw treated water from central facilities and still most people drink only bottled water. This was prior to Katrina, water quality will sink lower now.

Monday we witnessed a "cleanup" of an oil spill at a Shell Oil facility in Nairn. Workers launched 20-foot, flat-bottomed boats equipped with pitchforks, dip nets and bales of what are essentially big towels, which they drop onto the oil spill. The towels absorb oil, are pulled back into the boats and driven away in trucks. The only protective gear provided the workers were latex gloves and hard hats.

None of the residents we spoke with said they have heard any word about the oil spills or possible toxic threat. Parish officials and police - who have been stretched to the utmost - also express frustration with the lack of cooperation from the oil companies, although they would not express such frustration for the record.

Cows and horses roam the polluted marshes, looking sick and dehydrated for lack of clean water. Dogs and cats are approaching a feral state after three weeks among the ruins. Animal rescue teams from are the country are on site.

Trees and grass are brown, killed by the surge of oil-tainted seawater. Fishing nets and bed linen hang from trees. Trucks, cars and boats are lie everywhere, personal possessions lie everywhere. Only the road, cleared by emergency crews, seems normal.

In the two days we've been in lower Plaquemines Parish, we've seen one reporter and four photographers. The world needs to hear what is happening there.

We shifted our operations late last night from Baton Rouge to Boutte (pronounced boo-TEE), on the west bank of the Mississippi, just southwest of New Orleans. As the campgrounds are full, we spent the night in a parking lot.

Thanks to information provided by Greenpeace alumnus Steve Kretzmann, we learned that one of the oil spills we saw from the helicopter yesterday was the largest one (that we know of) in Louisiana, 3.78 million gallons into Cox Bay from the Bass Enterprises Production Company.

Christian, Stephanie and Kenny are on the river in Plaquemines Parish today to get ground (and sea) level documentation of the oil spills and storm surge damage we saw from the air yesterday.

The Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger reports that the Department of Justice has sent an e-mail to various U.S. attorneys, asking if any have benn involved in lawsuits regarding environmental groups and levees near New Orleans. The Clarion-Ledger surmises that the Bush administration will attempt to blame the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina on environmentalists, rather than on intense storms induced by global warming and neglect by federal officials.

What do we know about Hurricane Katrina that you don't? Maybe more, maybe less. Here in the zone, things are chaotic. There's much work to be done and not much time for overview. We have to focus on the tasks at hand and so we may know less about the overall situation than folks watching television from a distance. We arrived around midnight last night; the good folks at the Louisiana Environmental Action Network let us park our vehicles in their driveway and use their office this morning. We can report that at least on their street in Baton Rouge there's water enough to flush toilets but not enough for a shower and it's not safe to drink.

After a few hours sleep, Mark, Mike and Christian spent a good portion of the day flying over the lower Mississippi in a helicopter. Several communities are nothing more than ruins standing in floodwater. Boats and barges rest on now-dry land, others are capsized and submerged in the river and attendant channels.

We saw spilled oil from ruptured holding tanks at Bass Oil Enterprises and Chevron facilities. Crews were on scene spreading booms and trying to contain the spills, but oil was seeping into the marshes in every direction.

That's direct observation; MSNBC reports 44 oil spills in southeastern Louisiana (including the two above), the Dallas Morning News reports that the total oil spilled by Katrina may rival that spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989.

The federal government is finally here in force. Military helicopters crossed our path several times. The airport in Hammond from which we took off is being used as a forward deployment area for a team from Customs and Border Protection. The highway is alive with pickup trucks, back windows bearing "FEMA" placards run off on a copier.

Local environmental groups are nearly overwhelmed. Aside from caring for their own families and lost houses, activists are trying to use their Warholian 15 minutes of media attention to attempt to explain decades of ecological abuse corporate America has heaped on the region. Then they try to get the attention of federal bureaucrats so that some of the money appropriated for relief actually does some good for the enviroment and doesn't all wind up leaving town in the pockets of federal contractors.

Stephanie and Kenny are off investigating the effects of the storm on chemical plants in Mississippi. We heard from them that they're on their way back, but it's getting late, they've got a 150-mile drive and there are thunderstorms moving through the area. Groundstrokes light up Baton Rouge, the power flickers, then catches and flashes back on. The rain pools quickly, reminding us of how close the water table is to the surface of the earth here and how water - and toxic chemicals - flow both ways.

We're taking the long route into the hurricane zone, through Jackson, MS, because we cannot get solid information about which roads are open along the gulf. We entered the edge of the damage zone as we moved south and west of Meridian, MS. Trees are snapped and we frequently see downed highway signs.

It's hot, but the humidity is not yet oppressive. We spent several hours in Birmingham, AL this afternoon, securing a four-wheel drive vehicle and shifting gear in the 100-plus-degree heat. The team has read the media reports from the storm zone, but as we approach the gulf we're getting a visceral understanding of how death came so frequently to elderly and infirm hurricane victims left without water or shelter.

Stopping on the Alabama-Mississippi border, Mike noticed gas purchases were limited to $30 per customer. The price is about three dollars a gallon for 87 octane. We expect gas to be more expensive - and more strictly rationed - as we move south.

Kenny Bruno spent the day in New Orleans. Due to poor cell phone coverage, communication with him has been infrequent and brief. He has managed to arrange a helicopter flight for tomorrow morning to give us a look at areas inaccessible by land and difficult to reach by boat.

