Climate Change & Environment


ON THE BOOKSHELF…..SEVENTH GENERATION EARTH ETHICS (NATIVE VOICES OF WISCONSIN)

ON THE BOOKSHELF…..SEVENTH GENERATION EARTH ETHICS (NATIVE VOICES OF WISCONSIN) by Patty Loew Foreword by Winona LaDuke Patty Loew, PhD. Is an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and a recipient of the Outstanding Service Award of the Great Lakes Intertribal Council. She is a professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and affiliated faculty with the American Indian Studies Program. She is the author of the bestseller Indian Nations of Wisconsin. For twenty years she hosted ...

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Protect Our Outdoor Heritage

Looking at the budget debates going on in Wisconsin and nationally it is hard to understand the conservative positions. Their destructive, short- sighted, and counter-productive agendas are simply “penny wise and pound foolish.” Why are they obsessed with cutting successful programs that cost pennies in comparison to the social and economic benefits? I am a member of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA). This non-profit organizes volunteers to build and maintain the North Country National Scenic Trail which runs across Northern Wisconsin. The work we do as ...

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CELEBRATE EARTH DAY ON APRIL 22…..

Earth from Space
There was a time when man took no more Than he needed. That time is gone…. There was a time when he gave something back. That time is gone…. There was a time when he worshipped the creator And honored creation. That time too is gone… Now the waters are polluted. Our natural resources are all but gone And creation is dying… It is time… To find our way back to the earth. --Kevin Thunderhorse Wright   It is easy on warm sunny days to find my way back to the earth. Spring flowers are blooming. Lettuce planted last November has sprouted. Rhubarb ...

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PROTECTING WISCONSIN’S WATER

Northern Wisconsin lake
An editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel April 7, 2015 states: "Once again, Gov. Scott Walker's budget is taking Wisconsin in the wrong direction.  Instead of spending more to curb runoff pollution, the 2015-'17 budget actually cuts programs that address the problem. That not only weakens protections for the state's waterways, it undercuts administration officials who say they're committed to reducing runoff pollution." The governor's budget cuts $5.7 million from programs needed to address runoff problems.  The cuts would reduce funding and staff at the ...

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Potential Impact on Environmental Education of the Proposed FY 2016 & 2017 Budget

WCEE Logo
Information provided by Jeremy Solin, Director (interim) of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education at UWSP: The infrastructure of environmental education in Wisconsin is in jeopardy. The proposed Wisconsin state budget affects the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, the Department of Public Instruction Environmental Education Consultant position, and the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board. Environmental education inspires people to pursue STEM-related careers in science, technology, environmental management, engineering, natural resources, ...

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Clean Green Action lists 2015 Projects

River Bridge
Clean Green Action (formerly known as Citizens for a Clean, Green & Welcoming Community) is beginniing its eighth year of working on projects that focus on sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. In 2014 we continued to build on successes in previous years, and in 2015 we will maintain some past projects while adding some new projects. Continuing projects include the following: Choose to Reuse – This event, which is organized by different area townships (e.g. Rome, Grant, Grand Rapids, Saratoga, Seneca), allows people to drop off useful ...

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NOT A DEMOCRAT . . . . A HUMBLE OPINION

Democrat Donkey
As the dust settles on the November elections and the Democrats assess the damage, one thing seems increasingly clear. . . it is no longer clear at all just who or what is a Democrat. Given the apparent identity crisis, a process of elimination may be in order. . . If you are not willing to openly fight the historic wealth inequality that has replaced democracy in America, you are not a Democrat. If you are not publicly advocating the breakup of “too big to fail” Wall Street banks, you are not a Democrat. If you do not rigorously support criminal prosecution ...

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“Ask the Candidate” – Issue Specific Questions

Debate
The Middle Wisconsin Editorial Board is excited to share with its readers a compilation of issue specific candidate questions.  We are hopeful that these questions can be utilized as a guide during a dialogue between citizens and candidates on some of the issues which face communities throughout the state of Wisconsin.  We encourage anyone using these questions to relay back to us some of the answers given by candidates so we may publish them on our website. The importance of an active citizenry is more important today than at any other period in our history.  A ...

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Choices for a Happy, Healthy Planet

Sun and Water
After a bitterly cold winter, a pretty chilly spring and what seems to many of us here in Wisconsin a darn mild summer, global climate change may not be our most pressing concern.  I, for one, find it easy to mistake my home for the whole world, so it came as a surprise to discover that globally 2014 ranks as the fourth hottest year on record, at least through the end of June, and that many scientists are betting we’ll end up breaking the all time record before the year is out. Globally, May and June were the hottest months since 1880 when we started keeping records....

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Will Wisconsin Utilities Be Left in the Dark?

Solar Panel on Home
Solar power is a shining American success story. In 1954 the modern solar cell was developed by Bell Labs, and over the past 60 years as solar installations have grown, the prices have dropped dramatically - making solar affordable for more Americans. In fact, a solar electric system is installed an average of every 4 minutes in the U.S. today. Solar is popular close to home as well. According to a recent survey by UW Milwaukee, 68% of Wisconsin residents support using more renewable energy. Solar and renewable energy (while currently a small percentage of our energy ...

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