A grapefruit-sized orange sun has just dropped behind the long-leaf pines. Red sky at night, a sign of good weather. Ground fog rises from the marshes and moves toward the road. We meet Kenny in Baton Rouge in two hours.

We've recently sent a team to New Orleans to asses the environmental impacts. While they are there we will be posting updates from them. Below is the first one.

The team pulled out of the Washington DC area at 11pm last night. Here in the RV is Stephanie Hillman - actions and logistics, Mike Johnson - communications/tech guru, Christian Ashlund - Photo/Videographer, and Mark Floegel - On-site campaigner. We'll pick up team leader Kenny Bruno in Baton Rouge where he is meeting with local activists. Our mission is to assess the state of industrial toxicants in the floodwaters left in communities by hurricane Katrina. We're carrying an assortment of gear to record and report, we've culled Greenpeace's files for the best intelligence on what we might find on the Gulf of Mexico, we have respirators, waders, and hazardous material clothing to protect ourselves from what so many have already been exposed to. We are each carrying memories of our own experiences working with communities along the lower Mississippi's Cancer Alley.

Hurricane Katrina was, as we know, predicted well in advance. Little action was taken to protect the poorest and most vulnerable in the storm's path. Similarly, Greenpeace and community activists have been predicting a reckoning for the heedless use of toxic chemicals as industrial feed stocks. The price for the corporate catastrophe, like the natural catastrophe will be paid, for the most part, by low-income communities of color. Again these communities will see a spike in cancer deaths. Ground water, the quality of which was already questionable, will likely be undrinkable for years if not decades to come.

Like all activists, we like to be in the middle of things so we're grateful for the opportunity to contribute. The foundation of the work we are about to do was laid by a generation of Greenpeace Toxics campaigners, especially Damu Smith and Rick Hind. Look for our reports in the days ahead.

Peace

Mark Floegel
Stephanie Hillman
Christian Ashlund
Mike Johnson

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has found his next political target: The Department of Energy. Seems the agency that oversees nuclear power (a favorite of terrorists) has been dragging it's feet on energy efficiency standards for household appliances. We say, go get 'em Elliot.

Last night I was watching a program on the Discovery Channel (I looked for a link to it on their site but boy is that site obnoxious) about how the levees along the Missisippi are destroying the wetlands. The wetlands that in turn absorb some of the energy from storms. Not only do we destroy the wetlands but by doing so storms get stronger. All because some fool wants water front property.

You buy some electronics. They get old. You throw them out. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Your electronic trash gets shipped overseas and now some poor child gets to salvage it for scrap. Breathing in and absorbing a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.

In the U.S. forests are reguarly destroyed for the economic benefit of a few. Oil companies, timber companies and other fat cats. Fat cats - what a great phrase. Anyway, the Chinese recently fined more than 80 people, even members of government, for forest destruction. Gob bless those communists.

Robert F. Kennedy is a great environmentalist. That is why this story is soo strange. I guess he likes his multi-million dollar view more than he likes clean, renewable energy. Personally, I'd love to look out of my mansion at a wind farm off in the distance.

Kennedy Misses the Boat when it comes to Clean Energy
Strange Boatfellows Clash in Nantucket Sound

I've been using computers since 1979. Owned at least a half dozen and it is only when I worked for a large computer manufacturer that I asked what happens to all of those old computers. No need to throw them out. Find out all about your toxic computers, how to recycle them and what others are doing to make them less toxic. Read on.

Isn't the Internet just grand? Every day we get to wake up to ads for all sorts of crap delivered to our email accounts. If you need to sell some of your crap you can use one of many auction sites to do so. Now it seems you can also buy endangered species online. Holy crap.

Hate global warming? Not a big fan of supporting terrorism? Wanna tell the oil companies to shove it? Well a guy out in California has tweaked his Prius to get 250 miles per gallon. Check it out.

The Center for Auto Safety also has some video about the Research Safety Vehicle (Real Player needed). A very cool car that the government crashed.

Embalming injects a corpse with a bunch of nasty and toxic chemicals. Many caskets are constructed to last, well, a lifetime. Now the there is a move for a green burial (NY Times, all sorts of registration hoops). Save some land, no toxic chemicals and you help to nuture the land. If curbside recycling is too much ask, this option only requires you to lay still.

When you think Tucker Carlson what comes to mind? Conservative action figure? Fashion icon? Douche bag? While all of these may or may not be true but we were shocked to find out he is an ardent supporter of terrorism. Aren't right wing TV looneys just grand?

The Arizona Republic has a great story on solar energy. "Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems struck a deal this week with Southern California Edison to build a 4,500-acre project that would produce at least 500 megawatts, enough electricity for a small city." Now maybe my hair dryer will stop blowing the fuses in my house.

Read More

We've got a story on a MIT study that global warming is to blame for increased tropical storms.

Now Bloomberg has story about Tropical Storm Irene getting stronger. Ugh.

With oil going to $66 a barrel, what will it take for us to switch to a cleaner energy source?

Tired of paying for dirty coal power? No longer want to help fund the next Chernobyl? This site has instructions on building your very own wind turbine. We haven't tested this but it looks fun.

Read More

Wired has an article on companies reducing their waste and how it helps their bottom line.

"Anything that's waste is an inefficiency in the process, and inefficiency is lost dollars," says Patricia Calkins, vice president for environment, health and safety at Xerox.

Read the article.